Delightful Days in Downtown Davis

Downtown Davis delivers diverse and delectable daily doses of delight! Daringly (don't dismiss dashing) I dive into discovering Davis downtown!

[mraggieuke]

This will be a short post because I always talk too much and therefore type equally as much. I went this past Saturday to the mural painting and it really captured all that I love about the spirit and closeness of the Davis community. It shows that a group of people can just get together and create something like this mural that brings happiness and light to the community and strengthens it even more in the process. I had such a fun time painting and being able to be a part of Davis history, something I go back to and look at and say “I helped create that”.

[dwilderone]

Last week we participated in a scavenger hunt of various cultural locations throughout the city of Davis as the last activity in the seminar. I was initially worried about how my random group members and I would successfully find all of our locations within the time limit but it actually turned...

[mraggieuke]

I love your last line and the outlook that you have. Though the class may be over, our discoveries are just beginning and in the next 4+ years I know that without a doubt there is so much more to be discovered. This class has piqued our interests and given us the background to go discover Davis ourselves.

[citynittygritty]

I LOVED participating in the mural painting on Saturday!! We saw many Davis cultural icons there, including Mr. John Natsoulas and other people from the gallery. Although we did not see professor Andy there in person, we saw him in paint; there is an almost life-sized painting of him on the mural!

It was so fun seeing the diversity of the Davis community, both in age and culture. There were families with young kids, serious adult artists, musicians, fellow college students, and lots of UC Davis alumni. (I especially liked seeing all the people who brought their pets. One man demonstrated to me that his border collie could add by asking the dog, “How much is one plus one?” The dog proceeded to bark twice!) Everyone was so eager to help; the little boy in the first picture was so excited to help paint, and I’ve never seen someone get so pumped about cleaning paintbrushes and moving tables! I enjoyed meeting them all and working together to create such an important part of Davis history!

[mraggieuke]

This is the perfect example of why I love Davis and the community. A group of people is able to get together to paint an entire mural in the inside of a parking lot. Bringing nothing but light and happiness and strength to the community and participants! I am so happy to have been a part of this too!

[mraggieuke]

Penny For Your Thoughts #6: The "Final" Post

This may be the "last" Penny For your Thoughts post for now, but fellow Aggies and Davis explorers, never stop thinking.

Thank you for all your amazing and enlightening responses,

-Hanni

[mraggieuke]

“It’s raining it’s pouring the DHC students are scavenging”. Last week we broke off into groups and had probably the most fun and interactive final of our lives, a scavenger hunt. Like bunch of bicycle gangs on a not-so-secret mission we each collected our four photos I mean “missions” and set off to hunt them down. Before we had left we took a look at our photos and decided to pose in front of each with the photo itself, in nearly the exact same angle as the originals. A seating area, a station, and two wall-art pieces. We immediately recognized all of them but were hesitant about the last wall piece. Into the drizzle (or heavy rain if you’re from southern California) my group and I set off. We first went to the outdoor seating area out in front of Whole Foods, across from the John Natsoulas Gallery. We took our photo. Click. Pedals pushing fast, we headed in the opposite direction, two of us nearly getting hit by a driver who didn’t notice us while backing up. Once we arrive safely and in one piece we crossed the tracks and were at our next location, the Davis Train Station! Pose. Click. Pedal. Our next destination was a bit more obscure. Titled “It Can Happen Now…TO YOU” this wall painting is quietly hidden for such a loud work of art. We posed and I pretended to scream in shock just as the woman in the painting had. Pose. Click. Pedal. Our last destination stood quietly downtown. We all agreed that we had seen it before and that it was facing a street, which narrowed it down barely. I had the feeling that I had passed it on my way to the post office, but wasn’t sure yet. Well turns out I was right! A few minutes and a very sudden U-turn later we were outside the post office next to a very Picasso-esque piece. Pose (like the people in the photograph). Click. Pedal. We arrived back to class and all presented our slideshows. After a few words from Dr. Andy the class ended as quickly and wonderfully as it started.

[mraggieuke]

Penny For Your Thoughts #5: My Response

Hello Fellow Aggies and Davis Explorers,

Last week I ask where you would take friends or family in Davis and if you would add anything, as far as activities go, to Davis. I have to start off by saying that I don't think that there is anything explicitly I would add to the city. Now the reason I say this is because after taking this class for the past 8 weeks if there's one thing I learned it's that Davis is full of secret places, art pieces, and events. Chances are that if there's something you wish Davis had, it probably already exists and is just waiting to be found! As for where I would take friends or family I can use the real world example of my weekend last week. On the 21st my girlfriend flew down for the weekend and was faced with same question I am asking you all right now, "Where to go?" To keep is post from being too long I'll just some things we did/places we went. *Deep inhale before really long list* Dormal, Farmer's Market, The Hattie Webber Museum, The John Natsoulas Gallery, Mishka's, The Avid Reader, Biked the entire Arboretum, Café Italia, The Davis Flea Market, Sugar Daddies, went around campus, Woodstock, stargazing, and much much more! Davis is your oyster!

