Fans from around the world have been making the Green Day ‘pilgrimage’ to the Bay Area for many years. Their roots are everywhere, in sites so ordinary and irrelevant to everyone else, yet rich in history to fans. In 2020 I finally completed my tour, seeing songs I love become three-dimensional as I admired unmarked doorways and dodgy street corners. These are the Bay Area’s Green Day landmarks. I hope my photographs can serve as an archive and documentary.
If you find this post helpful, I’ll really appreciate it if you consider buying me a coffee or give this post a shoutout when you share photos of your trip on social media.
Jump to area:
- Berkeley
- West Oakland
- Temescal
- Jingletown and Hayward
- Emeryville
- Downtown Oakland
- Pinole
- Rodeo
- Crockett
- Benicia, Vallejo and Concord
- San Francisco
- Other
- Reminders
- FAQ
- Conclusion
Berkeley
924 Gilman Street
Address: 924 Gilman St, Berkeley, CA 94710, USA
Public transport: There are loads of bus stops near the venue. The closest BART station is North Berkeley (1.3 miles on foot).
Green Day’s career truly began in this Berkeley club. 924 Gilman Street is still open with many new East Bay punk bands starting their careers under its graffitied rafters. Its original ‘no racism, no sexism, no homophobia, no violence’ sign now includes ‘no transphobia.’ The doorway is covered in the names and messages of mostly Green Day fans. Inside, you’ll also find original ‘Sweet Children’ graffiti.
‘Armstrong and Dirnt began living for their weekends at the Gilman Street Project. Run out of the back of a caning-and-wicker-shop, the club would go unnoticed by anyone passing by. For those familiar with the side entrance, however, the shop opens into a world that Armstrong refers to as “salvation”: dilapidated wood floorboards; graffiti splashed across every inch of wall space; band after band with the look and sound of early British punk like the Sex Pistols and the Buzzcocks.‘ — Rolling Stone, 1995
Fantasy Studios
Address: 2600 Tenth St, Berkeley, CA 94710, United States
Public transport: There are bus stops on the nearby San Pablo Ave. The closest BART station is North Berkeley, 0.9 miles away.
Dookie and Billie Joe’s first record, Look For Love, were recorded at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. It closed in 2019.
‘[Fantasy Studios] definitely had that Seventies coke-y vibe, mahogany and strange dead wood around the place. We would go into the vaults and see all of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s master tapes. But I felt we belonged there. Our first album cost $700 to make. Kerplunk! was like $1200. “Let’s record these as fast as we can – because we don’t have a choice.” This time, I learned how to dial in good sounds, get the best guitar tones. I was able to take a little time doing vocals. I loved that experience.’ — Billie Joe Armstrong, 2014
The corner of Stuart and the Avenue
Address: 2400 Stuart St, Berkeley, CA 94705, United States
Public transport: The 6 bus stops right here (the stop is called Telegraph Av & Stuart St). The closest BART station is Ashby (0.9 miles away).
‘The corner of Stuart and the Avenue’ is where Telegraph Avenue meets Stuart Street in Berkeley. The song is about Billie Joe’s breakup with his ex Amanda, the girl who lived upstairs at the Ashby House, which a five minute walk from this corner.
‘Standing on the corner of Stuart and the avenue
Ripping up my transfer and a photograph of you
You’re a blur of my dead past and rotting existence
As I stand laughing on the corner of insignificance.’
— Green Day, Stuart & the Ave.
The Ashby/Longview house
Public transport: The 6 bus stops very close by (Telegraph Av & Stuart St). The closest BART station is Ashby (0.9 miles away).
The Longview video was filmed in the basement here, where Billie Joe and Tré lived with another band called the East Bay Weed Company. Amanda – the subject of many Green Day songs including She, Sassafras Roots, Stuart and the Ave. and Whatsername – lived upstairs.
This is a residential street and people (who probably aren’t Green Day fans) do live in the house, so please be respectful when you visit.
‘The record company guys would come to see us rehearse in the basement and their wives would go shopping on Telegraph Avenue. And when we went on tour we would come back to discover these crusty punks had squatted our place, and every single thing we owned was gone.’ — Tré Cool, American Idiots and the New Punk Explosion, p.82
‘[Basket Case] still reminds me so much of the Ashby house. That’s the house we lived in, in Berkeley and our first video, Longview, was filmed there. We’d be cranking that song out in there, all of us playing in this one tiny room and our neighbours getting pissed because we’d play it five times in a row.’ — Billie Joe Armstrong, 2005
Berkeley Marina
Public transport: The Berkeley train station is close by. You can also get here by bus. The closest BART station is North Berkeley, 2.1 miles away.
