First off, while it certainly is closest to possibly the most fatally smelling parts of a U.S. interstate in the country, the city itself is many miles west of that part. The odor isn’t nearly as bad. That said, Coalinga is a very small, sleepy town. It’s actually quite quaint. It’s nothing like Soledad or Salinas, but it’s also not like any small city alongside 99 as well. It’s very Twin Peaks-ish, but in a flat valley sense. For practical purposes, the only reason to visit Coalinga is to just say you visited Coalinga. I’m sure the people who grew up here like it. They’re just small town girls living in a lonely world.

(COUGHUNCOMFORTABLEBUTFREE!COUGH)