Gateway Blvd, Orinda

Gateway Boulevard in Orinda exists only as an exit from Highway 24. When you actually get off there, however, what you find is Wilder Road—or at least the part of Wilder Road that is on the northern half of the freeway. There are no houses here. It is basically a frontage road with lots of trees on the side of a hill. What you will find, however, is the Cal Shakespeare festival. If you have never been here to see a Shakespeare play, it is well worth the experience. Be sure, however, to bring a blanket—this is an outdoor amphitheatre with the Orinda hills as a back drop. Although it only opens in the summer, the plays are held at dusk and as the afternoon wears on, the fog and cold rolls down onto you. The wind will chill your bones, so get some hot cocoa at intermission and be sure to come with someone you’d like to cuddle with.