Sunday had some pretty amazing weather, for a June day in Fresno. It was perfect… well until the windstorm later that evening. But BEFORE that, perfect.
This brought a much overdue thought into my head: Would the removal of consistent hot Summers make Fresno a truly desirable city? Is it the one thing that is holding us back?
Fresno heat-haters would say “Duh, dude!” But is it that simple?
Yes, bro, I know that Fresno has more problems than hot Summers. We got the gangs (although I’m pretty sure Oakland, SF, San Jose, Sactown, L.A. and San Diego all have those), a lot of stucco and a shitty looking Highway 99 corridor.
But I really don’t think people are truly looking down at Fresno for that.
Plus, Fresno has all the things you could want in your standard city: A diverse and creative culture, a rising Downtown, plenty of things to do on the weekend, three world class National Parks in the backyard, etc.
So it comes back to one thing: The heat.
You Have Heard Of This New Technology Called “Air Conditioning” and “Shade”, Right?
People afraid of the heat forget about the benefits. The perfect Summer evenings on a patio with a beer in one hand and a taco in another. Or the nights when it’s perfectly comfortable to swim and… have more beer.
Maybe Sactown is the only other West Coast city that can brag about that. Sorry, Portland & Seattle, we got ya on something.
Paying Triple To Not Experience A Hot Summer Is Crazy!
When a nice house in Fresno that costs $250,000 is going to cost $1,000,000 on the coast, I think “I’m good here, thanks.”
I admit, this past weekend of “coastal” weather was nice and I appreciated it. Enjoyed it. But I’ll go ahead and continue enduring hot Summers, for now, and not feel like an idiot when my mortgage bill comes. You can enjoy your 70s.
I wish you had more time to actually SEE Fresno. But I get it, you are traveling through and don’t have much time, but want to stop in Fresno and say you did something. Ate. Slept. Shopped. Looked at stuff.
It’s cool, I got you.
And I will put my frustration for how gritty 99 in Fresno is, and always has been, aside for now because today we figure out the best place to exit off Highway 99 in Fresno.
Whether you are planning out your trip through Fresno or figuring it out in the passenger seat on the road, these are the best, freeway close, things. Picked by an actual Fresnan.
The Most Fresno Thing To Do Along 99: Downtown Fresno
If you want to really get a small piece of actually visiting Fresno but don’t want to wander far from Highway 99, hit up Downtown.
For beer geek fun, look for the Ventura or Tulare Street exits, head a block or so East and visit the regional beer king, Tioga Sequoia. You will have some good times.
This is also located in our Brewery District so Procreations Brewing is close by.
And in a different part of Downtown, South of Shaw Brewing (with great pizzas) is close enough to 99 that it won’t kill your schedule.
Did you see the baseball stadium? Yeah, that’s where the Fresno Grizzlies play (aka the Single A team of the Colorado Rockies). It’s a really nice park to stop and see a game.
If you love art, there are an abnormal amount of murals to see in Downtown Fresno, part of Downtown is actually referred to as the Mural District. A handy map of many of the murals can be found here.
For you folks that might want to do some quick vintage/thrift shopping, Yoshi World is right off the freeway (and in the same area as some of the restaurants I am about to tell you about.
But you might not have time for that today, you need to get back on the road. Or maybe eat…
Best Places to Eat Along Highway 99 in Fresno
On the national scene is Chef Paul’s Cafe. When celebs come to town, this is the place many go. It just made a major must visit list too.
Another nationally known place is La Elegante, voted to have the best tacos in Fresno, by those who know. It may not look like much on the outside but got what it takes for Mexican food.
Tamale Mama is in the same area too and has also been getting a lot of attention lately.
Both of these spots are in a challenging part of town. Don’t be scared, I am just giving you a heads up that it may be not something you’re used to. But you’ll be fine.
Voted by many to be the best food in Downtown is Libelula. This is a bit further into Downtown, but it might be worth it to you (only breakfast and lunch).
This is not Downtown but a bit North of it along 99, if you want what many consider a great local burger, try Triangle Drive In.
