First Days in Davis

The first thing we had to do when we arrived in Davis was sort out our accommodation. You would think this would be something easy considering we had booked (and signed a contract for) one of the apartments for university faculty back in December of 2017. But things can never be that easy. As we were driving up from LA, the person in charge of these apartments sent me a couple of messages asking for a money transfer to secure the apartment. As we were in and out of wifi zones, I would get her messages with considerable delay, a small matter she did not seem to understand. Furthermore, since I had not yet arrived in Davis, it had not been possible for me to open the bank account from which I could make such a transfer, anyway. So, during the 48 hs of our journey north, we exchanged several messages, copying even my UC Davis sponsor, to try and clarify the matter and make things as smooth as possible. As it turned out, it was impossible to sort it out before arriving. Check into the apartment had to be on Friday at 3 pm and this person finished work at 4 pm, so it all had to be carefully synchronised, particularly when it ultimately involved a call to my sponsor, who happened in to be New York City for a conference. I will spare you the details, but it was all sorted thanks to the kind help of Prof. Bayley. 

And so, we were able to have access to the apartment where we will be spending the next three months. Here a few photos so you can get an idea of what it is like (much more spacious than we had anticipated!):

We had a couple of days to settle in, do some initial shopping and work out what is where in the town. Davis is a small place with a very large university campus. The different sections of the city are fairly separate and look quite distinct. Our house is on the edge of the campus on the side of the city which means we have many restaurants and some shops (e.g. hair dresser's, bookshops, etc.) but not many grocery stores. In fact, to go to a supermarket, you have to walk, cycle or drive about a mile. The post office is very close to us. Here is Anabel sending a birthday card to one of her friends (and working out how mailboxes work!): 

And here is a games shop that is near the Food Coop, the closest shop for buying food. On our first visit there we just had to get a Harry Potter board game. 

For transportation we decided we can make do without a car, which is a bit of an interesting choice. Davis is supposed to be the capital city of bicycles, but this is mostly on account of the large number of students who get around on bikes within the campus. The rest of the town is much less bike-orientated. The kids go to school and to sports training on bikes, but I can walk to the office, so the only challenge is grocery shopping. Ray says he can manage on a bike. This is me looking ridiculous (with handbag and all) on a bike:

It reminds me a bit of what it was like to cycle in a cocktail dress, high heels, and a gown towards a formal dinner in Cambridge, only I'm not that young and agile any more!

There is an interesting programme which may be helpful in some eventualities: a rent-a-car-by-the-hour or car-sharing programme called Zipcar, which we heard about from the Head of Department. We'll let you know how it works, but apparently it's an app that you use to find cars around town with keys in them that you can use for 1 or 2 hours at a time, petrol and insurance included!

I mentioned the town has different sectors. Below are some of the grander houses in more residential neighbourhood towards Anabel's school: