A very generous neighbor of mine invited my husband and me to the Alameda Elks Lodge Annual Crab…read moreFeed, which was held yesterday evening. I'm giving the lodge a four star for my dining experience and an enjoyable evening. My husband has been here more than a few times to play games of pool with our friendly neighbor and one of his friends. I have been here before for another event almost three years ago. The interior is beautiful, but the walls are thin. One can actually hear people talking in the next room. Our meeting place was the Mahogany Room for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. I did not want to stuff myself with the appetizers and not have enough room in my stomach for the main entree - crab. Nor did I want any libation before the meal. After the cocktail hour, we were escorted to the Rathskeller (basement of the lodge) where the dinner was held. The gentlemen on the waitstaff were lined up in an orderly manner, serving us whatever we desired - be it the bowtie/penne pasta, dinner rolls/garlic bread, coffee, dessert. Presentation of the crab, the wines (red and white), Caesar salad and the antipasti plates was excellent...casual, yet classy. Dessert was a serving of raspberry sorbet. The only minor drawback was the bowtie/penne pasta served on the same plate as the salad plate. Even though I did not win any of the door prizes after making a donation of $20 for 20 raffle tickets, they had some nice ones, such as the $100 gift card from Scott's Seafood, $100 gift card for Yoshi's dinner and show, $50 gift cards from La Penca Azul, C'era Una Volta, 1400 Bar and Grill, Jim's Coffee Shop, Pier 29. From what I heard, the lodge raised about $1,500 in raffle ticket sales. I also have to give kudos to the waitstaff, many of whom were very tolerable and patient with this woman who sat at the next table behind my husband. She was in the wine (whine) mode. "I want penne pasta. I don't want this dinner roll with butter. I want some garlic bread. Don't you guys have any garlic bread?" On and on she went...egads...she had a sense of entitlement. Yes, there were two bottles of wine at each table, but her incessant whining almost had me do a "face palm" on her. Ooh, I wanted to offer her a piece of cheese, which would have complemented a glass of wine very well. (Now, quit your whining, lady...lol.)

I was there for a wedding and they did a great job. I also liked the environment. The service was…read moregood, but the food was average

Not a good experience. They security kept coming every…read moreother time to tell us to lower the volume. If you rent it for a special event like weddings or quinceaneras please specify what type of sound system you can bring in the hall. Is really disappointing to Not be able to enjoy the party when you can only Have the volume up to certain point other wise they will "call the cops"

We recently hosted our daughter's 14th birthday and we couldn't be happier with our experience!…read moreFrom start to finish. . The ballroom itself was beautifully maintained, spacious, and created the perfect ambiance for our celebration. Our guests had an amazing time, and we received so many compliments on the venue and service. I highly recommend Alameda Ballroom to anyone looking for a beautiful space with a fantastic team to support their event. Thank you, Amalia and staff, for making our daughter's birthday unforgettable!

We hosted my son's birthday and Master's degree celebration at The Phoenix last night, and it was…read moretruly an amazing experience. A special thank you to Saskia, who was excellent throughout the entire planning process--so helpful, responsive, and easy to work with. Levi, our host for the evening, was wonderful--kind, attentive, and made sure everything ran smoothly. And Sherill, the bartender, was fantastic--she made amazing drinks, and we loved that we were able to bring our own alcohol. The venue itself is beautiful, with plenty of space for guests to enjoy comfortably. The handmade wooden tables added such a unique and elegant touch. We also had a taco truck set up in the back, and everything flowed perfectly. Thank you to the entire Phoenix team for helping make my son's celebration so special and memorable. I highly recommend this venue--you won't be disappointed!

The location was great being that I had people flying in and out the same day. The onsite host was…read moreamazing and so helpful. They helped with the layout which made the party flow easily and made everyone relaxed to have a good time. Would not hesitate to rent the space again!!

Completely new floor restoration and painting…read more Great place for any event you have to throw a great party.

Upstairs at Alameda Eagles Hall is the SF bay area mecca of zydeco music!…read moreEvery Friday night at 9, without fail, great bay area bands, as well as visiting bands from Louisiana & Texas. Beautiful hardwood dance floor, huge hall, & beer, wine & soft drinks. No shortage of good dancers either. And come early for the free dance lesson!

This place is crazy nostalgic, and I'm loving it. Playing the games I grew up with, along with the…read moresounds of kids having fun, the games are clean, and the area is fantastic. A nice park around the corner and plenty of restaurants a short walk away. I drove just shy of 100 miles to get there and try their games, and it was worth it. The town is like a cool getaway, especially if you live in an area that gets hot.

Good, wholesome nostalgic fun at a great price! I've taken my 22 year old nephew there when he was…read morea kid and a teen and now I take his younger brother who is 11 there to keep the tradition going.

Best place in Oakland. The staff is fantastic!!! Been coming for years. Will continue toread more

My girlfriend and I celebrated our birthdays here and had a good time. I ordered a mimosa flight…read morethat was $25. The flight was delicious and was enough to share lol. We're both lightweights. Lol. We had chicken salads and everything was really good! Our server was really sweet but I don't recall her name. The location sits on the marina in Jack London Square right where the ferry docks. Really enjoyed our visit.

