My cousin is traveling from England to SF in April and I decided to meet her there for a long weekend. Her husband is going to be docking there as part of an around the world boating race. He was originally set to dock in Fisherman's Wharf area, but has now been moved to Oakland (Jack London Square area). I think we might be moving our hotel plans to Oakland, but is there actually anything to do there? Or should we stick with a hotel in SF? Advice and suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

There are many things to do in Oakland. The biggest development in the past handful of years is that one of the top restaurant scenes in the US is taking place in Oakland. Although decent lodging is sparse, if you stay at City Center (There is a Marriott), you can be in downtown SF in under 15 minutes on BART.

Oakland's Chinatown is a lot more "real" than SF (well, as far as there is no "tourist central" section). There are a handful of urban wineries in/near downtown/Jack London Sq. area - they are good to very good. See if anything is playing at the Paramount - a fantastic theater. The architecture of many downtown to uptown buildings is really great - on a building by building level - if you drive through, you'll never notice. If you will be there on the first weekend of a month, there's a big street art/food festival every month - http://oaklandartmurmur.org/

That is just a small list of things that quickly come to mind as I get ready for work.

The West Coast Brooklyn?

Excellent! Thank you so much, I looked online but couldn't find much. These all sound like great activities to enjoy for a weekend.

I highly recommend the Oakland Museum of California downtown. After an extensive remodel, they reopened (in 2010) two of the three floors: the art gallery and California history floors. The museum has one of the finest collection of Bay Area Figurative Art (Diebenkorn, Bischoff, etc.) in the world as well as temporary exhibits. It could definitely fill an afternoon or morning. If you have a mid-level or higher membership to an art museum - they often belong to the North American reciprocal museum membership organization and you can get in free.
http://museumca.org/

You're also close to BART if you feel like public transportation into SF or north to visit Berkeley.

No.

See #5 on this list.

Oakland City Center Marriott has been recently renovated and is just across the BART station.

There is also the free Broadway Shuttle that goes to the waterfront (Jack London Sq).

You can take the ferry to SF or Alameda (check out the tasting rooms in the vicinity of the ferry terminal: Rockwall, Rosenblum and St George's Spirits).

No ... not trying to have the most hyperlinks in a reply

Be sure to pack your bullet proof vest. Oakland is not the safest place to be. Over the past two weeks, seven shootings, major protest with over four hundred arrests, Mayor possibly being recalled because she has no control over her City. Over one hundred ten murders last year.

IMO, better to stay in SF. More to do and safer.

Listen to the advice from someone from PVG?

You will be fine in Oakland. If there is one of the Occupy protests, stay away from the crowd. The chances that you'll be going to a 'hood like East or West Oakland where you'll be shot are slim to none.

Great sushi/food and jazz at Yoshi's in Jack London Square. Definitely worth an evening.

http://www.yoshis.com/oakland/jazzclub

Downtown Oakland and Jack London Square are probably safer than many parts of Fisherman's Wharf. There is no reason to be any more afraid of Oakland than there is of San Francisco.

Trying to redeem yourself?

Just because it is safe, does not mean it is worth visiting. Seriously, though, I've been meaning to try Plum and have just not brought myself to traverse the bridge.

Whoa there ... listen up folks:

Peter Arnett reporting from PVG on OAK, even though he lives 60/40 in Beijing/SF

I think the answer to the OP's question lies just as much in where the friend wants to be. If, for any of you, this is likely to be the only, or one of the only visits in a lifetime to the Bay Area, go to SF. It's a world class city with a world class setting. However, avoid Fisherman's Wharf which is a very nasty tourist trap development.

If, however, you all are fully familiar with San Francisco and want to explore somewhere new, then by all means stay in Oakland. It's rough but it has a nascent food scene (fed by cheap property) and a handful of mildly interesting places (although you should be aware that a large proportion of Bay Area residents won't go near the place - it holds no interest to them and it's dangerous). Whatever you do, avoid the many slum areas, don't go anywhere near the increasingly violent Occupy protests and don't wander around at night.

Alternatively, if you want to stay in the East Bay, Berkeley might be a compromise. It has a good food scene and the University provides enough cultural interest for a weekend.