Oakland City Center: Easy to Get to, Wonderful Weather, and Vibrant Culture
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA
The NACCB 2012 venue is in downtown Oakland, California. Oakland combines hillside neighborhoods, diverse architecture, a bustling waterfront, two lakes, and 19 miles of shoreline along the San Francisco Bay. Local attractions include Old Oakland (Victorian Houses), Oakland Chinatown, Lake Merritt, Oakland Museum of California (where we will host our Closing Reception), Jack London Waterfront Square, Chabot Space and Science Museum, local jazz clubs, and all manner of restaurants. Many attractions are within walking distance from the Oakland Marriott City Center or can be accessed via a free shuttle or inexpensive public transportation. The University of California Berkeley campus and San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf are a brief train-ride away. Monterey Bay, the Napa/Sonoma Valley wine country, and Silicon Valley are within a two hour drive.
Easy Transportation
Few cities in the United States offer as many modes of transport as Oakland, making it easy for visitors to get in and around town efficiently. Oakland International Airport has more than 200 flights per day from 37 non-stop destinations, including New York, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Mexico. Amtrak trains provide regular service to nearby Jack London Square.Most NACCB events will be at the Oakland Marriott City Center, located at 1001 Broadway, adjacent to the City Center BART station (BART is the Bay Area's rapid transit system). San Francisco Airport is 26 miles away from the Marriott and can be directly accessed via BART. Oakland Airport is eight miles away and can be accessed via BART with a short shuttle connection from the Airport. From the City Center BART station, downtown San Francisco is only 12 minutes away. Additional directions are available on the hotel website (see "Meeting Location and Accommodations"). Click for information on BART connections from the airports.
Mild Weather
Oakland's pleasant climate is ranked #1 in the United States, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The city has statistically the same number of sunny days as Orange County in southern California, but with milder summers. July temperatures range from sunny daytime highs in the 70s F (20s C) to evening lows in the 50s F (teens C), with little to no precipitation.
Arts, Dining, Music & More
Hip, diverse, and multi-cultural, Oakland features an abundance of neighborhoods filled with local history, eclectic shops, and dazzling food (the city's burgeoning food scene was recently highlighted in Via magazine -"Fine Dining in Oakland"). Oakland is a mecca for aficionados of the arts and sciences, boasting such award-winning attractions as the Oakland Museum of California, the Chabot Space & Science Museum, and the beautiful Paramount Theatre. The conference center is about a 10 minute walk to Jack London Square on the San Francisco Bay where there are many seafood restaurants, shops, and a kayak rental shop to let you explore from the water. Click to explore Jack London Square online.