Oakland Zoo

Oakland Zoo
9777 Golf Links Rd.
Oakland, Ca.
Phone: (510) 632-9525



The Oakland Zoo is located just off highway 580 and lays on a beautiful 525 acres of Knowland Park. The Oakland Zoo is home to more than 440 animals. Some of the animals include: birds, mammals, reptiles, arthropods, and amphibians. The zoo was founded in 1922 by Henry Snow. Since 1936 the Zoo has been located in Knowland Park. The Zoo is open weekdays and weekends from 10:00a.m. to 4:00p.m. However, the rides area is open daily from 11:00a.m. to 4:00p.m. Please check weather conditions before visiting the Zoo because it might be forced to close in the event of rain.

Chabot Space & Science Center

Chabot Space and Science Center, located in Oakland, California, is a hands-on center featuring interactive exhibits, a digital planetarium, a large screen theater, hands-on activities and three powerful telescopes.

The Center is the continuation and expansion of a public observatory that has served San Francisco Bay Area schools and citizens with astronomy and science education programs since 1883. It is named after the father of hydraulic mining and benefactor of the original Oakland Observatory, Anthony Chabot.

My favorite attraction would have to be the telescopes. Theyhave three observatory telescopes. "Leah", an 8" refractor telescope that was built in 1883."Rachel" is a 20" refractor telescope, commissioned in 1914. It is the largest refractor in the western United States regularly open to the public. "Nellie" is a 36" reflecting telescope which opened in June 2003. The telescopes are available for free public viewing on Friday and Saturday evenings when the sky is clear.

Aside from its telescopes, it contains, The Ask Jeeves Planetarium. It is a full dome digital projection system, with various shows running daily. They also have the Tien MegaDome Theater, a 70-foot dome screen auditorium with various IMax shows running daily. Lastly, it contains the Challenger Learning Center. This is a hands on simulated space mission environment where 8 teams work together to complete a mission.

Kai's Japanese Restaurant

Kai's is located in the Old Oakland Neighborhood in Down Town Oakland. The food is great and the prices are cheap. They also have a full bar. My favorite plate is the Chicken Teriyaki Bento Box. It comes with chicken triyaki, stem rice, noddles, and a salad (this plate is under $5). They also have a full sushi bar. I don't really like raw fish so my favorite one is the California roll. They give complementary soup and tea while you wait for your food. The service is great and fast. I love the atmosphere. So, if your a student and you love good food this is the place for you. You will not be disappointed.