I tried answering this yesterday, but my DSL connection crashed. Have you gone yet?

The area is perfectly fine during the day. It's a light industrial area with warehouses and the like. There's a sufficient amount of traffic on 23rd/29th and Fruitvale Avenues, as they connect to Alameda, so I wouldn't worry too much about that.

If you're going outside of rush hour, I suggest driving. It will be easiest, as this is just off the 880 freeway at 23rd Avenue.

If you prefer public transit, you have a couple options. In either case, you can catch the 6, 7, 71, or 71L on Haight Street going east towards downtown. All 4 bus lines serve the Civic Center BART Station. The 6 directly serves the Transbay Terminal, while the 7, 71, and 71L stop 2 blocks away on Market Street.

Option 1: Catch BART to the Fruitvale Station. There, transfer to AC Transit Routes 19 or 63 for the short ride down to 7th Street, then walk a couple blocks to the store.

Option 2: During rush hour, catch AC Transit Route OX from the Transbay Terminal. Get off at the first stop after the freeway (and only stop in Oakland), near the corner of 23rd and 29th Avenues, then walk a couple blocks to the store.

More info: http://www.actransit.org

Good luck!

Thanks Davdaven,

I should have been more specific of my time in San Francisco. I'll be there in a few weeks so I'm trying to see how much time I have to set aside for the things I want to do. I will be renting a car for a few days so I'll be exploring the non-touristy areas which will include a drive over the bridge. Never experienced driving over a toll bridge much less into another area like Oakland. Cannot wait to deal with that.

Anyway, I will drive instead of taking the BART or a bus because I may buy stuff that will be like carrying dead weight by the time I get back to my B&B in Haight if I didn't take a car. I did a Google satellite to see the streets and the freeways and it looks okay to negotiate.

Thanks again for your help.

Actually that area of Oakland is experiencing a bit of a Renaissance with a number of the old warehouses are being converted to Loft housing. I know several people in the area.