Shopping and Dining in Jack London Square, Oakland, CA

Our first stop is Jack London Square Marina. Beginning in the 1800s, this waterfront was the primary spot for shipping goods to and from the emerging city of Oakland. These days, the Marina is Oakland’s only mixed-use waterfront area.

The large building on the north side of the Marina Lawn is Jack London Market, a small mall with plenty of restaurants and shopping options. The lawn itself is used as a venue for outdoor concerts, movie nights, and other events sponsored by the city.

Water Street, the main walking path on the waterfront, is actually part of the larger San Francisco Bay Trail, the 500-mile multi-use walking and biking path that completely encircles the San Francisco Bay and its tributaries. Go ahead and start heading northwest along the street, and stop when you see Heinold’s on your right.

Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon opened in 1833 and has been serving drinks to sailors, visitors, and Oaklanders ever since. Stepping inside instantly transports you to the past – it’s the only commercial building in California that is lit with its original gas lamps. The original potbelly stove still heats the place, and the mahogany bar has remained intact for almost two centuries. They even use the original glassware! The name reflects its importance to the port. It’s the first chance to drink after a long sea voyage, and the last chance to grab a pint before heading back out on the open water. The floor is slanted due to the upheaval of the infamous 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, and a clock in the corner marks that event, having stopped at 5:18 as the ground shook.

See the log cabin just down the way? Head on over there and I’ll tell you all about its former inhabitant, the man for whom this whole area is now named.

The small log cabin that was once home to literary giant Jack London has gone through some interesting changes in its hundred-year history. The famed novelist developed his signature style of Naturalism and Realism during the Klondike Gold Rush of the 1890s, with the harsh truths of the frigid Yukon territory serving as the backdrop of his novels, poems, and short stories.

The cabin itself was discovered by trappers on the banks of Henderson Creek, south of Dawson City, Yukon. London’s signature was found on the walls, proof that the author had lived there. In 1965, plans to move the cabin were put into place, and the decision was made to divide the structure in half, creating two identical reproductions with the original logs and planks. One cabin stands in Dawson City, while the other was sent here to Jack London’s hometown.

London’s writing career began here in Oakland when he met Ina Coolbrith. Ina, a niece of Latter-Day Saints founder Joseph Smith, had left her Mormon community as a young woman and relocated to the Bay Area to pursue her writing career. It was while working as a librarian at the Oakland Public Library that she met and mentored 10-year-old Jack London. Coolbrith would go on to be named California’s first Poet Laureate, the first recipient of that honor from any American state.

Jack London spent most of his formative years in Oakland using Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon as his go-to study spot. London’s relationship with the bar’s owner, Heinold, was so strong that when London turned 17, Heinold lent London money for college tuition, allowing the young writer to follow his dreams. In later years when London returned to Oakland, he used his education and clout to become an activist in the community that helped build him.

Just across the way from the Cabin, on the left side of Water Street, you’ll find Seabreeze On the Dock. Seabreeze is a casual seafood restaurant with an abundance of delicacies to offer. Customers rave about the Hawaiian lobster tail, lobster roll, and fresh calamari basket. For larger parties, Seabreeze has a full menu of seasonal and year-round shellfish and mussels ready to order by the pound, smothered in cajun seasoning or garlic butter.

Okay! Let’s keep heading down Water Street to our next stop.