black girl’s guide to a bay area weekend: SF, oakland & san ramon things to do
Welcome to the SF, oakland & san ramon weekend guide but for black girls. In full transparency this was a VERY quick trip for something in particular so I feel like I didn’t even get to cover a lot at all. BUT I hope this is helpful if you want some inspo on what to do during a quick trip to the Bay Area. I will eventually be adding this to my Black Girl Travel Guides list.
Oakland
I want to start this SF, oakland & san ramon weekend guide with Oakland because oftentimes Oakland gets talked down. I am a BIG proponent of going to areas people deem as “dangerous” because oftentimes that is where you find the best art and the best people. This trip confirmed that my conclusion is true.
BLK Girl GreenHouse
This is a Black woman owned plant nursery and home goods store. They sell real plants as well as items from local Black owned businesses. The girls there are so warm and welcoming. It is such a beautiful space that makes you feel at home. Nothing but good vibes! You can follow them @blkgirls_greenhouse.
Burdell
The aesthetic of this place very much gave 1950s but we are allowed to be integrated now vibes. I know that’s such a crazy thing to say but don’t you see the color design and the architecture? It looks absolutely gorgeous. I got the classic chicken and waffles + beignets and it was very much worth it. Those chicken and waffles melted so good in my mouth. You can follow them at @burdell_oak.
Renegade Running
This is a Black owned running club. They sell fitness clothes, shoes and host runs. I wasn’t able to buy anything yet due to price but wow I was so impressed. Once again the design was so cute in the space. I hope in the future I can support and purchase shoes from them. You can follow them here.
San Ramon
This is really where my friend and I were staying. But I wanted to start with Oakland because I prefer Oakland the most.
Chingu Superette
After my friend and I arrived in the airport, we headed straight to our actual destination – San Ramon. We were HUNGRY so we didn’t care about what we ate. As long as we ate, we were good. We looked for restaurants near us and found this korean spot. It tasted good – especially that chicken. It was truly chef’s kiss.
City Center Bishop Ranch
As you will see in my youtube video releasing this Sunday, I ran into this mall by accident y’all. They were doing a Jazz event and later on I went to get ice cream at Salt & Straw. They also were doing live screening of the final world cup. It is a very cute and small mall. Nice spot to bring your family or to shop a lil bit on your weekend trip
San Francisco
This is the first time I had really given myself some time to explore San Franscisco. I only hada. day and coming from San Ramon to SF was a hike. So I did the most touristy things you could think of and yes I’m going to add these basic things to this SF, oakland, san ramon weekend guide
Golden Gate Bridge
This was definitely the worst day to shoot the golden gate bridge. But it’s also pretty representative of how SF is most of the time – cloudy and grey. Outfit is from Old Navy x Christopher John Rodgers collab. Christopher John Rodgers is a Black designer – they are on sale right now so run before they sell out!
Painted Ladies
Not gonna lie, I stood here and laughed because I thought it was HILAROUS that we were all just standing there staring at these houses. These are the Full House houses so they are cute but not gonna lie it also felt anti-climatic. Like I was expecting more from the experience. On the plus side, I really enjoyed the views. Make sure you walk further up to see the panaraomic shots of the city.
Well -that’s it for my SF, oakland & san ramon weekend guide. I wish I could show you a lot more but the trip was SOOO quick. But maybe if you have a quick trip like me you can also check out these spots real quick!
