Davis: Mishka’s Cafe; restaurant review

80 North

Mishka’s Cafe  

610 2nd St./E St., downtown, (530) 759-0811.  M-F 7-11, Sat-Sun 8-11; $. 

This atmospheric Mishka's Cafe coffeehouse roasts only organic fair trade coffee beans in its very large roaster.  Smoothies, enticing pastries, and free Wi-Fi are also available.





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image ©2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Davis: Aggie Inn; hotel review

80 North

Aggie Inn  

245 First St., 2 blks. from downtown, (530) 756-0352.  2 stories; 33 rooms.  Fitness room.  Continental breakfast.  No pets. 

Located at the edge of downtown and adjacent to the campus, this simple-but-pleasant lodging provides a few extras such as cookies, oranges, and apples in the lobby and microwaves in guest rooms.  Several of the rooms at the Aggie Inn have 20-foot-plus ceilings, and six cottage duplex units provide extra space and a private patio.  Breakfast includes make-your-own waffles and an outdoor seating option.  A path across the street leads through the university’s arboretum. 


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image ©2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Davis: Best Western Plus Palm Court Hotel; hotel review + restaurant review

80 North

Best Western Plus Palm Court Hotel  

234 D St., downtown, (800) 780-7234, (530) 753-7100.  3 stories, 27 rooms.  Children free.  Fitness room; hot tub; steam room.  Coffee and biscotti breakfast; restaurant.  No pets.  Free underground parking.

Well-situated in the thick of the town’s shops and restaurants, the attractive and comfortable all-suite Best Western Plus Palm Court Hotel has a pleasant atrium lobby. 

Cafe Bernardo 

Cafe Bernardo is two restaurants in one—with a full-service venue and also a more casual area where diners order at a counter.  Comfortable for a meal at any time of day, you’ll find big lattes as well as sandwiches and pastas.  Across the hotel lobby, Bar Bernardo is famous for its Wicky Wacky Woo cocktail.


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image courtesy of the hotel

Davis: Hattie Weber Museum; things to do

80 North

Hattie Weber Museum  

445 C St., in Central Park, (530) 758-5637.  W & Sat 10-4.  Free.

Named for the first paid librarian in 1910 Davisville, the small Hattie Weber Museum features exhibits on the history of Davis and the surrounding area.  It operates within a 1911 library building that became the first branch of the Yolo County Free Library and was moved here in 1988. 


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image courtesy of the museum

Davis: Yolo County SPCA Thrift Store; things to do

80 North

Yolo County SPCA Thrift Store  

920 Third St./I St., (530) 758-0544.  Daily 10am-7pm. 

exterior of Yolo County SPCA Thrift Store in Davis, California

Located across the tracks, the Yolo County SPCA Thrift Store charity shop offers bargain prices on just about everything you can imagine.  Donations are accepted--even used and broken electronics.


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image ©2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Davis: Davis Farmers Market; things to do

80 North

Davis Farmers Market  

3rd/C sts., in Central Park, (530) 756-1695.  Sat 10am-1pm & W 2-6pm. 

vendor at Davis Farmers Market in Davis, California

Founded by four U.C. Davis students in 1976, this is the state’s first certified farmers’ market.  The Davis Farmers Market extravaganza overflows an open-air area covered with a high awning (it is the only farmers market in California with its own covered pavilion).  In addition to fresh produce and flowers, it features prepared food and related crafts. 

Take time for a snack or lunch of tamales, hot dogs, or Indian fare and “naanwiches.”  I made an inexpensive lunch out of two samosas with a delicious cilantro-coconut green sauce from Kathmandu Kitchen, and sat down for a while to enjoy it at a picnic table sheltered by mature trees. 

Nice handmade wicker shopping baskets are for sale at a good price at the market’s kiosk, which also sells popular logo items. 


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image ©2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
updated 11-16-16

Davis: US Bicycling Hall of Fame; things to do

80 North

US Bicycling Hall of Fame  

303 3rd St./B St.  W 4-8, Sat 10-2.  $5, 60+ & 6-12 $3.

