[On this very special edition of Far Out City, Maria’s discerning opinions and refreshing curiosity are temporarily set aside in favor of my – Dave, her husband’s – coarse opinions and familiar haunts.  We set down the Canon Rebel and pick up the hipstamatic for a journey through Davis, California.]

This day trip is dedicated to all the new UC Davis students out there who, a month into the new school year, are wondering how they could possibly spend 4 more years here.

Davis is located about an hour and half down Interstate 80 from our beloved San Francisco, just to the west of Sacramento.  Home to tomato farms, sunflower fields, roughly 30,000 University of California (UC) students and only 65,000 residents, Davis would seemingly be one of those goofy, small college towns, full of colorful locals and alternative lifestyles.  Alas, it is not.

I lived in Davis for over two years, following stints in Tucson, Austin, and San Francisco.  Tucson: where you’re never far from a backyard party with a keg of Bud Light, always looking forward to a stop at the 24-hour taqueria on your way home. Austin: host to block after block of live music and barbeque, served up by gregarious and friendly locals. And San Francisco, of course,  legendary for its food, weather, sun, sea, hippies, and hipsters.

Davis?  Well, Davis has none of that.  I’ll let you in on Davis’ secret though:  it might not deliver the fun, but it fully facilitates you making your own fun.  So read on for a day through Davis, California, with the focus on you, dear adventurer, bringing the fun to Davis.

 

Day Trip: Goofing about in Davis, California (15 hours, ~18 bicycle miles)

Recommended itinerary:

1. Get to Davis
2. Get a bicycle
3. Brunch at Crepeville
4. Amble through the Davis Farmer’s Market
5. Whiffle ball, or another lawn game of your choosing
6. Bicycle ride to Plainfield Station
7. An evening of horseshoes, pool, and jukebox music at Plainfield Station

 

What you’ll need:

1. A hotel room or place to stay the night
2. A few t-shirts
3. Light jacket
4. Small flashlight, headlamp, and/or bicycle light
5. Sneakers
6. Lawn game paraphernalia

 

1.  Get to Davis

If you’re reading this you have likely found yourself either in Davis or soon headed to Davis – most likely for school, maybe to visit a friend in school, or perhaps even for a wedding.  Few seek Davis out; you somehow end up there.  But just in case you’re trying to make your way there, here are some general directions and advice.

Davis is an easy drive and a relatively easy train ride from San Francisco.  If traveling by car, make your way 75 miles east on Interstate 80; the drive should take about an hour and a half during non-commute hours.  Skip the UC Davis exit and take the Richards Boulevard exit, turn right, and drive through the tunnel to Davis’s quaint little downtown.  If you’re staying for the night, give one of the many downtown hotel options a try: all are fairly cheap and fairly clean.  Our favorite is the Best Western Palm Court , located at 234 D Street.  Downtown Davis has numbered (First, Second, …) and lettered (A, B, …) streets, making navigation a breeze.

You can also take Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor from San Francisco to Davis.  The easiest way to make this trip is to take BART (see how to ride BART) to the Richmond Station and transfer to Amtrak.  Amtrak trains stop at a platform adjacent to BART, making the transfer easy.  There is a ticket kiosk between the BART exit and the stairs to the Amtrak platform; you can either purchase your ticket at the kiosk or, if you purchased your tickets online, print out the pre-purchased ticket (much like you would an airplane ticket).  One note: the signs at the Amtrak platform do not announce the trains as they arrive.  Keep track of your train’s arrival time and ask the conductor – who will off-board at the stop – if this is the Capitol Corridor train headed to Sacramento before you board. The train usually takes about two hours and is very often 30 to 60 minutes late.

 

 

 

2.  Get a Bicycle

Far and away the most appealing aspect of being in Davis is being on a bicycle in Davis.  The city is flat, the weather is nice, and the bicycling culture abundant.  So immediately upon arriving or waking up in Davis, get yourself to either Ken’s Bike and Ski or the UC Davis Bike Barn.  (If you now live in Davis, and haven’t already done so, you’re going to need to buy yourself a bicycle or three.)

I recommend Ken’s, as it’s an easy walk from downtown Davis, the staff is friendly, and the hours are generally better than the Bike Barns’.  The rental will be in the area of $20 per day or less and the rental includes a bicycle lock.  Helmets are also available.  If it’s been awhile since you have been on a bike, Ken’s also has a large parking lot for getting comfortable and the ride back to downtown Davis traverses quiet, wide city streets.

 

 

 

3.  Brunch at Crepeville

Now that you’re happily bicycling, head to Crepeville at 330 Third Street in the heart of downtown Davis.  No need to worry about where to store your bikes; there are bicycle racks here and just about every place you’ll go in Davis.  Crepeville is the colorful-chalkboard-menu-good-juice-and-good-coffee type of crepe restaurant that can be found all over San Francisco.

 

 

 

The food here is standard crepe restaurant fare.  The service is efficient, the options many, and the patio seating fantastic.  If the patio is full, take a few extra minutes, wait outside for a party to depart and grab their seats; no need to settle for sitting indoors.  Crepeville sits on the edge of downtown Davis nearest the University of California campus, making the Crepeville patio a great place for people watching.

 

 

 

4.  Amble through the Farmer’s Market 

Right across Third Street from Crepeville is the Davis Farmer’s Market.  If you’re visiting on a Saturday, the Market is open from 8 am to 1 pm (it is also open Wednesday evenings from November to March).

