Though techies infiltrated this former navy town during the dot-com days, Alameda has never lost its decidedly old-fashioned spirit . A dollar still buys you an hour at a parking meter, the historic buildings evoke an Edward Hopper painting, and you can loosen your grip on your purse strap as you stroll along. Still, the island’s newer settlers—including young families looking for a cheaper, friendlier alternative to San Francisco and elite enclaves like Piedmont or the Berkeley hills—are bringing their dollars and high style with them.

Small-town Park Street is now home to two new restaurants that can go head to head with any NoPa hot spot, couture that would snag the attention of San Francisco’s socialites (if they ever made it across both bridges), and, since 2002, the Alameda Marketplace, a take on Rockridge’s Market Hall, in a revamped Ford dealership. This new wave won’t transform the town overnight, but even the newbies wouldn’t want to see Alameda lose all of its time-capsule charm. “There’s a psychological thing about living on an island that’s also a small town,” says resident Karen Tierney, who restores and designs wedding gowns. “When you come across the bridge, you know you’re home safe.”

THE TALK
For years, the most heated debate on Park Street has been the restoration of the decaying Alameda Theatre (14), because it came with what many consider nasty baggage: an adjoining seven-screen multiplex and a parking garage with 341 spaces. A group opposing the cineplex pushed the matter to the California Supreme Court, but the court declined to reconsider the case. The garage opens this month (the rest is under construction), and many locals are far from thrilled. “That garage is a cancerous growth,” says one local businesswoman. 2317 CENTRAL AVE.

THE GRUB
Bagan Restaurant (8), a brand-new offshoot of San Francisco fave Burma Superstar, is bound to become one of the hottest draws on Park Street. Rainbow salad sparkling with tart flavors, rich shrimp curry, delicate, garlicky pea leaves, samosa soup, and soju cocktails are just a handful of the seductions on the menu. 1345 PARK ST., 510-522-6200

You can keep your faux diners—Alameda has the real deal. Ole’s Waffle Shop (3) still sports the neon sign, long Formica counter with

swivel stools, hideous color scheme, and Naugahyde booths of a gen-u-ine diner. 1507 PARK ST., 510-522- 8108

Alameda does not fear butterfat: the oldest bakery in California, Boniere Bakery (4), is still turning out petits fours, “dream of cream” cake (chocolate, whipped cream, and chocolate shavings), and Sacher torte. 1417 PARK ST., 510-522-0110

At Farmstead Cheeses & Wines (1), the motto is “Relax, it’s just food.” But don’t be fooled by owner Jeff Diamond’s humility. His wares include Testun al Barolo from Italy, Truffle Tremor made by Arcata’s Cypress Grove, and under-the-radar wines produced in small lots all over the world. 1650 PARK ST., 510-864-9463

When Pappo (13) showed up in 2005 with its simple, well thought out, Cal-Med menu, locals could suddenly save themselves a trip to the city for a top-notch dinner. 2320 CENTRAL AVE., 510-337-9100

Tucker’s Ice Cream (7) has been making the supercreamed stuff—meaning it has lots more cream than ordinary ice cream—in small batches since 1941. 1349 PARK ST., 510-522-4960

ON THIS SPOT
In the late 1800s, when the Park Street drawbridge (12) was made of wood, a popular pastime was to ride its rails as it swung upward to let the boats through. Nowadays, the fourperson crew manning the bridge—and the litigious nature of contemporary society— prevents such hijinks, but the bridge is still the gateway for boats heading down the estuary.

SHOPFRONTS
Tim Gunn would approve of the frocks at M Zoe Couture (5): a velvet-buttoned bubble-sleeve-and-hem number by Nanette Lepore, a ruched olive cocktail dress in stretch satin by Nicole Miller, or a floor-length clinger by Dina Bar-El. 1424 PARK ST., 510-814-6950

Serious antiquers don’t like stores where everything is too easy, so at Park Street Antiques and Collectibles (2), a collective of 34 vendors, the hunt is part of the fun. 1519 PARK ST., 510-523-0895

Kids eschew the malls to chase after Vans and limited-edition ’80s basketball shoes at District (12). Not just teens crave these perfect reproductions of classic kicks— establishment types sneak in to snag streetwear that will make them the coolest kids on the block, even if they’re pushing 40. 2332 ALAMEDA AVE., 510-865-1640

In our increasingly disposable world,

it’s comforting to know you can still find places to get old things fixed. At the Watch Hospital (6), your grandfather’s pocket watch can have its ticker lovingly repaired by an expert crew. 1404 PARK ST., 510-522-2025

HANGOUTS
Julie’s Coffee and Tea Garden (11) and JavaRama (9) are the twin antidotes to sterile chain cafés. At Julie’s, you get deep armchairs to lounge in and no penalties for banging on your laptop for hours. At JavaRama, you can sip a latte and use the Wi-Fi in the Masonic Temple, an 1890 romanesque Queen Anne. JULIE’S COFFEE AND TEA: 1223 PARK ST., 510-865-2385; JAVARAMA: 1333 PARK ST., 510-523-2116

WHAT IT COSTS
…to rent: $1,250 for a one-bedroom with a large living room and patio one block from Park Street at OAK AND CLINTON STS.
…to buy: $815,000 for a four-bedroom 1928 home six blocks from Park Street at 3010 THOMPSON AVE.

ONLY HERE
The law will be on you like ducks on a junebug if you speed along Park Street. “It’s because there’s hardly any crime here,” says resident Charles Swift. “That’s all the cops here have to do. They call the Oakland PD for anything dangerous.”