[mraggieuke]

Hello Fellow Aggies and Davis Explorers,

This past Friday we met with Alan Humason, the office director of the Yolo County Visitors’ Bureau, in his office next to the Hunt-Boyer mansion. He told us about all the numerous places to sight-see and fine dine in Davis as well as in the whole county….

[cityjumper00]

I’ve actually thought about this a decent amount before, because I have a friend at Berkeley who will be coming out to Davis to visit at some point, and I’ve come up with quite a few things that people “need” to do in Davis. One of these is going to the Arboretum- it’s so beautiful and it’ll be especially nice coming from a city like Berkeley to see the creek and trees and everything out there. Also of course there’s the farmer’s market on Saturdays, which is just fun to look around and there’s always something interesting going on (as long as it’s not raining at least). Then, this is a little more of just something I’ve come to love than what everyone does, I would also take her/whoever else to the Grad some night to go line dancing. It really is a lot of fun, and something pretty unique to Davis. So yeah, I would say the Arboretum, farmer’s market, and line dancing are a few of my favorite cultural aspects of Davis and what I would share with someone coming to visit here. 

[mraggieuke]

I hadn't even thought of line dancing! It was perfect timing to go to the Yolo County Visitors' Bureau because my girlfriend visited for the weekend so I had the perfect chance to ask Mr. Humason for his recommendations. I tried to give her the full "City of Davis" experience by going to everything from the Farmer's Market, to the Hattie Webber Museum, to the John Natsoulas gallery, to even the cows (who for some sad reason were AWOL) I just thought it was funny how it worked out that we were able to go the Visitors' Bureau the day before I had a visitor!

[citynittygritty]

Did I fool you? I posted this picture upside down to show how beautiful and reflecting the water at the arboretum is! The water is a bit ripply in this picture because some ducks were swimming nearby. We saw the famous river otter poke his head out of the water every once in awhile too! There’s so much amazing wildlife to see there. I’m definitely planning on going back soon!

[mraggieuke]

That's so clever! I actually biked the entire arboretum with my girlfriend who was in town this past weekend and we saw the otter too! You all OTTER go to the arboretum sometime! (pun VERY intended!)

[mraggieuke]

“So that’s what’s here” I thought to myself as I parked my bike adjacent to the transmedia art piece “Wolf Pipe”. As I entered the complex that I had passed many times before, biking downtown to the John Natsoulas Gallery, I heard a friendly voice call from the level above “Looking for Andy’s class?” With a hearty affirmative we were led inside a crisp and clean office, the Yolo County Visitor’s Bureau. The man that had called out to us was the director himself, Alan Humason. Mr. Humason has been a Davis resident for the past 14 years and has had a number of jobs before arriving here, mainly in the magazine business. Mr. Humason spoke to us about the different ways the Bureau reaches out to surrounding towns, tourists, and even the nation. I especially liked hearing about the fact that with the whole “Farm to Fork” movement more and more people may be interested in coming to Sacramento, and consequently Davis. His shelves lined with books and pamphlets of everything form wine tasting in Woodland to Dancing in Davis, Mr. Humason seemed to have all the information you’d ever need to know about Yolo County at his fingertips. Though don’t mention the word YOLO or the fact that one of the many pamphlets read “You Only Live Once” since Mr. Humason “tries to distance the county from that affiliation”. After a few questions we began to head out, but I knew that if I ever needed to find something to do locally, that Alan Humason was the go-to guy.

[mraggieuke]

Penny For Your Thoughts #5

Hello Fellow Aggies and Davis Explorers,

This past Friday we met with Alan Humason, the office director of the Yolo County Visitors’ Bureau, in his office next to the Hunt-Boyer mansion. He told us about all the numerous places to sight-see and fine dine in Davis as well as in the whole county. So here is your Penny For Your Thoughts question for the week: If you were to show someone around Davis, a family member, friend, or significant other, where would you take them and why? What other features or activities do you wish you had in Davis? See you all during our scavenger hunt!

