Of course, one of the great things about living in the Dream House is its surroundings--the San Francisco Bay Area. Oakland itself has all kinds of opportunities, with its own symphony, ballet, zoo, museums, festivals, pro sports teams, colleges, etc. Berkeley is jut a few minutes away, with its own funky liberal flavor, lots of interesting stuff from nifty thrift stores to great restaurants to a highly respected university (UC Berkeley). And, San Francisco is only about 15 minutes away by subway (BART). There you'll find just about everything a city could want: world-renowned opera, symphony, and ballet; the planet's largest constructed park, Golden Gate Park; great museums (specializing in everything from Asian art to natural history to folk art to science to African American culture and history to fine art to coin operated musical instruments to modern art--most have free admission one day each month); fascinating neighborhoods (like Chinatown, the Italian North Beach, the 1960's hippie mecca of Haight-Ashbury); and more restaurants per capita than any other U.S. city. The whole Bay Area abounds with sports events from professional baseball games to marathons, a plethora of concerts and performances of all kinds, outdoor festivals, excellent libraries, a wide array of organizations, and interesting volunteer opportunities. Organizations and individuals offer thousands of classes, lectures, and workshops; dozens of colleges and universities also offer a wide variety of classes--some specialize in art and design, cooking, media skills, music, and theology. An excellent, extensive public transportation system including buses and BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) will get you just about everywhere. And when you want to get away for a day or a weekend, nearby you'll find beautiful wild areas and beaches--again, some of these can be accessed by public transportation.

weather

The Bay Area has a mild, pleasant climate, hovering around 60 degrees year round. Different parts of Oakland have slightly different microclimates, so it's hard to know exactly what to expect. You'll want a raincoat but shouldn't have to wear it too often. It’s a good climate for year-round gardening, with enough precipitation but nothing so oppressive as the rain of Oregon and Washington.