OUT IN THE WORLD WITHOUT YOUR CAR: Bound for Davis

By Scott Badler

Vacation in Davis? It works for me. I’ve been doing it regularly for the last several years now but this was the first time I did it without a car. Using BART, Amtrak, bicycle, and of course, my feet, connections were seamless and easy.  

I began by walking 10 minutes from my apartment in the Richmond Annex to El Cerrito Plaza BART. After catching the train to Richmond, I hopped aboard the 12:22 p.m. California Zephyr bound for Chicago. I was surprised that the train was so full during this noncommute time. The train arrived in Davis on time at 1:36 p.m. at the historic station. It’s adjacent to downtown Davis, where all the action is.  

From there, I made the easy 10-minute walk to the University Park Inn. The walk includes going through the Davis Subway, better known to the community as Richards Boulevard Underpass; it is listed on the prestigious National Register of Historic Places. The subway, built in 1917, is formed by the last remaining I-beam railroad bridge in use in California. It was constructed as part of the first state highway, State Route 6. Once complete, the highway became an alternate route on the coast-to-coast Lincoln Highway, linking Sacramento to the Bay Area.

The Davis Subway, a registered national landmark;
Photo: The Historical Marker Database (hmdb.org)

The old school but nicely landscaped hotel has a pool and provides free bike rentals. I rode only through the campus, but next time I’ll be sure to take the Davis Bike Loop, an approximately 12-mile-long route. The route is suitable for walking, jogging, or bicycling. It runs mostly on paths and trails, but has some sections on quiet residential streets. The route is safe and pleasant, but not fast. It is suitable for casual bicyclists who don't mind going slow and yielding to pedestrians, young riders, old riders, and new riders. It is also great for experienced riders who want a slow, comfortable ride on a sunny day. 

Bike parking on the UC Davis campus; Photo: Steve Price

For your morning coffee, the popular DutchBros Coffee is next door. Across the street is an In-N-Out Burger, where I customarily grab a custom burger known as a 3x3. Perfect after a cooling swim. 

Davis has a lot going for a small city. A popular community gathering place is the farmers market, open on Wednesday and Saturdays. There are also a couple of bookstores and Davis boasts two movie theaters, which is more than we can say for downtown Berkeley. For nightlife, it’s a short walk back through the subway to where all the restaurants and pubs are situated. New on the entertainment scene is Shipwrecked on G St, a tiki bar that includes cells for private drinking. Sophia’s on E Street is always packed and the G St Wunderbar is a live music stop among the bar crowd. Upscale pub food is available at the Wiki Bar, next to the Best Western. UC Davis has a variety of events open to the public.


The Davis Bike loop includes miles of separated bike lanes; Photo: Steve Price

First photo is Bicycling in Downtown Davis; Photo: Steve Price.

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