Berkeley Marina gets a mention in The Ballad of Wilhelm Fink: ‘Said that I’d meet you at the Berkeley Marina / 3AM when no one will be found.’ It has views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge.
Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Address: 2025 Addison St, Berkeley, CA 94704, United States
Public transport: The closest BART station is Downtown Berkeley, which is just 0.1 miles away. The 88 bus stop is by the BART station. There are more bus stops on Shattuck Avenue.
The American Idiot musical was developed and opened at the Berkeley Rep’s Roda Theatre. The premiere was on September 4, 2009. One of the theatre’s promotional banners still boasts a photo of John Gallagher Jr., who played Johnny.
‘It doesn’t make a lot of sense, but that’s what I love about it. When people see it, it’s going to be my wildest dream.’ — Billie Joe Armstrong, 2009
There’s also a sidewalk plaque celebrating Operation Ivy’s Knowledge here.
If you’re reading this post, you probably know that Knowledge is Green Day’s most famous cover.
West Oakland
7th Street Warehouse
Address: 1640 7th St, Oakland, CA 94607, USA
Public transport: Lots of bus stops nearby. The warehouse is just five minutes from the West Oakland BART station, which is also a Green Day reference (we’ll get to that in a minute).
Billie Joe had just moved into this warehouse squat when he wrote Welcome to Paradise. Its bathroom was infested with rats, so he used a cat litter instead. It’s also referred to in the Sweet 16 line ‘throwing down a bottle of Olde English back in the warehouse’ and inspired the ‘wicked warehouse in Oakland’ Brandon moves into in Spike by The Network. One of My Lies was written here.
‘I had moved out of my house in the suburbs to West Oakland, into a warehouse that was rat-infested and in a really fucked-up neighborhood, with a lot of crazy punks and friends. I was paying $50 a month for rent, which was great, because, being in a band, you got paid a couple hundred bucks here and there – so it was easy to pay for rent, eat Top Ramen, and buy weed. It was an eye-opening experience. Suddenly, I was on my own, smack out in one of the gnarliest neighborhoods in Oakland. You look around and you see cracked streets and broken homes and ghetto neighborhoods, and you’re in the middle of it.’ — Billie Joe Armstrong, Rolling Stone, 2019
West Oakland BART Station
Address: 1451 7th St, Oakland, CA 94607, United States
Public transport: Obviously it’s a BART station, but there are bus stops in the area too.
‘”A gunshot rings out at the station/Another urchin snaps and left dead on his own” – I was describing exactly what my surroundings were. There’s not a part of that song that isn’t true.’ — Billie Joe Armstrong, Rolling Stone, 2019
This is that station. The 7th Street warehouse was right by the BART tracks.
Adeline Street
Address: Adeline Street, California, USA. It won’t be hard to find a road sign like this since there’ll be one at every crossroads.
Public transport: This is a huge street, so there are plenty of bus stops and multiple BART stations.
A clothing line and record label owned by Billie Joe and Jason White was named after Adeline Street, one of the biggest and most important streets in Oakland. The label released albums by Pinhead Gunpowder, The Frustrators, The Network, Jesse Malin, AFI, The Influents, special edition Green Day vinyls, and many more. Billie Joe has the Adeline skull tattooed on one of his hands. The record label outlived the clothing line, but closed in 2017.
The street is also referred to in Goodnight Adeline.
Temescal
Oakland Guitars
Address: 423 40th St, Oakland, CA 94609, United States
Public transport: There are two bus stops served by the 40 bus near the shop. The closest BART station is MacArthur, just 0.3 miles away. There are also more bus stops at the BART station.
Recommendations: Combine this with 1-2-3-4 GO! Records. It’s right across the street. Also, Homeroom Mac ‘n’ Cheese is the best.
Formerly known as Broken Guitars, this shop was originally co-owned by Billie Joe. Walls are decorated with Green Day and other East Bay Punk flyers. When it was still owned by Billie Joe and the band’s tour manager, there was an original Christie Road sign, but I’m not sure if it’s still there.
