A good friend of mine recently made a comparison between Pacific Grove and Vallejo, citing that Pacific Grove was basically what Vallejo would-a could-a been if we’d had some rich people settle here.

Besides the fact that Pacific Grove is the closest neighbor to Carmel, Monterey, some nice beaches and one of the most popular and luxurious golf resorts in the country - Pebble Beach, I see her point, I think.

Vallejo is a beautiful city. Aside from four community parks including Blue Rock Springs Park, Dan Foley Park and Hanns Park, it also has a beautiful waterfront complete with a new walking trail. Hanns Park is particularly nice with an abundance of Eucalyptus trees on 21 acres which provide shade along the walking trail.

The weather is generally very good, with warm days and cool nights. Taking in the beautiful views in the more elevated areas of the city is just as nice as enjoying a relaxing hour or two gazing at the water on the waterfront.

Some residents of the city might ask me who I think I’m kidding. Crimes ranging from petty to more life-threatening seem to have taken off lately as the city keeps announcing a shortage of police personnel. Teenagers with nothing to do roam the streets, liquor stores abound, graffiti seems to multiply daily, and several areas of the city are suffering from neglect.

Did I mention that we don’t have one luxury hotel within city limits, or one that could be considered even a step down? No bed-and-breakfast accommodations either, even though there’s a spectacular and conspicuous Victorian on the waterfront with a big ‘for lease’ sign, just waiting to become a hospitable abode for travelers.

Vallejo sometimes reminds me of a beautiful girl with low self-esteem. So much going for it on the one hand, but seems to continue to get tangled up with those who could not possibly know what to do with it. Nevertheless, we’ll continue to hope and pray that Vallejo gets its act together. Either way, love it or leave it, welcome to Vallejo.