Friday Fun Time

Often I post of my weekend travels, which aid in the keeping of my sanity. However, most of you that have never really lived here in Bakersfield probably wonder but what does she do for fun in Bakersfield? Friday night, do they play in the oilfields? Pick oranges by moonlight? Chicken fight with tractors? So I hereby introduce Friday Fun Time (previously known as the hour my mom's 4th graders look forward to all week) in order to put all your minds at ease. And to reassure my own mind that yes, I do have fun, at least once a week. Although when you hear about the fun, you might still wonder... wouldn't tipping cows be more fun? NO WAY. The first Friday Fun Time is:

Sinaloa's & Central Park

Sinaloa's is a mexican restaurant that's been around for over 50 years here in Bakersfield, which is rare. We walk in early - the family is getting old - and enjoy a meal of quite delicious mexican food, surprisingly fresh. The old, old house in which we are seated is simple and pretty cool - the kind of place I'd like to shop or browse through books in - but it has that musty smell that just does not go well with food. I'm not sure I like the combination. Still the building is pretty cool, and it made for a new adventure in town. And they served bread and salsa, which is totally Basque but it's Bakersfield so it made sense. The salsa was GOOD.

Stuffed, we ventured out for a walk in the small but lovely Central Park, recently redone and the new place to be. It even has wireless! They pretty much turned a section of the canal (that runs underground through most of town) into a stream through the downtown park next to the art museum. There's even a covered bridge. But the absolute best part of the night was when I heard the "dingdingding dingdingding" and spotted this:

I had just said to the folks and Jill, "oh man, I was really hoping we'd see the LaRosa Man* here. I had it all planned out in my mind, and now he's not here." He must have heard me. We bought coconut creme bars - the yummiest popsicle I have ever had. Almost like gelato on a stick.

We even checked the wrapper to be sure LaRosa Bars are made here, and they are - right on Niles Street. It was an authentically Bakersfield evening.

And then we went home and watched Definace.

*For some reason it is always the LaRosa Man, instead of a LaRosa Man. It just is.