Visiting. For hotel, any areas to avoid? Any recommended areas? Location is flexible. Just want to stay in a decent area.

Thanks!

Added: also need recommendations for where I can park and kill a 3-4 hours on a Friday night - need to drop some people off to watch a Giants game and then pick them up afterward. Not really interested in watching the game nor $100 for parking nor risking the car damage (passengers will have stuff w/ them that will be stored in the back of the SUV). Maybe grab some coffee (in or nearby the briefly parked car), watch a downloaded movie in the car, take a nap in the car. Recommendations?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: konata88,

Can’t help with a place to stay since it’s been almost 20 years since I stayed up there when I attended my POST background school. If I recall the place I stayed at was on Blackstone Road. But I can recommend Tahoe Joes steakhouse. There’s a couple up there in the Central Valley.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
...any areas to avoid?

I guess "All of California" isn't much help. Sorry.

Anywhere southeast of Ashlan and 99 is considered high crime. Stay north of Shaw and Herndon as you move east from there.

I grew up in southeast Fresno and heard gunshots every night. I was within eyesight of the fairgrounds. My neighbor was gunned down in his front yard mid-day (mid-80's). I was maybe 12 at the time and I heard the shots from my living room. My other neighbor had his throat cut in his front yard (late 80's). My next door neighbor (18 years old) was shot in the head by a gang banger. This was in 1991.

My mom lived on Ashlan and my sister still lives there.

I haven't been to Fresno since my dad died in 2016. Last time I was there, it was just like I remembered it from the 90's. Dead lawns from droughts and bars on the windows. Steel front and rear doors on all the houses.

Have "fun"!

Tony.

Dang! Ok, maybe stay in another town a little up down 99 from Fresno.

How about Madera or Tulare/Visalia? Good to go?

I left Fresno over 40 years ago (one sister and BIL still there), so dining and lodging advice would be at the least outdated. However, I did live near Cedar and Shields Ave. in the 70s and there was a good deal of burglary going on. I got a car stolen out of the front yard and there were several attempted break-ins that were foiled by the dog (a mix of mostly Treeing Walker Coonhound, so you can imagine the ruckus). Try and stay in neighboring Clovis instead of those other cities, which are ~30-60 miles away. It is only a short distance to the shopping and dining.

quote:

Originally posted by jer830:
Can’t help with a place to stay since it’s been almost 20 years since I stayed up there when I attended my POST background school. If I recall the place I stayed at was on Blackstone Road. But I can recommend Tahoe Joes steakhouse. There’s a couple up there in the Central Valley.

It's been a while since I've been there also

Fresno, 20 years ago, was going to be the next builder's boom town as property values were considered undervalued for builders looking to build trac homes/communities.

My rule of thumb when going into an unknown city/town for a match is to look for a cluster of mainstream chain hotels...avoid the singleton that was trying to get "ahead of the boom"

quote:

Blackstone Road

Blackstone Ave. is the major north-south surface street artery.

I always stayed out near Fresno State on Shaw. Dog House Grill makes a pretty good BBQ Sandwich and has a good beer selection.

I also forgot to mention that Fresno has some of the worst air quality in the country. It lies in a smog basin. Surrounded by mountains on all sides, air can sit stagnant until a good wind or rain comes along to blow it all out. Only on the rarest of days can you look east and west and see the mountains in each direction.

It also has THE WORST fog I've ever seen in all my travels on the planet. There were instances during the winter that you can't see across an intersection. I kid you not.

Tony.

Wow, Fresno sounds like a magical place.

Fresno should be avoided if at all possible in my experience. Aside from Berkeley, Fresno was my least favorite city that I ever worked in while I worked in CA. Fresno reminded me of Oakland, but without the benefit of being on the Bay.

I should have added in my original response that in the 6 or so years doing investigations in the Central Valley, our unit always stayed in Tulare. Lots of flies from the dairy operations, but relatively crime free. I was always comfortable there. I’m sure the crime aspect has risen since then. Visalia was also a nice place.

quote:

Originally posted by jer830:
I should have added in my original response that in the 6 or so years doing investigations in the Central Valley, our unit always stayed in Tulare. Lots of flies from the dairy operations, but relatively crime free. I was always comfortable there. I’m sure the crime aspect has risen since then. Visalia was also a nice place.

Thanks.

Don’t go? Seriously, on the Mountain West Conference message board and conference schools, I’ve yet to see one person recommend going there.