Location, location, location! Never having visited Oakland before and not having the use of a car upon our arrival, it was important to be near a BART stop, and walkable to our digs. Teenage daughter and I walked with luggage the 12 or so mins to Vennessa's. Immediately fell in love with the surroundings and neighborhood . So many lovely places to eat and shop/browse.
Wish we'd had more time to explore, but this was a college drop off/ pre Move In Day trip and only had a couple of days.
Wouldn't hesitate to recommend Vennessa's, and hope to be back in that part of the world soon.