What things do you enjoy doing in the Sac area on weekends?

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by 18Montclair

I used to like walking around J Street looking at little stores and checking out eateries.

My wife and I still enjoy doing that every several months because there are always changes -- out with the 'old' and in with the new -- an ever evolving/devolving dynamic.

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

My wife and I still enjoy doing that every several months because there are always changes -- out with the 'old' and in with the new -- an ever evolving/devolving dynamic.

I like the vibe of Midtown Sac. Very Cool.

[Ludachris]

Come on guys/gals, be descriptive - help me visualize the area. I'm trying to paint a picture in my mind of what it's like out there right now. If you're talking about walking a few blocks, describe the types of shops and cafes... what do they specialize in? What's the architecture like? How's the weather when you're walking?



I'm sure some don't have the time for this type of feedback, but if you do, please don't hold back the details.

[mohunny]

Are you writing a book about the area, perchance? Hmmmmm?

[wburg]

Maybe I should describe another Saturday--this past weekend. On Saturday morning my wife and I participated in a neighborhood yard sale with some neighborhood friends (we get together once a month for a potluck, and have a group yard sale in June.) We set up across from "Bungalow Row," a small historic district near Winn Park consisting of a row of architect-designed Craftsman bungalows. In addition to six or so people selling their wares on our corner, there were two or three other yard sales within a one-block radius, and apparently there was also a neighborhood yard sale over in Boulevard Park (another historic district, built around 1905-1915 on the site of the old State Fairgrounds racetrack, defined by its landscaped medians and comfortable revival-style and Craftsman homes) so there were a lot of folks out hunting bargains. Midtown is normally good yard sale country when the weather is nice.

After the yard sale, we got ready to go out for the evening. We decided to walk, because the weather was still nice, at about 10:30 PM. After walking through our neighborhood, we strolled past Benny's, a neighborhood dive bar best known for cheap Pabst and rowdy regulars, and Chita's, a Mexican restaurant that normally closes at 9:00 PM but on weekends stays open until 2:00 AM to serve the post-bar crowd. A block farther down was the Whiskey Wild Saloon, a bar that recently opened in a 1920s era brick building next to the railroad tracks--they are best known for a bar built deliberately strong enough to support people dancing on top of it, and $2 whiskey shots only when trains are rolling by the building. Personally I think the concept is a little cheesy, but they do make a good hamburger. Both bars were starting to get crowded. From there we walked through a quieter residential neighborhood until reaching the edge of Fremont Park, one of Sacramento's square-block city parks. On the corner opposite the park is an unofficial Sacramento landmark, known as the "paint poles." This grid of colorful vertical poles once marked a Kelly-Moore paint store, since closed and replaced by a branch of the blood bank. The new owners chose to retain the poles, since they are so recognizable. The structure itself was designed by artist Saul Bass, best known for his graphic design work, including the titles to the movie "The Man With The Golden Arm."

Across from the poles, a new spot "Hot Italian" was just closing up shop at 11:00 PM. They are kind of an odd mix--Italian food, Italian designer clothing and Italian motor-scooters. Another block down, past the park, is "Naked Lounge," a popular regional coffee shop (the owners own two other shops in Sacramento and one in Chico.)

Around the corner from Naked Lounge on R Street is the R15/Empire Events Center complex, a nightclub and live music venue. The line outside was starting to get long. This half-block complex opened a couple of years ago along the R Street Corridor, a line that was once the site of California's first steam railroad, the Sacramento Valley Railroad, and was until the 1970s primarily an industrial corridor with freight trains running down the street. It is now adjacent to Sacramento's light rail line, and some of the handful of surviving industrial buildings have been converted to other uses.

The other half of the R Street block is a two-story brick industrial building, originally a bakery and in the 1980s and 1990s the site of quasi-legal punk shows and an art gallery. It was recently purchased and converted into 12 for-sale lofts upstairs, with retail downstairs. The retail spots opened last month: a yogurt shop, a hair salon, a restaurant called "Burgers & Brew" (open until 4:00 AM) and a bar/restaurant called the "Shady Lady." The latter combines a retro-looking interior (styled after an early 1900s era bar) with cocktails and downright gourmet-quality food (very reasonably priced.) They were quite crowded, with classic jazz music playing from inside and the outside tables full to capacity.

A few blocks later we arrived at our destination, Old Ironsides, a real Sacramento landmark. Unlike most of the aforementioned newcomers, Old Ironsides has been a Sacramento institution for 75 years, opening as a bar immediately after the end of Prohibition, and an epicenter for local music for the past 20 or so years. The entertainment for the evening was David J, former member of legendary English band Bauhaus (and later Love & Rockets), spinning records as guest DJ. The crowd was a bit less full than I expected, but I was told a lot of people had attended the Peter Murphy show at Harlow's the night before (also a former member of Bauhaus) and were either worn out, broke or hung over and chose not to attend. It was still a fun evening and I saw a lot of old friends.

We called it a night around 1:30 AM, we would have walked home but a friend offered us a lift.

[Ludachris]

T

Originally Posted by mohunny

Are you writing a book about the area, perchance? Hmmmmm?

I'm not a writer

We're one of the few families who have made the decision to move back to NorCal to be closer to our families, but won't have the means to do so for another year at least. So of course, once you make that decision, it's all you can think about (what's it like out there right now... how's the weather.... what could we be doing if we were out there...). You start looking forward to everything and those things creep back into your mind almost everyday. And you can only imagine so much before you start asking others for their experiences.

Thanks wburg! That's what I was hoping for.

[sfpycroft]

Going on a long bike ride along the river, or having a margarita on the delta king, getting coffee, checking out thrift stores. This post is making me homesick! (or at the very least, nostalgic)

[heartfocus]

I am planning to move to Midtown and I look forward to going to the railroad musem, the boats and boat rides on the river, old town, and the IMAX theater. I'm going to explore the little cafes and nightclubs.
Thinking about getting rid of my car then, too!

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by heartfocus

I am planning to move to Midtown and I look forward to going to the railroad musem, the boats and boat rides on the river, old town, and the IMAX theater. I'm going to explore the little cafes and nightclubs.
Thinking about getting rid of my car then, too!

All that will keep you busy for a good long while.

My wife and I live downtown and spent four years without a car, walking to work, the farmer's market, lots of other shopping and entertainment. Once or twice a month we'd get a weekend rental car for getting out of town and major food shopping. That was far cheaper than car payments, insurance, maintenance, depreciation, etc.

We finally bought a car after a home fire which displaced us for three months.