For the first time in three years, an old-fashioned trolley car rolled through the streets of Ventura Friday, carrying with it the hopes of a watchful city business community predicting a boon in commerce and tourism.
"I think this is going to be great for tourism in Ventura," said Monty Clark, Ventura Chamber of Commerce president-elect, before hopping aboard for an inaugural ride early Friday.
"People don't know Ventura, they really don't know what Ventura has to offer," Clark said. "We need to show Ventura off. We need to bring people off the freeway."
Mayor Tom Buford agreed. "We wanted to give people something to do when they come here, and some sign that we want them here and we want them to come back--and this does all of that."
But business leaders and city officials who took the inaugural ride were not the only ones hailing the new service. Once the trolley opened to the public at 10 a.m. and found a few passengers, the good words continued to flow.
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"I feel like I'm in Disneyland," said an enthusiastic Lydia Allaniz, a 31-year-old Ventura resident riding "just for fun."
But, of course, the going was slow as the forest-green trolley started its first run. The bell-ringing vehicle--which resembles a San Francisco cable car, except it's gas-powered and travels on wheels--made no pickups until about halfway through its route. At City Hall the first three passengers--including Allaniz--stepped onto the trolley.
Climbing the entrance steps with a blue balloon in hand was 6-year-old Jimmy Biselli of Lancaster, the very first rider to board.
"I like riding rides. . . . I like the seats," he said later, referring to the authentic-looking, polished wooden bench seats.
His mother, Esther Biselli 35, said she was raised in Ventura and already knew and loved the city. She said she saw the trolley as an ideal way to show her son the city while exposing him to its history.
"This is a great way to show him all the exciting things that Ventura has in a fun way," she said over the sound of the trolley conductor talking through a microphone about historical, business and entertainment points of interest.
The trolley seats 22 and runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week. It continually shuffles passengers between the harbor, the pier and downtown, making 10 planned stops in all, though it can be hailed from the street. Organizers said they are hoping to "unify" the city by shuttling passengers between the city's most popular tourist and downtown business areas, which unfortunately are miles apart.
