The Good Life ~ Sacramento
Exploring a City with a Small-Town Feel and World of PotentialArchive for June, 2009
Grape & Gourmet Right Behind Wine & Dine!
Spotlighting Sacramento’s emerging restaurant scene and regional wine production, the SCVB, California Restaurant Association and annual Grape & Gourmet state wine competition have partnered with almost 50 local restaurants to create “Wine & Dine Week”, scheduled for July 4 through July12. (But I mentioned that before, didn’t I?)
What I didn’t include is that the event serves as a culinary warm-up to the annual Grape & Gourmet California state wine competition, which is coming to the Sacramento Convention Center July 9 from 5:30 to 9PM. Grape & Gourmet features award-winning wineries from the California State Fair and welcomes nearly 50 restaurants and 800 award-winning California wines. Microbrews and live entertainment are just extra icing on the already-iced cake!
Advance tickets are $50 and can be purchased at tickets.com. For more information visit http://www.thebestcaliforniawine.com.
Wine and Dine in Style All Week Long!
Enotria Restaurant & Wine Bar
4th Street Grille – Definitely memorable
58 Degrees & Holding Co. – Wine, wine, wine – oh my!
Enotria Restaurant and Wine Bar – More wine, more wine, more wine – oh my!
(The food at these establishments is just as impressive)
Esquire Grill – Excellent before a show at the Community Center
Frank Fats – Old school class
Ink Eats & Drinks – New school late night
L Wine Lounge & Restaurant – Roomy, social
McCormick & Schmick’s – Classy
River City Brewing Company – Well-rounded
Slocum House – Oh so romantic
Spataro – Solid
Tazzina – Worth the trek to small town Woodland
The Firehouse – A legend around these here parts
Zocalo – Means ‘center of town’; very festive
These are just some of the restaurants participating in this year’s Wine & Dine Week, July 4 – 12, where for a fixed price you can experience the area’s best restaurants first class and first rate. The focus is on local food and wines, and the bonus is the pairing of the two. Making the Sacramento area’s finest restaurants even more accessible (and affordable!) for the public and introducing wines worthy of attention, the 2009 Wine & Dine Week is raising the bar on all things culinary, uncorked, classy and cutting edge.
For more participating restaurants and details visit:
http://www.SacramentoWineandDine.com
Cheers and Bon Appetit!
Zuda Yoga & the Lightness of Being
Zuda Yoga Team
I see all this white space, and not much else. It’s cool and refreshing, but also, soothing as a warm breeze. When I look in, I want to not just be there, but be it. I think of the color white and what it means…
purity, innocence, softness…
quiet, pleasant, understated elegance…
White also means kindness. In some culltures white is worn at funerals, softer and more forgiving than black.
White is to me… humble, friendly, clear, peaceful and freeing. And for some reason, white to me, is Zuda Yoga. But it’s not because the interior is entirely white (it’s not) or because the instructors always wear white (I don’t know that they do)… I think it probably has something to do with yoga in general, how it can clear out the space within and make you feel like the lightest, purest being on the planet.
Have you tried it yet?
Cold Play, Anyone (and Anyone Else)?
Said to be one of the most humble and hard-working bands today, Cold Play has already sold out one summer concert in the Sacramento region. So whether due to popular demand and/or the chance to make some more money, promoters of the group are offering 2-for-1 tickets to Coldplay’s 2nd show – July 14th at Sleep Train Ampitheatre in Wheatland.
A little soul-stirring and spirit-rising beneath the stars in rural Northern California… at prices sure to please the pocketbook… Now that’s what summer here is all about!
Tickets for this show must be purchased by July 12.
Available ticket levels include (must be bought in pairs):
- Lawn … $17.50 (reg. $35)
- Reserved Level 2 … $39.50 (reg. $79)
- Reserved … $48.50 (reg. $97)
To buy discounted tickets, see below. Use password TRAVEL
to get the discount. Fees of $6-$11 per ticket are
additional. (Full price tickets are subject to the same
fees.) Ticket quantities are subject to availability.
http://www.travelzoo.com/Newsflash.ashx?603680-14445420
[Photo courtesy AW Music]
Style & Comfort Meet Location, Location, Location
Looking out the 9th floor window of the Citizen Hotel in Downtown Sac, I immediately see the heart of the Central City, and then beyond it the foothills at the base of the Sierra Mountains. The ornate and looming Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament hoists five golden crosses in the air and six California and American flags wave from various nearby building tops. There’s a blanket of dark green trees to my left (east west) just beyond the stunning Elks Tower (circa 1926), but far and to the right is an even more expansive blanket of lushness softening the perimeters. The city is somewhat unfamiliar from this vantage point and that evokes in me a slight sense of excitement, like perching on the edge of a new adventure.
