If you don't know about the thousands of wild parakeets living in the downtown area of Bakersfield,…read morethen you're in for a treat. Living in Oleander for much of my life I was exposed to these beautiful creatures on many occasions. It became a natural part of my childhood to see these brightly colored birds hanging in the palm trees and eating seeds and berries off the local foliage. It never occurred to me that they weren't just a natural part of the environment. These aren't your normal pet store parakeets. These are rather large and can be over a foot in length, so they aren't too difficult to spot. They often travel in groups as well, so if you see one you'll likely see quite a few. The story goes, back in the 70's there was a giant wind storm that blew off an aviary's roof leaving many birds to escape. These parakeets were one of the more successful to bread and adapt to the area. They're lively and enjoyable creatures to watch. They aren't invasive or harmful to pets, plants or people. You'll likely find them in the evenings coming back to their roosts in places with large tall trees like Oleander (Beale Park) or the large trees on California/Union near Food Maxx. It's definitely a sight to see, and something unique to Bakersfield!

I typically go to Luigi's for an evening event. Last week, I took the time to trek downtown to have…read morelunch with friends. It was great. There was entirely too much food, and it was all delicious. Thankfully, I decided to share the Thursday special sandwich. That was the perfect amount. The salads were fresh and all the ingredients were just the right combinations and great flavor. A reservation is definitely the way to go. We had an 11am reservation when they first open for lunch. We had a wonderful table on the patio on a great day. John took very good care of us and kept everything straight. It was impressive! We enjoyed a wonderful lunch and time together. Luigi offers amazing food and helps create memories!

Luigis is one of those establishments that not only lets their food speak for itself, but has a…read moremenu that speaks wonders and has you desiring to have an appetite that would allow you to explore the entire menu. Luigis has that old school feel and allows you to experience either their indoor dining hall or their backdoor outdoor patio. My absolute fave dish that I had was their pasta purse dish which had truffle in these little ravioli purses. Filled with ricotta & black truffles, I could not get over the savory flavor that had your taste buds running wild. Throw in their brown butter sage sauce with parmigiano reggiano, and you are served a meal worthy of any award. Their bolognese sauce was so delicious and had the right amount of meat and sauce for their pasta dish. Having a glass of white wine with my meal, it was truly one of my favorite meals I've had in quite some time.

We spent several days in Bakersfield and loved it. We wanted to have one last meal there so this…read moretime we went with Italian at Uricchio's Trattoria. We loved it so much, not only did we dine there, we ordered a bunch of food to go and drove it home to heat up and eat the next day. The next day food was just as great as when we ate there. It just has wonderful dishes. Founder by Nick Uricchio, and his son Steve they opened Uricchio's Trattoria, clearly a family affair. Sadly, Nick died some time ago. He was the nicest guy and always had a smile on his face. His nick name was Papa Nick. He always said hello to the customers and was just a doll. Go in his honor. It is just as great as when Nick was there. Steve is usually there to greet you and he is wonderful. Uricchio's Trattoria offers a great selection of appetizers, soups (a must) and entrees to satisfy anyone. They have fresh seasonal dishes prepared with care from Executive Chef Raphael Hernandez who has been there forever I think. Parking is easy. Make a reservation, you want to do that. It gets crowded. We have been there without one before and loved sitting at the bar and eating. Anything with shrimp is great. All of their pastas are great. We loved their spaghetti and meat balls. Their vegetables are made right. They don't consider it something just to toss on your plate. They are al dente and so great. Their Linguini pasta with shrimp, scallops, clams and mussels in a tomato basil marinara sauce is my favorite and they have the best salads and desserts. It is a must stop in Bakersfield. The place is beautiful.

Went on a Thursday, without reservations. We were there early and enjoyed a FANTASTIC bar…read moreexperience with George (the bartender). Seated for dinner with 90 minutes to spare before our show. Waited an hour for our food because they were understaffed. The food was spectacular, and our waitress (Micah) worked so hard for us. We were really pushed, but the manager (Clair) took such good care of us. Food arrived 5 minutes before we had to leave, but it was so tasty! Leftovers were better the next day. I give it 5 stars because of the overall experience. Great cocktails, great service, spectacular food. Definitely will go back again and again.

A LITTLE LATE but COMING ALONG! Bakersfield is late to the party when it comes to education,…read moregrowth, and social development. However, I have hope for Bakersfield as it's got a lot of history and has endured difficult years. I'm surprised with how big this city is! I can officially say that Bako is my introduction to Kern County and I found it delightful. It's got a community that is proud of its oil industry and civic expansion. My favorite places to visit are the Kern County Museum and Dignity Health Arena. I'm a sucker for historical sites and hockey. Further, you'll find a Cal State University and many great hotels. Bakersfield has a variety of activities on Yelp too! There's a bunch of highly recommended restaurants, eateries, and coffee houses all over town. There's a large Hispanic community, I'm hopeful Bakersfield will become more diverse as more families move in. Traffic is manageable but ever growing. There's a couple of highways and a freeway passing through the city which is key to navigating around. Parking around Bakersfield is affordable and easy to find. Lots of lots are free to use!