Eric Heiden’s unusual team time trial bike on display
at the US Bicycling Hall of Fame in Davis, California

The small, three-level US Bicycling Hall of Fame museum serves as an educational and research center for all aspects of cycling and bicycle history.  The approximately 135 inductees are honored on the second floor (about four more are added each year), where you can view awards, jerseys, and bikes—including Eric Heiden’s unusual team time trial bike featuring spokes covered by Mylar for aerodynamic efficiency.  In the basement are the don't-misses.  It is where Green Day once performed a concert.  Additionally, the Pierce Miller antique bicycle collection includes a six-seat tandem bike and an assortment of unusual children’s bikes (the oldest item dates from 1823), and you’ll also see a folding parachute bike from WWII.

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image ©2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
updated 11-16-16

Davis: Armadillo Music; things to do

80 North

Armadillo Music  

205 F St., (530) 758-8058.

interior of Armadillo Music in Davis, California

Gently used LPs, CDs, and DVDs are waiting in the tiny Armadillo Music shop to find new homes.  Items are guaranteed against defect, and you are invited to bring in your own used music items to sell.  Live music occurs randomly in-store.

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image ©2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Davis: 2nd Friday ArtAbout + The Artery; things to do

80 North

2nd Friday ArtAbout  

6-9pm.  Free.  

This monthly evening event features open galleries, artist receptions, and refreshments. 

●The Artery  

207 G St., 530-758-8330.  M-Thur 10-6; Fri 10-9; Sun 12-5. 

This artists’ co-op, which features fine arts and contemporary crafts, is especially abuzz during ArtAbout but is a great place to visit any time.  Look for unusual baskets from Jeanne Oster and Japanese fish prints from Christopher M. Dewees.  


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image ©2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

80 North

INTRODUCTION TO DAVIS:

A Little Background

Dominated by the U.C. campus, this pleasant rural college town is famous for its bicycle paths and inexpensive ethnic restaurants.  Davis was the first city in the U.S. to have bike lanes throughout the city and now has more than 100 miles of paths and lanes.  Biking is probably so popular here because the land is flat and the climate mild.  It is estimated that there are more than 60,000 bicycles in use in Davis--making it second only to China in bicycle use.  Impressive sculpture dots the campus--including five “Egghead” pieces by Robert Arneson--and downtown has art galleries, coffeehouses, and restaurants galore.  Bikes can be rented in several downtown shops.


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image ©2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Davis: John Natsoulas Center for the Arts; things to do

80 North

John Natsoulas Center for the Arts 

521 1st St., (530) 756-3938. W 11-5, Thur 11-9, F 11-10, Sat-Sun 12-5. 

The John Natsoulas Center for the Arts gallery has five exhibition spaces and a rooftop sculpture garden. Though it is situated within a vintage 1919 house, you know you’re in the right place when you see Cedric Wentworth's "Saguaro" sculpture out front. A casual coffee house with a large outside deck and a nicely edited adjacent gift shop are almost as inviting as the gallery itself.


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image courtesy of gallery

Davis: Seasons; restaurant review

80 North

Seasons 

102 F St., (530) 750-1801. L-D daily; $$$.

The fragrance of smoky wood greets diners at the door at Seasons, tipping you to the delicious items--including artisan pizzas--that come out of this restaurant’s wood-fired oven. Addictive foot-long housemade breadsticks begin meals. Though the menu has an array of steak and fish entrees and a good selection of vegetarian options, the appealing starters alone can compose a delicious meal: warm, garlic-laden house-cured olives with a touch of fennel; grilled fresh peaches stuffed with gorgonzola, honey, and toasted almonds; delicious Dungeness crab cakes with remoulade sauce; and the most delectable heirloom tomato bruchetta. Still, a couple will have room for a spinach salad with gorgonzola dressing, a roasted eggplant penne, and a dessert of refreshing raspberry sorbet (brought in from Berkeley) and a refined chocolate chip cookie. Drinks include cocktails and beers as well as a selection of wines by the glass. Tables in the spacious dining room have views of the open kitchen, and an outdoor patio is divine in good weather—especially when you get the additional thrill of an Amtrak train thundering by across the street.


