Sorry, Oakland. You're just not that friendly, according to the travel magazine Conde Nast Traveler.
The annual Readers' Choice Awards survey says that Oakland is the second least friendly U.S. city, with respect to "where you felt welcome, or not." It has maintained that position for three years in a row.
For the latest 2015 survey, one reader said, "If it wasn't for Lake Merritt, this city would be off limits to any law-abiding citizen."
That aside, more than a few rallied around Oakland as "America's next up-and-coming city, with an exploding arts and restaurant scene. (First Fridays in Uptown are great fun.) Temescal Alley is one of the hippest parts of the city, with locally spun boutiques and a retro barbershop. It's the kind of vibe that prompted one reader to declare Oakland 'the next Portland, Oregon!' "
In the 2014 survey, Conde Nast said: " 'Oakland has a bad rap,' one commenter acknowledges, and another admits that it’s still 'rough around the edges,' but 'ask a local first' and you’ll avoid the less hospitable parts of town. A surprising number of people observed a rising food scene with 'so much raw talent in little kitchens everywhere.' Also popular: Fox Theater, which welcomes everyone 'from Thievery Corporation to Erasure.'"