Bakersfield is located just off Highway 99. The drive from the San Fernando Valley takes you…read morethrough the mountains and the infamous Grape Vine. I actually enjoy this scenic drive which takes me past Magic Mountain, Santa Clarita, Lake Castaic, Gorman then to the California State Route 99. As long as there is no snow it is a smooth ride. Once you exit there are several restaurants with LA prices. Don't think because you are our of LA things are cheaper...they are not. Bakersfield is quite large ranking #9 in the sate of CA. It is on the Kern River. Not far from the Sequoia National Forest. This is the midway point where I tend to meet one of my dear friends. It's easy for both of us to get here. They also have some great farms & fresh produce available. Worth taking a day trip here...

This was the 4th annual Bakersfield Wing Festival and our first time going. The event was worth it,…read morethe downside is the long lines, but they have plenty of wing stands, so choose your line wisely. This year there was approximately 15-16 wing vendors and I didn't get to try them all, but of all the wing vendors my favorite was Bucky's. Bucky's chicken wing was crunchy, moist, and had good flavor. They had their levels of heat in "Mild-Smooth Smiling", "Medium-Heating Up", "Hot-Loco Loco" & "X-Hot-Get Buck". A lot of the other vendors had 1 or 2 flavors, and even Costco made it out there to give wings out. Winner of this years best wings went to Hooters. I think they were 2nd place in my books, but there was more votes for Hooters. I honestly feel that Bucky's was the best, but people didn't vote (Rolling my eyes). I don't want to say which vendor, but I waited in line for chicken which is fine, but when I got the wings they were chewy and then when we reached the center it was bloody, hope that was just because they were under pressure because the line was long at the time. I would definitely like to try it again next time. The atmosphere is pretty casual and we brought our folding chairs, I also saw some people bring their canopies and tents. What started off at 91 degrees changed in a matter of 2hrs. It got really cloudy, windy and even sprinkled a little down to high 70s, but it's Bakersfield so you never know what kind of weather it's gonna be like. They played good music on stage with live singers and live bands. They even had contests so you can win tickets to go to Vegas and they had that wing contest so you can get your Wingfest entry free next year. I happened to be in line during the contest, so I missed out on that cool contest. I would definitely like to come again, I think if I went alone then it wouldn't be worth it for me because I don't drink beer, but going with my husband he gets to get two beers at a time, so it evens out for us. The downside for the beers is that they fill it up half way. I'm not a beer drinker so I don't care, but the lines are already long, so drinking your beer then having to refill it takes some time. Waters are free so that's cool and I liked that. I brought my water bottle with ice in it and my ice lasted the whole day with the free waters because they were cold.

It's hot dog!!!!! Alright, Buffalo Wild Wings bomb!! I had…read morethe blazing and it's delicious and definitely not for the fate of heart. Next was Denweed's Heart and Soul had amazing real fresh meat the wing full of buffalo sauce. Then came KVS southern style was so worth the long line. I had a BBQ that was absolutely amazing their meat was grilled and tender and so juicy. At BLVD we had garlic wings absolutely delectable a must try. Next stop I had Dickey's BBQ , I had two BBQ wings that were pretty good. Lastly, we had the Barrington's Jamaican Kitchen had mild and spicy very juicy wings with lots of flavor. All the drinks were standard and hit the spot in the heat, I recommend the experience!!

They have the best fillet mignon in Bakersfield, prove me wrong…read more I always order the meatballs as an app. Love the sauce. Solid bar staff. Great server staff all very good and very attentive. Make a reservation they are very organized Their pasta is great but the chicken, steak and pork chops are the best in town.

Lunch as a Mama Mia first timer. It is a fairly small and intimate indoor setting and our male…read moreserver was fun and personable. Pyrenees bread never goes unnoticed and is welcomed to my presence with glee. The lunch menu offered a few things that sounded amazing (looking at you, bruschetta) but I settled on a spinach salad with fennel, fruit, and goat cheese topped with a tangy cilantro dressing. The chicken was seasoned nicely and the salad was a delight. My friend ordered the penne pasta with butter garlic sauce, also with chicken. Of course I had some her plate and it was nicely seasoned and tasty but not unforgettable. I am glad to have finally come here, but thought my lunch was pretty expensive compared to what I usually pay for a one diner situation.

Centennial Corridor is that final section that will link Highway 58 to the Westside Parkway -…read moreHooray! A little research tells me that this is Phase 1 of the Kern River Bridge Improvement Project totaling over $41 million. Wowzers! But hey - as one of the fastest growing communities in California we definitely need it. Sadly over 180 structures were demolished starting in 2016. There's always a sense of sadness, but I suppose that's the cost of progression.