Sweet! The New York Times ranked Oakland among the top 45 places to visit in 2012, earning the number 5 spot just after London, and before Tokyo.

” New restaurants and bars beckon amid the grit.”  Despite the Occupy protests, Oakland is getting pretty good reviews. Oakland has some phenomenal restaurants- Commis, Dona Tomas and Plum are some favorite restaurants.  The historic Fox Theater reopened in 2009 and quickly cemented its status as one of the Bay Area’s top music venues, although Yoshi’s will always be my top spot.  Although I have not personally been a part of Oakland’s night scene since having kids (I know, it stinks!), I hear it is still alive and kicking.  Another reason Oakland hit the top 5.

Funny note: this morning, while listening to Sarah and Vinnie on Alice, one caller said “Oakland is San Francisco’s worst neighborhood.” Clearly they won’t be visiting anytime soon.

Maybe once they realize Umami Burger is coming to Oakland they will change their mind.