Discover ... the Best of Lodi, the Delta and the Mother Lode

Perfect day includes walking, eating, playing

A perfect day in Lodi? For me, it would include tasting some of the best the community has to offer in terms of scenery, food, and experience.

Let's start in the morning. Lodi is a pretty good place to walk, especially in the older neighborhoods and downtown. My wife, Judy, and I enjoy strolling around Lodi Lake. The lake is known as one of Lodi's jewels, and for good reason. Circled by Sycamores and other trees, and including a beach and picnic area, the lake is accessible and pleasant.

For those who want to lengthen their excursion, look for the trail going into the so-called nature area. This detour meanders along the Mokelumne River and offers a more untamed setting. You might see turtles lounging at Pig's Lake and ducks or even otters drifting along in the river itself. If you are a bird lover, keep your eyes open. Various specimens from both woodland and riparian habitats will be on display.

After an energizing walk, it's usually time for a cup of java. So we typically head over to the House of Coffees in the Lakewood Shopping Center. This is a warm and inviting place. Great coffee here, along with muffins and other pastries to munch. There are tables inside and out. We usually prefer to sit outside if the weather is nice and watch the world go by.

If the leg muscles are feeling spry, we might walk all the way downtown and get our caffeine surge at Tillie's on Pine Street or Starbucks on School Street. Downtown, with its profusion of boutiques and shops, is an enticing place for browsing and shopping.

As afternoon approaches, something more nutritionally substantial is needed. For an elegant lunch, it's difficult to surpass Wine and Roses at Turner Road and Woodhaven. For faster-but-still-quality fare, we might head to Scooter's on Elm Street downtown.

For sandwiches, try Salisbury's Market, which is across the street from Wine and Roses in a neighborhood shopping center, or The Butcher Shoppe on Lodi Avenue. (Salisbury's is pretty much take-out, but the Butcher Shoppe has a large seating area.)

Last year, my college-student son, Mitch, and a couple of the younger reporters introduced me to disc golf, also known as Frisbee golf. It's a hoot. A nice hike, with a bit of competition included. So on this perfect day, I would head down to Oak Grove Park, at Interstate 5 and Eight Mile Road, southwest of Lodi. I would toss the disc around, enjoy the majestic oaks and, if lucky, I'd spot a pair of Swainson's hawks floating above the oak forest.

Another, more demanding, recreational interest is tennis. As an alternative to disc golf, I would meet a friend at a court for some singles. There are several good public courts in Lodi, including those at Kofu, Peterson and Legion parks. Legion has a very shady, old-school feel. Kofu is busier and right next to the well-traveled Ham Lane. I prefer Peterson, where the courts are newer and set further back from the street. The courts at each location have lights.

A perfect evening in Lodi might include pursuit of sushi or yellow curry chicken.

The sushi could be had at Matsuyama (close to the aforementioned House of Coffees in the Lakewood Shopping Center). This bustling place offers a wonderful variety of sushi and other Japanese specialties at reasonable prices.

For yellow curry chicken, we'd try Taste of Thai on Turner Road. The food here is wonderfully simple, elegant and flavorful.

If we are not in the mood for Asian, we might try School Street Bistro at School and Locust streets downtown. The food is fresh and varied, from steaks to seafood to pasta.

Being movie fans, we'd top off a perfect day with a trip to the Lodi Stadium 12 cinema downtown. The lines are usually shorter than you'd find at theaters in larger communities and this complex is spacious and modern.

We might end the day on the patio of our home with a glass of Lodi zinfandel. Sipping wine on a fine spring or summer evening, as the Delta breeze gently gathers, we'd reflect on our perfect day in Lodi — and the perfect day that tomorrow will bring.