Last week I (Paul) had the chance to attend a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) training in Oakland, California. HIA is a process that evaluates the potential health effects of a plan, project or policy. It's kind of analogous to an environmental impact review, except focused on health. An HIA provides recommendations to increase positive health outcomes and minimize adverse health outcomes. The San Francisco Department of Public Health did a really great job running the training, and it will definitely be useful for my work.
Of course, I wouldn't fly all the way out to the west coast and not build in some time for fun. :)
I arrived a few days early and got a rental car to check out some of the areas to the south of the city, and ride a few roller coasters. My first stop was Gilroy Gardens, a really pretty family amusement park. There aren't any thrilling rides, but since Gilroy is in an agricultural area (it's the "garlic capitol of the world") there were some adorable fruit and vegetable themed rides. This is definitely one of the most beautiful parks in the US.
My next stop was the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. It was packed on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, with lots of people enjoying the sunshine and ocean breeze. I rode the three roller coasters, then drove up to my hotel in Santa Clara. I stayed at the Avatar Hotel, a really unique Silicon Valley hotel themed after avatars (the personal icons for online games and forums, not the movie).
Sunday morning I made the short trip to California's Great America, one of the two large theme parks in the bay area. It was a decent park; Gold Rusher and Flight Deck were great rides. Still, I only needed a couple hours to get all the credits, then I went straight to Orenchi Ramen for some lunch. It was really good, but I prefer Ramen Shop for bay area ramen. On my way up to Oakland I briefly stopped by Stanford University, which has a really beautiful campus.
Finally I made it to Oakland for my training. David and I have been to Oakland before, and loved it. This trip I had more time to explore different parts of Oakland, eat lots of great food, and try lots of local beer. My hotel was between "Old Oakland" and Chinatown, a great location in the heart of the city. At the end of the week after the conclusion of the HIA training, I met up with friends and spent a couple of days enjoying more of the East Bay before heading home. Once again, I highly recommend a visit to Oakland!
As you can see, I had a fantastic time in Oakland, and can't wait to visit again! The Bay Area is pretty awesome.
Of course, I wouldn't fly all the way out to the west coast and not build in some time for fun. :)
I arrived a few days early and got a rental car to check out some of the areas to the south of the city, and ride a few roller coasters. My first stop was Gilroy Gardens, a really pretty family amusement park. There aren't any thrilling rides, but since Gilroy is in an agricultural area (it's the "garlic capitol of the world") there were some adorable fruit and vegetable themed rides. This is definitely one of the most beautiful parks in the US.
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| Beautiful, green Gilroy Gardens |
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| Timber Twister, a family coaster |
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| Gilroy Gardens has a lot of unique trees |
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| Quicksilver Express, the "big" coaster. It was a fun ride. |
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| Such a lush, beautiful park. Notice the mushroom-themed swing ride! |
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| Another really neat tree |
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| Ha! What an awesome name for a ride. |
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| This is the "garlic twirl." Beats "tea cups" any day. :) |
My next stop was the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. It was packed on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, with lots of people enjoying the sunshine and ocean breeze. I rode the three roller coasters, then drove up to my hotel in Santa Clara. I stayed at the Avatar Hotel, a really unique Silicon Valley hotel themed after avatars (the personal icons for online games and forums, not the movie).
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| Santa Cruz Beach |
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| The packed boardwalk |
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| The classic Giant Dipper, one of the 10 oldest operating coasters on earth |
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| Beachside woodie! |
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| They really went all out on the Avatar theme |
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| A roller coaster photo mosaic in my room... |
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| ...made out of avatars, of course! |
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| Veggie spring rolls for dinner from Merit Vegetarian |
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| Flight Deck. It used to be called Top Gun when Paramount owned the park. |
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| Gold Striker is a fun new wooden coaster with a tunneled first drop |
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| The park entrance is very similar to Six Flags Great America in Chicago - both were built in 1976 by Marriott, but have subsequently been owned and operated by separate companies. |
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| Part of the lunch time line for Orenchi ramen |
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| Yummy tonkatsu ramen! |
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| Stanford |
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| Stanford |
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| Stanford |
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| I had to stop by the stadium. Home of the famously rude Stanford band. :) |
Finally I made it to Oakland for my training. David and I have been to Oakland before, and loved it. This trip I had more time to explore different parts of Oakland, eat lots of great food, and try lots of local beer. My hotel was between "Old Oakland" and Chinatown, a great location in the heart of the city. At the end of the week after the conclusion of the HIA training, I met up with friends and spent a couple of days enjoying more of the East Bay before heading home. Once again, I highly recommend a visit to Oakland!
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| Beer Revolution. Fantastic local selection of beer! |
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| Kari Sach Chearm, a delicious lamb curry, from Battambang restaurant |
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| Downtown Oakland early in the morning |
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| View from the workshop |
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| Pacific Coast Brewing Company |
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| Mango boba smoothie from Sweet Booth |
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| Fox Theatre |
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| Jupiter beer in Berkeley |
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| University of California at Berkeley. I was here way back in 2005 for a conference. |
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| Cal Berkeley |
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| Downtown Oakland at lunch time |
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| More beer at the Trappist |
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| "Old Oakland" early in the morning. Very neat urban neighborhood. |
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| Caffe 817, my go-to cafe for the week |
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| Mural in Oakland Chinatown |
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| Lake Merritt |
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| Gwyneth is adorable! |
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| Oakland has a strong sense of place and a lot of neat arty/crafty stores |
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| The Temescal neighborhood of Oakland |
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| Tara's Organic Ice Cream in Temescal, Oakland |
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| Oakland Chinatown has awesome "pedestrian scramble" crossings. You don't see these very often in the US. These were added in the early 2000s, and resulted in a 50% decrease in pedestrian-vehicle conflicts. |
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| Busy sidewalks in Oakland Chinatown |
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| The Old Oakland Farmer's Market |
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| Gwen's Djembe class in Berkeley |
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| Awwwwww |
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| Adorable babies! |
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| Yummy snacks in Chinatown |
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| Simon still has his snaggletooth! |
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| Gwen loves beer |
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| More ramen! This time from Sobo. |
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| We went for a stair walk in Montclair, Oakland |
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| Enjoying the view from our stair walk |
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| Montclair Village in Oakland. Nice little fancy neighborhood. |
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| More local beer |
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| And one last beer from The Dock at Linden Street. Great food too, including a falafel waffle. |
As you can see, I had a fantastic time in Oakland, and can't wait to visit again! The Bay Area is pretty awesome.
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