It’s that time of year again when downtown Riverside’s historic Mission Inn is aglow with millions of holiday lights and hundreds of animated figures. Each year, the crowds get a little bit bigger and the lights a little bit brighter as visitors stroll the downtown pedestrian mall, the tiny shops and boutiques, and streets surrounding…
A few weeks back, two articles in the local newspaper caught our eye, if only because they were a few days apart and both were about emerging trends within Inland Southern California’s housing market. And yet, they could not have been more diametrically opposed. The first article shows the emerging trend — even here, in…
This weekend, Riverside — and Inland Southern California in general — celebrates its heralded citrus heritage with the annual “Orange Blossom Festival.” You can thank Eliza Tibbets for the 11th Orange Blossom Festival that will transform 30 square blocks of downtown Riverside this weekend into a happenin’ place. Organizers expect more than 200,000 visitors. Riverside Press-Enterprise –…
An apparent settlement between Caltrans and a major contractor has put workers back on site at the $318 million reconstruction of the 60/91/215 freeway interchange in downtown Riverside. The project is designed to reduce traffic at the intersection of highways 60 and 91 and Interstate 215. The job includes two new freeway-to-freeway connectors, upgraded bridges…
After years of waiting for reconstruction of the 60/91/215 freeway interchange in downtown Riverside — AKA “Malfunction Junction” — drivers will have to wait even longer as a recent contract dispute between Caltrans and the primary contractor (Washington-Obayashi) has halted work on the $318 million project. After a year of commitment, the contractor on the…
The old debate — new vs. old, dynamic vs. stagnant, growth vs. preservation, etc., etc. Such is always a tricky and dicey situation for any town or city. And, of course, everything is indeed subjective and relative. In other words, what exactly makes a structure “old,” “historic,” and/or “culturally significant”? In Riverside’s case, the city…
This week marked the beginning of a 3-year, $317M overhaul of the 60/91/I-215 interchange in downtown Riverside — an overhaul which many in these parts of Southern California agree is long overdue. Without a doubt, the interchange has been a severe thorn in the side of Inland commuters for a number of years. The project…
The Riverside City Council is set to take up a proposal on relocating and rebuilding the city’s long-cramped Municipal Museum, currently located in the historic, former post office (1912) building on Mission Inn Avenue at Orange Street in downtown. A museum panel recently selected three sites as the front runners (in order of ranking): Of…
A bit late on posting this, but over 20,000 turned out last Friday to the Mission Inn in downtown Riverside for the 11th annual ‘Festival of Lights’ lighting ceremony. The Inland area offered a bright welcome to the holiday season Friday evening as the Mission Inn in downtown Riverside shot off fireworks from its roof, then was lit…
A great photographic exhibit is currently on display at the UC Riverside/California Museum of Photography in downtown Riverside. The exhibit — Riverside in Pictures — takes a look at the changes in Riverside’s landscape over the past 100+ years via historic and archival photos. Among the various works used are some black & whites from…