[mraggieuke]

Penny For Your Thoughts #4: My Response

Hello Fellow Aggies and Davis Explorers,

Last week I asked what you would do in a stage production setting and how would you do it. Now it’s time for me to share my take on it. As you all know it does take a lot of moving parts to put on a successful performance on-stage, and because of that, I have a lot of respect for every single person that works in theater. From the actors to the sound and light technicians, it takes a village to put on a play. That being said, it would be a very tough decision, but I feel that with my background I would most likely be an actor. I have done acting camps as a kid in elementary school and I absolutely love improv. During in-class play readings in high school English I was always eager to play a role and because of that usually got the more major ones (which as you can imagine I played very extravagantly). I’d actually consider taking a very minor role with an acting troupe in Davis possibly if I were to ever have the chance. My strong second choice though would be to work on lighting/stage design. I almost took technical theater in high school! The world may be our oyster, but it is also our stage.

[mraggieuke]

As we filed into a computer lab room in Olson Hall last Friday, it seemed as though there was another student in the room with us. Turns out it was our presenter, and possibly one of the youngest ones yet. Rob Salas stood at the front of the room in his relaxed stance, beanie perched atop his hidden nest of hair. Rob spoke about everything from how the ensemble started to the fact that the ensemble technically is no longer an ensemble (they have other actors from other parts of California acting with them.) The Davis Shakespeare ensemble started as one off type of deal sparked from the minds of Gia Battista and Rob Salas. During their four years and 5 seasons the ensemble has grown in size and number of shows and includes many aspects you might suspect. For instance, the DSE now includes a Festival and a 6 week youth camp called “Camp Shakespeare”. In addition to all its growth, programs, and shows the Davis Shakespeare Ensemble recently acquired the stage space of the Veteran Memorial Theater which gives them the ability to add even more to their elements of light and controlled sound which might not be as feasible in their original home base, the Arboretum. As a student and someone who loves the arts I can’t wait for their next performance, especially their next original.

You may ask yourself, why is theater important? Well I’ll leave you with Rob’s response. “Theater is the only place where truth is celebrated, presenting something innately human.”

[inanutshell-galaxy-life-blog]

[mraggieuke]

Whoa we got an awesome activist over here

[mraggieuke]

Penny For Your Thoughts #4

Hello Fellow Aggies and Davis Explorers!

Last week we took center stage with one of the founders of the Davis Shakespeare Ensemble and artistic director, Rob Salas. He spoke about many things but one topic is blatantly central; performance art in the form of plays. Plays are for the audience members like many of us typically are, but let’s switch viewpoints for a minute. If you were a part of the “stage” world what would be your role (i.e. writer, actor, stage designer, costume designer, etc..) and what exactly would you do? Feel free, as always to make this as open or specific as you want. I can’t wait to hear your responses and see you all tomorrow friends!

[mraggieuke]

Penny For Your Thoughts #3: My Response

Hello Fellow Aggies and Davis Explorers!

So last week I asked you what you would do if you were the Mayor of the City of Davis, and as always I will answer the question myself. My secret? I don’t plan my answers until I post my responses. I’m thinking of what I would do as Mayor as I type this sentence, it flows more naturally that way. I have to say that as Mayor I would do many similar things. I fully support the funding of arts in school, from everything from painting and fine arts to music and performance I personally feel that students and the entire community when art is not only accessible, but also encouraged. I would also be a big supporter of the balance between maintaining historical Davis, while also moving forward and building the community forward through its progressive nature instead of a simple static one.

[dwilderone]

Last Week we were able to meet Rob Salas from the Davis Shakespeare Ensemble. He is the Artistic Director of the organization, and founded it along with Gia Battista. Earlier in the quarter when I attended Stories on Stage, she was one of the readers, but was unable to present to the class last...

[mraggieuke]

Though it was sad we didn't get to see Ms. Batista again, I still thought it was cool to be able to have some background on the ensemble and be able to meet the two lead/founding memebers! I also think it was super cool that you got to check out the Valentine's day even. If it's anything like the birthday party fundraiser I went to then it's a lot of fun (and cute elderly folk!)

[paradoxicallypensive-blog]

Last Friday I fell terribly ill, so I wasn’t able to make it to class. It’s a shame, because although it was raining, I was interested in meeting such an influential member of the Davis community.

So, I had to make up this class somehow. After talking to Dr. Jones, I decided I would go and visit...

[mraggieuke]

I'm so happy that you went to the Bicycling Hall of Fame. I've always wanted to check it out and I wonder how many professional cyclists have visited or want to visit! I love the big wheel bike! I've always wanted to try one (maybe while wearing a helmet and like 17 pillows perhaps haha