Solano County

Interviewing and job searching have finally come to a close. Yay! I've never been so happy to have a job, and one that I'm really excited about. Double yay!

First, I would like to thank Santa Barbara for your incredible injection of "fuck them, not me" fuel when I most needed it. Second, I would like to thank New York, for your compassion and ability to put things in perspective. Third, I'd like to thank San Francisco, for whisking me out of my own head. Go team bi-coastal!

I will be working primarily in Solano County, which includes Benicia, Vallejo, Vacaville, Fairfield, Dixon, Suisun City and Rio Vista. None of this may mean much to you, but to me it's totally thrilling. Each of these places are a bit country-rural.

V-town is the ghettoist city in the Bay ... like Bed-Stuy, but without the community gardens or community activism. Drugs, prostitutes, armed robbery, gangs, no after school activities, low drop out rate, dog/community/person abuse, and more. The city recently declared bankruptcy, and with California's budget crisis, probably isn't seeing anything for money. It's sad because it's such a gem of a city, with a cute downtown, old Victorian houses, water access, and a ferry that drops you in San Francisco in an hour, tops. If the city did have money, it would make sense (to me) to invest tax dollars into lowering the cost of ferry rides. Presently, it costs $30 round trip to go to the city, but if it only cost $8, then Vallejo residents could commute to San Francisco and take advantage of the high minimum wage rate. San Francisco's minimum wage is $10.15 / hour. Therefore, more money could be brought back to Vallejo, increase the tax rate base, etc etc. Cyclical, ya know?

Also, Vallejo has two Universities that keep it pretty low-key. Touro, which is a medical school on an old military base called Mare Island, and the Maritme Academy. So, where are the students at? Where do they hang? What do they do for fun? Most importantly, will they please invite me?

Fairfield is where Rafael goes to school. It has the Travis Airforce Base, so lots of military families, the Jelly Belly factory, the Budwiser plant, and the Solano County municipal offices. Also, there are farms. My mom has started visiting a farmer who produces specialty Mexican crops that are shipped all over the U.S. He has recently opened a storefront to sell some of his produce locally, "Just to see if it works." We want it to work for him, so try and buy as much as possible. Down the road is Larry's Produce, which sells an amalgam of veggies from the Suisun Valley.

Benicia, where Rafael and I live right now, is equal parts small-town and suburban nightmare. It's the most expensive place to live in Solano, largely because it has the closest access to other parts of the East Bay. Many of its residents commute to their jobs in either Sacramento or Bay Area locations including San Francisco. We live right next to the Benicia State Park, which is right on the water ... the whole town borders the water, actually. People pay premiums for their water views.

More on the rest of the cities later.