Time has forgotten Bodega Bay

After one final stroll through the Town of Tiburon, we headed out north on 101 toward Petaluma. The first Petaluma exit is Petaluma Blvd. We turned off the highway there and headed west towards the coast, connecting with Bodega Ave. in the center of town. Bodega Ave. takes you on a beautiful and relaxing journey through the country all the while smelling the ocean getting closer and closer. As we drove for about 40 minutes, enjoying the scenery and peacefulness of the countryside, I started to realize I felt as though I had traveled back in time. The closer to Bodega Bay I got, the stranger things felt. That must be what Alfred Hitchcock felt like when he decided to film The Birds. A lot of this famous thriller was actually filmed in Bodega Bay and the small town of Bodega back in 1963. Believe me when I say nothing has changed since then.

While waiting for family to arrive to meet us for lunch, we had some time on our hands and decided to check out the area and walk along the harbor's edge. I expected a lot of activity considering this is July. Don't all people flock to the coastal towns for vacation in July? Well, not here. Again, I felt as if time was standing still here in Bodega Bay. There were hundreds of beautiful boats in the harbor, but no one there to use them. It was low tide and there was a beautiful expanse of beach to enjoy, but only one lone person digging for clams. There was an abandoned boat in the middle of the harbor that just gave you the feeling that everyone had disappeared and didn't care what they left behind. It was actually starting to make my skin crawl, and I knew exactly why Alfred Hitchcock picked here to film his horror movie. I am thinking that a remake is in order because nothing has changed, if anything it is creepier now!

We had lunch at a small diner located on the opposite side of the harbor. It was pretty busy, but I think it was only because there are not that many choices in town. I got the distinct feeling that they do not cater to tourists. The service wasn't that great, the flatware wasn't that clean, and the food wasn't that fresh. The clam chowder was incredible, but that is where it ended. The bill wasn't very reasonable compared to the quality of the whole experience. I felt as if they were serving food as a means of survival. Almost like everyone in this town is trapped here and has to make do with what they have available to them. I would not have been surprised had I received a "Help us" scribbled at the bottom of our receipt.

We took a few moments to drive through the actual town of Bodega as that is where the house that was used in "The Birds" is being kept as a landmark. It is only open to the public during the weekends on certain hours, so we didn't get to see inside. From what I understand this is the main attraction in town, but again, I feel like it has been forgotten and neglected like everything else in this town.

Comments

[Chris]

I've driven through Bodega Bay as well. Most of the coastal cities really don't change much, which is good, lest they turn into a tourist trap!

But, the drive up highway 1 is truly extraordinary and there are plenty of beaches to stop at along the way.

[Omyword! Did I Say That?]

I had a job for 5 years with a company in Petaluma, while I lived in Arizona. So I spent lots of time in Petaluma and the surrounding areas, especially when we had a major software release and I needed to be there for weeks at a time. I always loved being there, and Bodega Bay was a great little side trip. Thanks for bringing back fond memories!