Streets of San Juan Bautista

It's fun to walk around San Juan Bautista to see the Mission San Juan Bautista and other various historic sites and buildings, as well the shops, galleries, gardens, trees, valley views, and more. I'm glad I live nearby so I don't have to see it all in one day.

A good source to have on hand as your stroll through town is the San Juan Bautista Historic District Walking Tour Pamphlet. You can download a copy from this link.

Here are a few more random street scenes of San Juan Bautista.

Trees of San Juan Bautista

How does that poem by Joyce Kilmer start?

"I think I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree."

San Juan Bautista has many lovely trees of all sorts up and down its sweet, quaint streets.

To read the rest of Joyce Kilmer's poem about trees, please click here.

More Photos of San Juan Bautista

This past week I've been posting photos of San Juan Bautista, the second biggest city in San Benito County. The biggest? Hollister, of course.

Here are a few more random look-sees around this grand old town of San Juan.

Flowers, Everywhere

Roses, roses, and all sorts of flowers are every where in San Juan Bautista. In personal gardens. On restaurant patios. At the mission and parks. On sidewalks. Everywhere. And, oh so beautiful.

San Juan Bautista Honors its Past

While I was walking around San Juan Bautista earlier this week, I kept coming across amazing things that showed how people and groups appreciate each other. For instance, the dedication of a bench to someone; the restoration of an old, old residence to its original look; and the display of a company's safety award within the community rather than at the company itself. Seeing all this made me feel good.

The Pico-Boronda Adobe on Fourth Street was built in 1840 by Rafael Pico, a Basque sheepherder. One of the four original adobes still standing in San Juan, it has been the home of the San Juan Bautista chapter of the Native Daughters of the Golden West since 1934.  The Native Daughters restored the building in 1935. (Details from the San Juan Bautista Historic District Walking Tour pamphlet.)

Located amongst the trees in the Carl Martin Luck Memorial Park is a concrete bench dedicated to Ann Baccala, who was a major figure the San Juan community. The plaque on the bench reads: "In memory of Ann Baccala who unselfishly gave her love, time, and devotion to the City of San Juan Bautista." 

Under the trees at Abbe Recreational Park is a concrete bench dedicated to Pimi Rodriquez, who was San Juan's public works chief for many years. I came across this 1993 article about San Juan in which the reporter wrote how Rodriquez worked without pay because of budget problems. 

Sitting at the edge of the baseball field in the Abbe Recreational Park is this beautiful plaque of a safety award that was presented to the Ideal Cement Company in 1960. The company operated a cement plant and quarry in San Juan Canyon from the 1920s to the 1970s. (Details from the San Juan Bautista Historic District Walking Tour pamphlet.)