The staff are used to seeing Green Day fans, so don’t be afraid to go in if you don’t intend to buy anything.
1-2-3-4 GO! Records
Address: 420 40th St #5, Oakland, CA 94609, United States
Public transport: There are two bus stops served by the 40 bus near the shop. The closest BART station is MacArthur, just 0.3 miles away. There are also more bus stops at the BART station.
Recommendations: Combine this with Oakland Guitars. It’s right across the street. Also, Homeroom Mac ‘n’ Cheese is the best.
Green Day have supported this 40th Street store since it opened in 2008. Billie Joe built the stage with his son. It hosted an ¡Uno! ¡Dos! ¡Tré! surprise show billed as a ‘Bay Area Fan Appreciation Event’ in 2011. They’ve played more secret shows there since. Eagle-eyed fans might recognise the bathroom graffiti from Billie Joe’s selfie announcing The Longshot’s first show at this store. The pop-up shop celebrating Green Day’s show at the Oakland Coliseum was also located here.
Jingletown and Hayward
Alameda County Sheriff’s Office
Address: 2425 E 12th St, Oakland, CA 94601, United States
Public transport: There are a few bus stops nearby. The closest BART station is Fruitvale (0.8 miles).
The ‘facility on East 12th Street’ where ‘Jesus is filling out paperwork now’ in Homecoming is this now-closed police station. Billie Joe had to fill out paperwork here after he was arrested for DUI in 2002.
‘There’s a police station on 12th Street in Oakland. After I got charged with a DUI, I had to do a whole bunch of paperwork there to satisfy my community service requirement.’ — Billie Joe Armstrong, 2005
Studio 880 (Jingletown Studios)
Address: 829 27th Ave, Oakland, CA 94601, USA
Public transport: There are bus stops on 29th Ave. and East 12th Street. The closest BART station is Fruitvale, 0.9 miles away.
This is where Green Day recorded Warning, the Foxboro Hot Tubs’ Stop Drop and Roll, the ¡Uno! ¡Dos! ¡Tré! trilogy, and parts of American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown. It got the nickname ‘Jingletown’ when the Foxboro Hot Tubs used it to cover up their identity. It’s no longer owned or used by Green Day, but it’s still a studio.
‘In the old days, the zoot-suit guys used to jingle their change, and this was their spot. It’s been held down by Latino families for 50 years. And then there’s us.’ — Billie Joe Armstrong, 2004
27th Avenue
Address: 829 27th Ave, Oakland, CA 94601, USA. You could go anywhere on the street, of course, but the Studio 880 address seems the most logical.
27th Ave. Shuffle by the Foxboro Hot Tubs is named after this street, probably because it was recorded at Studio 880 which is on 27th Avenue. You might also want to check out the 27th Ave. in San Francisco because of the line ‘Golden Gate is falling from behind.’
Jingletown La Barca Market
Address: 2701 E 9th St, Oakland, CA 94601, United States
Public transport: There are bus stops on 29th Ave. and East 12th Street. The closest BART station is Fruitvale, 0.8 miles away.
Although the ‘suburbia’ that inspired American Idiot was Rodeo and surrounding areas, Jingletown gave the album’s small town its name. This store near Studio 880 appears for a few seconds in the ¡Cuatro! scene That Just Happened and is notable for having one of the only signs that actually says ‘Jingletown.’ It’s not really worth visiting on its own, but if you’re visiting Studio 880, you’ll pass the shop.
Art of Ears Studio (now Create Studios)
Address: 2196 American Ave, Hayward, CA 94545, United States
Public transport: The 86 bus gets closest to the studio. The Hayward BART station is a 3.3 mile walk away.
1000 Hours, Slappy and 39/Smooth were recorded at a now-closed branch of Art of Ears in San Francisco. Kerplunk was recorded here at Art of Ears in Hayward. All were produced by Andy ‘Andro’ Ernst. When I visited in 2019, Andro was working on his own music before selling the studio and moving to Las Vegas. It’s now called Create Studios.
‘$700 is not a lot of money to be making an album with. But that’s what we thought was cool as well. We proved that you didn’t need to have a huge budget, that you didn’t need to waste a lot of time. I think if we had any more money to spend then we were so young and naive that [39/Smooth] might have come out crap.’ — Billie Joe Armstrong, 2001
Emeryville
Rudy’s Can’t Fail Café
Address: 4081 Hollis St, Emeryville, CA 94608, United States
Public transport: There are lots of bus stops nearby, including the free Emery-Go-Round ones. The closest BART station is MacArthur, which is 1.1 miles away on foot.
