Lakeshore Avenue is part of a vibrant part of Oakland. It is located near I-580 and Grand Avenue, where the Grand Lake Theater is. Together they form the Grand Lake District.
On Saturday mornings, a popular farmer's market is held in between Lakeshore and Grand Avenue at Splashpad Park.
It is a neighborhood serving main street. The mix of shops include both national chains and local businesses. There is a Trader Joe's, Walgreens, Longs, Pete's Coffee, Starbucks, Noahs Bagels, and Gap on the street. Local businesses, such as Arizmendi's Bakery, Sway, and Urban Indigo also thrive. There is a great mix of different types of retail, from restaurants, to salons, to kung-fu, to stationary stores, to a Gymboree.
All of the shops are adjacent to each other and meet the street edge in a uniform way.
There are two lanes of traffic in each direction, undivided by a median. Traffic on Lakeshore Avenue is heavy but slow. The interior through-lane is used at full speed (25 mph). The other lane is often slower with obstacles like loading trucks and vehicles backing up from diagonal parking. The effect of these obstacles slows traffic overall and makes the street more pedestrian friendly.
Diagonal parking on both sides of the street and a two story parking structure serve the district. There is an alley that connects shoppers on the street to the parking structure behind.
A mid-block crosswalk allow shoppers to connect to both sides of the street.
The pedestrian environment is generous with a wide sidewalk (9'+), with mature street trees, bike racks, news stands, outdoor seating, and a well delineated edge (two steps) to the street. Diagonal parking and the slower outer lane further protect pedestrians from moving traffic.
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