Shall we? Play a game? Let’s.
I call it an “Or Game” – stolen from Dorktown. A matchup of similar choices. This one is inspired by Fresno life. Or life in “Landland”. Here we go.
Downtown or Tower District?
It used to be no contest; Tower District. But now with all the things happening Downtown and the shinny newness of it all and the kinda stagnant vibe in the Tower… makes ya think Downtown. But I just may not be paying enough attention to Tower recently. Downtown is the fun choice but there is still more to do in Tower.
Winner: Tower District.
Blackstone Or Shaw?
Which one did you cruise on most? Which one used to take you to Yosemite? Yep, Blackstone. Plus it has Manchester and River Park. But Shaw does have Fashion Fair and Fig Garden Village, Fresno State and Forestiere Underground Gardens. But Shaw can take you into Clovis, if you are not paying attention, and that’s bad.
Winner: Blackstone.
Tacos or Tri-tip?
Fresno has been going nuts with tacos the past couple years and this year we seem to have solidified ourselves as the Taco Capital of the United States. Thanks in large part to Fresno Tacos and all the things. I think tri-tip can come back but it seems the magic of the Grizzlies marketing team would need to get behind it if it’s going to happen.
Winner: Tacos.
Fulton Mall or Fulton Street?
It may be time to stop looking at the construction of Fulton Street “Mall” and stop taking pictures and wait for it to be done. Fulton Street right now appears like it’s going to look cheap as fuck when it’s done. But it’s under construction still so I gotta give it a chance. And the crazyass crosswalk looks kinda cool:
But I am still, standing smugly at Inyo & Fulton with arms folded, looking down Fulton Mall Street, and waiting to be impressed.
Winner: Fulton Mall.
Tioga Sequoia or Full Circle Brewing?
This is not a fair fight. Tioga has been working at a higher level longer (and doing a good job at it) than Full Circle. And I’m excited for the future of Fresno beer with Pine & Palm in the NW, plus the soon to be coming Downtown, House Of Pendragon, Zack’s, 411 Ales and Border Hop.
Winner: Tioga.
Day Trip: Yosemite or Pismo Beach?
Dude. Yosemite is one of the wonders of Planet Earth. Nuff said. No strip of sand with small waves and cold water is going to beat that. But Pismo does have The Boardroom.
https://instagram.com/p/BUGMenFByuo/
Winner: Yosemite.
Colorado Grill or Triangle?
I confess it has been too long since I’ve sat down for a burger at Colorado so this may not be completely accurate. I have gone to both Triangle locations recently and enjoyed the burgers and such. Dammit, now I’m hungry!
Winner: Triangle.
FSU Football Games or Grizzly Games?
Oh man. Kinda tough here. The suckness of Fresno State football since Derek Carr left really hurts. The Grizzlies have a nice relaxed atmosphere, the beautiful Downtown Fresno skyline, baseball and a swimming pool. But beer is coming back to Bulldog Stadium and tailgating rules.
Winner: Fresno Grizzlies.
I could do more but let’s save them for a future post. Comment and let me know what ya think. Go FresNO!
3 hour drive day trip, go to LA south, or go to SF north. I have heard of people making it to downtown LA in 2.5 hrs averaging 80 mph.
X-Factor, san jose technically still “bay area” is 2 hours
To me there is more stuff to do in LA than SF. But the Bay is prettier and slightly closer for a day trip. Winner: San Fran.
YES! I Love this. Let me play.
* Downtown. It’s my ‘hood.
* Blackstone, though I probably spend more time driving down Shaw to get to and from wherever.
* Tacos. Tri-tip had its moment. That moment is gone.
* Fulton Street. Look at that photo with the giant x-cross walk and tell me that doesn’t look metropolitan AF.
* As cool and Full Circle is, it’s Tioga. Always and forever.
* Pismo, but actually Morro Bay.
* Frosty Queen? Or Char Burger.
* Grizzlies. They only time I ever went to a Fresno State foot ball game it was to sell beer for the bowling team.
Morro Bay IS better than Pismo. Frosty Queen is pretty solid, I need to try Char still.
Let’s revisit the Mall vs Street debate in about a year. If we’re being fair, we should ask that question in 3-5 years. The Fulton Mall had decades, and by the time I moved here, it was a ghost town.
Yosemite over Pismo. Both are cool, but cmon. People spend thousands of dollars to travel across the planet to see hike in Yosemite. Then again, I’d rather be just about anywhere than stuck in Yosemite Valley traffic at noon on a summer Saturday.
Shaw. My daily route to the 41 for work, and for my money– best bang for the buck for stores I actually shop in. (Though Blackstone does have Herb Bauer and REI…)
Tioga-Sequoia clearly isn’t resting on its laurels– will soon be able to produce four times the beer, will soon start canning all their core product, and is completely reworking their beer garden with a huge bar, pergola, permanent bathrooms, etc.
But Full Circle has done a lot in a small amount of time, and obviously have tons of space to grow at their location. Plus, the beer I’ve had has been pretty good. The winner is Tioga, but you are right to give props to both.
Triangle makes this shake with chocolate, peanut butter and crushed Oreos. Not allowing myself to have another one until next year.
Tacos, Grizzlies, and I have no answer for Tower vs Downtown because I’m a new dad that works crazy hours and I don’t get out as much as I’d like. It’s another great “ask in 3-5 years” question…
I gotta try that shake at Triangle!
Given that the City or a private investor would have never renovated Fulton Mall without including opening it up to traffic, I am begrudgingly behind opening it up to traffic. Hopefully it won’t be janky and the retail will explode, like they say it will.
In order of appearance:
Downtown
Blackstone
Tri-Tip
Fulton STREEEETTTT
Tioga Sequoia
Pismo (although Like Josh, I have an alt true fave in that area, Cayucos is better)
Colorado Grill
Grizzly Game (I’m basing this on where I would rather be having a beer)
I have to agree with just about everything except the last choice. Fresno Fuego games beat them both. The team is great – division champs last season – and you can’t beat the energy and atmosphere their supporters bring.