Downtown, Modesto, CA

Downtown Modesto is a compact grid of brick storefronts, theaters and a few surviving Victorian houses. The cruising that inspired George Lucas's American Graffiti happened on these streets, and George Lucas Plaza marks the connection. The Modesto Certified Farmers' Market gives the center a weekly morning routine. Housing mixes eras block by block. The McHenry Mansion on 15th Street, an 1883 Victorian that offers free guided tours, shows what the first generation of Modesto homes looked like. Nearby you will find older single-family houses, converted brick buildings and newer lofts above ground-floor shops. Green space arrives in small civic doses, among them George Lucas Plaza and Courthouse Plaza. For a full park, Graceada lies northwest in the College Area, and Tuolumne River Regional Park is a drive south of the center. Camp 4 Wine Café on Tenth Street pours wine with paninis and charcuterie, and Commonwealth on Eleventh rotates a long list of craft beers. For coffee, Penny University on J Street is the room for laptops and long conversations, while the Queen Bean works out of an old house on 14th Street and books live music. Surla's on 12th Street draws a Sunday brunch crowd, and Galletto Ristorante on J Street, with patio seating and a solid wine list, is where people book a longer dinner. Supermercados Del Sol and a Save Mart with a pharmacy handle errands. The State Theatre on J Street has shown films since 1934, and most of the restaurants sit close enough to link with a show in a single outing. Highway 99 runs north toward Stockton, and Amtrak serves the city. Evenings carry a cost. Show nights fill the curbs, and the bars near the cruising streets keep going long after the theaters let out. Even so, the old marquees give Downtown a character the newer parts of the city have to do without.