One of my favorite places to hang out at in Uptown! The Hive is a mix of local businesses,…read moreapartment homes, and courtyard space that's located just off of Broadway. It includes various businesses such us: *The Impact Hub *Drake's Dealership *Calavera *Humphrey Slocombe *The People's Barber & Shop *Firebrand Artisan Breads *Numi Tea There's also a courtyard hangout spot where numerous outdoor events are held throughout the year. My two favorite spots to frequent at the Hive are Drake's and Humphrey Slocombe. Beer, pizza, and ice cream... how about that mix? I've also attended a few events at the Impact Hub and I really admire that space as well. Would love to visit the other businesses that also occupy the space in the future. If you're looking for a fun place to hangout or for local events going on, check out the Hive!

Finding this little spot was really exciting…read more This Hive is perfectly named for a stylish place for people to gather. There is a cute coffee shop, ice cream shop, open seating, chess and checkers, sun covered patio tables, beautiful tucked away courtyard restaurants framed in vines and with open tables like a modern day outdoor assembly hall. It is in the center of a few businesses, co-working spaces and residential apartments. Things here are lively and lots of fun. They frequently have events going on and I wish I was in town longer to attend. I met cool people here as I sipped on a fantastic coffee in the sun and played chess with a stranger. I specifically visited Humphry Slocombe here for delicious creamy ice cream. My coffee was from Red Bay Coffee - the cute walk up coffee shop you see near the entrance. I was really impressed by Red Bay! Crazy nice customer service, the coffee is fair trade. Okay but really though - the UNREAL, OUT OF THIS WORLD thing to get from Red Bay is the CHARCOAL VANILLA LATTE. I normally get plain ol' drip but I'm really happy I tried this latte. Honestly, it was originally a do-it-for-the-gram order but thank ig because I wish I could order this Latte back at home. It's creamy and rich but not too sweet, just a little. Really blew my mind. It is my understanding during my brief visit that Red Bay has bigger, brewery sized locations! So, also hoping to check those out the next time I'm in the area. Please do yourself a favor and visit Hive, meet some cool new friends, and enjoy yourself a Charcoal Vanilla Latte. Bonus points if you get it with oat milk.

Funny how the owner David left this comment responding to my review when he wasn't there and all of…read moretheir trash cans were full from the previous party. So we proceeded to ask the lady who he left in charge who pretty much knew NOTHING and she told us to just leave it out there and she would take care of it so WE DID and that resulted in them taking our deposit. Sounds like a scam from the business to me. Employee tells you one thing, owners tell you another. Please people don't even bother getting scammed and I'm sure if I left the place in a mess, he would've taken photos. We cleaned up everything and even swept the place. These people are full of it, don't waste your time. Also took him a year to respond, never responded to any of the emails or calls. Scam likely , bravo!

I have hosted several events at this location (an event for my business, a clothing swap, a class),…read moreand attended many more events and parties since the space opened in February. As a host, the space is reasonably priced, clean, well-lit, conveniently located, and most importantly - completely wheelchair accessible. There are very few venues in the East Bay where the entire space is accessible. In this case, this includes the mezzanine (there is a lift), and there are 2 accessible bathrooms (of the 6 total bathrooms). I have also found that the space has adequate tables and chairs, as well as a small stage, a projector, and sound system, so I don't have the added expense of renting those things. I wish it had a kitchen (it has a fridge), but other than that, this space is awesome for lots of types of events! I already have another event booked there in November.

Confirmed with the Reservations Unit of City of Oakland ... this is not a real community center…read more It is simply a campus for Rockridge Little School.

Loved my acrylic painting class with Mokhtar Paki! Highly recommend. It helped me develop my style…read moreand understand the medium.

It's hard to write a negative review of an art center because I really value any place that helps…read morepeople access their creativity. But I have had such a comically bad experience with this place that I feel I should warn others. In January I found a Spring Session class I wanted to register for that was set to begin 3/15. It was in their catalog as a "New Class". However, when I went to their registration portal the class was not listed. The first time I called them, the receptionist said he didn't have access to the registration system and to call back later. The second time I called, they told me that they had added the class and I could register online--but I soon discovered it still wasn't listed. The third time I called they said they added the class but that I wouldn't be able to register until March 10th (which is when registration opens for LATE spring session, whereas this class was set to begin on March 15th, the early spring session). Huh? Registration is open for only five days before the class begins? I asked them to check again, and they called be back later that day and said the early spring session had been added. ...Nope, it definitely was still not in the system. Exasperated by their incompetence, I finally tracked down an email address for the instructor and emailed her directly. I didn't hear back, but soon after that the class showed up and I could finally register. So I did, and made an online payment. Two weeks later, I received an email with a receipt for a refund, with no explanation I assumed this meant the class had been cancelled, but no one called or emailed me to tell me that, and the refund never posted to my bank account. I had also never received any information about the class (materials list, curriculum, etc.) so I still currently have no idea what's happening. When I try to call them, their extension is "unavailable", as is the "operator" AND the "backup operator" that the system auto-routed me to. I really want this place to improve because they're one of the few organizations offering adult art classes in Oakland. But as is, it seems to be a bit of a mess.