Named after Rudie Can’t Fail by The Clash, Rudy’s was co-owned by Mike Dirnt. It opened in Emeryville in 2002, with an Oakland location following in 2011. Sadly, the Oakland cafe closed in 2018, but Rudy’s is still open and popular in Emeryville with options for all tastes. It’s open every day until 1AM and serves Punk Bunny Coffee (formerly known as Oakland Coffee). It’s no longer co-owned by Mike, but he does visit occasionally.
Downtown Oakland
Fox Theater
Address: 1807 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94612, United States
Public transport: There are plenty of bus stops around. The theatre is a few minutes from the 19th Street BART station.
Before the release of 21st Century Breakdown, Green Day played the full album at four exclusive small shows in the Bay Area. The Fox Theatre performance on April 14, 2009 was recorded and released on DVD. The theatre also hosted the Dookie celebration and 924 Gilman Street benefit gig, where mayor Libby Schaaf declared February 19 Official Green Day Day in Oakland. The closed Rudy’s Can’t Fail Café was also here.
The Uptown
Address: 1928 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94612, United States
Public transport: There are lots of bus stops around. The club is a few minutes from the 19th Street BART station.
This isn’t a must-see, but I’m including it for other 21st Century Breakdown enthusiasts and just because it’s very close to the Fox Theatre. It’s the last place where Green Day played 21st Century Breakdown in full. The club is permanently closed so it will probably be unrecognisable sooner or later.
The Ruby Room
Address: 132 14th St, Oakland, CA 94612, United States
Public transport: There are several bus stops nearby. The closest BART station is Lake Merritt (0.7 miles away).
Ruby Room by the Foxboro Hot Tubs is about this dive bar near Lake Merritt.
Lake Merritt
Oakland’s iconic lake gets a mention in the Foxboro Hot Tubs song Mother Mary, along with the Gardens at Lake Merritt: ‘Or we can take a walk around the lake / There’s a garden in the park there / Under the stars next to the fireside / Anywhere is better than here.’
Even without the reference, you can’t go to Oakland without seeing Lake Merritt!
The Golden Bull
Address: 412 14th St, Oakland, CA 94612, United States
Public transport: There are several bus stops around and the 12th St / Oakland BART station is only a minute away.
Billie Joe once co-owned the bar. Several small shows have been played here, including The Longshot’s 2020 New Year’s Eve party.
Oakland Amtrak Station
Address: 245 2nd St, Oakland, CA 94607, United States
Public transport: You can take the 12 bus here. The closest BART station is Lake Merritt, 0.5 miles away. It is also (obviously) a train station if you happen to be arriving by Amtrak.
Recommendations: Jack London Square isn’t a Green Day landmark, but check it out while you’re here. It’s one of the few ‘tourist attractions’ in Oakland.
Since it’s within walking distance of Lake Merritt and ‘the garden in the park there,’ this is probably where The Rev and Mother Mary ‘fall asleep at the station,’ although it could also be the Lake Merritt BART station.
Pinole
Pinole and all the landmarks there are on the WestCAT C3 and J bus routes.
Fiat Music
Address: 2722 Pinole Valley Rd, Pinole, CA 94564, United States
At Fiat Music, five year-old Billie Joe was taught to play piano and sing by Marie Louise Fiatarone and her husband. Look For Love was composed in the back studio, where walls are decorated with Green Day fanart. The guestbook is full of photos of Green Day fans, too.
‘Billie Joe’s mother brought him in because she was signing him up for piano lessons. Jim took one look at him and said, “He looks like he really belongs in show business. Why don’t you take him in the studio and see if he can sing?”‘ —Marie Louise Fiatarone, 2006
The 7-Eleven (at the centre of the earth in the parking lot)
Address: 2869 Pinole Valley Rd, Pinole, CA 94564, United States
This is the ‘7-Eleven where I was taught’ in Jesus of Suburbia, where Billie Joe worked for a while.
‘It’s that lost feeling. Hanging out at the 7-Eleven. Disenfranchised. Alienated. You just get that feeling of “I’ve got to get out of here. There’s more to life than this town.”’ — Billie Joe Armstrong, 2006
Green Day were also awarded the Key to Pinole here. There’s now a mural on the wall.
