Traveler survey: Oakland still No. 2 among 'unfriendliest' U.S. cities
By Jeanne Cooper on August 20, 2014 at 6:00 AM
Photo: Getty Images/LOOK
<b> No. 5 in friendliness: New Orleans. </b> Famed for its French Quarter (pictured), the Louisiana city won kudos from Condé Nast Traveler readers for the hospitality and indefatigability of locals, as well as its cuisine. less
<b> No. 5 in friendliness: New Orleans. </b> Famed for its French Quarter (pictured), the Louisiana city won kudos from Condé Nast Traveler readers for the hospitality and indefatigability of locals, as well ... more
<b>No. 4 in friendliness: Telluride, Colo.</b> The lovely but low-key ski resort and film festival host ranked four places higher than in last year's CN Traveler survey.
Photo: Getty Images/Lonely Planet Images
<b>No. 3 in friendliness: San Antonio.</b> Its skyline might look like any big city's, but attractions such as the River Walk and McNay Art Museum hold appeal, as do welcoming locals.
<b>No. 2 in friendliness: Savannah, Ga.</b> Southern (and Texan) hospitality clearly impresses CN Traveler readers, who also cited Fort Worth (No. 6), Key West, Fla. (No. 8), Nashville (No. 9) and Asheville, N.C. (No. 10), as the nation's friendliest cities. less
<b>No. 2 in friendliness: Savannah, Ga.</b> Southern (and Texan) hospitality clearly impresses CN Traveler readers, who also cited Fort Worth (No. 6), Key West, Fla. (No. 8), Nashville (No. 9) and ... more
<b>No. 1 in friendliness: Charleston, S.C.:</b> For the second year in a row, CN Traveler readers chose this Colonial-era city as the friendliest in the U.S. They also hailed its food, culture and shopping, especially at Charleston City Market. less
<b>No. 1 in friendliness: Charleston, S.C.:</b> For the second year in a row, CN Traveler readers chose this Colonial-era city as the friendliest in the U.S. They also hailed its food, culture and shopping, ... more
<b>No. 5 in unfriendliness: New Haven, Conn.</b> The home of Yale University and the Shubert Theater was No. 3 on the 2013 unfriendly list , so perhaps attitudes (either in the city or among CN Traveler raders) are changing. less
<b>No. 5 in unfriendliness: New Haven, Conn.</b> The home of Yale University and the Shubert Theater was No. 3 on the 2013 unfriendly list , so perhaps attitudes (either in the city or among CN Traveler ... more
<b>No. 4 in unfriendliness: Atlantic City, N.J.</b> Placing one notch higher than on the 2013 buzz-kill list, the Vegas of the Eastern Seaboard may be suffering from "increasingly vocal" staff frustrated about cutbacks, according to cntraveler.com. less
<b>No. 4 in unfriendliness: Atlantic City, N.J.</b> Placing one notch higher than on the 2013 buzz-kill list, the Vegas of the Eastern Seaboard may be suffering from "increasingly vocal" staff frustrated ... more
<b>No. 3 in unfriendliness: Hartford, Conn.</b> The state capital may be big in insurance, but it allegedly doesn't guarantee visitors a warm welcome.
<b>No. 2 in unfriendliness: Oakland.</b> Sure ,this skyline doesn't exactly scream "welcoming," but what about the scene at Jack London Square, around Lake Merritt or in Rockridge? Downtown cultural attractions also seem to have been overlooked by CN Traveler readers, who gave Oakland this poor rating for the second year in a row. less
<b>No. 2 in unfriendliness: Oakland.</b> Sure ,this skyline doesn't exactly scream "welcoming," but what about the scene at Jack London Square, around Lake Merritt or in Rockridge? Downtown cultural ... more
<b>No. 1 in unfriendliness: Newark, N.J..</b> It appears Oakland will always have this Jersey burg for a positive comparison. CN Traveler readers dissed it as a crowded, overpriced "airport city." less
<b>No. 1 in unfriendliness: Newark, N.J..</b> It appears Oakland will always have this Jersey burg for a positive comparison. CN Traveler readers dissed it as a crowded, overpriced "airport ... more
Condé Nast Traveler readers still have it in for Oakland, according to the results of their 2014 Readers' Choice survey, in which it ranked No. 2 among the "unfriendliest cities in the U.S.," just as it did in 2013. But if it's any consolation, readers of the luxury travel magazine/website still dislike Newark, N.J., even more; the Jersey metropolis came in first in alleged unfriendliness for the second year in a row.
Los Angeles, which came in No. 6 on the unfriendly list in 2013, dropped a place — or rather, rose in geniality — on the 2014 list, at No. 7. (Apparently Anaheim and Sacramento have also improved in welcoming the stranger, for they disappeared altogether from the 2014 list, after being named No. 9 and 10 among the meanies.)
Tops in friendliness? Charleston, S.C., which also won that category in 2013. No California cities appear in the top 10 of the "friendliest" cities, per the 80,000 readers who completed the survey; in 2013, they at least gave a nod to Sonoma (then No. 9). For more on 2014′s top and bottom five cities, see the photogallery above.
The concept of friendliness, as usual, was not well defined in the survey's writeup on cntraveler.com, other than "where you felt welcome." Friendly cities "greet outsiders with open arms" and unfriendly ones "give guests a relatively cold shoulder," according to cntraveler.com.
How Oakland specifically does not make travelers—or anyone, for that matter—feel welcome is also largely unaddressed by cntraveler.com:
"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."
So basically, if they avoid Oakland's crime-ridden areas — a good piece of advice for any urban destination, including the "friendliest" — travelers can enjoy exciting food and diverse entertainment (duh). They might also feel welcome to enjoy cultural attractions such as:
the Oakland Museum of California, where the crowd-pleasing "Inspiraton Points: Masterpieces of California" has been extended through Jan. 4;
the Oakland East Bay Symphony, whose season starts Nov. 7 at the gorgeous Paramount Theatre.; the latter also screens vintage movies ("Chinatown" is up next, on Oct. 10) and offers guided tours for $5 (next tour, Sept. 6);
movies accompanied by the mighty Wurlitzer organ on Friday and Saturday nights at the Grand Lake Theater, next to prettily illuminated Lake Merritt;
jazz concerts at Yoshi's in Jack London Square, which attracts headliners such as Ottmar Liebert and Luna Negra (Aug. 23-24) and Maria Muldaur (Aug. 25).
I've been to all of those venues, and never felt unwelcome. And if those attractions are not enough of a draw, Oakland travelers also have easy access to all the sights and scenes of San Francisco and Berkeley (how much friendlier those cities are to travelers than Oakland is not covered in the Condé Nast Traveler survey.)
Why do you think Oakland placed so high on the "unfriendly" list? Which cities in the Bay Area or beyond do you consider especially friendly or unfriendly to travelers? Comments welcome—you can also e-mail hawaii.insider@gmail.com your suggestions if you don't have a commenter profile—for a follow-up post.
— Jeanne Cooper
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