The Good: A sparkling sunrise on the Sundial Bridge, the main tourist draw in Redding, CA.

The Good: An excellent urban/rural trail network that includes the Sacramento River Trail.

The Good: A fashionable roller blader.

The Good: Running into exercising friends on the Sacramento River Trail.

The Good: Sexy sunsets while strolling on the romantic Sundial Bridge.

The Bad: A stark, sterile downtown with few pedestrians or much social vibe at any time of day or night.

The Bad: A controversial new Sheraton Hotel under construction near the Turtle Bay Museum that divided the community.

The Bad: Lots of people living in a bygone era.

The Bad: The Idiot’s former high school pool that isn’t open for alumni workouts.

The Bad: A gazebo that negatively called attention to Redding when it was part of the script on Showtime’s Ray Donovan.
FBI Agent: “Let’s talk about witness protection. I got a line on a place in Redding and a job at Safeway there.”
Jon Voight character: “Fucking Redding?”
FBI Agent: “They revitalized the downtown. They put in a gazebo.”
Voight character: “Oh, Fffff…k.”

The Ugly: The Sundial Bridge, Redding’s main tourist attraction, isn’t kept clean and is deteriorating.
(Photo: Marc Beauchamp)

The Ugly: Urban trails, one of Redding’s key attractions, are littered with, uh, litter.

The Ugly: Library Park in downtown Redding, CA, has become a magnet for the homeless and target of a citizen campaign to move them out.

The Ugly: Redding, which has failed to realize its potential in various urban and social sectors, is dotted with numerous homeless camps.

The Ugly: Totally ignored Private Property signs have become an eyesore.