"What the heck's in FRESNO?"

Fresno's downtown has seen better days, but is undergoing a gradual renovation, with a new convention center, and new federal buildings going up. The Fulton Mall used to be the focal point of the once bustling area, now catering to a mostly Hispanic shopping crowd. It's worth a walk as it retains some of the more interesting architectural structures and scattered outdoor artworks. The centerpiece these days is the new Triple A baseball stadium. It's been compared to a scaled down version of San Francisco's PacBell Park (the Fresno Grizzlies are affiliated with the Giants). If you're looking for plays, cafes, and cute shops where colorful young people and well-heeled theatergoers mix from time to time, try the Tower District. If you happen to be caught in the hot, dry summer heat, escape by pretending you're a mole at the Forestiere Underground Gardens. Of course, the Central Coast is only a couple of hours away to the west, while Yosemite and Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks flank the valley to the north and east, respectively.

Quick Tips:

The summers can be brutally hot (100-plus degree days are common), and in the last few years the air quality has worsened, making it bad for asthmatics. During the winters be alert to notoriously thick Tule fog.

Best Way To Get Around:

Because Fresno is mostly urban sprawl, cars are the best way to get around. Fresno Area Express buses are the main form of public transportation but are slow and therefore inefficient for getting somewhere if you're in a hurry. Taxis are hard to find. You'll have to call a cab company if you want one.

For those who prefer individuality over Starbucks, this very cute cafe is done up with huge vintage posters, unobtrusive lacy white curtains, and maroon walls with glossy black ceiling and trim. Use the traditional black cafe tables with two chairs per table, or sit along the booth against the far wall. There are small tables outside as well. Nice for sipping a hot tea or cafe mocha -- or iced mochas and smoothies in the summer -- while watching the alterna-crowds and other foot traffic pass by. Small selection of desserts, pastries, bagels and cookies. Students like to do their homework here.

Located in the Tower District, people come here to meet up with friends and grab something to drink at the bar. With lots of dark wood, it's candlelight dark and prone to be noisy. They serve appetizers, main course dishes, and desserts. The beef and chicken nachos are good. So are the cheesecakes and amaretto sours. There's also a covered outdoor patio for the smokers.

The Fresno Art Museum is the most contemporary of the city's few museums, with collections ranging from photography, paintings, pottery, and sculpture. There are occasional lectures, poetry readings, ballets, and films held in the modestly-sized, but nice, auditorium. The only thing lacking--as I find with most of Fresno's museums--is not enough major exhibits, though the Art Museum has had works from Auguste Rodin in the past.

More info can be found on their website: www.fresnoartmuseum.com

Not for the claustrophobic, and best experienced with a child's sense of wonder. The gardens are a series of underground tunnels surrounded by various fruit trees that offer a cool respite during the hot summers.

An architectural feat, the gardens were hand-carved over a period of 40 years by Baldasare Forestiere, a Sicilian immigrant, who actually lived in the dirt labyrinth to escape the Valley heat. Holes in the ground act as windows and skylights from which underground fruit trees would grow up through. His bed and kitchen still remain, though the large aquarium does not. The tunnels originally covered a large area, though parts of it are closed off to the public.

For tour information, call 559/271-0734.