Pinole Valley High School
Address: 2900 Pinole Valley Rd, Pinole, CA 94564, United States
This was Billie Joe and Mike Dirnt’s second high school after moving from John Swett. Green Day also played an iconic show on the grounds here. Its sign celebrated Green Day as ‘Spartan Alumni’ when they were inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2015 – despite Billie Joe’s story of handing an EP to a teacher for it to be returned with red marks all over it. The school’s current layout is not the original one.
Pinole Library
Address: 2935 Pinole Valley Rd, Pinole, CA 94564, United States
The library that inspired the song At the Library. Billie Joe and Mike used to come here when they skipped school.
The Red Onion
Address: 2870 Pinole Valley Rd, Pinole, CA 94564, United States
This isn’t a must-see, but if you go to the 7-Eleven, you might want to know that Billie Joe once worked at this diner right across the street.
Rodeo
To get to this area from Oakland by public transport, you’ll need to transfer in Hercules and take a WestCAT bus.
The town
Public transport: The bus you’ll be getting is the WestCAT 11 (the same one that Billie Joe and Mike used to take to school in Crockett).
Rodeo is where Billie Joe and Mike grew up. It directly inspired Longview and Jesus of Suburbia, and indirectly inspired many more songs. You can also take a selfie with the same sign as Billie Joe if you feel so inclined (I did).
‘[Longview] was just living in the suburbs in a sort of shit town where you can’t even pull in a good radio station. I was living in Rodeo, California, about 20 minutes outside of Oakland. There was nothing to do there, and it was a really boring place.’ — Billie Joe Armstrong, Guitar Legends, 2005
‘I grew up in a town called Rodeo. It’s right off the 80. It’s off the 80 at Willow. And it was the inspiration for this next song. This is Jesus of Suburbia.’ — Billie Joe Armstrong on stage at The Warfield, San Francisco, 2005
Phillips 66 San Francisco Refinery
Address: 1290 San Pablo Ave, Rodeo, CA 94572, United States
Public transport: There’s a bus stop right by the refinery, served by the WestCAT 11 bus.
Recommendations: You can see the refinery from Lone Tree Point if you don’t want to get close up.
The towers of Rodeo’s oil refinery appear on the cover of Dookie. It also inspired the 21st Century Breakdown lyric ‘my town is blind from refinery sun,’ in reference to the polluted air Billie Joe grew up with.
‘We came from such a highly polluted area in Rodeo, California. It’s a refinery town and we ended up getting sent home from school because kids were having headaches and nobody could understand why, when of course, 200 yards away from the elementary school I went to was the biggest refinery in America.’ — Billie Joe Armstrong, 2005
Foxboro
Address: 966 Willow Ave, Hercules, CA 94547, USA
Public transport: The Willow and Viewpointe bus stop (served by the WestCAT J) is very close to the Foxboro sign.
Just five minutes down the I-80 from Rodeo, this housing development (and its hot tubs) gave the Foxboro Hot Tubs their name. Hot tubs are still dotted around the town.
‘The Foxboro Hot Tubs were a place we used to sneak booze and chicks into late at night. But most of the time it was just “dude soup.”‘ — Billie Joe Armstrong, 2008
Christie Road
(Not technically Rodeo, but close)
Address: I’m going to give you the address of Franklin Canyon Golf Course (CA-4, Hercules, CA 94547, United States) because satnavs don’t like Christie Road. The golf course’s parking lot is right by the road.
Public transport: No public transport goes directly to Christie Road. You can take an Uber from Oakland for around $60+ return, or if you’re visiting Rodeo, you might be able to get a return trip for around $40. It’s also possible to combine buses and hiking.
Hiking: If you enjoy hiking, you can take the 12 bus from the Hercules Transit Center to the Coronado Canyon Trailhead (290 Coronado St, Hercules, CA 94547, United States). It’s about 3 miles to Christie Road from there. Even if you’re driving, this would be a lovely hike. Remember that you’ll probably walk 7–8 miles by the time you’ve explored Christie Road and returned to the trailhead.
A deserted road off Highway 4 inspired the fan favourite Christie Road from Kerplunk. It’s also one of Mike’s favourite songs. He and Billie Joe hung out there with friends and smoked weed. Close to the highway, it’s still noisy and exposed, but only a few minutes down the road there’s undisturbed silence. Despite the nearby refinery, the air is clear. Occasionally a train rolls by. It’s easy to see why it was such a beloved refuge for the band. For many fans, it’s not only a favourite song, but a favourite landmark.