 

 

 

The UC Davis campus was originally the research farm for UC Berkeley, and much of the produce sold in America is grown in the San Joaquin Valley, which extends south of Sacremento down to Bakersfield.

 

 

 

As such, the Market is a sight to behold.  It is a splendid demonstration of northern California’s bounty, particularly in the late summer months.  It also has lots and lots of prepared foods, live music, and kids running about.

 

 

 

In preparation for our next adventure, go ahead and grab some grapes, peaches, and apriums to snack on throughout the day.

 

 

 

 5.  Whiffle ball or another lawn game of your choosing

With a full belly, sack of fruit, and bicycle at the ready, it’s time to play.  Remember, Davis is here to give you the opportunity to have fun, not to provide the fun for you.  So take a whiffle ball, soccer ball, or your bocci balls, a baseball and mitt, whatever, and head to one of Davis’s many grass fields.

Two good options: (a) Community Park, beginning at F and 14^th Streets, or (b) Russel Fields, located on Russel Boulevard, just past B and Fifth Streets on the UC Davis campus.

Our game of choice on this particular visit was a comically competitive game of whiffle ball, played on a small grassy field on the UC Davis campus, in which we diligently followed an arcane and overcomplicated set of rules (e.g. if you hit the ball above the first set of windows on the building behind the outfield, that’s a double, UNLESS it lands in the narrow area below the second set of windows, in which case it’s a triple; if you hit the tree behind the pitcher’s mound, that’s a double play – two outs for you) that could have only been developed by a group of bored graduate students.

If you want to follow in our footsteps, ACE Hardware at G and Third Streets carries the high quality, individually-packaged whiffle balls from days gone by.

 

 

 

 6.  Bicycle ride to Plainfield Station

After building up a sweat, head back to your hotel or friend’s house for a quick shower, fresh t-shirt and re-application of sunscreen.  The Davis adventures are only now beginning.

The trip to Plainfield Station – a gas station-turned-bar in the middle of farm fields – on bicycle is a bit challenging, a bit dangerous, and incredibly rewarding.  If you do go, make sure to wear sneakers (not flip flops), a light jacket (no matter how warm it is when you leave), and a flashlight or bicycle light (for the ride home).

Plainfield Station is located adjacent to the intersection of County Road 98 and County Road 29, about 6.5 miles from downtown Davis.  To get there, head west on Russel Boulevard – which has a nice bicycle lane – to Lake Boulevard.  Turn right onto Lake (a moderately busy, wide suburban street) and continue to the intersection of West Covell Boulevard.  If you’re with a local or feeling adventurous, there are numerous bicycle routes through this neighborhood that are far more appealing than Lake Boulevard (consult Google maps for some options).

 

 

 

Stop at the Circle K at Lake and West Covell for some refreshments (a soda or tall boy, depending on the mood).  As Lake crosses West Covell, you’ll find yourself on County Road 99, a two-lane semi-rural highway surrounded by a sea of sunflower fields and corn stalks.  Depending on the time of day and day of week, the traffic can be very light to moderate.  Stay alert and keep close to your companions, making sure the cars see you.

 

 

 

Turn left at the first stop sign, two miles down the road, onto County Road 29. You’ll travel another mile on County Road 29, which, after a short jog to the left, will intersect with County Road 98.  To your right will be a large parking lot – very likely empty – and a small building.  This is Plainfield Station.  Bicycle parking is not available here, so lock your bikes to the post out front, near where the old gas pumps would have been.

 

 

 

If there are a few dozen Harley Davidsons out front, fear not, the patrons will be either friendly or indifferent, depending on your attitude, and it is just as likely a family with an 8 year old will be inside as a scary biker dude.

 

 

 

7.  An Evening at Plainfield Station

Plainfield has cheap beer and good food, but the real treat is the back yard, which has a stage, horse shoe pits (two sets), and lots of picnic tables.  The horse shoe pits are rarely used and a bit neglected, but as you sit down with a pitcher of cold beer and frosty mugs, after riding six miles to a bar in the middle of nowhere-in-particular, the condition of the horseshoe pit will hardly matter.

I have spent many an evening here, sitting on the stage as the sun begins to set, cold beer in hand, horseshoes flying from the hands of good friends, and a small creek dribbling along behind me, thinking Davis may just be an alright place after all.

 

 

 

After the sunset, take the fun indoors: load up the jukebox, order some food (the fish tacos are particularly yummy, but all the food is good), and play some pool or cards (bring a deck or some dice if that’s your preferred mode of recreation).

At some point in the last five years, Plainfield swapped out a terrific jukebox (full of Alan Jackson, Shania Twain, Willie Nelson, Charlie Daniels, etc) for one of those electronic-we-have-every-song-ever-recorded-type deals, which is a shame.  A buddy on our trip made the unfortunate decision of using the jukebox to satisfy his temporary longing to hear a few tunes by the Fleet Foxes and Dr. Dog.  Just as the locals were wondering who in their right mind would enjoy such music, Willie and Waylon started in on “Pancho and Lefty” and all was again right in the world. (Hence, the golden jukebox rule: when putting in your quarters, act as the DJ for the bar, not yourself).

 

 

 

For the ride home, do be careful.  It will be cold (even in the summer) and intimidatingly dark and you very likely will be a bit tipsy.  So stay with your friends, use your flashlights and bike lights, be safe, and avoid the temptation to ride through the corn fields (it’s not as much fun as you think it will be – trust me).