Needle In A Haystack-Directions

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Field Trips	Driving	Parking
Public Transportation	Where to Stay	Where to Eat

Alameda is located across the bay from San Francisco. You might not know this but Alameda is an island in San Francisco Bay. It is separated from the rest of the east bay by an estuary and across the estuary is Oakland. Alameda is among things, the home of a former Naval Air Station (do you remember it being mentioned in Star Trek IV?) and is currently the center for research into electric cars. Visit AlamedaInfo.com for all sorts of info on our town.

Field Trips

If you have a group of people interested in visiting the shop at the same time we ask that you give us a call in advance to set this up. While it's not required that you do so, it does help us determine if we need additional staff for your visit. We like to know what day you have in mind, how many people in the group will be coming and a time during the day we can expect you if it's a very large group.

Be sure to allow enough time for shopping, especially if you are scheduling a mutli-stop trip for your group. When you let us know how many people are coming we can give you some guidelines based on your groups' size. We can also give you recommendations on places to eat should you require that information.

Directions

You can reach us easily by driving (across one of three bridges or through the Webster Tube) or by public transportation. We're about 45 minutes away from the SF Airport, about 15 minutes from the Oakland Airport or 15 minutes from the Oakland Amtrack station.

Map of our new location:

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Map with directions to our new location from our Webster Street address:

View Larger Map

Driving

We're at 1734 Clement Avenue, 1 block from Grand.

From San Francisco: Take the Oakland Bay Bridge toward the east bay (80 East). Once across the bridge stay in the far right lane and take the 880 South ramp. Take 880 South to the 23rd Avenue exit. Once you cross the Park Street Bridge take the 2nd right on Clement. We're on the left side of the street just before it ends at Grand. Japan Woodworker is across from us.
From Berkeley, Marin and points north: If you're coming from Marin take the San Rafael Bridge toward Oakland. Take 80 West until you reach the 580/80/880 merge. Stay in the lanes marked for 880 South (San Jose). Take 880 South to the 23rd Avenue exit. Once you cross the Park Street Bridge take the 2nd right on Clement. We're on the left side of the street just before it ends at Grand. Japan Woodworker is across from us.
From Contra Costa: Come through the Caldecot tunnel (Hwy 24 West). When the freeway splits take the 980 Downtown Oakland portion. Take 880 South to the 23rd Avenue exit. Once you cross the Park Street Bridge take the 2nd right on Clement. We're on the left side of the street just before it ends at Grand. Japan Woodworker is across from us.
From Pleasanton/Livermore: Take 580W to Hwy 238 and head toward San Francisco then get onto Hwy 880N. Take 880 North to the Broadway exit. Stay in the left lane of the exit ramp and make the first left onto Broadway and then the next left which will put you into the Webster Tube (the west bound direction). The 2nd left is not a 90° left, but about 105° (don't get back onto the freeway!!!).
: Once you exit the tube in Alameda continue on Webster to either Buena Vista or Lincoln and turn left. Continue to Grand then turn left. Follow Grand until just before it ends at the estuary and turn right on Clement (just before Grand ends at the estuary) and we're one block in on the right (between Minturn and Union).
From San Jose: You'll need to get to 880 Northbound (880 crosses 101 in San Jose). Take 880 North to the Broadway exit. Stay in the left lane of the exit ramp and make the first left onto Broadway and then the next left which will put you into the Webster Tube (the west bound direction). The 2nd left is not a 90° left, but about 105° (don't get back onto the freeway!!!).
: Once you exit the tube in Alameda continue on Webster to either Buena Vista or Lincoln and turn left. Continue to Grand then turn left. Follow Grand until just before it ends at the estuary and turn right on Clement (just before Grand ends at the estuary) and we're one block in on the right (between Minturn and Union).
From the Pennisula: Come across either the San Mateo or Dumbarton Bridges and get onto 880 Northbound. Take 880 North to the Broadway exit. Stay in the left lane of the exit ramp and make the first left onto Broadway and then the next left which will put you into the Webster Tube (the west bound direction). The 2nd left is not a 90° left, but about 105° (don't get back onto the freeway!!!).
: Once you exit the tube in Alameda continue to either Buena Vista or Lincoln and turn left. Continue to Grand then turn left. Follow Grand until just before it ends at the estuary and turn right on Clement (just before Grand ends at the estuary) and we're one block in on the right (between Minturn and Union).; Once you exit the tube in Alameda continue on Webster to either Buena Vista or Lincoln and turn left. Continue to Grand then turn left. Follow Grand until just before it ends at the estuary and turn right on Clement (just before Grand ends at the estuary) and we're one block in on the right (between Minturn and Union).

