BAY BRIDGE CLOSURE
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As of October 28th, the Bay Bridge (The main bridge connecting San Francisco to Oakland and the East Bay) is CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE due to a severe problem with a repair installed over Labor Day weekend. There is no ETA on the bridge reopening, but it will be at least SEVERAL DAYS, and will likely impact transportation for people arriving to ApacheCon.
If you aren't familiar with the bay area, here are tings to be aware of as long as the bridge is out...
- Bart will be very crowded even if you aren't going to/from San Francisco
- If you are driving a car, Don't trust GPS or online directions about how to get to/from San Francisco and the east bay. The Bay Bridge is the main artery, you'll need to find directions that use one of the other bridges.
- All bridges will be extremely congested, expect *much* longer travel times for any car/bus/van type transportation between Oakland and San Francisco. If you are coming from South of the Bay, you should avoid the bridges completely and take 880.
For status updates on the state of the Bridge, detour routes, and public transportation options, consult 511.org...
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511
The number One thing to remember about getting arround in the Bay Area is "511". You can call it free from anywhere in the nine counties and get public transit information
Bart
The main commuter train system in the Bay Area. The "12th street Oakland City Center" stop is right next to the hotel. Use ticket vending machines to purchase reusable (but disposable) mag-strip tickets which must be scanned on the way in/out of the stations. Costs vary based on how far you travel; a one-way trip from 12th St. into SF runs between $3 and $4.
Taxi Service
Taxi's are fairly prevalent in downtown Oakland (and the rest of the Bay Area), but unless you are starting at a major taxi stand (e.g. big hotel, airport, major Bart station, etc...) you will probably have to call one to come pick you up.
It's worth carrying the numbers of some taxi companies with you if you plan on going out...
http://www.yelp.com/c/oakland/taxis
Going to San Francisco
The easiest way to get to (and around) SF is to ditch the rental car and take Bart (parking is a nightmare in SF, even in the residential areas). If you want to go somewhere in SF that isn't near a Bart station, transfer to MUNI, or hail a cab near on of the downtown Bart stations. (Taking Bart to SF and then hailing a cab is much cheaper then trying to take a cab from Oakland to SF, even with 4 people.)
http://www.sfmta.com/cms/home/sfmta.php
Getting To/From Airports
OAK: http://www.flyoakland.com/ground_transportation.shtml
SFO: http://www.flysfo.com/web/page/tofrom/transp-serv/
Bart trains go right up to the international terminal at SFO. For OAK you have to pay a few dollars to ride a little shuttle bus to the nearest bart station...