Here we go...

Let the excitement begin!

Directions to the Wedding

We're getting close, folks. Probably close enough that you've already got directions to the wedding venue, but just in case...
Pictured at left is where it's going down: the Garden Center at Lake Merritt, 666 Bellevue Avenue. Here's how to get there.

From the Washington Inn or Jack London Square in downtown Oakland:

Head north on Broadway. Take a right on Grand Avenue (you’ll see Ozumu restaurant on the far left corner). Go down Grand Avenue three blocks until you see the lake. Cross Harrison and make the next (soft) right onto Bellevue Avenue (this is an entrance to a park with a little booth there). Pass Children's Fairyland on your right. The garden center will be on your left.

From San Francisco, the north, or the Peninsula:
Take I-580 E. Take the Harrison Street exit, and turn right onto Harrison Street. Go down the hill on Harrison Street, and turn left on Grand Avenue (this is the third stoplight you will see. You can see the lake from this intersection). Turn left on Grand Avenue. Go through a stoplight, and the first right will be Bellevue Avenue (this is an entrance to a park with a little booth there). Pass Children's Fairyland on your right. The garden center will be on your left.

From the south or east:

Take I-580 W. Take the Grand Avenue exit. Turn right on Grand Avenue and drive about 0.7 mile. You'll see the lake to your left. Turn left on Park View Terrace (this is an entrance to a park with a little booth there). If you get to Harrison Street, you've gone too far. Park View Terrace turns into Bellevue Avenue. Pass Children's Fairyland on your right. The garden center will be on your left.

From BART:
Get out at the 19^th Street Oakland stop. Head north on Broadway. Turn right on 20th Street and walk towards the lake. Turn left on Harrison Street. Turn right on Grand Avenue. Pass Children's Fairyland on your right, and make a soft right on Bellevue Avenue. Continue on Bellevue Avenue and you will see the garden center on your left.

Also: We have reserved a few parking spots along Bellevue (tell the attendant in the booth you're there for the MacDonald-Saleski wedding) but they might fill up. There's street parking on Grand Avenue if the lot fills up.

See you soon!

Engagement Photos

This blog needed some photos, didn't it?
Our very talented, very awesome friend Vivien has been generous enough to do an engagement photo session with us earlier this month. Our backdrop was among the gardens at the Lake Merritt Garden Center, behind the building where we'll have the ceremony and reception. We recommend you show up early and have a stroll among the flowers -- it's a peaceful and quite beautiful place.
For more of Vivien's photos, click this link.

Things to Do While You're Here

Besides the wedding, of course!

If you're coming in from out of town and are looking for activities, here are a few suggestions to get you started.

First of all -- and we'll do another post on this soon with additional details -- we're going to have an informal barbecue late Friday afternoon, which everyone is welcome to attend. We're looking to start around 4 p.m. nearby the Garden Center at Lake Merritt (the wedding venue) and later move to the downtown Oakland area for a nightcap. More info to come.

You can get a basic overview of what Oakland has to offer at the Oakland Convention and Visitors Bureau.

If you have children, you might take them to Children's Fairyland, conveniently located right next to the Garden Center. Legend has it that this theme park was the inspiration for Disneyland.

For the nature lovers, we've got plenty of parks and hiking trails in the East Bay.

Sports fans, take note: the A's will be around next week, against the Reds (Monday-Wednesday) and the Pirates (Friday-Sunday), and tickets are easy to score day-of. Across the Bay, the Giants host the Red Sox over the weekend as well.

For those looking for a gourmet meal, a few high-profile options are:
Lake Chalet (Seafood; opposite side of Lake Merritt)
Flora (California cuisine & fancy cocktails; downtown)
Yoshi's Oakland (Japanese restaurant, doubles as a jazz club; Jack London Square)

Our recommendations for more moderately-priced fare:
Golden Lotus (Vegetarian Pan-Asian; downtown)
Spice Monkey ("eclectic California fusion"; downtown)
Everett & Jones (barbecue; Jack London Square)
Le Cheval (Vietnamese; downtown)
Silver Dragon (Chinese; Oakland Chinatown)

A few bar suggestions:
The Trappist (for the beer snobs; downtown Oakland)
Pacific Coast Brewery (serves lunch and dinner, with outdoor seating; downtown Oakland)
Jupiter (brew pub with good food; downtown Berkeley)

You probably didn't make a cross-country trip just to watch a movie, but the Grand Lake Theater is a cool place to catch a flick if the mood strikes you.

And finally, if you're still looking to get your dance on after the wedding, The New Parish hosts a dance party that very night that will be in full swing when our reception winds down, and should probably last until 1:30 or 2 a.m. It's not really a tourist spot, but it's a big venue and a great time.

Give us a call if you would like further suggestions!

The Registry Question

Hi all,
Long time, no blog. The days have a way of slipping by, huh?
We've had quite a few inquiries about where we are registered. Initially, we had decided not to go the registry route -- your presence at our ceremony is the best gift we could ask for. With so many people recommending that we do a registry, however, we've started to wonder if we shouldn't set one up.
Since it's getting pretty close to the big day, we thought we'd propose this simple idea: if you would really like to give a gift, perhaps a small gift certificate is the way to go. With the new house, we've been spending a lot of time at Home Depot lately, and expect to be making a few trips to Bed, Bath & Beyond, so those two outlets are safe bets. And if you already bought a gift, or had your eye on something else entirely, that's totally cool too.
You also can't go wrong showing up with only a smile and a couple hugs. Please know that what will make us most happy is to see you on June 26!