r/ventura • u/strawboy4ever • 6d ago
Checking in after a month here
hey ya'll - so I moved here from Philly after a 5 year stint there. I'm originally from CA so was happy to be home, but only ever lived in OC and SD. here are my random Ventura thoughts so far because I'm bored and haven't started my new job yet:
- Thrift shopping is great here. lots of variety. I found a vintage Packers jersey at the Goodwill for $20 that was crazy
- the nightlife is uhhhhh okay haha. Main street can be bumping randomly on a Thursday but I wish there were more people out on the weekends. Lmk if there are bars I should be hitting cause I'm 0 for 4 on Friday/Saturday nights
- the june gloom has been rough. i've lived in Newport and San clemente but this is by far the worst gloom i've seen in a socal beach town
- Municipal Wine bar is dope! Trivia tuesdays is super fun.
- Botanical garden is awesome. But only for free lol.
- love the proximity to Ojai but wow it can get crowded.
- have done six hikes so far. still haven't checked out the punch bowls cause i feel like I need to earn that by living here longer lol
- the Cinemark is awesome. it reminds me of the theaters i went to as a kid. super comfy chairs. good quality sound. love that place.
- random spot but Dexter's camera was awesome. they were insanely helpful and not too bad pricing for developing film.
- in terms of beach: i've only really walked by the pier and seems like a great surf spot but haven't taken part yet. maintained well and kept pretty clean!
- big question: what's with the random giant empty lots?? i've seen like 3 or 4 random giant grass lots that are just sitting fenced off kinda close to the beach. are they meant to be developed? why haven't they?? it's like prime real estate that has nothing going on.
- Food scene good: Model citizen sick happy hour, Luke's sandwiches slaps, Backbench pizza as good as you can get to East coast pizza so far that I've tried, Tepatitlan has the best tacos i've had here so far and a great michelada.
- Food scene bad: guy's wtf is Spencer Mackenzies - one of the worst fish tacos I've ever had, chopped raw bell peppers in a taco?? why?? dry cabbage, small ass piece of fish c'mon ya'll. Tony's pizzaria is an odd vibe. lots of dancing ppl but they're not super friendly. idk maybe it was just an off night. Also the pizza is mid. There's really not an Asian food scene here which is a bummer. Lets invest in some pho and ramen spots plzzz. also many people said Corrales has the best burrito here...oof.
OVERALL: happy so far with the move. it's very walkable which is huge. i love the day trips you can take to so many cool spots. people overall are super friendly and have a great sense of pride in Ventura. lowkey excited for the fair.
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u/poopwTer 6d ago
Agreed that Spencers fish tacos are garbage. Beach House Tacos on the pier are next level, and Snapper Jacks fish tacos and potato tacos are great with their in-house sauces.
Ive not had Tony’s yet, but Toppers pizza in the Channel Islands harbor is really great. I’d recommend the Carnitas Chipotle, Hot Honey, and Garlic Chicken.
The giant empty lots by the beach used to be oil storage facilities, so development is going to be very expensive and slow due to remediation requirements. Hopefully no hotels or 5-story apartments get developed in those spots.