Meet in Airport-Adjacent Venues to Save Time & Money

Meet on the fly without having to compromise on quality, style and amenities.
Meet on the fly without having to compromise on quality, style and amenities.
Population: 115,400
Location: Nestled between the Pacific foothills and the San Francisco Bay, Berkeley borders neighboring Oakland to the south and is a short 15- to 30-minute drive east of downtown San Francisco and 1.5-hour drive north of San Jose.
New hotels: check! Updated arenas and convention centers: check! Restaurants offering every global cuisine imaginable: check! Urban parks with sprawling outdoor space: check! And everything within walking distance to make planning multiday events easier: absolutely!
California’s varied downtown areas are thriving. Here’s a look at the urban renaissance, from south to north.
SAN DIEGO
Horton Plaza Park Restored to Glory
Centerpieces don’t get any more sustainable than the Garden-in-a-Can from the Oakland-based company Back to the Roots. The cans or mason jars of flowering basil, dill, sage and cilantro were used as table decorations at a San Francisco entrepreneur summit sponsored by Inc. Magazine, at a forum of the nonprofit Social Venture Network held in a San Diego hotel ballroom and, not coincidentally, at the wedding of the brother of the company’s co-founder Nikhil Arora.