 Things To Do In Sacramento Before You Are Dead
Downtown/Old Town Sacramento Wandering About Old Town*** Free Thrills! This also means that there are a fair number of interesting places down there that encourage one to poke about their inventory: cigar stores, antique's dealers, historical movie and area memorabilia, and the always eclectic Evangeline's. If I were going to do a walking tour, I'd advise parking just off Capitol, walking down front street along the river, perhaps poke a look at the Delta King and the two bridges that raise for the occasional riverboat-recreation dinner cruise to pass under. Turn right as you pass the trains and right again when you hit the freeway. Heck, you could just come back along the freeway there and you could turn right at the tunnel and hit Evangelines AND make it a circular route so you could park off "I" as well. You'll see most of the interesting museums and stores that way, catch a few corner musicians perhaps. Website: http://oldsacramento.com Discovery Museum*** Website: http://www.thediscovery.org/ California Military Museum* Website: http://www.militarymuseum.org/ California State Railroad Museum**** Website: http://www.californiastaterailroadmuseum.org/. Website: http://www.csrmf.org/ Train Rides*** Weekends, April-September -- occasional special events trains Oct-Dec including ones with Sanra around Christmas. $6 Website: http://www.csrmf.org/doc.asp?id=262 The Delta King** The Queen was shuttled to Missisippi where she runs to this day as a small cruise ship, travelling in style amongst the antebellum mansions of the area. The King was stripped of her useful, Queen-serving parts and was dragged along the pounding Pacific coast looking for a home where she could be some sort of floating attraction. It took eighteen months of sitting in the polluted muck of San Francisco Bay before we finally crowed "that's it -- she's ours again!" and indulged ourselves (and her -- what an eyesore!) by rebuilding her along the docks in Old Town where she rests today. Interestingly, this tradition continues into the modern times -- it is not rare to find strange antique boats in various states of restoration or disrepair moored about the waterways of this Delta. There's a fancy-pants restaurant and a hotel one need not go to, but walking around the decks is free and fun. Across the river lies the mighty ziggaurat, our token symbol that we Were Somebody in the late 90s. Website: http://www.deltaking.com California Museum for History, Women and the Arts? Website: http://www.californiamuseum.org Capitol Park*** California State Capitol Building** Strangely, all details about tours have been removed from their website, but I'm sure that got somehow lost in their broader "message" and foofy redesign. Website: http://www.capitolmuseum.ca.gov/english/ Survival Needs Lunch On The River** Places to eat and drink (all rather pricey -- $2.5 and overpriced at that): Chevy's has a marvelous outside deck and reasonably tasty food and drink, though it is Corporate Evil, and nobody is really with that politically but the view is worth it. Always referred to as "Chevy's On The River" to distinguish it from the fifteen other neighborhoods it is in and to distinguish it as, you know, on the river. Crawdads is actually on the river, surrounded on many sides by boat slips where large, expensive motorboats line most of deck in good weather. This can mean that your view of the million-dollar yacht across the river is obscured by the guy with the half-million dollar bayliner, but this place is about as much about boat watching as river watching. Decent drinks and generally intersting food. Sushi-on-the-River (also: "Rock and Roll Sushi") is kind of a dangerous prospect, eating sushi on a barge. Something about raw fish flesh makes me yearn to be far away from the water on hard ground and in heavy air conditioning, and barge life isn't really consistent with a lot of that, but the fish is really good here. Hogshead Brewpub** Ok, first off, its under street level. As you sit and drink your beer you watch feet and ankles go by. This also means its dark and generally cool -- two godsends when it is 114 degree above. Second off they brew their own beers there, and all of them are mighty tasty. Thirdly, its seedy, meaning that it tends to scare off most of the hanky-bearing tourist crowd. Lastly they serve food, and do all the above quite reasonably. $ Midtown Sacramento Sutter's Fort** Sutter was only a middling businessman in early cutthroat California. He did pretty well for a man who came out from Switzerland with little more than a fair ability to BS people into funding his various expeditions. He might have been dispatched by the locals and been a footnote to history did he not have the fortunate timing to be holding the swampy ground at the time Gold was discovered just a ways "up the hill" in Coloma. If you are going to feel weird about anything, feel weird about this: Sutter was not the nicest of guys. There are enough tales of abuse and ugliness that its generally not spoken about around here where Sutter's name graces a number of mighty institutions. Of it, J Boggs of Filibuster penned the spoken-word lyric "Its wide adobe walls still smell of blood". In a larger sense, Sutter