From Wikitravel Shared

Emeryville [1] is a small city on the San Francisco Bay that acts as a gateway to the East Bay from San Francisco. It exists at the intersection of three major freeways: I-80, I-580, and I-880.

Emeryville is going through a period of aggressive re-development started during the 1990s and 2000s, where industrial factories and warehouses are being replaced by modern retail and residential uses. Much of this was spurred by anti-development policies in neighbors such as Berkeley and Oakland.

The city is also known for its IKEA store and tech companies, such as Pixar studios. The city is featured on a map in the film "The Incredibles" with actual street names.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By air

Oakland International Airport (OAK) is the obvious choice, but SFO will do. From the airports, see rail section on BART.

[edit] By train

BART is the regional heavy rail service which will connect you to San Francisco, Oakland, and other cities in the Bay Area. Sadly, there is no BART station in Emeryville, but simply get off BART at the MacArthur station in Oakland and take the free Emery-Go-Round shuttle. Warning: MacArthur is not recommended at night.

Emeryville has a major Amtrak station just east of the Public Market. Amtrak buses run from the Emeryville station to San Francisco.

Local trains connecting Emeryville to Sacramento and San Jose run several times per day.

Two long distance Amtrak routes run daily to and from Emeryville. The California Zephyr route connects Emeryville to Chicago via Denver, Salt Lake City, and Reno. The Coast Starlight route runs from Los Angeles to Portland (Oregon) and Seattle via Emeryville.

[edit] By car

From San Francisco, take I-80 East and exit on Powell St. From points East, take I-80 West and exit on Powell St.

The complex freeway intersections just to the south of Emeryville are referred to as the Maze for good reason. Here are some tips to help your confusion:

• Be aware that when traveling through Berkeley and Emeryville, I80 west travels on the same road as I580 east.
• When traveling from I880 north onto I80 east, you cannot exit at Powell. Instead merge right furiously and exit at Ashby/Shellmound. Take the Shellmound fork and right at Shellmound. Go straight and you'll see the Public Market and the rest of Emeryville shortly.

[edit] Get around

Driving is the best way to get around Emeryville. However, expect traffic delays if you want to go anywhere near Ikea or the Bay St. Mall.

Shuttle service from BART is provided by the free Emery Go Round, and the local provider AC Transit. For transit trip planning, see transit.511.org.

[edit] See

Emeryville is an interesting mix of old warehouses, manufacturing plants, and houses and new development in the form of shopping malls and live-work lofts. The Emeryville Marina has stunning views of San Francisco and the greater bay: take Powell Ave. west of I-80.

[edit] Do

• For the Pinball and Arcade Aficionado, the Emeryville Public Market (see below, in the "Eat" section) has a good arcade featuring video games and pinball machines.
• The Oaks, San Pablo Ave at 40th St. is a card club for Texas Holdem players.

[edit] Buy

Large chain stores are found in abundance in Emeryville. Bay Street Emeryville is a large shopping center on Shellmound past Christie that includes an Ikea. Emeryville Bay Bridge Center, with several "big-box" retailers, is further down on 40th St., (actually the same street as Shellmound), near San Pablo Ave.

[edit] Eat

• Emeryville Public Market, 5959 Shellmound St. Open M-Th 9AM-9PM, F-Sat 9AM-11PM, Sun 9AM - 8PM. Twenty-five small ethnic restaurants under one roof. It's a great place to go if you can't agree on whether you want crêpes or curry. Prices are generally under $7 for dinners, so it's a good place to go on the cheap. http://www.emerymarket.com/
• Hong Kong East Ocean Restaurant, Emeryville Marina. Chinese Dim Sum, decently priced, but absolutely killer view.
• Chevy's, Powell at I-80. Decent Tex-Mex chain restaurant. Location has a good view of the bay.

[edit] Drink

The Public Market has a 21+ bar with pool tables.

[edit] Sleep

Emeryville actually features many of the most modern hotels in the Berkeley/Emeryville/Oakland region. Thus, you may choose to stay in Emeryville while actually spending your days in the other (more interesting) cities.

• Woodfin Suites Hotel, 5800 Shellmound Street. Top Choice on TripAdvisor.com. Each suite has a full kitchen, living room, with separate bed & bath. Bay views. Situated between Bay Street and the Emery Bay Public Market. Home to Emery Grille. Reservations (888)433-9042, Direct (510)601-5880, [2]
• Four Points by Sheraton, Christie and Powell. Great location, decent hotel. Has a "business center".
• Courtyard Oakland Emeryville, 5555 Shellmound Street (Shellmound past Christie), (510) 652-8777, Fax: (510) 652-8799, [3]. Highly recommended. Directly across the street from Bay Street shopping/eating and rooms facing the bay get a great view. Modern and clean facilities.
• Hilton Garden Inn, 1800 Powell Street, (510) 658-9300, [4]. West of I80, close to the bay.

[edit] Stay safe

The large stores, the Public Market, and the Amtrak station are all safe areas. Large streets except San Pablo Ave. south of Powell are also safe. Treat Emeryville with the same safety attitudes you would treat a large city like San Francisco.

[edit] Get out

• Berkeley - This neighboring city is famous for its liberal activism, but offers numerous interesting shops, restaurants, and nightlife spots for travelers.

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!