Category: Fresno

Bagby’s Beer Is The Place Fresno Needs

The Fresnan

Bagby-Beer-Company Bagby's Beer Is The Place Fresno Needs

There’s a lot going in Fresno right now. What with pavement being laid on Fulton, the Spanspek lineup being announced, the Mayor soon taking on a new soul-fulfilling job, Jenna Prandini being Olympic, Kelly Slater making his previously secret Fresno area surfing spot public.

Things.

Dude I missed some of those. I was in San Diego on a ‘beercation’ (it’s a thing) to attend the Festival Of Dankness. Saw some pretty rad beer related stuff. None more rad (and I will pull it back to Fresno) than going to Bagby’s Beer Company.

bagby-beer-oceanside Bagby's Beer Is The Place Fresno Needs

I was amazed by the coolness of this place. Three very different bars, all in one place, all with different micro climates. But it manages to keep it tied together. You know you’re in the same place but are still having different experiences.

bagby-upstairs Bagby's Beer Is The Place Fresno Needs

The design was well done, downstairs, upstairs, inside, outside, desert, beach, California, ALL represented. A San Diego classic.

HOW IS THIS FRESNO, BRO?

The reason I bring it up on a Fresno blog is I CAN TOTALLY SEE THIS IN FRESNO! A Fresno version anyway. We deserve it. We can support it. We can have nice things.

Fresno is ready. Just look at all the beer stuff happening or about to happen around town. We are building a scene and the Tioga’s, Goldstein’s, House Of Pendragons, Spokeasy’s and Pine & Palms, won’t mind the good company.

SOMEONE WITH MONEY GET ON THIS

If you are a beer and business dude in Fresno, looking for inspiration, check out the article by the SD Reader on the beginning of Bagby’s and how it was built. You just might get inspired. I’ll be waiting with something hoppy in hand.

Cheers!

(One pic stolen from here and one from here)

Fresno On Fire

The Fresnan 1 Comment

41-brush-fire Fresno On Fire

Highway 41 has become a mess (99 was already a mess and nobody cared). We talked about it some in the past episode of Flowing With Famous; Fresno’s ports of entry make Fresno look pretty damn shabby.

Dangerous too because then there were the fires. Fires along Highway 41 because there is too much trash unmanaged dry grass.

Things are getting serious and Caltrans is not helping or can’t help, for the moment.

The Bee’s editorial staff put together a nice piece about how this should not be and how Caltrans says it is because copper thieves have stolen so much of the landscaping’s infrastructure that they no longer have to budget to maintain the local highways – it’s going to replacing copper.

Caltrans says they will get around to cleaning things up in the next couple months.

You KNOW that bullshit would not fly in Los Angeles, SD or the Bay Area. Probably not in Sacramento either. Pretty sure they wouldn’t be allowing the highways to get so wild, that brush fires are normal.

But that’s how we do here in Fresno. We drive around trash, blow through brush fires, and we roll on.

(Pic stolen from the Fresno Bee)

*In case you noticed this is an odd posting style for The Fresnan, I’m taking part in a seven-day “blogging challenge”. One style of post a day, for seven days straight. 

Previous posts:

Palmdon, Jackrabbits, Fig Orchards and El Torre Chingon

The Fresnan 2 Comments

Palmdon Palmdon, Jackrabbits, Fig Orchards and El Torre Chingon

Palmdon Drive? Palm. don. Can we agree it’s the worst street name in Fresno? I get it, I get it, it’s a blend of Palm & Herndon. Yeah well it’s terrible.

I don’t think it’s a legit street name. When you look it up in Google Maps, it will show where Palmdon Drive is but it won’t place the name on the street. I think the street sign holds as much validity as an “Only Bulldog Fans Can Park Here” novelty sign.

This block used to be a fig orchard. NW Fresno used to be filled with fig orchards. They are all but gone now. I lived in the neighborhood behind it when I was a kid and that fig orchard was our park.

I used to hit golf balls, play wiffleball, let my dogs run around and attempt to catch jack rabbits, and even hide from tween life. In later years it became a place to have “fig parties” but that’s a story for another time.

Now it’s just offices, car dealerships, Starbucks and of course, the Univison Tower:

the-tower Palmdon, Jackrabbits, Fig Orchards and El Torre Chingon

Back in 2009 we dubbed it: “El Torre Chingon” (That Fucking Tower).

Not really sure why I feel like it would be better if there were still fig orchards around. It just feels wrong that they are all gone. Particularly this one.

Naming the street “Palmdon” doesn’t help.

Moments Of Review: Farooq’s “Heel”

The Fresnan 1 Comment

farooq-demo-1024x1024 Moments Of Review: Farooq's "Heel"

Don’t be frightened. Farooq is not here to harm you. Their brand of sincere hardcore Fresno metal, is here to make you feel pumped and awesome.

They have a new EP/album-promo out on Bandcamp called “Heel”. Here is an odd BUT TOTALLY METAL, BRO review:

BIGGEST HEADBANGING POINT: The 2:13 to 2:31 mark of “Hoarders”.

STRONGEST MOMENT FOR THE F-WORD: Three seconds into “Ask Me”.

SECTION THAT SOUNDED THE MOST LIKE SUICIDAL TENDENCIES: The :45 Second to :55 second mark of “Ask Me”.

OH SHIT, THAT WAS COOL: When “Write Up” stops and he says “Are you mad ’cause I’m stylin’ on you?” At least I really fucking hope he says “stylin’ on you” because it’s rad and I will be saying “Are you mad ’cause I’m stylin’ on you?” to people all day today and forevermore.

THE PART WHERE YOUR MOM OVERHEARS WHAT YOU ARE LISTENING TO AND SAYS “WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU LISTENING TO, SON?”: The first minute of “Write Up”.

You may think that you can’t handle hardcore style stuff but really, I find Farooq more accessible than you think. Give it a shot. I love these dudes.

Check out the video for “Write Up” (audio is NSFW):

And follow them on their current tour vlogs via their YouTube channel.

 

 

Are They Really Not Going To Cover That?

The Fresnan 8 Comments

park-play-area-1024x768 Are They Really Not Going To Cover That?How does this new play area at Holman Park in Fresno, not have some sort of awning built into the budget?

Has anyone in the parks department tried putting their kid down a slide in Fresno in the summer? It burns. It sticks. I’m pretty sure it’s child abuse.

IT GETS FREAKING HOT!

In the Summer, you basically won’t be able to use it during the day. Just so you know – in case kids weird you out and you don’t know much about them – children like playing in the day. Sorta key for a play area to useful when the sun is out.

I’m speaking up for the kids…yeah that’s the ticket, for the kids. I, an adult male, would never want to play on this. Because I’m an adult and that would be silly. That slide doesn’t look inviting at all:

park-slide-1024x768 Are They Really Not Going To Cover That?

FIXABLE

Maybe it’s not too late. Maybe it’s going to be the last thing they install, since they are not quite done with the project. But I see no evidence of it.

Come on, guys, I want to slide-it-up in the shade… I mean my kid. My kid really wants to slide it up.