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Pleasantly Petaluma
Published Sunday, Apr. 12, 2009

Sometimes you just need a break – to take a deep breath, slow down your pace and enjoy your surroundings.

Petaluma is the perfect town for such a moment.

Nestled off Highway 101, just 40 miles north of San Francisco, tiny Petaluma was once known as the "world's egg basket" for its chicken farming and egg production.

There's not a feather in sight today as we stroll through Petaluma's quaint downtown district. Instead, we find on this sunny weekday antiques shops and bookstores, boutiques and bustling cafes and, best of all, a friendly, small-town vibe.

Indeed, as we park our car in a free parking garage (one of two in the downtown area) and mosey on over to Hallie's Cafe for freshly baked scones and coffee, we're struck by the way the diner's waitress sticks her head out the door to give a cheery hello to a nearby shop owner.

It feels as though we've set foot into a real-life version of Stars Hollow, the fictional small-town utopia depicted on TV's "Gilmore Girls."

The name "Petaluma" comes from a Coast Miwok Indian phrase that, roughly translated, means "valley of the little hills." But even though Petaluma, chartered in 1885, handily preserves a quaint, rural aesthetic, its residents work hard to bridge that small-town charm with realistic growth.

Today, the town, population 56,000-plus, balances a pastoral appeal with numerous art galleries, hip boutiques and eclectic night life.

That balance is no accident.

"Like a lot of communities, Petaluma grew very quickly in the '60s and '70s," explains Chris Samson, managing editor for Petaluma magazine.

The city enacted an environmental design plan in the early '70s as a method to counter sprawl, limiting the number of new houses built each year to just 500.

And although numerous shuttered storefronts show that Petaluma has not been immune to the ravaged economy, there's still a vibrant sense of community centered on the city's core.

"The downtown district is the heart and soul of Petaluma," Samson says.

"You've got the combination of buildings, the history, the river – it's really the essence of the town."

In bloom

It's spring, so we stop and smell the flowers. Hill Plaza Park sits high at Kentucky and Mary streets. It's tiny, with just a few benches but plenty of grassy space, bright yellow wildflowers and a gorgeous view of the city. A row of stately homes stand guard on the park's western slope, a sweet tease to the self-guided Victorian Homes of Petaluma walking tour that loops six blocks between D Street and Western Avenue.

Several blocks north is the city's Riverwalk, a leisurely stroll along the Petaluma River that invites you to just slow the heck down already and take in the view, please.

"Petaluma is just a very nice place to wander around," says Marsha Trent, a spokeswoman for the Petaluma Visitors Center.

The town's walkability, she adds, is a big draw for the 200,000-plus visitors who flock to Petaluma each year.

"You have immediate accessibility to the coast and the redwoods and wine country (but) it's also the ambience," she says. "The (walking) tours are among the most popular attractions."

It's not just about putting one foot in front of the other, she adds. The small community's reputation as an artists haven has thrived in recent years. The city recently opened the Petaluma Arts Center (230 Lakeville St.), there's an art walk on the second Friday of every month, and each September the city hosts a poetry walk.

"There've been artists organizations around here for more than 50 years, but Petaluma is also attractive to a lot of more contemporary artists – visual artists, musicians, filmmakers," she says.

"It's a real community."

Night moves

Petaluma's lure isn't limited to the daytime hours. The downtown district has a bustling night life with notable music venues, theater stages and a new 10-screen movie complex.

"The fact that we finally have a new movie theater downtown instead of on the edge of town – it's really rejuvenated the downtown area," says Samson, the Petaluma magazine editor.

The C Street complex, dubbed "Theatre Square," is surrounded by new shops and restaurants.

"It really encourages the walkability of Petaluma," says Marie McCusker, executive director of the Petaluma Downtown Association.

Two music venues, McNear's Mystic Theatre and the Phoenix Theater, are legendary for their reasonably priced, marquee-worthy shows. The Mystic specializes in rock, blues and Americana (everyone from Sacramento's Jackie Greene to Leon Redbone and Devendra Banhart have played there) while the Phoenix is revered for the punk, garage, rap and indie bands it brings in (think The Phenomenauts, the Reverend Horton Heat and the Kottonmouth Kings).

And, on a balmy spring or summer evening – with no need to catch a cab – it's easy to migrate between destinations and take in a little bit of everything.

"The city's really opened up (in recent years); we've grown," McCusker says. "Now, we're a pretty happening little town for the size – we have a lot going on."

As the sun starts to sink behind the hills, casting an amber glow across the river, the city street lights begin to twinkle and, really, we couldn't agree more.
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I just returned from visiting family in Placer County and I did see this article in the Sacramento Bee. It was very cool! The article included pictures of the front and back of the McNear Building, St. Vincent's Church, the River, and more. A few of my family members were here from LA on Saturday and I had just taken them on a tour of these exact places!