Happy Monday.

Look at that, two Mondays in a row. We might officially be back :)

Hope everyone had a good weekend.

It actually feels nice getting back into the rhythm of digging around for all the random civic stuff, local changes and new things happening around Napa again.

And this week ended up being a pretty fun mix.

We have a road that is quite literally starting to fall apart, a surprisingly expensive engineering bill, and apparently a whole bunch of new stuff coming to town. Roller rink, pizza, chicken, steak. A very balanced civic diet.

Anyway, enough from me. As always, let’s start with everyone’s favorite.

Here’s this week’s trivia: Which of these chains currently has the most locations in Napa?

A) Starbucks
B) McDonald’s
C) Taco Bell
D) Subway

One of the most terrifying experiences in Napa might be driving Mt. Veeder Road at night.

It is narrow, dark, winding, and in certain spots it genuinely feels like the ground just drops away underneath you.

Well Napa County is trying to ease those fears because they just approved roughly $458,000 for engineering and design work around a section of Mt. Veeder Road near milepost 3.42, where a deteriorating retaining wall and erosion underneath the roadway have become enough of a concern that the County wants to deal with it before it turns into a much bigger problem.

There has been construction on Mt. Veeder more than a few times over the years, but what caught my attention here was actually the price tag.

Because to be clear, that $458,000 is not the cost of fixing it.

That is essentially the cost of figuring out how to fix it.

The engineering work will look at the failing wall, the slope underneath the roadway and what kind of repair is needed to stabilize the whole thing before actual construction eventually starts.

Honestly, if you have driven that road before, none of this is particularly shocking. But it also makes you realize just how insanely expensive some of this infrastructure is. Nearly half a million dollars just to design the repair, before anyone actually starts fixing the road.

I would be very curious to know what the final construction bill ends up looking like.

Alright, this is a big new-stuff section.

We are getting a decent amount of new stuff either opening or coming to Napa right now, so rather than give each one its own section, let’s just run through them.

Wheel Life Napa is building an open-air rink at Napa Yard over by Oxbow, and construction is already well underway.

I drove by it recently and honestly, it looks awesome. It is also a lot more substantial than I was expecting.

It is right on the left as you are approaching the Napa Yard entrance, so you should be able to see it from the street if you drive by.

It looked pretty sizeable, with some big lights already going up, and they are planning to be open seven days a week with skate rentals, parties and group events.

Admission is currently listed at $15, or $20 if you need skates.

I actually love this one.

Napa has plenty of places to eat and drink, but we could definitely use more things where you can actually go dosomething.

And right next to Napa Yard too?

Maybe we can get some fun, clumsy rollerblading going before or after grabbing a drink.

Thank God.

The old Solano Avenue location closed earlier this year, but they are already building out a new one at 1340 Trancas Street, in the former Starbucks near Lucky.

Which honestly feels appropriate because I swear we have about 10 Starbucks within a five-minute radius over there anyway.

They are already hiring too, so this one seems to be moving pretty quickly.

No official opening date yet, but for anyone who was genuinely sad when Round Table disappeared, apparently you did not have to mourn for very long.

And while we are on the topic of chains coming to Napa, Raising Cane’s is also trying to move into South Napa Marketplace.

They have submitted plans for the former KFC space there, which I guess makes sense.

This one is still going through the permit process, so do not start lining up for Cane’s sauce just yet, but it certainly looks like they are trying to make Napa happen.

Good luck picking between them, Wingstop and El Pollo Loco.

I guess South Napa really loves its chicken.

And on a slightly different end of the food spectrum, BOA Steakhouse is now officially open at Casa Mani on California Boulevard.

Dinner is running nightly with weekend brunch, complimentary valet parking and, apparently, a dress code.

Their website specifically says no athletic attire, sweatpants, beachwear or flip-flops.

So maybe do not go directly from Costco.

Anyway, kind of a random mix, but I think all four are pretty interesting additions in their own way.

Especially the roller rink.

I am genuinely excited to see that one open.

And the answer to this week’s trivia is Starbucks.

Here’s the current Napa count:

So yeah, my joke about there being a Starbucks every five minutes away was apparently not that far off.

Anyway, that is all I have for you today.

Kind of a fun one this week. Roads falling apart, a roller rink going up, Round Table coming back, more chicken competition and apparently another place where I cannot wear sweatpants to dinner.

As always, if you see something interesting happening around town, send it my way.

Have a great week, and I’ll see you Friday.

Callie.