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7 Ways to Enjoy the Bay Area From Home

Jessica Chu • Jul 22, 2020

Looks like we may still take caution before getting back to our pre-COVID normal. Are you looking for something to do at home? Just because you’re sheltering in place doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy good food, get creative, and support local businesses. Here are 7 fun ways to enjoy the Bay Area from home!

1. Send Some Love with a Gift Box

Even if you can’t be with your friends and family members, you can still brighten their day by surprising them with a taste of the Bay Area. We may be biased, but we think our Local Love Gift Boxes are a pretty great gift where they can enjoy the Bay Area from home. With oils, spices, sauces, chocolate, and even more, there are plenty of goodies that your cherished ones are sure to enjoy!

2. Plant a Garden

If you’re searching for flowers to brighten your home or hoping to plant fruits and veggies in your yard, look no further than Orchard Nursery. This local nursery in Lafayette offers over 200 varieties of beautiful native plants, flowers, succulents, floral arrangements and pottery. They now have the ability for you to order online and pick-up your garden greens curbside.

3. Dive into a Good Book

There’s nothing more relaxing than settling down at the end of the day with a book to read. We are so lucky to still have many local bookstores in the Bay Area including Diesel Books and Pegasus Books , both along our Rockridge Neighborhood Heritage Food Tour route. With shelves full of countless books for readers of all ages and interests, check out a local book and enjoy your read!

4. Plan your Next Hike

Speaking of a good book, we highly recommend personal friend Alexandra Kenin’s Urban Trails East Bay book. Alex runs Urban Hiker SF hiking tours over in San Francisco. She has become an expert on the countless hiking trails and sweat-inducing walks found in within the Bay Area. Her second book focused on the East Bay includes great trails along the Berkeley Hills, at the Lafayette Reservoir and our favorite in Mountain View Cemetery.

5. Do a Digital Puzzle

Tired of all the puzzles at home? Visit Oakland has put together digital puzzles of the local scenery for you to enjoy. Whether you’re a puzzle enthusiast or just looking for something fun to do, these puzzles and their breathtaking images of Oakland are fun for both kids and adults. They’re so great, that we’ve tried our hands to create some food tour-themed puzzles as well. 

6. Make Your Home a Waffle House

Who doesn’t love a good homemade breakfast? Try out the recipe for Cornmeal Waffles with Apple Cider Syrup from Brown Sugar Kitchen, a soul food restaurant in Oakland whose temporary Ferry Building outpost was a featured stop on our Jack London Square/Oakland Meets San Francisco Food Tour. These crispy, light waffles topped with warm apple cider syrup are truly a match made in heaven.

7. Take a Bite Out of Summer

Blueberry lovers rejoice! The irresistible Blueberry Cobbler is a must-try dessert from Chez Panisse, the famous Berkeley-based restaurant renowned for its founder Alice Waters , who started the locavore food movement. The combo of summer blueberries with a golden brown dough topping comes from a simple recipe that will leave your taste buds clamoring for more!

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