Out & About – 12/29/2010

Main Street
A trolley strolls along Main Street near City Hall on a rainy Wednesday
in downtown Riverside.

At right is a postcard view of Main Street in downtown Riverside looking south toward Tenth from Ninth. The view is from 1963/64, prior to the construction of the Main Street pedestrian mall*, which opened in 1966 and stretches north from Tenth to Sixth. At left is Gordon’s (here’s a different view*). According to its…
In a proposal city officials say will produce long-planned projects and make up for previously deferred upgrades, the Riverside City Council is set to vote this week on the initial plans for a $780 million citywide proposal for municipal facilities and infrastructure. Called the “Riverside Renaissance Initiative,” the spending plan outlines funding for new parks,…

Each year, thousands of visitors gather in and around the Mission Inn and along the pedestrian mall in downtown Riverside for the ‘Festival of Lights,’ which includes approximately 4 million holiday lights and over 400 animated figures. What began in 1993 as a modest, hotel-only event has grown into one of the premier holiday lights…

For nearly 85 years, national retail giant Sears has operated a “brick & mortar” store at three different locations in Riverside, with almost 50 of those years spent at its current Arlington Avenue location. However, the first two Sears stores were both located downtown, with the original store opening in February 1929 on the northwest…
The city of Ontario has its eyes on the proposed Foothill Gold Line extension of Los Angeles County’s Gold Line light rail. The current proposal has the extension heading eastward from Pasadena to Montclair in San Bernardino County. However, Ontario — the next city over — would like to see it extended even further, namely…
Have you ever walked through an art museum and said to yourself, “Wow, I wish I could purchase that right off the wall.” Well, this week you can during the annual “Off The Wall” fundraiser at the Riverside Art Museum. Designed as both an exhibit and a fundraiser, the event showcases over 1,200 pieces from…