Rants and Raves

I've got a few things that make me proud to live in Sonoma...and some things i'm not as fond of. Here's the place to share your rants and raves – but please keep it clean and polite. 

I'll start us off. I love our farmers markets and produce stands – particularly the Fruit Stand. I spend all winter waiting for opening day, so I can get my hands on their trademark super-sweet plump red strawberries. (Everyone who visits me goes home with a bucket or two.) It's not just the quality of produce at our local markets, it's the interactions. Producers are so happy to explain what's good and bad, how it's grown and what it should be used for. I've even taken a basket or two on the honor system, returning with the cash the next day. What a small town novelty.

Now for the lemons. Driving around downtown Sonoma makes me crazy. The traffic around the Plaza is exacerbated by the pedestrians – confused tourists, slow moving locals, strolling through the cross-walks. I know we're supposed to be a Cittaslow city, and bask in the stillness of life, but, sometimes I have a meeting to go to, or an appointment. I love easy Sonoma lifestyle, but I have a job and places to be. How is it possible to get work done when it takes half an hour to cross downtown?

Your turn. What's a problem that needs to change? What's something nice you've noticed around town and want to acknowledge?