From Here to Euternity

My current job takes me on the road a lot. One road. The 101. I travel between San Francisco and Eureka, CA, hauling books in a Chrysler that seats about 20 and for miles on end will receive no radio signal that isn’t Benny Goodman and/or the Grateful Dead. Natural consequences of this ramblin’ life are 1) a burgeoning affinity for Big Band and Jam Bands, and 2) and a growing intimacy with the various truck stops and perching points along the sea of asphalt and evergreens. I have opinions about each of my little towns, now that I know them by name. Here goes:


Willits

Willits isn’t my favorite town to stop in, but it’s one of the biggest on the road to nowhere, and you can find most of your traveling essentials like gas, food, and stimulants. You can find your choice of branded gas stations, all the big names in drive-thru fast food shacks, and a Safeway that sells the cheapest gas on the road. You can get drip coffee at a number of shops, but lattes are hard to find, steamed milk remaining a novelty to some of the coffee purveyors in town. It’s a good town for travelers who like the familiarity of chain stores and restaurants. The main drag isn’t so great for people like me who get weary for the locally grown, organic comforts of San Francisco.

They get bonus points for hard-bodied silver bullet driver with the tan, tattoos and camo pants in the Rite-Aid parking lot. Minus points for his tore-up, meth-ravaged hatchet face. Other than that, I just wish they had better coffee.

Laytonville

Now, Laytonville is my joint – It’s about halfway between Willits and Eureka and your last chance to have a decent time before Hopland on the way down. Stop into Boomers. Try the beer, the Reuben sandwich and the hospitality. You can get an Irish Car Bomb (though I don’t know why you would), but don’t drop the shot glass into the beer glass. I saw some road trippin’ Trentstafarian try to pull this and get reprimanded by the bartender. He ended up drinking three Irish Car Boilermakers with his BBQ tri-tip sandwich and fries. The waitress helped me out in a time of great need. She’s bitchin’! Tip her well and bring some money for the juke box.

Arcata

If you like yuppy food (and I’ve come to realize I do), stop by Brio in the plaza for breakfast. They bake all their pastries fresh on site, and feature Blue Bottle coffee. The barista told me Blue Bottle sends a rep up every now and then to train the staff and ensure that their brews are perfect every time. They didn’t know what I meant when I asked if they took Amex. When I explained, the cashier said they don’t see much of that around. Italian food is hit or miss in the plaza. You can get lucky at Mizzoti’s for lunch. For dinner, Abruzzi down in the basement has much better ambiance. Both places have their weak spots though and seafood doesn’t seem to be the local forte.
Try not to miss Hunan Plaza restaurant. They manage to make really good Chinese food (which seems increasingly rare to me these days). Very affordable, and the servers are super charming and funny. Bonus: I got to eat next to some member of Kid Rock’s brother’s entourage who had BIG plans for a kick-ass concept album and a dope-ass tour to support it. It’s the little things that make this big city girl feel at home on the range.


Coming Soon: Ferndale! & Hopland!