Growing up in Los Angeles, I never noticed that I lived in a sea of sameness, a monotonous maze of freeways and strip malls. But when I moved north, 20 years ago, I was surprised and delighted to discover the Bay Area’s patchwork quilt of communities, each with its own quirky personality. Exploring these charming little towns is an endless treasure hunt. Many harbor a main street that can deliver the perfect afternoon’s distraction, and provide the illusion that I have traveled somewhere far away, even though I am only a short drive from home.
The city of Benicia sits on the north bank of the Carquinez Strait, midway between Vallejo and Martinez. Its First Street is a hive of history, antiques, and art. To make a day of it, start with a walk among the wildflowers at Benicia State Reserve, where you can also enjoy bird-watching, an exercise circuit, and a long flat path perfect for biking.
My introduction to downtown Benicia’s charms is the cozy Camellia Tea Room. A cheerful yellow-and-cranberry exterior leads into a gracious, lace-curtained room whose walls and ceiling are decorated with ornate Victorian wallpaper in gold, blues, and browns. The menu features more than 40 teas, served in bone china teapots. A “traditional tea” consists of a three-tiered tray laden with finger sandwiches, scones, and sweets. The full menu includes salads, wraps, sandwiches, soups, and quiche. Owner Mary Ellen Hayes is on hand to make sure you are well taken care of in this lovingly renovated building that dates from 1894. Teapots and tea-related gifts are also for sale.
A few blocks down, I spy an unassuming storefront with an intriguing sign: Hagen’s House of Clocks. Entering, I step back in time and find myself surrounded by every type of timepiece imaginable: from stately grandfather clocks to elegant glass-domed anniversary clocks. This shop has ticked off the minutes for more than 50 years. Current owner Doang Nguyen started working here as a watch repairman 30 years ago and bought the store from Hagen in 2000. I don’t notice that I’ve walked in just before the top of the hour until all at once the room erupts in melodic bursts of chimes, bongs, and cuckoos.
Benicia has nurtured many artists over the years, including the well-known sculptor and ceramacist, Robert Arneson, propelled to infamy by his controversial 1981 bust of assassinated San Francisco mayor George Moscone. Today, several local artisans have their work on display at Studio 41. For 19 years, owner Leah Shelhorn has featured photography, jewelry, ceramics, and glass crafted by artists from all over America. My favorite find is a series of sleek, turned wood bowls with rough natural edges, which include local pedigrees, such as “from a tree that grew on Larkin St. that had to be removed.”
Three world-renowned glassblowers also call Benicia home. Their studios are open daily, and if you visit on a weekday you may be treated to a mesmerizing demonstration of this skill. As I tour the studios, I am amazed by the range of art glass: goblets, fluted vases, vessels, and urns, all decorated with swirls, crackles, metallic veins, or marbled patterns. Just off First Street, Lindsay Art Glass displays luminescent lamps next to dazzling vases. Nourot Glass and Smyers Glass share a building a short drive away. Nourot features brightly hued, bold creations, while Smyers specializes in delicate stemware edged in gold and silver, and functional gift items. One Tuesday, Judy Smyers welcomes me into the back room and gives me a front-row seat, while husband Stephen and a co-worker fabricate speckled-blue-and-gold-glass clocks. The glowing gobs of hot golden glass twirling on the end of the pipe are hypnotizing, and I can feel the heat.
The town of Benicia loves to throw a party and finds reasons to celebrate almost every month. July 4th brings a traditional parade, and the Peddler’s Fair in August attracts thousands of visitors to peruse the wares of more than 300 antique and collectible dealers. During Open Studios Days in May, you can visit local artists, many of whom work in the Arsenal, an industrial area that used to be a U.S. Armory.
Benicia holds a special place in California history. It served as state capital from 1853 to 1854 and boasts the only original statehouse still in existence in California. Sitting on the corner of First Street, the compact red-brick building flanked by a pair of Greek columns is open to the public, the interior restored so that visitors can relive its past glory. The Senate and Assembly rooms display a U.S. flag with 31 stars, period furniture, and cuspidors. Nineteenth-century hats and coats casually scattered about give me the sense that the senators might file back in at any moment. One hundred and eighty laws were enacted in the 13 months that this was our statehouse, including legislation that gave women the right to own property, authorized the building of San Quentin, and made sure that California never became a slave state.
I lose track of time exploring the fascinating assortment of Gold Rush–era antique glass at The Foggiest Idea: flasks, as well as perfume, soda, poison, and milk bottles. Next I peruse the huge collection of period costumes and accessories at Lottie Ballou, where you can dress up as a Renaissance damsel, Victorian belle, or Western cowpoke and take a souvenir photo.
Finally, I walk to the end of First Street, just past popular Captain Blyther’s Fish Restaurant, and take in the view at the edge of the water, near the fishing pier. Scanning the skyline, I spot two bridges and am momentarily disoriented—these are not the spans I am used to seeing every day. On my right, I figure out, is the Carquinez Bridge, and on my left, the Benicia-Martinez Bridge. Standing at the northernmost tip of the Bay Area in this quaint historic town, I get a whole new perspective on where I live—which is, I realize, the reason I came.
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Anna Mindess is a freelance writer specializing in food and culture and a frequent contributor to The Monthly. She is also a sign language interpreter. See her work at www.annamindess.com.
General information; www.beniciamainstreet.org
Arts Benicia; www.artsbenicia.org
Benicia State Recreation Area; www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=25191
Benicia Capitol State Historic Park, 115 West G St., (707) 745-3385, Wed-Sun 10-5; www.parks.ca.gov
Camellia Tea Room, 828 First St., (707) 746-5293, Tue-Sun 11-4, weekend reservations advised; www.camelliatearoom.com
The Foggiest Idea, 917 First St., (707) 745-6600.
Hagen’s House of Clocks, 513 First St., (707) 745-2643, Tue-Sat 10-5.
Lottie Ballou, 627 First St., (707) 747-9433; www.lottieballou.com
Studio 41, 700 First St., (707) 745-0254; www.studio41.com
Lindsay Art Glass, 109 East F St., (707) 748-1336, Tue-Thu 11-5, Fri and Sun 11-7, Sat 10-7; www.lindsayartglass.com
Nourot Glass Studio, 675 East H St., (707) 745-1463, Mon-Sat, 10-4; www.nourot.com
Smyers Glass, 675 East H St., (707) 745-2614, Mon-Sat 10-4, Sun 12-5; www.smyersglass.com