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image ©2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers  

Davis: Hyatt Place UC Davis; hotel review

80 North

Hyatt Place UC Davis 

173 Old Davis Road Extension, on U.C. campus, (888) HYATT HP, (530) 756-9500. 4 floors. Continental breakfast; room service. Pool; fitness room.

 Hyatt Place UC Davis is a comfortable hotel in an excellent location right on the campus. The arboretum is adjacent, and it is a short, scenic walk to town.


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image c2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Davis: UC Davis Arboretum; things to do

80 North

UC Davis Arboretum  

Headquarters on LaRue Rd., in Valley Oak Cottage, (530) 752-4880. M-F 8-5; arboretum--daily, 24 hours. Free.

A paved 3.5-mile path at UC Davis Arboretum follows Putah Creek through this peaceful 96-acre garden. A brisk walker can do it in an hour, a moseyer should allow 2 to 3 hours. The arboretum holds more than 22,000 area-friendly plants and trees, which are arranged in a series of gardens that represent geographic areas, plant groups, and horticultural themes. Many plants are marked, so you can learn to distinguish a wild lilac from a big leaf maple, and sometimes more detailed signage explains, for instance, why you might want to plant a Western redbug (for its spring flowers and lovely summer foliage). Among the collections are the Acadia Collection, the Foothill Collection, and a lovely White Flower Garden. You can pick up a free map at the headquarters, or just begin the trail wherever you like. Themed tours are scheduled.


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image ©2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers  

Davis: Tucos; restaurant review

80 North

Tucos 

130 G St., (530) 757-6600. L-D daily; $$.

At Tucos, tables both high and low are tucked in cozily among the shelves of wine bottles, and diners are entertained by perhaps by some scratchy old tunes sung by Bessie Smith. A patio out front is inviting in good weather. A long menu (for such a small place) offers an array of delights, many of which are Latin. Lunch here might begin with a shot of cucumber-melon gazpacho soup and continue on with a trio of arepas stuffed with shredded beef or with a spectacular savory Argentinean corn pudding. Portions are small so consider ordering an extra item, perhaps some fat little empanadas. In our case, we added a moist, not-too-sweet dessert of tres leches cake with strawberries. I drank sweetened iced Mate tea, while he sipped a perfect Malbec served in a European-style carafe measure. Among the dishes I’d like to try next time: bacon-wrapped Medjool dates, smoked fish spread, roasted pork sandwich Cubano, and chicken-mushroom pot pie.


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image ©2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Davis: Redrum Burger; restaurant review

80 North

Redrum Burger  

978 Olive Dr./Richards Blvd., (Richards exit, E of downtown), (530) 756-2142. Daily 10am-midnight; $. 

Formerly known as Murder Buger, this spot's new owner held a contest to rename it and, apparently, a fan of the movie “The Shining” won. Diner-style picnic tables and benches are available inside modest Redrum Burger, and more tables are outside on a small patio. Selections include fully-loaded burgers in an assortment of weights (1/4 lb., 1/3 lb., 1/2 lb., and 1 lb.) and styles (beef, ostrich, bison, turkey, veggie). Thousand Island dressing is available on the side. Hot dogs, sandwiches, shakes, fresh-cut fries, and deep-fried veggies (onion rings, zucchini spears, mushrooms) round things out.


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image ©2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Introduction to Davis

80 North

Read my article about Davis, and then next time you plan a trip that takes you up I-80, slow down and enjoy the pleasures in this often overlooked small town.

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image ©2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Davis: The Tour de Cluck: A Bicycle Chicken Coop Crawl; things to do

80 North

The Tour de Cluck: A Bicycle Chicken Coop Crawl  

May 22; (530) 219-5859; $15, seniors & age 12+ $10.

Presented by the Davis Farm to School Connection, The Tour de Cluck is within the Davis Bicycle Loop and offers chicken lovers and the chicken curious an opportunity to visit the community's chicken coops. So get cluckin'!


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image c2010 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
depicts chicken coop in a Tarahumara Indian village in Barrancas, in Mexico's Copper Canyon