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The 1991 Oakland-Berkeley hills firestorm destroyed nearly 4,000 single-family dwellings and apartment and condo units. Tucked under the train and freeway overpass on the west side of College Avenue, the Rockridge BART station Firestorm Tile Wall commemorates the disaster with ceramic tiles hand painted by local school children. The mural is easy to miss or take for granted but well worth close examination, as the images reflect the memories and feelings of youngsters affected by the historic blaze.

Oliveto, Oakland’s best fine-dining Italian restaurant, is the corner anchor of an upscale shopping compound that includes artisan coffee, a bakery, fish and produce markets, butcher, pasta-cheese-charcuterie shop, wine merchant, and flower stand. It’s a go-to one-stop destination for locals, but also a great place for out-of-towners to drop into for great take-away food, a cappuccino or a cocktail and small bite on the sidewalk--breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The surrounding blocks of the Rockridge commercial district abound with unique shops, bookstores, and restaurants, and the BART station is right across the street. It’s a 20-minute ride to or from downtown San Francisco.

Oakland’s Rockridge neighborhood has plenty of restaurants but the newly opened A16 Rockridge is packed most nights. Seems to be a favorite of the locals living nearby. The cuisine is southern Italian but the real star is the cocktail menu. Food is a bit pricey so go with friends, split a pizza and enjoy the cocktails. Nice simple decor without a lot of noise so you can actually have a conversation! Good vibe but can be wallet buster if you get carried away with ordering. Original A16 is still located in San Francisco on Chestnut Street.

In Oakland’s Rockridge district, the Market Hall houses Oliveto’s restaurant, a specialty food deli, bakery, coffee shop, pasta shop, florist and produce market. I love to stop by the Oliveto café before heading to San Francisco. Known for it’s seasonally inspired dinners, the downstairs café at Oliveto’s is open daily for breakfast. Yummy oatmeal served with cinnamon sugar and cream is my favorite. The breakfast pizza with a poached egg is a specialty and large enough to share. After breakfast wander along College Avenue visiting independent booksellers and unique small shops, hop on BART (Metro) to SF or grab a deli sandwich for lunch (roast beef & bleu cheese is fantastic) at the Market Food Hall.