I don't get Old Town. Bulldoze that turd and create a real riverfront (San Jose: 2014, to buy)

[Chimérique]

The Firehouse Restaurant in OLD SACRAMENTO absolutely beautiful inside and outside(patio), I remember this place being nice, but I don't remember it being this nice. The food and wine selection knocked my socks off. Has it always been this good?

Food was very very good, but expensive. Beautiful oversized paintings of 19th century Sacramento, beautiful massive brick walls with gold leafed enormous mirrors, large fireplace, very cool firehouse ORIGINAL Sliding Pole, and an iron Spiral Staircase!

Old-fashioned quality full service.

The front bar had awesome woodwork with fabulous fireman bronze statues, great selection of their own cocktail creations.

The wine list was to die for!

Firehouse Restaurant since 1960 - is it really that old? Wow. Of course the actual Firehouse building is even older - since 1853!

[wburg]

Did you have a chance to check out Danny's Mini Donuts? The best thing there are the sweet potato pies. Haven't had a chance to check out the new BBQ place directly underneath it in the basement level at 2nd and I Street.

And yeah, the Firehouse has had a stellar reputation pretty much since they opened. If you want a similar experience that is a bit less expensive, Ten22 down the street is run by the same folks.

Sacramento Southern excursion trains and Underground Sidewalks tours are in full swing.

[Chimérique]

Originally Posted by wburg

Did you have a chance to check out Danny's Mini Donuts? The best thing there are the sweet potato pies. Haven't had a chance to check out the new BBQ place directly underneath it in the basement level at 2nd and I Street.

Didn't have the time, but will be back!

By the way, the Firehouse Restaurant can't be more than 100yards away from the freeway, but you would never know it while inside the restaurant or the patio. Could not hear it.

Originally Posted by wburg

And yeah, the Firehouse has had a stellar reputation pretty much since they opened. If you want a similar experience that is a bit less expensive, Ten22 down the street is run by the same folks.

Sacramento Southern excursion trains and Underground Sidewalks tours are in full swing.

Can't wait to stay at the DELTA QUEEN HOTEL, how cool, a real steamship with the giant paddle wheel on the water!

We snuck on board late at night and walked around the ship and we thought, "How is it that we have never stayed here just for the hell of it". We can watch the Sea Lions from the Hotel!

We will be booking the "Captains Quarters Accommodations" soon.

We will do the underground sidewalk tour, trains and Suspects Dinner theater and maybe the gyro tour in a few weeks, all this should be corny fun! - Just like we are tourists, can't wait!

I LOVE OLD Town, SACRAMENTO!

[wburg]

It's the Delta King, actually, her sister craft the Delta Queen is on the other side of the country! I stayed on board about 5 years ago, it's a fun experience. The restaurant on the King is very worthwhile, but if you want a real treat,visit the Pilothouse Bar on the King and get an outside table on the deck facing the river, just before a Rivercats game ends. The free fireworks show is worth the trip.

and I encourage people to break the habit of calling it "Old Town Sacramento" it's just "Old Sacramento." In the 1860s we were the second biggest city on the west coast!

[Chimérique]

Originally Posted by wburg

It's the Delta King, actually, her sister craft the Delta Queen is on the other side of the country! I stayed on board about 5 years ago, it's a fun experience. The restaurant on the King is very worthwhile, but if you want a real treat,visit the Pilothouse Bar on the King and get an outside table on the deck facing the river, just before a Rivercats game ends. The free fireworks show is worth the trip.

and I encourage people to break the habit of calling it "Old Town Sacramento" it's just "Old Sacramento." In the 1860s we were the second biggest city on the west coast!

Opps, the Delta KING! Even more fun to look forward to with the King Restaurant and Pilot House Bar. I think we saw the bar as we were sneaking our way through the different levels the other night.

We saw the fireworks from our room at Embassy Suites Hotel, but could have seen them from Raley Field as we were at the Sacramento River Cats game (SACRAMENTO WON!) But we left in the 8th inning purposely to watch the fireworks from the hotel. Of course, we walked across the Tower Bridge. By the way, the food offerings at Raley Field are diverse, good quality and yummy, the Sacramento Kings need to step it up, next year.

Beautiful, beautiful night. Spring really is the best time for Sacramento festivals, We should move the state Fair to early May or late April.

Funny, I have always called it OLD SACRAMENTO, never called it Old town, until now.

[wburg]

Well then keep calling it Old Sacramento then! We were never really a "town," we were an overnight city like San Francisco. Of course, the "Old City" was a lot bigger than the six blocks of Old Sacramento, but we seem to do okay with the chunk we have left.

[ryuns]

You could always call it "Old Sac" which Adam Carolla after his last visit noted would be a horrible name for a cologne. (Not usually the one to give compliments, he actually had nice things to say about it.)

[BillyH]

Originally Posted by Chimérique

The thing about San Antonio's river, it's basically a creek and it is very easy to control, manipulate and design a Disney like atmosphere around it. San Antonio's river is extremely small compared to the Sacramento River.

San Antonio's riverwalk was designed by Disney. In it first few decades, even after Disney designed the riverwalk, it was a stinky, overbearly humid-hot area to walk around.

But once they devoted funds to keep it clean and less stinky with the help of AT&T funding and donations,(corporate headqrts in San Antonio), and because it is so small, they were able to make it a bonafide tourist destination.

As in Walt Disney, Disney had nothing to do with designing the San Antonio River Walk. In 1929 San Antonio native and architect Robert Hugman submitted plans for what would become the River Walk.

[Chimérique]

Originally Posted by BillyH

As in Walt Disney, Disney had nothing to do with designing the San Antonio River Walk. In 1929 San Antonio native and architect Robert Hugman submitted plans for what would become the River Walk.

From the San Antonio Riverwalk history website:

1961
"Marco Engineering Company of California, major designers of Disneyland, complete a report, funded by the City and the Chamber, on the commercial potential of the river. The plan suggests that all buildings which back up to the river be developed in an early Texas or Mexican colonial style, and that as many as possible be rehabilitated to provide basement space that would open at the River Walk level to accommodate retail and entertainment facilities".

[BillyH]

Originally Posted by Chimérique

From the San Antonio Riverwalk history website:

1961
"Marco Engineering Company of California, major designers of Disneyland, complete a report, funded by the City and the Chamber, on the commercial potential of the river. The plan suggests that all buildings which back up to the river be developed in an early Texas or Mexican colonial style, and that as many as possible be rehabilitated to provide basement space that would open at the River Walk level to accommodate retail and entertainment facilities".

"San Antonio's riverwalk was designed by Disney. In it first few decades, even after Disney designed the riverwalk, it was a stinky, overbearly humid-hot area to walk around." Your statement, by 1961 most all the building were already in place. I certainly don't have anthing against Walt Disney, but an engineering firm consulting how best to utilize buildings doesn't make a Walt Disney designed San Antonio River Walk.