I'll start this review by saying how over the moon I was to have hosted my daughters quinceañera at…read morethe gemstone hall (aka the peacock) last night! Habib and his staff went above and beyond to make sure that every detail went off without a hitch! We met months before to plan the event and decided for the all inclusive package and we're glad we did. You can't go wrong here... 5 stars!!! And the birria is bomb!!

If you are looking for a great venue for a wedding or any major event, I highly recommend Gemstone…read moreHall. It's a beautiful, unique space that is essentially a "blank canvas" for you to create an event with no preferred vendors. We had our wedding at this venue. Our guests had a wonderful time and everything turned out perfectly. FEATURES WE LOVE ABOUT GEMSTONE HALL: - Blank canvas to create a unique look & feel for our multicultural wedding - No preferred vendors - Ability to stock our own bar - Ability to bring in a food truck & other catering - Visually stunning to take photos - Responsive and helpful site managers - Easy load-in and load out - Straight forward pricing - Ability to hold up to 500 guests easily We were able to drop off our event items the day before, which really helped us logistically. Anything we didn't drop off ourselves were delivered by our vendors. Everyone we worked with were incredibly responsive and easy to work with. To top it off, the staff are a very helpful who seem to take pride in their work, which is a really nice energy to be around. Habib and Nathan make a remarkable team and give each event that special touch that makes all the difference. Thank you Gemstone Hall for your quick replies and endless patience with us over the last few months. Especially last minute changes (on the day of the wedding changes) our wedding venue turned out better than we ever imagined!

Today I visited Meek Park with my doggie client as I want to take her to beautiful park hence why…read morewe were here this morning. I haven't been to Meek Park since 2017?! Oh my goodness that's so long ago. Meek Park today is still as lovely as I remembered it, but even better because they now have the water fountain flowing. The grounds are maintained well with beautiful lush grass and pretty flowers. I also saw some cute cats in their garden area. They have a parking lot with plenty of spots. The playgound looks whimsy and elegant at the same time. I'm so happy that their poop bag stations have actual poop bags! I had poop bags with me, but it's just so helpful when a park also provides poop bags as well just in case people need them. I think they have a restroom area if I remember correctly. I know there was an area with plenty of picnic tables.

A very nice park, with the Meek Mansion as the centerpiece!!…read more Meek Mansion is a historic victorian house surrounded by gardens. The whole park is fenced off, with locking gates to the parking lot. There are many paved trails here, along with picnic areas and playgrounds. There are always people here walking the trail along the outer edge of the park. I have not yet been inside of the mansion, but this park is nice enough to go to on its own. But checking out the inside of this mansion is definitely on my to do list!!!!

Five stars because it costs no yen…read more As far as Japanese gardens go, this one is my least favorite because it is rectangular, with a visible metal fence perimeter, with ugly trash and graffiti visible from across the creek and no opportunities to feed the koi fish. Three things, though, that make it special is that they have memorial plaques, stray cats, and blowtorched wood for an aged and weather-resistant finish. From 1913-1962, the site was a practice site for farming and raising livestock for Hayward Union High. It became a garden by the late 1970s, and when dedicated in 1980, focusing on botany (with plants donated by local Japanese-American nurseries) rather than religion. Every first Saturday at 1pm there's a free lecture/tour. It's not especially beautiful or big (3.5 acres) or exciting (the few people I saw there were on their phones), but it's a peaceful, clean area. I think informational displays could help people enjoy it more. Or phone chargers. Information like, many of the wooden connections (including the main entry gate) have notches instead of notches to fit together like puzzle pieces. This more authentic approach prevents rust. Or, the garden uses the Shakkei technique: when you can stand at the highest point, the surrounding trees are meant to look like distant mountains, with specific plants blended with the Japanese maples and native Oaks to make the garden feel ten timers larger than its actual 3.5 acres. Or, the hand-selected granite boulders from the Sierra Nevadas are buried one-third into the ground so it looks like they are growing, which is why I don't manicure myself often. .

I did not know this place existed until my partner found this and brought his family here…read more It's a nice, serene and scenic short walk with plenty of nice photo spots and benches to sit and take in the greenery. I loved seeing all the koi, bansai and various plants they had in the area. It is well worth a visit to come check it out!

