Oxnard: Not Just a Pretty Name
By Gerry Furth-Sides

Who hasn't wanted to lie back on a nearby luxurious bed after "shopping until dropping" at the Camarillo Designer Outlet? I do; so does my walking buddy. That's her husband snoozing on a bench outside the store.

Turns out that he could have indulged in high-end golf or tennis clubs just a couple of exits west in Oxnard. And where we found our beds at the small-town friendly GrandStay Residential Suites (www.grandstay.net) at our local gem of a getaway town, historic Oxnard.

You probably know Oxnard, for its famous annual Strawberry Festival and Salsa Festival although the Mediterranean air with gentle sea breezes year-round rivals the Italian Riviera. Oxnard's own "Riviera" has miles of pristine public coastline and beaches with exceptionally soft sand and dunes -- and free ample parking.

The French Oxnard brothers may have come from the Deep South to put the community on the national agricultural map with sugar beets and to bestow it with their "alluring" family name, but ironically, they never took up residence in the town. It was, instead, the many Hollywood stars and producers (Valentino, Gable, Cher) who inspired the architecture and beach area titles (Hollywood Beach, the Silver Strand).

These days it takes no small amount of money to keep up the picture-perfect seaside village. History helps explain. While high quality soil, coupled with a favorable climate, makes Oxnard "one of the most fertile areas in the world," developers began paving over the self-proclaimed "Bean and Strawberry Capital of the World," in the 70's for the land, then already priced at $2 million an acre - though currently a grassroots effort, SOAR (Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources), looks out after the vast agricultural Oxnard Plain assets.

Recently completed, for example, is the renovated historic (1949) Woolworth building downtown. "The Woolworth Building guy," David Feigin, painstakingly collected Woolworth memorabilia for his small museum and authentic 60's counter deli. You can buy a coke from a vintage machine. Dave will toss you a nickel just to enjoy the smile on your face. On Friday evenings, he plays in a band there with his son. (david@thewoolworthbuilding.com)

Hungry? You get an idea of the tantalizing array of palate - and pocketbook- pleasing dining with no less than 27 Mexican tried- and -true restaurants heading up a long list of white table cloth establishments and "hole in the walls."

La Dolce Vita (805-486-6878, www.ladolcevita-restaurant.com), serves authentic Italian in a beautiful house in Heritage Square and on its sweeping veranda. On Friday evenings, Concert Series live music wafts across the lawn onto the Central Plaza. Heritage Square is also home to the Petit Playhouse and the award-winning Elite Theatre Company 805 483-5118. (www.visitoxnard.com).

Heritage Square itself is a meticulously landscaped single block downtown. Passionate volunteer guide and active preservationist, Gary Blum, is a 5th generation descendant of the Petit and Kaufman farming families of Oxnard. The once humble homes now sell at an average price of $600,000! (www.oxnardhistoricdistrict.com). The group restores or reconstructs homes, featured in holiday tours, complete with lively docents in costume.

Down the street, the gracious Carnegie Art Museum offers changing exhibits and lectures. This eye-catching Greek building funded by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie in 1907 was one of the first three libraries west of the Mississippi (www.vcnet.com/carnart)

At the intimate Ventura county Maritime Museum, "Old sailor" docents tell fascinating stories about the many unique artifacts and murals, including how citizens built the harbor, only to have it taken over by the U. S. government during two wars. (www.visitoxnard.com).

Surprisingly, with a leg injury, the best time of all was climbing 150 iron stairs up to the top of Anacapa island, an hour or so outside of Oxnard by open boat. Easy hiking on the island plateau 200 feet above the water is invigorating, with a view of the pelicans and sea lions and divers below. (www.islandpackers.com/anacapa.htm)l

New are the sumptuous Wine Chocolate & Cheese Tours, part of the Ventura County Wine Trail. The day or weekend tours take place every Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. via Roadrunner Shuttle. The stops include at Heritage Square -- Rancho Ventavo Wine Cellars and La Dolce Vita Restaurant; Channel Islands Winery; Herzog Wine Cellars; and Cantera Cellars, and Bella Victorian in Camarillo. (www.visitoxnard.com).

And always, at end of day, it's back for a dip in the pool and Jacuzzi, a review at our purchases and a priceless look at the millions of twinkling stars overhead.

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