Christie Road returns in Outlaws, described as a nostalgic ode to lost youth and sequel to the 1992 track. ‘I found a knife by the railroad track / You took a train and you can’t go back / Forever now you’ll roam.’
Crockett
On public transport, everything in Crockett can be reached on foot after taking the WestCAT 11 bus. It’s a small town.
Carquinez Middle School
Address: 1099 Pomona St, Crockett, CA 94525, United States
This school is where Billie Joe and Mike met.
‘Our school district went bankrupt, so they closed down the junior high and combined two elementary schools. We used to have to take the bus out there. First day of elementary school, I think in fifth grade, I was like the class clown – but Mike was like the class clown, so it was kind of like these dueling banjos that were going to go back and forth. What you get is Deliverance. Mike is my musical soulmate.’ — Billie Joe Armstrong in his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame acceptance speech, 2015
John Swett High School
Address: 1098 Pomona St, Crockett, CA 94525, United States
This was Billie Joe and Mike Dirnt’s first high school.
‘I had this kid in class who became a rock star. I remember Billie Joe well. He used to sit in my math class on the third floor of the ancient, run down brick building in the back of the room right next to the window. He had a perfect view of Tight Wad Hill. I don’t remember if he was a good student… if he did his homework or got good grades. But I do remember him as a good person, he got along with just about everyone – except, perhaps, the vice principal – and he was pretty cool, mature for his age.’ — John Goar, teacher, 1997
Tight Wad Hill
Tight Wad Hill was where cheapskates and addicts watched football games for free. There’s a famous Tight Wad Hill in Berkeley, but it’s a lesser-known hill by John Swett High School that inspired the Green Day song. Since the school’s football field has moved since the song was written, today’s Tight Wad Hill doesn’t look like the Tight Wad Hill of 1995, and there’s no precise address.
‘This is where all the losers, the cheapskates, would come up and watch the football games without paying for them. It’s actually the best view in the whole place. A lot of tweakers come and hang out up here, the crank victims and stuff.’ — Billie Joe Armstrong, 1995
C&H Sugar Factory
Address: 830 Loring Ave, Crockett, CA 94525, United States
This factory gives Crockett the nickname ‘Sugartown,’ which inspired the line ‘Sugar City urchin wasting time’ in Tight Wad Hill. It also appears in the Nightlife lyrics ‘sugar-coated halls’ and ‘this dirty city is my Sugartown.’ Lady Cobra worked at Sugar City Tattoo in Crockett.
Toot’s Tavern
Address: 627 2nd Ave, Crockett, CA 94525, United States
This isn’t super special – it’s just where the Foxboro Hot Tubs played their second show – but if you’re in the area, you might pass it, so it’s worth knowing that if you do.
Benicia, Vallejo and Concord
To get to these areas from Oakland on public transport, you’ll need to transfer to a SolTrans bus.
Rod’s Hickory Pit
Address: Convenience Center, 199 Lincoln Rd W, Vallejo, CA 94590, United States
On October 17, 1987, when Billie Joe and Mike were 15 – Sweet Children played their first ever show at a Vallejo diner, Rod’s Hickory Pit. Billie Joe’s mom Ollie was a waitress there and arranged the show. Its 30 attendees were impressed enough to invite them back. Sadly, the diner has now been demolished and replaced with a Starbucks.
Passalacqua Funeral Chapel
Address: 901 W 2nd St, Benicia, CA 94510, United States
This chapel in Benicia gave the 39/Smooth song Going to Pasalacqua its name. The song title misspelled it. Green Day supposedly drove by the chapel while Billie Joe was writing the lyrics, hence the name. He also said ‘this song is about revenge’ before playing it in 2010, so he may have picked up on a funeral chapel for that reason.
Camel Barns
Address: 2060 Camel Rd, Benicia, CA 94510, United States
Sweet Children and Green Day played the Camel Barns in Benicia. Bands they shared bills with include Monsula (Bill Schneider, Jason White), Separate Ways, Bumblescrump, and Blatz (Robert Eggplant, Billie Joe).
Concord
This city northeast of Oakland gets a mention in The Network’s Spike. Obviously, The Network have nothing to do with Green Day, but you know what they’re like. The mind control is impossible to escape. I can’t stop typing. HELP!