is responsible for all you see around you for better or for worse. He was the seminal Sacramentan. While Not A Nice guy in most senses, he earns extra scorn for Bringing This All Here Upon Us by some quarters. Not to let this you bum you out. They have cannons and reconstructors who will make you think pleasant thoughts about the whole experience. However, if its a rainy day and you miss it, content yourself with the knowledge that its mostly reconstruction anyways. Admission charged Website: http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=485 California State Indian Museum*** The museum dedicated to archiving Californas formerly rich indigenous population has a few shortcomings. Firstly its a bit small to catalog an entire universe of tribes. How can one capture the diversity of an area rivaled by any in the world be cataloged in anything smaller than a city block? Sadly, one cannot. What is on display is a very small part of the heritage of a very large number of peoples who once walked these valleys. In Northern California alone there was territorial division of the sort seen in regions such as Tuscany and ancient Greece -- an enormous number with fairly well-defined boundaries. Or at least that's what the maps tell me. There is also much to be said about collecting the castoffs and trade-things of people who still exist here under our feet and would generally prefer that we Europeans go back where we came from and stay there. Many of the items are ceremonial in nature. Many of the items were likely aquired in a way you would not like you own posessions to be. This is the soul-robbing nature of the place, a certain evilness can be attributed to its general location next to Sutter's Fort: "Look kids, and here are the silly people Sutter ran off the land." That being said, the modern curators do a fairly respectful job of it. The presentation is simple and fairly strict to its facts. Well worth seeing if you are in the neighborhood. Peer into the glass cases and think about what the valley was like before you and I were here. Before any of this was here and people lived in a simple state in a land of easy living. Admission charged Website: http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=486 McKinley Park** Survival Needs Nationwide Freezer Meats**** Frank used to run a small meat counter down around the corner of 24th and J Streets long long ago in a world that no longer existed. As the legend goes -- Frank used to run a meat counter next door to Relles Florists. Finding himself with slow business midday, he started cooking up some of his high-quality meat and the rest was Sacramento culinary history. Frank passed away last year but his standards for making the best burgers out of the best beef still stands with his son John at the helm. It has been said that to truly enjoy going to Nationwide on a regular basis you must start with the French Steakburger because then you'll know a larger universe than just the Steak Sandwitch. While I occasionally miss having a grounding in the Steakburger, my introduction to the place by way of its grilled slab of meat and quartered potatoes masquarading as French Fries was something I will never regret. $$, but well worth it. The Rubicon** Sakurabana** 8 Aug 2005: Sadly, after this initial entry Sakurabana went and made a nice thing poopy. They about halved their seating space to add a gift store next door. Why they couldn't have moved into the then-empty gift store one address down is beyond me but the new seating arrangement leaves something to be desired. Eat outside or go see the recently opened Tamaya at 2131 J St. Website: http://www.sacramentomidtown.com/sakurabana/sakurabana.shtml The Old Spaghetti Factory** That being said, "SpagFag" serves tasty eats without much of a wait all the week long. The midtown location is by far the best of the three in the Sac Metro area. Originally the local station for Western Pacific, the building is large and cavernous with many ornate details. Large freight trains rumble just past the window of the bar, decorated with furniture relics from now-defunct train lines. All the furniture in the place is unusual, old desks, odd doors, ornate bedframes turned into booths -- its an engaging environment, not to mention the old Sac Trolley car converted to a dining area within the restaurant. Decent food, generally barely-competent service but the price is generally right. $ Website: http://www.osf.com/ The Bread Store*** Around town William Land Park*** William Land is the largest developed park in Sacramento county by my watch. Again, no budget for fact checkers, so your mileage may vary, but trust me -- the sucker is big. Duck ponds, a golf course, a rather sad zoo (literally), a teeny amusement park and a wonderful children's playland called "Fairytale Town" make William Lond chockablock full of interesting things to do and see and is well worth a sunny afternoon's visit. Website: http://www.cityofsacramento.org/parksandrecreation/parks/sites/land_map.htm American River Parkway**** Access to the parkway can be made any number of places, though the section of river east of Watt Avenue is some of the prettiest. Out Of Town Nimbus Hatchery** Excellent fun, though may hold limited interest for some