There is one In-&-Out you can stop at. It is at the Shaw Avenue exit, East side of 99. It gets busy, like all In-&-Outs do, sometimes the drive-thru spills out onto Shaw Avenue. They are working on making this better but it is not completed at the time of writing this.
A long time ago, this dude dug out an underground complex to live in and did some amazing work with citrus trees that are still around today.
If you have the time on your trip, book a tour, it’s pretty cool!
Eating lunch by the rhinos is a nice Fresno Chaffee Zoo feature
Fresno’s Roeding Park literally backs up to the East side of 99 between Belmont and Olive Streets. Inside the city park is the renowned and newly expanded Fresno Chaffee Zoo. It truly is a gem.
Not to mention Storyland and Playland. All good places to let the kids run around.
If you’re one of those that like checking out graveyards, there are plenty on Belmont just East of 99. You can even see one from Triangle.
THE NEWEST AREA TO STOP ALONG 99: HERNDON AVENUE
At one time, this was the place that had the (now demolished) famous Klein’s Truck Stop. Now, you have a Five Guys burger that was SOME FREAKING HOW voted better than In & Out for best burger place in the country. Five Guys just copied In & Out, how the hell could THEY have a better burger!!!??
Anyway, there is also a Target, if you need supplies and a Starbucks. Along with many other shopping and quick food opportunities.
There is a movie theater too, if you have the time for that. For now, there is an Olive Garden and High-Speed Rail construction.
Oh, and there’s a rad song:
Best Hotels to Stay at Along Highway 99 in Fresno
Like I said at the beginning of this post, it’s not exactly vacation-style stopovers here along 99, and that includes hotels.
But, you can find places to sleep and get back on the road.
The two I would recommend that will likely give you the least amount of drama from the surrounding area are right next to each other and near where we were just talking about AND right off Highway 99.
There is a Starbucks and a new Taco Bell but that is it for super walkable.
Also, there is a Target, Olive Garden, Crumbl, a Tesla charging station, and all kinds of other things across the railroad tracks, that are technically walkable too.
If you want to look for more hotels than those two, try using our partners at CheapOair or Expedia.
Good luck to you and enjoy your brief Fresno stop. I will keep updating this post with ideas and new things. Thanks for reading. Feel free to reach out to me on social media @thefresnan, for any questions.
-Mikey ‘The Fresnan’
Disclosures: Downtown photo credit: Blogspot.com. Links to hotels are affiliate links which changes nothing for you but gives me a small small cut if you book something, just so ya know, bro.
There are some things we need to work on before Fresno can be considered a “smart driver” city. Some would say a lot of things.
I would say there are two key ones to start with.
Leave space. Yes, create a space for people leaving a driveway or street that deserve a chance to be on your street or to be able to turn into a parking lot. Don’t block shit. Where are you going that is so fucking important that you can’t afford to let one car in?! Admittedly, I will still do this on occasion. Hey, I don’t really mean to, but it happens. Then, of course, when the other driver is staring me down wondering why I had to block his way, I sit and pretend he is not there as I beg for the light to change.
Leave the right lane open. You are at the intersection of a two lane street without a dedicated right turn lane. You move to the right lane to go straight. You are now blocking the person behind you from turning right. If you spotted this as the problem in the above photo, you already know this and are cool. I know it’s not always practical to leave that lane open, but it should be thought of more.
We Know Some Stuff
One thing I do like that we do right? Not honking at the person at the front who is waiting two seconds after the light turns green before he/she goes. This is a big tip to maybe help you not get into an accident. Wait two seconds before heading out into the intersection.
If you have a tip to help Fresnans drive smarter (and I’m pretty damn sure you do), please comment.
I go back and forth when it comes to my favorite all-time Fresno band. Some days it’s the Light Thieves. Other days it’s Strange Vine. On days I’m feeling hardass metal it’s Farooq. Punk days it’s It’ll Grow Back. If you’d have asked me 20 [something] years ago, I would have said Neanderthals.