San Francisco
Chinatown
Address: 133 Waverly Pl, San Francisco, CA 94108, United States
Public transport: There are bus and cable car stops all over Chinatown. The closest BART station is Embarcadero.
The Warning cover shoot by Marina Chavez took place in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Green Day are walking past this bakery on the cover. You may also recognise the surrounding alleyways from the same shoot.
Powell Street BART Station
Address: Market St &, Powell St, San Francisco, CA 94102, United States
Public transport: There are loads of bus stops here and of course, it’s a BART station.
Green Day walk through this station in the When I Come Around video. Billie Joe pulls a phone off the wall during the line ‘so go do what you like.’ The phones are still there, so you can reenact the video (as you can see, I did).
Hyde Street Studios
Address: 245 Hyde St, San Francisco, CA 94102, United States
Public transport: There are bus stops on Eddy Street and Turk Street. The closest BART station is Grove Street & Hyde Street, just 0.3 miles away.
Insomniac was recorded at Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco. The band fuelled up with caffeine between takes. Tré repeatedly ripped the calluses off his hands to perfect Panic Song.
‘The fact that that album came out, like, a year and a half after Dookie was us trying to cut off the bullshit in its tracks and just keep making music. That’s all we wanted to do, keep making music. Sometimes I feel that Insomniac is the most honest record I ever made at the particular moment that it was written and recorded.’ — Billie Joe Armstrong, Kerrang
The Haight
Address: Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco, CA 94117, USA
This popular San Francisco street is referred to in Misery, when the character ‘Mr. Whirly’ – a Replacements reference – ends up homeless and begging there: ‘Mr. Whirly had a catastrophic incident / He fell into the city by the bay / He liquidated his estate / Now he sleeps upon the Haight / Panhandling misery.’
The Bay (80) Bridge
Billie Joe’s nickname for his wife, 80 – and in turn the song title 80 – came from this, since Interstate 80 runs over it. He has talked about how the band and his father – a truck driver – knew they were home after long journeys when they saw it.
Highway 1
The Foxboro Hot Tubs song Highway 1 is named after California’s longest state route.
Misión San Francisco de Asís
Address: 3321 16th St, San Francisco, CA 94114, United States
Public transport: There are bus and cable car stops nearby.
The When I Come Around music video begins and ends with a night shot of this San Francisco church.
Other
Agnews Developmental Center
Address: 4000 Lafayette St, Santa Clara, CA 95054, United States
The Basket Case video was filmed here, but it has since been demolished.
Atomic Garden
Address: 5453 College Ave, Oakland, CA 94618, United States
This shop is co-owned by Billie Joe’s wife.
The Ivy Room
Address: 860 San Pablo Ave, Albany, CA 94706, United States
This is where The Coverups played their first show.
Mountain View Cemetery
Address: 5000 Piedmont Ave, Oakland, CA 94611, United States
The cover shoot for 39/Smooth was done at this cemetery. Sadly, the tree on the cover has been cut down, but you can still look for the grave.
Reminders
Many of these places are residential areas that rarely see tourists. Please be respectful, especially around houses and schools.
Don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation though! People tend to be open and friendly, and you’ll be surprised how many people have positive, first-hand experiences with Green Day to share with you.
FAQ
Do I need a car?
Unless you want to see absolutely everything within a week or less, no. The Bay Area has a great public transport network. Other than Christie Road, everything is accessible by bus or BART. Buses are clean, safe, and drivers are friendly.
Day passes on AC Transit, the bus company serving Oakland, are $5.50 or $5 with a Clipper Card.
On WestCAT, which will take you to Pinole, Rodeo and Crockett, day passes are $5.
The final bus company you’ll need to consider is SolTrans, which will get you to Vallejo, Benicia and Concord. Their day passes are $4.50 – $5.50. Bus drivers do not carry change.
Note: These prices may have increased since this post was written, but it will give you an idea of what to expect.
How long should I stay?
You don’t need to stay a long time to have an amazing trip. The main landmarks can be seen in three days, even on public transport. So first of all, decide how much of it you want to see. You’ll also need to consider:
- Whether you’ll ever make another trip
- Car or public transport
- Non-Green Day things you want to see
If you’re driving, 10 days would give you time to relax, but you could cram everything in within a week.
