Not In My Backyard: Looking for Love in All The Wrong Places
February 2006 In And Around Town - Delta

A few months ago, a friend from San Francisco met a man on an online dating service who lived in Brentwood . Sure, it seemed he was G.U. (geographically undesirable, for the uninitiated) for her, but they had some great phone conversations and emails, so what the heck? She stopped by my house for a pre-date pep talk with her boring, married friend with a toddler. She asked for ideas on what to do out here. I suggested having drinks at one of the downtown establishments, and then, if things proceeded well, move onto dinner.

I got a call from my friend’s cell phone at about 9 p.m. , as she was driving home. Now, it’s been awhile since I’ve been on a date that didn’t involve crayons, Barbie Dolls, and constant nagging to stop climbing on the table (I only dated that guy for a few months), but 9 p.m. seemed suspiciously early to me. It turns out Mr. Wonderful wasn't as wonderful in person. He wasn't a bad guy, just no chemistry.

But what should have clued her in was what transpired in the first few minutes. She suggested the downtown place I told her about. His response was, "Only hicks go there," and they went to a chain establishment outside the area. My guess is (from other details she told me) that he has never even tried those places.

Excuse me, but if you live in a community, I think you have some responsibility to support your local businesses, or at the very least, not bad-mouth them. If you then don't like them, or you still have an affinity for certain places outside the area, that’s fine.

I know a few people who, like me, have lived in Brentwood for a few years and have watched the area boom. However, they still only go to restaurants, shops and other businesses from the “bigger' cities”. In many cases, these folks are from those bigger cities and it's what they're used to.

Or, some people still believe that you can't find good (fill in the blank) out here. Sure, this area still lacks the numbers and varied types of businesses that the bigger cities provide. Case en point: When are we going to get a salad bar, like Fresh Choice or Sweet Tomatoes out here? When it hits 400 degrees here in August, wouldn't a cool, crisp, custom-made salad hit the spot?

And we are in dire need of “anchor” businesses (like Bishop Ranch and Hacienda Business Park ) and more corporate businesses in general so people don’t have horrendous commutes to their jobs in the “bigger” cities.

But we've come a long way. Take a look around. Take a look through this publication. My guess is that you’ll see businesses and think, “I didn’t know they had that out here.”

And maybe someday my friend will even find her Prince Charming out here, or at least a date that will take her someplace unique and interesting.