Driving by Martinez for the last 40 years, my instinct has been to roll up the windows and increase my speed. The city has mostly been defined to outsiders by the imposing wall of refinery equipment visible along Interstate 680.
But that’s the East Bay city’s secret weapon: the element of surprise.
With a historic downtown best accessed by train, Martinez is a thriving throwback filled with all the things you need for a perfect five-hour day trip: antiquing, breweries, coffee shops, real and mythical history, a shipwreck, beavers and two of my Top 10 Bay Area sandwich shops…