On public transport, you need at least 10 days to see absolutely everything, but consider how much time you’re willing to spend on buses. I’m used to it because I live in a remote village and learned to drive later in life, but if that’s not you, cramming it all into 10 days could feel very intense. 14-20 days is ideal. Depending on your schedule it may be better to make two separate trips or to skip some of the more obscure landmarks.
Where should I stay?
Oakland and Berkeley are ideal bases. Even if you want to spend a while in San Francisco, everything is cheaper in Oakland and it’s easy to take the BART. As long as you’re near a bus stop or BART station, it doesn’t really matter where in Oakland or Berkeley you stay.
For solo travellers on a tight budget: Try Couchsurfing. You may be able to stay with a local for free in exchange for sharing a bit of your own culture with them.
For hostels, hotels and motels, there are plenty of search engines:
- Booking.com
- Hotels.com
- Ryanair Rooms (just a search engine, not a Ryanair experience)
- Hostelworld
- TripAdvisor
I’ve stayed at the Bay Bridge Inn (MacArthur), Civic Center Motel (Lake Merritt) and House of Curries (Berkeley, Airbnb). They were all fine.
Is the Bay Area expensive?
Not going to lie, even Oakland is expensive, especially if you’re coming from the UK, Africa or Asia. It can be done on a tight budget though.
As mentioned above, Couchsurfing is free. Buses are cheaper than the BART. You can save a lot of money by booking accommodation with a microwave and fridge (most hostels and motels have them) and taking some cutlery with you. Your first stop will need to be a supermarket like Target, Trader Joe’s, FoodMaxx or Walmart (click for directions), where you can stock up on ready meals and big bags of snacks. You can also make sandwiches.
How will I find my way around?
Google Maps works very well in California. Directions and schedules are up to date. If you can’t afford to use the internet while you’re there, plan your routes in advance and download offline maps (I’ve done this in many places, including Morocco and Lebanon, so it’s definitely doable). If you do rent a car, it should have a satnav and then you’ll just need to enter the addresses of the places you want to visit, so make sure you write those down.
If you need any guidance, feel free to comment below.
Is Oakland safe?
Even crusty punks ask me this more than any other question. The answer is that yes, Oakland is statistically one of the most dangerous cities in the US. Opinions vary on how high it ranks. On Safewise, it’s #10, whilst on EscapeHere it’s #16, but then on NeighbourhoodScout it comes in at #30, behind more popular cities like Memphis, Anchorage and Albuquerque.
Personally, I feel about as safe in the East Bay as I do at home in Nottingham. I’ve had bad experiences in other American cities I haven’t spent as much time in, but not Oakland. At gigs, I’ve found fans nicer than European fans. So I’m not going to tell you it’s absolutely safe, but some people would have you believe you can’t visit without getting shot, which is just classist scaremongering.
For a resident’s point of view, here’s what my girlfriend who’s lived in the East Bay all her life has to say: ‘Don’t do drugs, don’t get too drunk, take extra care in West Oakland and head back before dark. Lock your car. Don’t flash money around and don’t wear obnoxious jewelry. Be mindful that many people in Oakland are poor and can’t afford mental healthcare. Not everyone who seems like a weirdo means harm. If someone’s bothering you, don’t engage. Just keep walking. If it’s on public transport, tell the driver. Buy a cat keyring or walk with your keys between your fingers if you’re worried. The East Bay might be dangerous, but it’s also filled with wonderful people who’ll help and look out for you.’
As mentioned above, please also remember that most of these places are residential areas and people aren’t used to seeing tourists.
Conclusion
I hope this post is helpful to you! If you love Green Day enough to have read this far, I won’t hesitate to encourage you to make the ‘pilgrimage.’ It’s is a totally different yet equally incredible experience to seeing Green Day live. If you need guidance on anything – whether it’s finding cheap flights or planning routes – I can probably help. Even if you just want to chat about it, you’re always welcome to reach out.
My work is often reposted and rehashed elsewhere without acknowledgement, so if you can’t afford to buy me a coffee, it would mean a lot to me if you gave this post a shoutout when you post about your trip on social media. I’m on Instagram, Bluesky and Facebook. 🫶🏼
Safe travels! 💖
– Maria
This post originally appeared on my art website and Green Day Authority.
Atlas and a Camera 
One response to “List of all the Green Day landmarks in the Bay Area (+ some tips and FAQs)”
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