2008 Woodie Awards
Local Girl Tells It Like it Is
Melody Stone
Issue date: 9/5/07 Section: Culture
- Page 1 of 1
A Local Girl Fills You In On the Ins and Outs of this logging community, turned hippie haven/college town.
1. Japhey's Curry - Named after the owners' dog, this little soup house has easily the best curry in Arcata. Although they carry a wide variety of noodles and soups, getting anything besides the curry will result in the patron becoming underwhelmed. Everyday they have a Thai chicken curry (red, yellow and green depending on the day) over rice, you can get a bowl for six dollars or a cup for four dollars. If you aren't super hungry, a cup will easily fill you up, and eating it will result in instant happiness, and a small addition. They aren't open on the weekends and they don't take plastic money, so be sure to bring cash, local checks, or a generous friend (with cash).
2. Consignment Stores - Vintage Avenger and Willow and Rags are two noteworthy consignment stores. Vintage Avenger specializes in vintage clothes, and are often high-priced (although I've found some amazing bargains). It's a good place to take your mom's old prom dress to sell, or track down a good Halloween costume. Willow and Rags (located on the Plaza) has an excellent computerized system for keeping track of what you bring in and sell and how much store credit you have. You can take in 20 pieces of clothing a month, when those clothes sell you magically have money to spend on new or other used clothes in the store.
3. Blackberry Season - Blackberries grow like weeds in Humboldt County. They are easy to spot, giant thorny bushes with fat black berries hanging off them. The Arcata Marsh is a good place to go picking, so get out there before the season is over.
4. Buying Music - The Works and The Metro are two classically Arcata music stores. Both stores are ticket outlets for local concerts, carry local artists, buy and sell used CDs, and have interesting window displays. Some differences are The Metro has free all ages concerts, The Works has an older, more grungy environment and a bigger space. It's fun to go in and check out the employee picks.
5. Toni's #1 - Greasy, 24-hour diner. Excellent milk shakes, burgers and big booth seating ideal for hanging out and getting a late-night snack. Toni's number one only takes cash, but they do have an ATM in the restaurant, and very good cobbler.
6. Smug's Pizza: Inexpensive and easily the best hole-in-the-wall pizza place this side of the Eel River. The crust is fluffy and chewy and the toppings thick and creative, they also don't take cards.
7. Numerous Bead Shops - There are lots of different bead shops in the area. Heart Bead on the Plaza has very informative, creative employee's to help with your various bead creations. With a little help you can help easily make beautiful Christmas gifts for your friends and relatives.
8. E & O Bowl - There's a hideaway of beer and bowling in Blue Lake. So if you like to bowl and listen to Journey, its lots of fun.
9. Minor Theatre - It's old, it's indie and it's cheap for students. Yep, they offer a student discount so bring your ID's and enjoy a bizarre foreign film for less than six bucks.
10. It rains a lot - So enjoy the sun while you can. Skim board on Moonstone Beach, take a 30-minute drive to Willow Creek and play in the river, or simply make some lemonade and read a book on the plaza while you casually watch the Arcata characters go about their day.
Melody Stone can be reached at forevermelody@gmail.com
1. Japhey's Curry - Named after the owners' dog, this little soup house has easily the best curry in Arcata. Although they carry a wide variety of noodles and soups, getting anything besides the curry will result in the patron becoming underwhelmed. Everyday they have a Thai chicken curry (red, yellow and green depending on the day) over rice, you can get a bowl for six dollars or a cup for four dollars. If you aren't super hungry, a cup will easily fill you up, and eating it will result in instant happiness, and a small addition. They aren't open on the weekends and they don't take plastic money, so be sure to bring cash, local checks, or a generous friend (with cash).
2. Consignment Stores - Vintage Avenger and Willow and Rags are two noteworthy consignment stores. Vintage Avenger specializes in vintage clothes, and are often high-priced (although I've found some amazing bargains). It's a good place to take your mom's old prom dress to sell, or track down a good Halloween costume. Willow and Rags (located on the Plaza) has an excellent computerized system for keeping track of what you bring in and sell and how much store credit you have. You can take in 20 pieces of clothing a month, when those clothes sell you magically have money to spend on new or other used clothes in the store.
3. Blackberry Season - Blackberries grow like weeds in Humboldt County. They are easy to spot, giant thorny bushes with fat black berries hanging off them. The Arcata Marsh is a good place to go picking, so get out there before the season is over.
4. Buying Music - The Works and The Metro are two classically Arcata music stores. Both stores are ticket outlets for local concerts, carry local artists, buy and sell used CDs, and have interesting window displays. Some differences are The Metro has free all ages concerts, The Works has an older, more grungy environment and a bigger space. It's fun to go in and check out the employee picks.
5. Toni's #1 - Greasy, 24-hour diner. Excellent milk shakes, burgers and big booth seating ideal for hanging out and getting a late-night snack. Toni's number one only takes cash, but they do have an ATM in the restaurant, and very good cobbler.
6. Smug's Pizza: Inexpensive and easily the best hole-in-the-wall pizza place this side of the Eel River. The crust is fluffy and chewy and the toppings thick and creative, they also don't take cards.
7. Numerous Bead Shops - There are lots of different bead shops in the area. Heart Bead on the Plaza has very informative, creative employee's to help with your various bead creations. With a little help you can help easily make beautiful Christmas gifts for your friends and relatives.
8. E & O Bowl - There's a hideaway of beer and bowling in Blue Lake. So if you like to bowl and listen to Journey, its lots of fun.
9. Minor Theatre - It's old, it's indie and it's cheap for students. Yep, they offer a student discount so bring your ID's and enjoy a bizarre foreign film for less than six bucks.
10. It rains a lot - So enjoy the sun while you can. Skim board on Moonstone Beach, take a 30-minute drive to Willow Creek and play in the river, or simply make some lemonade and read a book on the plaza while you casually watch the Arcata characters go about their day.
Melody Stone can be reached at forevermelody@gmail.com
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