Welcome Wagon

It happens every day. You move to Temecula and two days later you learn you’re pregnant. Then your car breaks down. You don’t have an ob/gyn yet and have no idea where to find a good mechanic.

Julietness is here to hook you up. Feel free to ask if what you’re looking for doesn’t appear on this list. And don’t forget to tell ‘em Juliet sent you.

Alternative Medicine

Dr Tracy Tranchitella, ND, works out of Stillpoint Center, which recently moved from Murrieta to new space in Temecula. She knows everything there is to know about hormones. Her husband specializes in alternative treatments for autism and ADD/ADHD.

Carwash (Self-Service)

Save water and mind your pocketbook too by checking out the self-service carwash near Rancho Tires off Redhawk Parkway (behind Stater Bros on Temecula Parkway/79S.) Choose from the kind you drive through or the kind where you get out and scrub and hose yourself. The $5 basic wash plus $1 for four minutes of vacuuming is the best deal in town. When you’re done, tip yourself and use the money to get soft-serve at nearby Dairy Queen.

Date Night Restaurant

The Edge is a little bit of Vegas in Old Town. Soro’s (also in Old Town) is charming and romantic. Don’t miss the grape leaves.

Dentist

I hate dentistry! Hate it. I’m a dentalphobe from way back. That’s why I was so thrilled to discover Dr Mau Nguyen, formerly of Meadows Dental (near Baron’s.) Dr Nguyen now has his own office: Newport Commons Dental Care in Menifee.

Reasons to follow Dr Nguyen to Menifee: great office, great staff (including his lovely wife, who runs his office), and experienced, gentle dentist who really knows his stuff. He has a wonderful manner that will set you at ease right away. The office is immaculate and he has the latest technology, including CEREC, which makes crowns, veneers, and other dental work in under an hour. Plus, the drive to Menifee is not bad. Usually it takes me about 15 or 20 minutes. When you’re done, you can go to the giant new Target on Haun Road.

Gas Station

Sometimes I’ll be asked to recommend a good full-serve station. (Usually this is from people relocating here from a state where self-serve is banned.) Sorry. I don’t know of any.

I buy 90% of my gas at Costco. Their gas is routinely about 5c cheaper than average, plus if you use your Costco American Express, you’ll get additional cash back at the end of the year, effectively lowering your gas price even more. We’re lucky that our Costco is very centrally located and their gas station has good hours. Note: they do not accept cash. Pay ONLY with ATM/debit or American Express. You also will need to swipe your Costco membership card. Costco members are eligible for a no-annual-fee Am/Ex with the added convenience of doubling as a Costco card (plus it has a photo on it which is good added security.) Costco does not post gas prices outside. Prices are posted inside the store and on the pumps themselves. But rest assured the prices are very good.

If you don’t want to do Costco, the best other place in town to buy gas is the station near the giant flag at the end of Temecula Parkway/79S. There are TWO stations there and the one with the flag is usually NOT the one with the best prices. Check the prices first because the one right across the street often is a better deal.

Gelato

Seriously? Yes. I am dead serious when I say the Pechanga food court has the most amazing homemade gelato. Yum.

Grocery Store

Best all-around grocery store for value and variety: Stater Bros on Temecula Parkway/79S. Stater Bros is a community-minded local chain. They are the last major supermarket to have fully-staffed butcher counters. After the Jefferson Ave store closed, the 79S location did a major remodel and expansion, with a focus on many more upscale and organic/gourmet items. They also have daily fresh Krispy Kreme delivery, daily La Brea Bakery bread delivery, a good floral department, a good selection of local wines (including occasional bottles signed by the winemakers), and wonderful produce. Stater Bros does not double coupons, which used to matter more when other stores doubled to a greater extent. Ever since major chains overhauled their coupon policies, the savings differential has narrowed. If you want to do the bulk of your shopping with good prices on all items, Stater Bros is your best choice.

Grocery Store for Produce

Baron’s is a small local chain. They recently expanded to Wildomar (on Clinton Keith near D’Canters.) If you can resist all of the gourmet goodies, you will snap up great values in excellent produce (including many local and organic varieties when available.) Baron’s began as a wine/liquor shop and their wine department is still really good. I bought my husband a nice bottle of Scotch there for his birthday a few years ago and really liked the helpful, knowledgeable staff.

Have Your Heart Attack Here

Our local hospital scene is very bad. It’s really troubling. The best local hospitals for heart attacks are to the north in Riverside at Riverside Community Hospital (RCH) or to the south at Pomerado Hospital. I have no idea what would happen if you were to try to get a local ambulance to transport you to either of these. Try.

Hospitals

I had our younger daughter at Palomar in Escondido. There were things I liked about it, like their “baby-centered” philosophy (your baby is never apart from you and rooming-in is taken for granted) and other things I didn’t like (fixed menu with meal delivery only at set times; when I had our older daughter at RCH, you could call up at any hour and order anything on the menu.)

My take on the local hospitals is that they have good people put in an untenable situation. They are so understaffed and under-equipped that it would be funny if lives weren’t actually at stake. My personal solution is to have PPO insurance with GP and ob/gyn who practice in Escondido so if anything major were to happen, I’d be able to go to Palomar or Pomerado. For kids, I’d only choose a pediatrician able to refer to Rady Children’s (like Dr Robbins, below.)

Hostess Gift

Temecula Olive Oil Company: olive oil, vinegar, locally-sourced honey, dips, tapenades, olives…mmmm. They also sell baguettes so you can make (or give the gift of) a picnic. (Give your out-of-town guests a send-off they can eat in the car.) You can request the baguettes par-baked if you want to finish them off in the oven at home. They wrap items beautifully.