Harbor Bay Club is not low priced, but it is worth every penny. It looks like a country club. It…read morehas a huge outdoor pool with 6 lap lanes, tennis courts and pickle ball courts. There is an outdoor hot tub. In the women and in the men's locker rooms there is another hot tub, sauna and steam bath. The locker room is constantly being cleaned, by the hard working staff. There are hair dryers and plastic bags to put your cosmetics in. I use the elliptical machine every time. The room with elliptical machines, stair climbing machine and tread mills looks out over a grassy field , the pool and then the estuary. The club was open during the pandemic because the club designed a way to have air circulating throughout. There are tropical plants inside the club. I like to do Pilates and yoga and there are always rooms available. There are many classes here, Pilates, reformer, yoga etc. There are a lot of rules for this club, which I find refreshing. You will not see anyone filming themselves for TikTok here. That is not allowed. The people are friendly and extremely polite and considerate. The young people at the front desk are always helpful and friendly. It is a very positive Alameda vibe.

"I strongly advise against joining this club. My experience over the last ten days has been nothing…read morebut frustrating. The environment is extremely toxic, filled with arrogant and rude individuals who lack basic manners. The staff here is just as unprofessional and unhelpful. It is not a place for decent people; the atmosphere is mentally draining, and the quality of people frequenting this club is highly questionable. Save your time, money, and mental peace--this place is not worth it."

We celebrated a 15th birthday here recently. Initially, I tried to call and email them. I had a few…read morequestions that I needed answered which the website couldn't provide. That resulted with no response so I was a bit hesitant. In the end, we were pressed for time so I booked online. Booking for a party of 12 and choosing the food was pretty straightforward. A week later and it's time for the birthday party. Again, I never got a response back from them other than the usual email confirmation of my event time and type. We arrive 15mins before our event and check in. They introduce us to Imane (forgive me if I misspelled it) as our coordinator. She was so nice and so friendly that I totally forgot about the skeptism that I had. She explained to us what to expect as far as bowling time, food and beverages and the arcade. She also introduced us to Efrem (again, I apologize if I misspelled it), one of the managers. We had a great conversation with him about everything. He made sure that we have everything we needed. As for the presentation.. it was more than what I expected. Chicken tenders, pizza, fries and funnel cake fries were pretty standard fare.. and 4 choices of beverages too! But they were presented so well and kept warm in chafing dishes. They had our boy's name in lights and had a full size bowling pin (to be signed) as a present for him! Great touch. Imane checked on us regularly to make sure we're not running out of anything.. and we didn't. The only thing we added were chicken wings and they were excellent as well. Overall we had an excellent experience. My initial skeptism was replaced with satisfaction. I think that we had a good value for what we paid. We all had a great time bowling and the kids enjoyed the arcade. It was a successful 15th Birthday party with much thanks to Imane, Efrem, and all the staff who made it happen.

I was disappointed with my experience with one of the younger male employees. I politely explained…read morethat I have a disability and asked if I could be seated closer to the restrooms. He seemed hesitant to accommodate my request and had to ask his manager, who came over and immediately approved it without any issue. I really appreciated her understanding and professionalism. Another thing that stood out was that he repeatedly checked my cousin's $100 bill, which felt excessive and made us uncomfortable. I understand that employees may need to verify large bills, but the way it was handled didn't leave us feeling valued as customers. I appreciate the manager for resolving the seating request quickly, but I hope all employees receive additional training on customer service, especially when it comes to accommodating guests with disabilities and interacting with customers respectfully.

Artthaus Studios is a workspace for anyone in the community to rent out for a place of their own to…read morework out of. There is also a private parking lot here, so it is convenient. I was only using the coworking space, while waiting for my car to get cleaned/detailed, so I did not really get the whole experience of the area/space, but from the photos it looks pretty spacious. The area I was waiting in was artsy and modern, but a small space with complimentary coffee/tea in the shared kitchen and some conference/meeting rooms that probably had to be reserved. It was fairly quiet with only a couple of people using this space the 2 times I have been here, so it felt pretty chill and relaxing.

This is the most unethical company I have ever had the misfortune of working with. I have been…read morewithout working appliances for three months, and they have completely given me the run around. As soon as I requested discussing a mutual lease termination given the conditions and poor pattern of communication, they stopped communicating with me entirely. This is a completely unethical company who take advantage of their tenants. Others should be aware of what kind of agency they are contributing to.

I love this little house. Its beautiful but small. The owner who designed it did so to piss off…read morecity officials. Big houses are overrated. Big kitchens too. I usually split my time between two uncomfortably large homes - one an American Foursquare, the other a Victorian in the artist enclave of Jingletown. They are both large enough that I spend countless minutes every day wandering looking for where I left my coffee cup or Phillips head screwdriver. Modern American-style farm kitchens have the same design flaw of being needlessly large for no reason with function of being able to cook efficiently low on the priority list. Cabinets and counter space is on the perimeter and a big annoying table in the center that is a hindrance in every move you want to make. You dodge the table numerous times in order to do almost anything. I think I would love this little spite house. I imagine the interior to be cozy and intimate with thoughtful time appropriate details throughout. Tiny houses are all the rage these days - I think they had it right when they built this one.... plus I bet it wouldn't be so difficult to heat in the winter either.

At the turn of the 20th Century, the city of Alameda, CA took a large portion of Charles Froling's…read moreland to build a street. Froling had planned to build a house on this plot of land which he had inherited. To spite the city and an unsympathetic neighbor, he built his house 10 feet deep, 54 feet long and 20 feet high on the tiny strip of land left to him. This the name, The Spite House. This is a regular tourist stop to marvel at and a fun subject to photograph and talk about.