Rancho Cucamonga

Today, Jan 3rd, as I met up with my business consultant, Ruben Estrada.

I just moved here from the east coast, and it’s different, but in a good way. :) I like it.

I’m 30 minutes to an hour away from EVERYTHING. If I want to take a quad up to the desert, snowboard, surf, and go to the Comedy store in Hollywood all in one day….I can. I can experience everything socal has to offer, without the congestion and nasty people.

If you’re of a certain age you probably know the joke regarding Rancho Cucamonga as a famous train stop. There is a road named after Eddie Rochester Anderson, and supposedly another Benny landmark, but even if you like Jack Benny, this is a very bland town … Good for shopping if you’re stuck in this neck of the woods, and probably affordable for a house if you’ve got kids, but nothing to go out of your way for.

a lot has changed since 88’. Still a nice city to raise your kids in.

Sadly in recent years Rancho has grown from scenic grape vines and majestic mountains to loathsome metropolitan sprawl. The city planners have done an amazing job of creating a contrived metropolis, complete with a brand-new-old-time town square under the guise of the Victoria Gardens shopping mall. The city has chosen to turn the once proud historic route 66 into a crowded ten mile long strip mall, replaced acres of grape vines with tracked housing and chosen to give up some of the city’s natural old-time majesty.

It you are planning a trip to Rancho though, do stop off at the Victoria Gardens mall. It is actually a huge out-door shopping complex with winding roads, and a lot of small-town feel. Each store is set up like a separate small shop, it’s just that the whole place feels a little contrived. A drive down Foothill Blvd from the mall will take you past a number of restaurants and hotels, ranging from family-friendly economy to five star luxury.

RC is a small suburban town with Uptown shopping and great people.