The Spice Merchants (also in Old Town) has an amazing selection of single spices, spice blends and rubs, teas, salts, and other gourmet goodies. They also wrap really nicely.

Kiddie Entertainment

I enjoy Pennypickle’s in Old Town so much that I wrote about it here for Taste of Temecula.

In the fall, don’t miss the pumpkin patch action at Peltzer Farms. And in the spring and summer, schedule a visit to Temecula Berry Company to pick blueberries.

In summer, check out the many kid- and family-friendly activities such as concerts in the park in the City of Temecula Parks & Rec catalogue. Also, Edwards Cinemas at the Promenade Mall offers free movies to kids on select weekday mornings in the summer.

Library Scene

The Grace Mellman Library (north of Winchester) was Temecula’s original library. Their Friends bookstore (tucked away around the corner; ask if you can’t find it) is wonderful. The Pauba Road library has the highest circulation of any library in the county system, and it shows. They practically can’t keep books on the shelves. Go online and reserve your books in advance. (Plus the library system pulls from literally dozens of libraries so even the newest releases are almost always available.) Pauba Road allows (non-messy) food and drink and has wi-fi.

Best seat in the house: one of the comfortable chairs overlooking the floor-to-ceiling glass wall.

Out-of-Towner Entertainment

Ponte Winery’s theme is “A Day in the Italian Countryside” and they do a great job. You will want to make reservations to eat at The Smokehouse.

Out-of-towners will also enjoy a morning walking around the Old Town Farmer’s Market.

Passport Pics That Won’t Make You Look Like a Serial Killer

Rite Aid on Temecula Parkway (79S) x Margarita/Redhawk. Ask for “the guy who is good at taking pictures” (they’ll know what you’re talking about.)

Pediatrician

Hands-down my family adores Dr Dan Robbins of Children’s Physicians Medical Group (CPMG.) Over the years with our two kids we have dealt with issues large and small and have always received excellent care. CPMG is pleasant and efficient to deal with on insurance and billing issues. Dr Robbins’ office is affiliated with Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego, so specialist referrals are to RCHSD, which comes as a relief to parents concerned about the local hospital scene. CPMG also has a children’s urgent care in Escondido and there are smaller offices for various specialties both in Murrieta and off Felicita Road in Escondido.

Pharmacy

Target in Temecula. They are efficient, quick, and compassionate. I like that they call to see how you’re feeling a day or two after writing the prescription. Our older daughter was on daily medication for almost a year and we really got to know the staff. Note: pharmacy hours are different from Target hours so call first to make sure they are open.

School/Preschool

I really hesitate to recommend by name because this is so subjective. (Contact me with specific questions and I’d love to have a conversation with you, though.) In general, the public schools are good here. The Californian newspaper publishes a roundup of test scores and rankings every year. Personally, I take test scores with a very large grain of salt, though I find the “similar schools ranking” interesting. This is a comparison of how a particular school performs in standardized testing vs schools with similar demographics.

All of Temecula is covered by the Temecula Valley Unified School District. The entire district is on the same schedule, which is “traditional school year” (though you could have fooled me; this year we start on August 11 and end before Memorial Day, and we have longish breaks throughout the year.) Due to the budget crisis the district and teachers reached a deal to take several furlough days, which were all put at the end of the year. If those days “come back,” they’ll be added on to the end of the year. Think of it like snow days, but in reverse.

Several district elementary schools offer full-day kindergarten (which is shorter than grade 1-5 but longer than what other schools offer for kindergarten.)

Parents of special needs kids find programs vary a lot from school to school. This has changed a lot over the past two years. If you are interested in parents’ perspective for kids with Down Syndrome or who are on the autism spectrum, contact me and I can put you in touch.

There is a very persistent rumor that Paloma Elementary will soon be offering optional 6th grade. Currently, Paloma students leave at 5th grade to begin attending Temecula Middle School. Word is that 6th grade on the Paloma campus will be an optional offering beginning in 2011-2012.

Temecula has many preschools. Some of the most popular have waiting lists. Some offer preschool program with extended daycare options for before and after the preschool curriculum ends. This is an area that is very subjective. It really depends a lot on what you are looking for in a school. If you aren’t sure what you’re looking for but want something for your child and are on a budget, I recommend the City’s Little Learners program, which takes place in Harveston. We enrolled our younger daughter as soon as she turned three, and we were really impressed by the teacher, Ms Nichelle, and her well-run program. Because of the very low cost, this might also be a good option if you want your child to have some group experience before beginning at another preschool (this was our situation) or while you are on the waiting list somewhere else.

Short-Hair Stylist

Kris Sutton at The Charleston is THE go-to girl for short hair. Seriously. Ask anyone with cute short hair. They all go to Kris. I am currently growing out very short hair and this is the least traumatic grow-out I’ve ever experienced. Kris is meticulous. It’s like bonsai for your hair.

Suzuki Musical Instruction

I cannot recommend the husband-wife team of Sandiwa and Christine Del Rosario strongly enough. (He teaches violin and she teaches piano.) I was initially skeptical of the Suzuki Method. I could not get images of hundreds of two year olds holding violins in robotic lines out of my head. Well, after a year of watching my daughter take violin from Sandiwa, I am sold. There is nothing robotic about it. It’s about developing an inside-out love for and understanding of music. We have friends who study piano with Christine and they are equally impressed. Suzuki ain’t cheap, but especially if you want violin lessons for your child, this is the way to go.