Such a great space with loads of history. Also super amazing organizations really focused on doing…read moregreat stuff! I love the OPC!

Pickleball has exploded at Bushrod. The courts are fantastic - shared pickleball/tennis courts…read more Open plays with skill level(s) are a ton of fun (beginner / intermediate / advanced). There are well-organized open plays with loaner paddles available. There's a solid system to rotate which players go on when a court opens up (paddle racks). It's $2-5 donation for open play only to cover costs of renting courts for the lead volunteer hosts. There are also clinics, drills, round robins and other pickleball events. You can see what's happening and when at DailyPB.com And for tennis people -- during pickleball play, there's virtually always one or more tennis courts available.

Since the renovation, this is one of the best gyms in Oakland. My only complaint is there are not…read moremore open gym hours so I can shoot around here with my son. The outdoor basketball courts were renovated as well! Thanks Under Armour and Steph Curry!

Yesterday I attended my first event at Studio Grand. Studio Grand is a culturally and community…read morefocused event space located a few doors down from the Grand Lake Theater in Oakland. My fiancé and I have walked by many times since we live in the area and we have seen lively events that seem to attract cool folks. Yesterday we finally stopped by when a friend of ours told us about a wedding vendor event that was scheduled that she was djing at. We got engaged in October and have attended a few super annoyingly cheesy wedding events. This one was exceptional in comparison and it was because it was curated with local Oakland and east bay based vendors and not big companies trying to sell us over priced crap. [Side note, anyone that has planned a wedding before knows that the mention of the word "wedding" will jack up a cost to at least 4x the listed value!] Back to the lovely event space, it was put on by An Affair to Remember and we loved it! The vendors were genuinely kind and helpful, not pushy at all, and offered great information and wedding resources. We met Vanessa, the director and business owner of Studio Grand, who is a down to earth person and dedicated to cultural and diverse event offerings. The space itself is cozy, it has large windows in front and hardwood floors. It felt very homey and community based. They host dance classes, film screenings, and a wide variety of other events. My fiancé and I enjoyed our time at #marrymeOakland, and I hope to come back one day soon and try out a dance class!

This place is empty. Nothing inside except a painter working. Nothing on yelp or in window to say…read moreif its still operating or not.

Piedmont is a small, quiet city, with Oakland surrounding it!!…read more Piedmont Park is the on the main street here, which is Highland Avenue. It's a very nice park, and seems to be the main place in this city where people congregate. It's also right next to the Police Department. Piedmont Avenue, ironically, isn't even in Piedmont. I know lots of people get that wrong. But this is a very quiet, suburban town, seems like a nice place to live if you can afford it.

I had an amazing experience! The service, the atmosphere, and the views were just perfect…read more I highly recommend this place - totally deserves the 5-star reviews!

I am writing this for my 94 year old friend. She is not happy here. She has had things stolen and…read morehas a great deal of fear. It's really sad. If you have your loved one stay here, be VERY vigilant and make sure protections are in place. Appearances are good here, food is fine - AND the elderly can be taken advantage of here. Be aware.

My mother has been very happy at Merrill Gardens for the past year and a half. Our family is…read moreespecially grateful to Merrill for its support in offering the use of the facility's lovely Living Room for Mom's 100th birthday party. Grace Ray, the Active Living Program Director, helped us all the way through the process, including suggesting the use of the Living Room and providing us with glasses, utensils, plates, water--and even providing balloon decorations. Grace was on-site during the set-up process to make sure everything was in order. We were able to add a table and some extra chairs, and she helped us with climate control in the room. We are very grateful, too, to the staff members who provided us all that we needed to be able to serve a catered lunch and who took care of the dish washing and cleaning up. This was an activities director and staff who went over-the-top to ensure a happy 100th birthday for a resident. It was a special day for our family. Thank you, Merrill Gardens!