But the band I consistently go back to? Sparklejet.
The 20th Anniversary of Sparklejet has arrived and to celebrate, the band went back to the studio to record a new song. It’s called “UR A Dope” and they are letting you download it for free here. Check it:
If you’re like me, this may send you down the Sparklejet rabbit hole. To help guide you, here are nine Sparkle Jet songs that totally still stand out:
I love that the guys are still around and care enough to take the time to make new stuff. They always sound warm and familiar when I listen to them. Important sounding. Very Fresno, but somehow more sophisticated.
If you’re a fellow Sparklejet fan, I’d love to see your favorite songs and/or memories in the comments.
Maybe you heard that Uncle Harry’s Fig Garden Village location has closed. Not because the location wasn’t doing well or because Uncle Harry’s didn’t want to renew their lease. They did.
But the owners of Fig Garden, based in New York, wanted them out in favor of some national high-end paper store (wedding invites and such). Uncle Harry’s was not shy in posting about this in their window:
This Is Not The First Time
A very similar thing happened to the Ripe Tomato (you remember that place?) when Pieology wanted their spot, their local ass was encouraged to leave by the owners.
This has got some people fired up about these big city folk chipping away at the local charm of Fig Garden Village. I’m not real happy with it either.
But I am not at a point where I will protest by not shopping or eating at Fig Garden. Not yet. Hell, Jack’s Urban Eats just got taps, bro!! How can I give up on it now?!
But there is a tipping point somewhere. A line of demarcation. A point at which they push out one too many local shops in favor of a national chain.
Will it be Wassabi’s? The Elbow Room? Hungry Bear? Patio Cafe? Yeah, maybe it would be Patio Cafe. I’m really not sure. But they are starting to piss me off and a lot of other people too.
What would the tipping point be for you? Is there one?
Joshua Tehee (of the Fresno Bee) and I have a discussion about this on this month’s Flowing With Famous podcast. Listen in here.
So Fresno City Councilman, Gary Bredefeld, apparently has the time to request the City Of Fresno ignore the whole “separation of church and state” thing and vote that the Fresno motto be changed to “In God We Trust.”
Jesus. [smh]
Do we all really need to be thinking about worthless stuff like this? Are things that boring around council chambers? That’s not even an appropriate motto for Fresno.
I can think of some other ones that would make just as much damn sense as “In God We Trust” for Fresno. Let’s see a few.
CITY OF FRESNO:
In Grapes & Almonds We Trust.
Live and Let Die.
Yes. Tri-Tip Is An Actual Cut Of Meat.
Tornado Free Since 1976.
We Have Water Meters Now.
Just Win, Baby.
This Area Is Patrolled By Turner Security.
Tacos Next 17 Exits.
The Force Is Stong In Our Family.
Most Of Our White People Moved To Boise.
You’re Right Back In The Mess.
Make Mine A Double.
Snakes. Why Did It Have To Be Snakes?
Cher Slept Here.
Home Of The Uncle You Barely See.
Welcome To Flavor Town.
You’d Think This Is Paula Abdul’s Hometown But It’s Not.
Traffic Signals Are Just Suggestions.
Pat Hill’s Fu-Manchu Controls the Northern Part of the City.
Same As It Ever Was.
Roth or Hagar? We Say Hagar.
I Can See The Mountains Today.
We’re As Confused As You Are.
Hey Bud, Let’s Party.
No Spoilers! We Missed The Walking Dead Last Night.
Our Mom Thinks We’re Pretty Cool.
We Haven’t Even Eaten Lunch Yet.
Hey we’re having fun here and I don’t mean to bash good God fearing folk. But a statement about God (as cool a dude as he is) is just not needed here in the City Council Chambers.
Your Jesus time and energy would be much better spent feeding hungry people, supporting those less fortunate, backing your fellow church member during personal tough times and helping Fresno in other ways.
So thanks but no thanks.
Check out Gary Bredefeld talking about this subject on Even Onstot’s show over at KSEE 24. I haven’t watched it yet and I doubt God has either.
