Lakeside

Lakeside's real estate is located in Oakland's Gold Coast district, crowning the lake with stunning period and modern architecture. Visit the lake and watch as crew teams race, gondolas glide by, and joggers and walkers do their daily 3.4 mile circuit. Or, for a bit of local history, visit Oakland's Museum of California and the Terrace Room at the Lake Merritt Hotel, a 1927 art deco wonder.

An important stop on the Pacific Flyway, Lake Merritt is home to the exotic black-crowned night heron, Canadian geese, ruddy ducks, snowy egrets, buffleheads, great blue herons and more. Named America's first wildlife sanctuary in 1869, the tidal estuary is also a stop-over for thousands of unique migratory birds.

A popular stop for those without wings is Lake Chalet Seafood Bar & Grill, a converted boat house built right on the lake's edge with serene views of the water, the birds, and the passing gondolas.