Home town tourist

Sometimes getting out and about means walking around town and looking with fresh eyes. Yesterday Steve and I were on Sonoma Plaza, previously the training grounds for General Mariano Vallejo's troops, back when we were living under the flag of Mexico. Well, not "we" exactly, but you know what I mean.

Now the Plaza, one square block, is the heart of the community. We parade around it on the Fourth of July, during the Vintage Festival and other local holidays. The Farmers Market is held on the Plaza every Tuesday from April to November and there are other commemorations such as the Festival of the Arts, the annual Ox Roast in June and various holiday celebrations such as Santa's arrival and the lighting of the Christmas tree.

The duck pond is across from the amphitheater, City Hall and the children's playground. The four sides of the Plaza are ringed by stores and restaurants, the longest running movie theater in northern California and little alleyways that jut off into other hidden shops and historic places. A visitor's center is in the old Carnegie Library near the center of the Plaza. Parking places are hard to find on the Plaza itself and the hotels and businesses are always busy, even at late hours, off season and during less prosperous times, such as now.

And so we set out for lunch at La Boulangerie, a local bakery and sandwich shop, a place frequented by locals as much as by tourists. My only regret is that I don't visit there more often. It's a mile walk to the Plaza and we walk our dogs that distance often in clement weather, but go into the shops much less. But yesterday we played tourist and hobnobbed with the best of them on this rainy October weekend.