and is an unreasonable distance for most to drive from the city's center. Then again, if you've got some sort of concrete canoe comp on the lake, maybe this is just for you! Website: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/lands/fh/nimbus/nimbus_index.htm The River Road*** There are a number of fantastic little towns you will drive through or past on the way through the Delta with all different ways of living. There are old migrant shacks, expensive modern homes, towns catering to tourists, towns catering to fishermen. A lot of the properties out there are what we'd consider ancient dwellings in California, some upwards of eighty years old. In the context of a lot of civilizations, this is Not A Very Long Time, but here in California and especially in the Delta buildings aren't built to hold up without constant maintainance. They sink quickly into the swamp, foundations crack, the fields first flood then freeze. We pack a lot of living into those houses in a short time and places like the Ryde Hotel and Grand Island Mansion are both fine examples of the sort of stuff Northern Californian's secretly dig. Both offer hotel rooms, but availablility may be affected by ongoing weddings and general good-weather tourism. Denios*** They call themselves the largest in Northern California and they'd be hard to beat. Having something on the order of 50 acres of blacktop, Denios is perhaps not only the largest flea market in Northern California but perhaps second only to the State Fair in terms of contiguous asphalt. Open every weekend, Denios caters mostly to regular vendors, most of whom you will find camped out in some sort of semipermanent structure every weekend. I've always found such vendors the bane of the buried treasure shopper such as myself -- I prefer to dig through an off-site yardsale arrangement personally. That being said, one can find all manner of interesting trinkets and the occasional Good Time out at Denios and past parking ($1) admission is free. Be sure to get those fried wagon wheel things from the green grocers on the north end, shop through the bins of herbs at the herbalist, find some queer produce, keep an eye out for some bad rugs and if you find the lemonade lady, get a big one! Website: http://www.denios.org/ Way out of town Apple Hill (area)*** Not to far from here is the snow line and the snap gives the hills extra color and the air an extra crispness in the mid to late-fall when this area is at its best. Most of the growers in the area have some sort of stand selling everything from cider to pies to an entire tourist experience. The area is also home to a number of other mid-sized ag ventures: wineries and Christmas tree farms can also be found in the area for year-round diversion. About half an hour out of Sacramento, on the way to Tahoe. Website: http://www.applehill.com/ Sloughouse/Davis Ranch** About half an hour out of Sacramento, on the way to the gold country. The Gold Country** There's a lot of weird little places all through highway 49 from its head up near Nevada City down through Sonora. There are recreation areas such as Coloma, Jamestown and Columbia for those wanting a peek at what life might have been like if it had been set up to remove tourists' money from their wallets. Plenty of authentic stuff still just lays about at such places as the Empire Mine and elsewhere -- a number of mine entrances can be found dotting the hills, piles of tailings spilling out like from an anthill. Much of the area is now extremely tourist friendly with all manner of diversions: train rides, wine tours and even cave trips. A good time and a pleasant drive through California's past. Events Sacramento Jazz Jubilee*** A number of ticket options are available, including afternoon and evening passes. Venues are centrally located around Old Town and Cal Expo, mostly, but you can never tell where they'll pack people from year to year. Generally this Memorial Day Weekend event has the locals laying low poking their heads out only to head to Old Town to get a kick out of all the folks who, wearing matching American Flag Sweatshirts, will return home to call us a bunch of rubes. Website: http://www.sacjazz.com River Otter Amphibious Race**** The 2004 event was cancelled due to an overwhelming lack of sponsorship, but the River Otter folks are still hoping to do it again in '05. Its a sparsely attended event but certainly one worth catching in mid-october. Website: http://riverotter.com/roar/index.html The River Cats*** Website: http://rivercats.com The Sacramento Kings**** With Kings fans back into action, Sacramento is once again Basketballtown USA and we'll fall over each other to watch the game. Its more than the local pasttime, its the local obsession and we're making a devoted religion out of it this year. Oh thank you, Maloofs, you so deserve your new stadium. Website: http://kings.com Christmas on 'T' Street**** While there are a million houses in town that will go way, WAY too far this holiday season, no neighborhood does it up so much as the one just south of Folsom blvd. An entire block does themselves up in matching lights and happy festivity at the end of the year better than any effort you'll find. A simply amazing orgy of little lights beyond that even