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No time to indulge travel dreams? Our new Bay Area Daytripper series explores the fun to be had in our own backyard in unexpected spots from Daly City to San Leandro and Vallejo — with recommendations for great places to grab a bite, hike, shop or museum hop.
If your only exposure to the city of Vallejo is the blurred signage along Highway 80 or the loop-di-loops of Six Flags, you are missing out. Head instead to the historic quarter of California’s first —and very short-lived — capitol, where you can gaze through a submarine periscope and explore naval history at the Vallejo Naval & Historic Museum, browse mysteries at the new Alibi Bookshop, and play pinball (and check out some Beatles tunes) at Vallejo Vinyl & Pinball.
And there’s lavender lemonade and tasty bites nearby, too.
First, fuel up at Provisions
Open less than two years, Nicole Hodge’s charmingly casual cafe offers casual bites and sips, from lavender lemonade to cardamom cold brew. Beer, wine and kombucha, too. The lunch menu runs the gamut from salads, sandwiches and Buddha bowls to hearty curries and a particularly lovely quiche of the day. They do vegan and gluten-free fare, too.
Details: Open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, until 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays at 300 Virginia St., Vallejo; www.vtownprovisions.com.
Browse for books
Old Town Vallejo buzzes on Saturdays, when the farmers market takes over the 400 block of Georgia Street. Once you’ve snagged your radishes and ramps, head around the corner to this adorable new indie book store. Karen Finlay and Jon Burchard named their Alibi Bookshop after the city’s “alibi clock.” The clock — or rather a photograph of the clock and a suspect in a 1916 bombing — provided a dramatic alibi during a murder trial, so it’s only fitting that the shop boasts such a fun collection of whodunits, as well as novels and picture books.
Details: Open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at 624 Marin St.; https://alibibookshop.com.
Periscopes and pinball
The Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum is just up the street, with 25,000-square-feet of maritime exhibits housed in the historic old city hall. Among them: a working, vintage submarine periscope with grainy views of Mare Island, historic naval exhibits and a plethora of ship models, including a dramatic prow jutting over the second floor landing. Don’t miss the newspaper accounts of the U.S.S. California, a 32,600-ton dreadnought built at Mare Island that launched in accidentally spectacular fashion in 1919.
Feeling playful? Vallejo Vinyl & Pinball is just a couple of blocks away, offering all the vintage fun 10,000 vinyl albums can provide, plus a dozen pinball machines (25 cents a pop). They have an adult pinball league, too, that plays Tuesday nights starting March 31.
Details: The naval museum ($3-$5 admission) is open from noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays at 734 Marin St.; https://vallejomuseum.net. The vinyl shop is open from 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays at 336 Georgia St.; www.vallejovinyl.com.
