Unless you have a friend or family member associated with Humboldt State University, you may be among the many Californians who confuse Arcata in NorCal with Arcadia in SoCal. The towns could not be more different. Over 30 years ago my best friend started University at HSU and I began visiting the area. Everytime I visit it seems like I experience something new: Kube, saunas, Samoa Cookhouse, geocaching in the Arcata Marsh, organic ice cream, Crabs baseball, farmers markets and more.
This last visit was over Halloween weekend so it offered a few new surprises. I started my Saturday at Harriet and Brian’s where we determined the best place to eat breakfast and watch the Rugby World Cup championship game was at the Alibi on the Arcata plaza. The farmers market was going full steam so we parked a couple of blocks away and walked. The Alibi is an institution–mainly a popular bar but known for a great breakfast. They had just opened a much larger dining area and there were a few bumps for the wait staff. We had the same great service but they looked a little frazzled.
I was a little nervous about the rugby match actually being on NBC since the station was showing cartoons until 9:00 a.m. Brian’s information was correct and we were soon watching the All Blacks Haka. At first we were the only ones in the bar interested in the game. Harriet and Brian were also unfamiliar with the sport. Soon quite a few people were enjoying this very competitive game. For those of you who watched you know that the Kiwis had some breathing room in the first half and then the Wallabies came roaring back. The announcers were proclaiming the momentum with Australia. Then the Man of the Match Dan Carter kicked a goal and you could almost watch the air go out of the Aussie balloon. Soon I could relax a little and enjoy the game again.
If you are interested in checking out a rugby match, many of the World Cup matches are on YouTube. Definitely recommend the Japan VS South Africa, New Zealand VS France, and the final between New Zealand and Australia.
We did a bit of shopping at my favorite plaza shops: the Garden Gate and Top Knots. Later in the day we returned to the Plaza at the end of the trick or treat event where merchants hand out candy to smaller children on the Plaza. We saw some great costumes including an adorable Scooby-Doo. My favorite was a Curious George whose Dad dressed up as the man in the yellow hat. Brilliant.
It was not hard to convince me to go for pie for dinner. There is a new restaurant called BitterSweet that is a shared space for the Slice of Humboldt Pie and The Local Cider Bar. We enjoyed meat pies for dinner and apple pie a la mode for dessert. I enjoyed the pumpkin cider. I hope this idea of shared spaces catches on in the same way the organic ice cream has become popular.
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