THE PORT LITE- OAKLAND

The Portlite is at 3rd St. & Brush St. in Oakland, in one of the, ahem, more authentic sections of the Jack London Waterfront. Railroad tracks, razor wire, big rigs, and big, burly, drunk guys -- you name it, this working port neighborhood's got it all! An odd spot for an "alternative music" venue, but hey, Oakland's a city of contradictions, and we love it so.

Of course, the best way to chase off those working-waterfront-industrial-blight blues is with massive quantities of authentic blue-collar beer, which could leave you faced with the difficult task of getting home without having to perform an interpretive dance before some of Oakland's finest.

That is precisely why Lushes for Public Transport proudly bring you the following public service announcement:

BART

Unfortunately, this place is quite a hike from the nearest BART station.

From 12th St. BART, walk 10 blocks SW along Broadway, right onto 3rd St., and 6 blocks NW (about 20 minutes total) to the Portlite. If you're coming in from the City, you might want to consider Transbay Line A instead; it will drop you a lot closer.

If you're stuck with taking BART, you might be able to catch one of the AC Transit buses mentioned below at 12th St., which will shorten your walk a bit, or just grab a cab at the nearby taxi stand. Of course, if you've done your duty at the bar, you'll hardly notice the 20-minute walk on the way home!

Here are the map, fares, and schedules

AC Transit

Your best bus bets are the 72/73 and the Transbay A, any of which will get you as close as 3rd & Broadway; from there, just walk 6 blocks NW (about 8 minutes) to the Portlite. A close runner-up in the bus contest is the 51/51A, which gets you to 7th or 8th and Broadway; see the specific directions below for details. This map should help you select a line.

Almost all non-transbay fares are $1.35. Note that you can ride the A (or any other transbay bus, for that matter) within the East Bay for the normal fare of $1.35; the $2.50 fare only applies if you actually cross the bay. (If you're unfamiliar with a transbay route, ask the driver about the last East Bay stop -- or you may end up taking an unexpected trip to the City!)

Be sure to check the schedule, especially if you're unfamiliar with a particular line.

Specific directions for AC Transit Line 51

The nearest stop is at the corner of Broadway and 8th St. (for Berkeley-bound buses) or 7th St. (for Alameda-bound buses). Walk 5 or 6 blocks SW along Broadway, right onto 3rd St., and 6 blocks NW along 2th St. (about 14 minutes total). The fare is $1.35 and the bus runs 24 hours a day, every day.

Here's the schedule

Note that this bus will NOT go through the tube after 9:00 PM, EVEN ON NIGHTS WHEN IT'S OPEN. It will, however, cross the Park Street bridge and make its usual stops in Alameda, albeit in reverse order.

You may direct your complaints to the bureaucrats at AC Transit; I don't make the schedules, folks, I just report 'em.

Brought to you by Lushes for Public Transport