What’s the history of this long-standing building? I ponder… And are there any ghosts caught in the howling wind outside our door?
[Rates at the Citizen are surprisingly affordable, especially on the weekends. Try a Friday night and walk across the street for the FREE Friday Night Concert series; Walk to one of the nearby clubs or countless eateries; Check out the IMAX or visit the historic Crest Theatre for an independent or foreign film. http://www.CitizenHotel.com
Cozy Up in Downtown Winters This Summer
Downtown Winters CA
If you’ve never been to Winters, you’re missing Norman Rockwell’s point. Adding to the small town charm of an adorable and historic rural community, the 1st Annual Winters Outdoor Quilt and Textile Art Festival is coming Saturday, June 27th and Sunday, June 28th. Take a gander because you love quilting… or just because it’s a great reason to get you to go. (I once had a roaring time at the Stockton Asparagus Festival… and I wasn’t even all that fond of Asparagus at the time).
Anyway, when things like this come to a tiny town, one might say the whole town gets involved. And the involvement in Winters is getting more and more artsy, and more and more inviting. Home to the beloved Palms Playhouse (live music), the infamous (in a good way) Buckhorn Steakhouse, Putah Creek Nature Area, art galleries, wine tasting, and plenty of good eateries and charming businesses, Winters is a perfect little day trip, afternoon jaunt or weekend getaway.
In addition, there’ll be a sunset dinner with local Firefighters. I assume it’s a fundraising thing, either for the artists or public servants. But I say, ‘sunset, firefighters, local art… you probably can’t go wrong either way.’
(Winters is just west of Woodland and Davis, north of Vacaville. Call 530-795-2580 for more information on the festival or visit http://www.yolocvb.org for general area and event information).
[Photo Courtesy Solano Magazine]
Plays Well with Others
You know those guys standing on the street corner holding pizza signs and waving? Do you ever wave back? When you enter or exit a public place, do you look back to see if anyone could use an open door? How about walking down the street? Do you make eye contact, smile or say ‘Hello’ to passer-bys?
It seems some of our bad (or just nonexistent) manners are just a reflection of our self-involved society: talking on cell phones, listening to Ipods, being distracted or generally just being self-absorbed. I’m pleased to say, however, that there are still plenty of well-mannered people out there. And yet one place, in particular, seems to have maintained its general ongoing goodwill toward people in the midst.
The waterways of Sacramento, which are dominated by the Sacramento and American Rivers, are ever-flowing portals of summer fun. Boaters, rafters, jetski-ers, sunbathers, bird watchers, anglers, joggers, cyclists, campers, picnic-ers and the likes frequent the American River Parkway regularly, which is about 30 miles and 4,000 acres of pure nature and mankind mingling. And there’s one thing I’ve seen consistently on these rivers: basic manners.
Certainly, there are exceptions to every rule (jerks in every city). But we shouldn’t let them get the best of us. At least that’s my motto… Whether it’s older gentlemen in a fishing boat, teenagers crammed into a speedboat or a family floating merrily down river; whether it’s kayakers, wakeboard-ers or beach-goers, acknowledgment of one another is the norm. Whether the rivers are crowded on a holiday weekend or sparse in playmates during the week, one thing usually stands: The standard ‘I-see-you-and-share-a-common-bond-with-you’ wave. That bond being – the love of the rivers that have nourished our land for so long, and continue to elevate our spirits daily. Mother Nature can make a city beautiful, but it’s the people that make it especially grand.
[Above Photo: 'Sacramento River' by Steve Duroncelet]
There is something special about Sacramento; the rich land upon which it was built, the rivers that flow through, the bounty around it and the people who make the Sacramento area their home.
Life is good in California’s Capital City for many reasons, including climate and geography, community and amenities, nature and wildlife, and so much more. It’s hard to imagine a warmer feeling than a sunshine-drenched morning here, an easier feeling than a refreshing post-rain spring day, or a more engaging experience than a night on the town with friends or family.
There’s truly something here for everyone and every mood, for Sacramento is a shifting entity itself, with four distinct but relatively mild seasons, diverse neighborhoods and people, a ripening food and restaurant scene, year-round events and outdoor fun, and daytime and night-time adventures. Its magic is a blend of history and tradition, vision and reinvention. And there’s so much pleasure to be had here – with family and friends, food and wine, adventures and experiences – that they’re likely to create the kind of fond memories that might seem so familiar… but aren’t quite like any other.
