of all the places I have ever lived, chico is the only place I have ever felt at home

Last weekend, I went home to Chico for my sister Molly's birthday. I forced my roommate Diana to come along ... because believe it or not, Chico does have a lot to show off. I can't honestly picture myself ever moving back because a) there aren't a ton of jobs in public-sector PR/marketing b) I like "big-city" life too much. But, it's a great town to grow up in and I always enjoy going home.

My favorites ... Maisie Jane's (the Tamari Almonds are the best), Satava Glass Studio, Plutos, 5th Street Steakhouse, Tacos de Acapulco, Bidwell Park, Chico State, and of course ... Sierra Nevada Brewery. That was the first thing we did when we got into town.

(Molly, Lindsay, Diana)

She even tried the beer sampler!

The next morning we got up and took the dogs to the Tree Farm. If you are an outdoor lover and have dogs, Chico is your town. There are so many places for dogs to walk off-leash, the Tree Park being one of them. Here is Mae, with her stick:

Apparently, Mae doesn't realize she is really a black-lab-runt. She carried that stick, er branch, with her throughout the entire morning.

That night we celebrated Molly's birthday at the Madison Bear Garden (the Bear) and Panamas:

Oh ... and Woodstock's too. Diana was excited to see one because she ate there during her undergrad days at UCSB.

Before we had to hop on a plane the next day, we went for a long hike in Upper Bidwell. It was a perfect fall day - clear views with a light breeze. That's what I like about Chico, it has the parties, drinking, shopping, eating, etc ... but drive two minutes away and you are surrounding by beautiful scenery. The perfect end to a perfect visit.

If you haven't visited Chico, it's worth the trip. I'll even be your tour guide :)