After several years of planning and 1.5 years of reconstruction, the doors swung open March 1 on the extensively renovated Riverside Convention Center in downtown. Located at the northern end of the Main Street pedestrian mall at Fifth Street, the convention center began life in 1976 as Ben H. Lewis Hall at Raincross Square. It…
A special and unique appearance of a light rail car in downtown Riverside on Thursday gave residents a chance to view the possible future of transportation in Riverside. It also brought back the idea of Southern California’s once grand, Pacific Electric streetcar system, which formerly ran lines down Main, Market, Seventh (Mission Inn) and Magnolia…
Several new additions to the downtown Riverside entertainment and shopping mix have recently opened (or are readying to open), adding to the area’s already decent collection of eateries, bars and shops. Already open — 9th Street Italian Deli (Ninth & Market), Pixels Bar (near University & Lemon), and Beyond the Olive, which is inside the…
Late last year, we stumbled upon a crew filming on the pedestrian mall between the Mission Inn and the Loring Building in downtown Riverside. Intrigued by what appeared to be a doctor standing next to a tall mirror, we stopped for a few minutes to watch. Upon the call for “action,” a middle-aged couple approached…
Ever wanted to peek inside Riverside’s historic Fox Theater? The recently renovated Municipal Auditorium? The red sandstone Universalist Church? Or maybe the former Rouse Department Store (now UCR/Culver Center of the Arts)? This Saturday (10/13), you will get your chance during a day-long event — “Discover Riverside” — presented by the AIAIC (American Institute of…
Downtown Riverside was bustling on Saturday with three separate events held within a few blocks of each other. First, the weekly Downtown Farmer’s Market drew the usual crowd with its offerings of fresh fruit, vegetables, breads and flowers. The certified event is held every Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Main Street between…
Saturday saw us at two events in Riverside. The first was at Habitat for Humanity’s Riverside ReStore where items salvaged from the historic Fox Theater were made available for purchase. The once in a lifetime event drew dozens to Habitat’s store early Saturday morning for first pick of the lot, with several pieces sold within…
Note: The following write-up by us on UCR’s Botanic Gardens first appeared on Things To Do InlandEmpire.com. Nestled within 40 hilly acres on the eastern edge of the University of California at Riverside campus, the UCR Botanic Gardens is one of the Inland region’s best-kept secrets. With four miles of self-guided walking paths and over…
From the eclectic Mission Inn and magnificent County Courthouse to the modern City Hall and mid-century public library, downtown Riverside is rich in architectural history and variety. Fortunately, many of these gems are within walking distance down a few adjoining streets. As such, we’ve created a few short circular, self-guided tours — Mission Inn Avenue,…
A short visit to UC Riverside on Friday afforded us some time to take a few photos. Initially established at the base* of Mount Rubidoux in downtown Riverside in 1907, the seeds for present-day UCR began when the Citrus Experiment Station — forerunner to UCR — relocated a few miles east to the base* of…
