Working in the Oakland Office

The Commute: The Oakland office, situated on College Avenue in the Rockridge neighborhood, is conveniently located walking distance from the Rockridge BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station. The 51A AC (Alameda County) Transit bus line also stops right outside the office. Many of us use BART to commute from all over the Bay Area, from cities like San Francisco and Fremont. I commute from San Francisco and the ride gives me time to read and listen to music. For those that live close enough to walk to work, Oakland’s perfect weather and Rockridge’s charming boutiques and salons make for a picturesque window shopping experience. For those that drive, the office has a parking lot and there is street parking nearby.
Lunch spots: Our office is close to many restaurants on College Avenue. Some are a little fancier, so we generally save those for special occasions. At lunch time, the junior staff usually walks down the street to Trader Joe’s or Market Hall. Market Hall contains shops selling pasta, salads, coffee, produce, pizza, baked goods, and more. We usually celebrate various occasions with cakes from Market Hall. They have a wide variety, so there is something for everyone. Across from Market Hall is Cactus, another favorite lunch spot.  Cactus serves delicious and affordable Mexican food, including amazing crispy tacos. When we’re in the mood to get something close and quick, we head to The Burrito Shop, which is right next door. An office favorite is the fish taco specials on Tuesdays. We are also walking distance from Safeway, so some of us often go there. Thanks to our our amazing admin team, Susan and Kenya, we have breakfast spreads on Monday and Wednesday and a kitchen stocked with snacks. On Mondays, we have a variety of delicious berries, some kind of pastry, and apples, bananas, and oranges for the week. I had kringle for the first time last week, and it was delicious! On Wednesdays, we have bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon.
Dress Code: We dress comfortably and casually at the Oakland office. People usually wear jeans. Everyone in the office has their own style and wears what makes them happy and on any given day, you can see slacks, khakis, jeans, t-shirts, collared shirts, dresses, and blouses.​
Social Outings: We love social outings at the Oakland office! The junior staff gets together for happy hour every couple weeks. College Avenue has a variety of nearby bars to choose from and last time we went right across the street to McNally’s Irish Pub. Recently, the juniors enjoyed a day of rock climbing at Mission Cliffs in San Francisco and pizza afterwards. One of my favorite experiences was last month when CRA had tickets to a Giants game at AT&T Park in San Francisco. As a person who normally gets her tickets on Stubhub for $10, I had never sat so close to the field before. We have many events in the office, such as wine and cheese parties, catered Friday lunches, and lunch outings. We are currently brainstorming ideas for a summer outing.