Victorian Harbor, Suisun City, CA

Victorian Harbor lies on the Suisun City waterfront, where the town's streets run out at Suisun Slough. The name comes from its architecture, a set of homes all built in 1994 in a Victorian style. Gables and decorative shingle details repeat down the blocks, and the mix is detached houses with a few attached townhomes on compact lots. Because nearly everything was built together, the area has an even, finished look. Water and open land are the draw. Mike Day Memorial Park sits within the neighborhood, and the Grizzly Island Trail follows the marsh edge for about a mile with interpretive signs, an overlook and benches. The city marina has boat ramps, floating docks and a fishing dock, and it opens onto the sloughs of Suisun Marsh for paddlers. Rush Ranch's trails are a couple of miles south. Every Little Thing Jamaican, a grocery and takeout counter in the Marina Center, is inside the neighborhood and known for jerk chicken, curry and ackee and saltfish. Next door in Old Town, True Symmetry Brewing, Athenian Grill and the Maple Bar Cafe are all reachable on foot, the Harbor Theatre and the Solano Yacht Club overlook the same slough, and the Sunday waterfront market gathers at Harbor Plaza. Walking works for dinner and the market, but groceries take more planning. 3J's Asian Market is close, while Raley's on Sunset Avenue and the big-box stores farther east are a drive. The Capitol Corridor stop at the Main Street depot makes regional train travel realistic. In Victorian Harbor the tide and the marsh set the view from the end of the street, and the water is part of how the neighborhood is arranged. On a clear day a half-mile waterfront path leads to the Suisun Wildlife Center, and the Amtrak depot is under a mile away via Kellogg and Main streets.