From Oakland Airport: As you leave the airport follow the signs to Alameda. Once on Doolittle you'll pass the golf course and go across the bridge into Alameda. When you are across the bridge the street becomes Otis - stay on Otis until you get to Grand (by the elementary school and several blocks past the shopping center). Follow Grand until just before it ends at the estuary then turn right on Clement and we're one block in on the right (between Minturn and Union).
From High Street exit off 880 North or 880 South: If you get off 880 at High Street go across the High Stree Bridge and take the first right onto Fermside. Turn left onto Tilden Way (Fruitvale) at the next light (several blocks down). This becomes Lincoln just after the bend in the road. Continue on Lincoln until you get to Grand. Follow Grand until just before it ends at the estuary and turn right on Clement (just before Grand ends at the estuary) and we're one block in on the right (between Minturn and Union).

Public Transportation

BART/BUS

We are close to 2 BART stations, the 12th station in Downtown Oakland (City Center) and the Fruitvale Station. The bus route that gets you closest to the shop (closest stop is Santa Clara & Grand) is #51A. We are a 5 block walk from the closest stop. Just walk down Grand to Clement then turn right. We're 1 block up between Minturn and Union. Map & Schedules for 51A.

TRAIN

If you decide to take a trip by train we are about 10 minutes from the Oakland Amtrack station at Jack London Square) or 15 minutes from the Emeryville station. You can easily catch a taxi at either station.

FERRY

You can also take the ferry from San Francisco to Alameda. The primary ferry, Alameda/Oakland Ferry operates between Alameda (Main Street) - Jack London Square (Oakland) - San Francisco (Ferry Bldg) and San Francisco (Pier 39 Fishermans' Wharf).

As of March 28, 2010 AC Transit no longer has a bus that services the ferry landing in Alameda. The closest bus route is #31, which you can take to Lincoln & Webster to catch bus #51A. Check the AC Transit website for details (51A is listed above). Or we're a short taxi ride away. Be sure to arrange for a taxi before boarding the ferry for Alameda as they don't usually have cabs waiting at the ferry landing. One cab service to call is Welcome Transportation in Alameda (510) 522-4500.

Parking

Our new location features plenty of street parking and it's all non-metered and all-day. Clement Avenue is a commerical street and the side streets are residential. Both have plenty of parking. We also have a small parking lot behind us with 3 spaces for our use. Please use only the spots marked NEEDLE on the Union side of the lot. There are also 2 Handicapped parking spots in the lot and the rear entrance to our space is the one without stairs.

Where To Eat

There are a number of restaurants and sandwich shops within a short drive of the shop. From personal experience we can recommend the following:

Litle House Cafe (coffee, tea, panini & salads plus a great little outdoor area)
(510) 864-4044, 2300 Blanding Avenue @ Oak Street
Wescafe (coffee, tea, quiche, sandwiches & salads plus a great patio!)
(510) 522-7200; 1536 Webster Street
Tu Tai 2 (Vietnamese)
510-523-6993, 1531 Webster Street
Albert's Cafe
510-523-4600, 1541 Webster Street
Kapok Seafood Restaurant
510-865-5405, 1511 Webster Street
Katsu Sushi House
510-749-8461, 1465 Webster Street
East Ocean Seafood Restaurant
510-865-3381, 1713 Webster Street
Tucker's Ice Cream
510-522-4960, 1349 Park St
Angela's Bistro
(510) 522-5822; 2301 Central Ave
Burgermeister
(510) 865-3032; 2319 Central Ave
Asena Restaurant
521-4100, 2508 Santa Clara Avenue
Kamakura Japanese Restaurant
521-9121, 2549 Santa Clara Avenue

In addition we have restuarants and fast food joints such as Taco Bell, Togo's, Subway, Round Table Pizza and McDonald's within a few blocks.

Where To Stay

If you are planning to stay overnight in the area here are some places we can recommend in Alameda.

Hawthorn Suites 1628 Webster Street Alameda, CA 94501	1.5 miles from the shop.Has great rooms and DSL! Mention the shop to obtain a corporate rate.	510-522-1000
We've not stayed in any of these hotels, but they are national chains in the area. You can also checkout AlamedaInfo for more choices.
Homewood Suites 1103 Embarcadero Oakland, CA 94606	Located on the estuary separating Alameda from Oakland (on the Oakland side). It's a 5 minute drive to the shop.	510-663-2700 510-663-2701

Last updated October 7, 2010
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