Tustin, California: The City of Trees South of Los Angeles

Forty miles south of Los Angeles, tucked away from all of the light, glitter and drama of Hollywood is nestled the quaint and charming little city called Tustin. So small, in fact, that even most Los Angelinos have never even heard of it. It has the look and feel of an heirloom pocket watch in a modern jewelry box. You can smell its history even if you don't know what it is or where it came from, and the hours of its old time past is a major part of its current identity. All you need to do is take a trip downtown.

Driving down Williams Street, taking in the rows and rows of apartments, then Robert Heidemen Elementary School on your left, you might want to swing right when Williams ends, and onto Main Street and through the long tunnel beneath the 55 freeway. The other side of this tunnel is reminiscent of traveling with Mr. Roger's trolley into the Land of Make Believe - minus all of the strange looking puppets with similar voices. At the end of this tunnel there is a light - literally (I'm not kidding), a streetlight stops you at the intersection of Main and a tiny street called Stoneglass, where you notice a dramatic change in scenery.

Beautiful elegant birches, sycamores, palms, and others, are everywhere. As you journey further down Main, you see a sprinkled mix of cozy houses with large windows and small porches and enormous antiquated mansions leading into historic downtown, locally called Old Town.

Known as "The City of Trees," the area was noted, for its distinction of bountiful sycamores, dating back to the late 1700's when the Spanish explored the area from Santiago Creek to Red Hill. They called it El Alisal, the Sycamore Grove, according to the city's website.

The Native Americans living in the region when the Spanish arrived spoke a dialect of the Shoshone language and were referred to by the Europeans as "Gabrielinos" - because of being under the jurisdiction of the San Gabriel Mission. Tustin historians say that the trees grew so plentiful in the area due to the availability of a plentiful water supply - most likely the same reason the Natives were attracted to the area.

The website states that a carriage maker by the name of Columbus Tustin, and business partner Nelson Stafford purchased over a thousand acres of what had been Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana for a dollar and fifty cents per acre. Of course the groves are now a memory, but historic buildings dating back to the late 1800's still prominently stand off of Main and El Camino Real as a reminder of Tustin's heritage.

One of the many "just-gotta-see's" in Tustin is the Tustin Museum, located at 395 El Camino Real. They offer a "Heritage Walk" - a tour along Main Street that includes places such as: The Stevens House and Tustin Presbyterian Church. The Steven's House was built in 1887 for pioneer Sherman Stevens of redwood shipped from Eureka. It is a Queen Anne Victorian house that remained in the Stevens family until 1980. The Tustin Presbyterian Church was created in 1882 and replaced their Victorian chapel with a Spanish colonial style in 1928.

With all of its rich history sitting right there out on the street, it would only be natural to expect Old Town to include an antique shop. Of course the city does not disappoint. Right on Main, you'll find a shop called Mrs. B's, which also doubles as a contracted post office unit. It could lead you to believe that some of those antiques in her adorable little shop may have been around since the city's incorporation. Or maybe not. That would just be too perfect, wouldn't it? Almost a month earlier there was another antique store up the street from Mrs. B's (not even a block away) called Buttermilk Sky, which closed it's doors for good. A "For Lease" sign still hangs in the storefront window.

A little further down El Camino Real, you and the family (or friends, or co-workers, or whoever) can enjoy a musical with your meal. The Curtain Call Dinner Theater (formerly known as the Elizabeth Howard Dinner Theater) entertains its guests with Broadway shows like "The Sound of Music" and "Fiddler on the Roof." Curtain Call's proceeds go to support the Inside-Out Men's Home, part of the Main Place Church, which aims to rehabilitate alcohol and drug abusers.

A little less than a mile outside of Old Town is the striking Plaza La Fayette, on the corner of Irvine Boulevard and Newport Avenue. The architecture of this mesmerizing shopping center looks like a cross between a French chateau and a series of elevated Dutch cottages. It's eggshell white stucco, deep brown roof and trimmings and clinging vines further adds to its European mystic. Of course it contains a couple chain businesses, like Countrywide Loans, but almost all of the businesses occupying the plaza are of local flare.

For example, in the front of the plaza's entrance in the parking lot, is a teeny tiny little floral shop called Petals. The facility is so snug, surely only one employee can be working at a time. Towering to the far right of the plaza is the Tustin Brewing Co., and to the far left are the fine dining restaurants, Nieuport 17, and Casa Gamino Mexican Restaurant. In between these eateries are all sorts of charming local enterprises such as The Lost Bean Organic Coffee and Tea: Sugar Press, a stationary store; Frank's Italian Men's Wear; Winston's Estate Gallery; and Christakis, Greek cuisine. Oh sure, there are ordinary establishments there also, like a cleaners, a dentist and a veterinarian, but none of that compares to Rakish.

Rakish is the type of store you'd expect to see in a place like Plaza La Fayette. It's a women's clothing boutique and according to shop owner Bill Christensen, Rakish's inventory is acquired primarily from Italy, New Zealand, and Canada. The boutique is bright and airy and full of mirrors, with racks and racks of beautiful clothes - and boy are they expensive! It's worth checking out none the less.

Aside from all of the ooh-ing and aww-ing over the sites, the city itself has a real knack for keeping its citizens and visitors socially clicking and entertained. For instance, if you're visiting Tustin in October, you might want to catch Tustin Tiller Days Parade at Columbus Tustin Park, or the children can attend the annual Halloween Howl. If you happen to be passing through in December, you may be interested in attending the city's Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony or its Sweethearts Ball in February; or its St. Patrick's Day Dance in March, or summer concerts in the park. This city knows how to plan a good time!

Tustin is not the type of city you can just drive through to view the sites like the larger California cities of Los Angeles or San Francisco. It is the type of city that screams - small town - and that you have to get out of your car and try on to enjoy. And you will enjoy.