of the Disney Electrical Light Parade and even more festive. Museum Day*****! Early February. Good times -- see you on the streets. Website: http://www.sacmuseums.org/museumday.html Second Saturday**-**** (seasonally) Mostly focused around midtown these days, the Second Saturday art walk grew strongest during the mid to late 90s when the Phantom Galleries of Del Paso Heights sprung into existence. Setting up shop for just one night in otherwise abandoned buildings, these galleries were both high kitch and a way of underscoring just how dead that area of town had become. While it never provided the revitalization of the area anyone had hoped for it did kickstart quite a few reputable galleries into existence and provided fuel for the more effete gatherings of today. Runs all year, but spring and fall are the best times to go. There have been recent crackdowns on the offering of free wine to patrons, but the hipper galleries still have a bottle or two available for public consumption. The State Fair*-*** (per conditions) This is the biggest and one of the last fairs in the state. As such it will feature the cream of the crop in rides, attractions and exhibitions. The food concourse is nearly as large as some fair's entire midway, if such a thing can be beleived, and all manner of vendors will be on hand to hawk their wares. Now, since this is my guide to Sacramento and not some knucklehead enterprise, let me let you into the super-secret entrance. It won't get you in for free or anything but its generally the best way to beat the crowds at the gate and to nab reasonably close parking that you won't have to fight for. You'll want to head WEST of the exposition itself, generally by exiting I-80 at Exposition and heading West (Left from SFO-wards, Right from Tahoe-wards). Your first LEFT will be Tribute Road which winds along a number of small industrial parks. If the parking situation is horrendous they may park people here with a shuttle into the fairgrounds but unless they are actively diverting you into these lots under no other circumstances park here. The road will cut under the freeway where you'll find a parking ticket taker who will rob you of an obscene amount of dollars. Nothing's cheap at the fair though, so get used to it. Fair addicts can get discounted ticket groups and season passes through the event's website, sales ending a few weeks before the event. Timing is key for the fair. Since its mostly on open blacktop, going midday on a weekend day is purely for rubes and weekend evenings have been known to turn funky wen partiers decline to depart. The best times are midweek nights when its mostly locals, the temeratures are glorious and it will seem like every carnie is trying to get YOUR atention. Hey buddy! Website: http://bigfun.org Getting around Sacramento Generally speaking a car is your best way to get around town because the distances between things is not always small nor well served by mass transit. Free parking is commonly available everywhere but downtown, parking downtown being dominated by pay garages and meters. In midtown, one street may be metered but around the corner may be free for a limited period. Catching light rail is pretty easy asuming that you can leverage it. Most of the suburban stations have free parking in the vicinity, the larger stations patrolled during the day. There's a discount rate available for travel through the downtown corridor and might perhaps be the best way of seeing the downtown area it rings while utilizing free parking. Trains run usually between 15-30 minutes apart. Busses are perhaps the worst way to get around town. They are slow, generally unpleasant affairs. Bikes are a great way to go in Midtown. Navigation in the midtown/downtown area is made simple-as-pie by a straightforward grid with letter streets running east-west, numbered streets running north-south. A Street is the northernmost, Z the southernmost. Similarly 1st street is the furthest west and the numbers run higher the further east you go until about 65th street. The Weather The weather is pretty standard here: Gray from October to March, occasional piercingly clear skies often at the expense of wind or rain. Rain falls pretty hard here at times, though usually its not too cold when it does. We're garunteed between two and four really vicious storms in the winter and the rest of the time its mild enough not to bother with, mostly mid-50s at worst. Spring and early fall are our best months here, the entire town is in motion with growth or death, prunings and trimmings abound and the air is filled with the smells of gardens.
Summer living is what could be referred to as "technical" at times. It has been known to get past 110 here for stretches of days and it the kind of thing that would seriously test a traveler. Layers of light, breathable clothing such as rough-woven cotton protect from the rather piercing intensity of the sun itself and provide a small layer of shade that will feel nice when a breeze kicks through. Nearly everywhere is massively air conditioned and water is widely avaialble for minimal cost. Also, find someplace with a rather secluded swimming pool, though even the nasty bodies of water at recreation joints beats standing around sweating at times. |