Richmond—a Dazzling Discovery for History

View from Ford Point

I’m always willing to explore a destination, even one with as unsavory a reputation as Richmond, California. The place has been represented as the poster child for deteriorating neighborhoods, crime—sort of the worst of Oakland, air-lifted and plunked down a little farther north. Things are definitely changing.

The Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and Richmond Main Street Initiative are fighting back, and they mean business. There’s nothing like money to revitalize an area, but it means nothing if no one cares. I met more dedicated, sincere, hopeful people in the two days I spent in Richmond than I’ve seen in a long time. Most of the development is taking place in the northwest end of the city, near the artsy enclave of historic Point Richmond (a former railroad town developed in the 1890s), and around nearby Ford Point and Marina Bay.

Miller/Knox Park, Point Richmond

Point Richmond has been a cool spot for decades, and home prices there reflect it. Summer brings a compact farmer’s market with live music, and three of my favorite hang-outs, Hotel Mac (happy hour and food), the Up & Under (great pub food), and the Baltic (fun bar and great music) are open year round.

Photo courtesy of SS Red Oak Victory

The real prize in the area for historians, cyclists and strollers is the Ferry Point Loop & Shipyard 3 Trail in Point Richmond (about 5 miles) that passes the Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline, the S.S. Red Oak Victory (a WWII ship open for tours—and movies!--built in the shipyard), and the Marina Bay Trail near Ford Point (roughly 4.5 miles), that circles Marina Bay, following the coastline to the Central Ave. trailhead; the trail is marked by a WWII National Historical Park including Rosie the Riveter Museum (displays and excellent historical documentaries). The trails are connected by a series of city streets: Canal Boulevard, W. Cutting Blvd., Hoffman Blvd and Harbour Way South (about 2.5 miles). I didn’t think much about WWII—it seemed the distant past, though I knew my father served on a railroad battalion in France. The Rosie Museum’s films and exhibits helped that part of my history come to life. And a good cup of strong coffee from nearby assemble restaurant, sipped while watching sailboats on the bay made for a lovely day.

Mom, my brother, dad in uniform

Of course, it helps if your introduction to the city is a reception catered by assemble, with an evening’s worth of fine wines poured by the Rhone Rangers, held in the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts. The Rhone Rangers are a national affiliate group who grow and produce wines from grapes originally grown in the Rhone region of France. The work of two excellent vintners I sampled have tasting rooms in unusual places: Rosenblum Cellars in Alameda, and Bonny Doon in the scenic little enclave of Davenport, on Rte. 1 north of Santa Cruz. The East Bay Center, led by artistic director Jordan Simmons with dozens of classes in music, acting and other disciplines, would make a believer out of anyone—it’s that inspirational.

Photo courtesy of East Bay Center for the Performing Arts

NEXT: RICHMOND 2: A SECRET ROAD AND THE COOLEST B&B--IN A LIGHTHOUSE! ON AN ISLAND! FOGHORN INCLUDED...

Saturday August 3 –Totem Poles and No Brakes!

I woke fairly early and walked a few blocks to the corner of Davie and Bidwell streets to the Red Umbrella (1707 Davie St.). I had scouted this place the day before; it advertised a “real Canadian Breakfast”—lots of meat! A true old-fashioned breakfast place, I had the aforementioned breakfast with two eggs, home fires and sausage for $6, plus coffee. All was acceptable except for the home fries—I suspect they roast a bunch in the oven, then reheat them on the griddle, making a somewhat dried-out and chewy product. I once asked a man I was dating, "why do you like going out to eat so early in the day?” He responded, “How can you ruin breakfast?” Well, there you have it.

I researched bike rentals and found one on Robson St. close to the apartment—when I told Joe the price ($30/day, plus $10 overnight, plus $20 the next day), he said, “That seems high”. He was right. On Denman St. between Robson and W. Georgia, there were at least five bike rental places that were all cheaper, including Bayshore (745 Denman St., www.bayshorebikerentals.ca), and Stanley Park Cycle (768 Denman St., www.stanleyparkcycle.com). Being a real cheapskate (or cheapcycle), I opted for EzeeRiders (1823 Robson St., 604-331-1789) at $25 a day. They threw in a helmet (mandatory) and lock (I asked for it), and informed me that sidewalks were off-limits. The bike was somewhat embarrassing—a pink one-speed emblazoned with a breast cancer ribbon. As I rode off, I noticed a cluck/clunk sound but ignored it. I won’t make that mistake again.

It was my intention to round nearby Stanley Park (10K, about 7 miles). A seawall surrounds the park (it starts at the Vancouver Convention Center, near the airtrain’s Waterfront Station, one stop north of where I got off), rounds the park and goes far beyond the park into town. This was the best cycling path I’ve ever been on—doesn’t get much more scenic than this! The path was one-way, and wide enough to pass in most places.

My first stop was the totems, probably the most popular tourist spot in Vancouver, at least judging from the buses parked in the lot. 

The Narrows

Once again, I appreciated the graphic beauty of indigenous art of Western Canada. On through the narrows, with giant piles of brilliant yellow sulpher across the strait, around the point to the piling place of Kent Avery, who spends many of his days balancing rocks one upon the other.

Kent Avery, at work

When I reached the end of the park on the other side, I decided to continue on, cross the Burrard Bridge, and tour the famous Granville market. The seawall continued, and I missed the turnoff for the bridge, going under it—however, the ride was so pleasant I continued. I discovered the seawall went all around False Creek—another very scenic seven miles. Knowing my energy wasn’t infinite, and relying on the excellent mapping provided by the city, I decided to take an aquabus water taxi to Granville Island, and ride home from there. 

The Aquabus (www.theaquabus.com) took me and my bike from David Lam Landing to Granville for a couple of bucks and a lot of charm. It makes stops all over False Creek, and is an excellent way to get around.

Granville Island’s Public Market is justifiably famous. Dozens of craft shops surround the covered market, which is a warren of seafood, meats, fresh produce, baked goods and more, rivaling Seattle’s Pike’s Place Market in every way.


I bought salmon jerky from Longliner Seafoods, amazing bread and a cinnamon roll from Terra Breads, fresh blueberries ($2.99/k!) from Granville Island Produce, and settled myself on a bench overlooking the harbor to enjoy a spontaneous lunch.

When I returned to pick up my bike, parked with a hundred others, I was disturbed to find that I no longer had a front brake—part of the assembly had fallen off! I cycled back to the bike shop over the Burrard Bridge from Granville Island (carefully, very carefully), though I spent very little time on public streets thanks to the excellent bikeways. Nervous, nonetheless, I brought the bike in, explained the problem, and asked for a discount—they gave it to me immediately. 100%. I think that little pink number will no longer be in the rental line-up.

The Burrard Bridge, up close and personal

See the video: http://vimeo.com/71997462.