Drinks 4 Service 4…read more Ambiance 5 Food 4 We came here on a slow Tuesday night. They were about 10-15 other guests but the places so big and spacious that it almost felt like we had a place to ourselves. There's a spot for a DJ/music and I can only imagine that they have some great shows here. The bartender was attentive, and while they weren't very personable you could tell that they knew several of the regulars. I didn't drink anything fancy, bourbon neat, but it was a fair pour. You order food separately. We are fish tacos, wings & nachos. The fish was fried and coleslaw had a touch of mayonnaise but not too much. This was my favorite dish. The wings of the nachos or what you expect, definitely flavorful and cooked well. We liked the crowd and will definitely be back to listen to some music and check out the lounge downstairs.

Came here for the first time last weekend and it was so much fun! It definitely won't be the last…read moretime either! This Dirty Bird of Paradise/'Lounge' area is downstairs. Once you enter in the bar, go to the right, they'll give you a stamp on your hand, and then you can head downstairs. There are many lounge areas, and small tables & chairs to sit and drink at. There are also pool tables to use for free! There's also a DJ that plays GOOD r&b, hip hop, pop, and even some throwbacks too! The DJ that night took song requests and even gave a shoutout to the birthday girl in our group too. The cocktails were good, and I'm sad I didn't take pictures of it (had too much fun). The waitress will come to your table and you can order there OR you can also order at the bar. When I ordered at the bar, the waitress was so nice and helped me bring the drinks over to our table. I also had a taste of the fries, and the cups and guac and it was tasty too! There's some parking right infront or a parking lot behind the bar. I will definitely come back!

I just had my wedding there on the 13th! Julie is such an amazing and understanding woman. My…read morehusband is in the military and she was so flexible on us booking our event! I would email her and she would get right back to us! The food was outstanding! Everyone is calling and texting me saying how great the food was. They were also saying that our wedding was the nicest wedding they have ever been to! I love the venue! It was perfect for my wedding size, and for our families. Julie made sure our wedding ran as smooth as possible. I was so hungry Julie brought me out some snacks so I wouldn't starve during our pictures! Looking back I wouldn't change a thing! And I wouldn't want anyone else but Julie to help me. Love the location, the food, the scenery, the people & staff, and the flexibility! I can't wait to look at our amazing photos! Definitely recommend this venue, restaurant and Julie's services!!

Yesterday my coworker's and I celebrated our annual work Christmas party. This was the first time…read morethat the party was held at Redwood Canyon / Meadows Banquet. It was hands down the best party we have had in many years. Amanda (Mandy) was our coordinator for the occasion. Usually I am in charge of setting up, decorating, hosting games, etc. and it can be stressful. This was the most stress free party all because of Amanda. She was GREAT! She helped me unload my car with gifts, set the gifts up on the tables, printed a sign for me for our Secret Santa gift table and even pulled out these show stopper Christmas center pieces to make the tables more festive. I joked and asked her if she had her own Michaels or Hobby Lobby hiding in the back somewhere. She even offered to cut the cake, that we bought outside, while we all played games. The food was top notch - the Salmon was delicious. Our director forgot to order appetizers ahead of time but Amanda was able to pull off fruit, cheese and cracker plates and buffalo wings. Definitely booking the venue for next year!

Seated fast, amazing interior. I enjoyed how many people could be seated without it feeling loud or…read moreoverwhelming.

Sunday 2 larger party here today, yet will able to handle the large dimsum crow today. Food is…read moreespecially good

Everything was good expect that they decided to keep 300 of my deposit. Over bs claim but hey it is…read morewhat it is.

We rented the Hill and Valley Club for my sister's celebration of life. Couldn't have been more…read morepleased. I highly recommend renting for your event.

A great vintage venue for classy events. Weddings. Parties. High Tea. Bridal Showers. Baby showers…read more Family and friends gatherings. Aka Best house is a hidden gem in the heart of San Leandro. Full kitchen and nice hall w stage an add on to the back of the beautiful house.

Great for repass or somber occasion. But do not celebrate here. Out of touch staff who are not at…read moreall welcoming. Throughout the event staff was grumpy and rude with short and hostile answers to basic guest inquiries. Told to keep quiet because of the neighbors before 10 on a weekend. Maybe a great place to mourn but not for joy.