Below is a copy of an LA Times article that ran in my paper's travel section Sunday. As it should, it prominently mentions CSRM as a must-see location for visitors. What caught me though, is what the writer locked in on at CSRM... the heavyweight Pullman that rocks back and forth (animation) and the AT&SF diner that is filled with beautiful place settings (reflections on the so-called "Golden Age"). I though it was just a good reality check... we all get wrapped up in our Consolidations, Es, etc., but a couple of the "little things" is what made mention in this piece. Jim

"Nothing exciting ever happens in Sacramento." That's the oft-repeated rap against the state's capital, which has the misfortune of being just 90 freeway minutes from tourist magnet San Francisco.

Now it's command central for Arnold Schwarzenegger.

So the Terminator is also a tourist generator? Well, yes.
"Gov. Schwarzenegger's presence has definitely increased interest in Sacramento, both from domestic and international travelers," said Steve Hammond, president and chief executive of the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau.

But tourism in the region would bring in $2 billion annually even if California's gubernatorial race had gone differently.

The city is frequently seen on screen but, alas, rarely as Sacramento. With its tree-shaded streets and old frame houses, it can pass for Anywhere, USA. "We've been Harrisburg, Pa.; Cleveland; Kansas; and a Mississippi shantytown," said Lucy Steffens, the bureau's film commissioner. The Capitol has masqueraded as the nation's capitol and Alabama's capitol.

With a population of 460,000, Sacramento is a manageable size. It's hard to get lost in the central city, where streets are laid out on a grid, numbered streets running north-south and lettered streets east-west. The city is dotted with green spaces, including 40-acre Capitol Park.

*

Old Sacramento

But not all is what it might be. Much of the pedestrian-friendly K Street Mall downtown is decidedly grungy, with cheap stores, fast-food joints, empty storefronts and, at night, homeless people sleeping in doorways. Old Sacramento State Historic Park, the city's No. 1 tourist attraction, has, sadly, attracted mostly shops of the T-shirt and taffy ilk.

As a good tourist, I started my explorations there, lunching at the Rio City Cafe overlooking the Sacramento River. Readers of Sacramento magazine chose it as one of the city's best restaurants.

I then headed for the splendid California State Railroad Museum. A $4 ticket includes a simulated ride on a 1929 Pullman car that actually rattles and sways. Then there's a walk through an old Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe diner, its tables set with linens and fine china. A far cry from today's snack cars.

Otherwise, the best part of Old Sacramento is just strolling the plank sidewalks and cobbled streets and soaking up the architecture of the restored or reconstructed Gold Rush-era buildings.

*

Stately digs

Head to East Sacramento and drive past the "thrifty 30s" to the "fabulous 40s," an area of grand homes in a mix of architectural styles. The big white brick house at 1341 45th St. is where the Reagans lived when Ronald was governor.

And you might peek through the imposing twin gates of La Casa de Los Gobernadores at 2300 California Ave. in close-in Carmichael. It's the governor's mansion that never was - not finished in time for the Reagans and rejected by bachelor Jerry Brown. The nine-bedroom, 11-bath, 12,000-square-foot estate with ballroom is for sale for $5.9 million. But the owner will sell it to the state for $3.5 million - if it's for the governor.

Is the first family interested? Listing agent Geoff Zimmerman said she can't say, "but there's definitely interest right now from different people in government who've looked with him in mind."

The Arnold buzz is big around Sacramento. At Ettore's - a diet-dooming bakery, deli and cafe at 2376 Fair Oaks Blvd. in East Sacramento's "gourmet gulch" - the new pastry chef is Vienna-born Peter Wimmler. Just a coincidence, said manager Joe Thompson, but a fortuitous one. The bakery made Austrian strudel for two pre-inauguration gatherings, and "I'm assuming our strudel count will begin to come up," Thompson said.

At David Berkley, an upscale wine shop-deli-greengrocer in the tony Pavilions shopping center on Fair Oaks Boulevard, we found jovial owner David Berkley tasting wine - California wine. He doesn't expect Austrian wines to be poured at gubernatorial galas: "California wine is a significant part of the economy."

*

Gotta-see sights

A must-see attraction is Sutter's Fort State Historic Park in midtown. It's a reconstruction of an adobe fort founded by John Sutter in 1839. The self-contained community was a shelter for weary settlers who trekked West, among them survivors of the ill-fated Donner Party. When gold was discovered 50 miles east at Sutter's Mill, it spelled ruin, not riches, for Sutter. His fort became a way station for transient miners, and he was victimized by swindlers, squatters and thieves.

The Crocker Art Museum at 216 O St. is worth the $6 ticket, if only to see the opulent 19th-century mansion built by Judge E.B. Crocker, a onetime state Supreme Court justice, and his wife, Margaret, as their private art gallery. (They lived next door.) The gallery has tile floors, a carved double staircase and massive doors. The eclectic collection includes Pieter Brueghel the Younger's "Peasant Wedding Dance," drawings by Albrecht Durer and Rembrandt, a Rufino Tamayo, contemporary sculpture and a gallery of early California art, much of it by artists from Europe and the East Coast who were lured West by the Gold Rush. And the gift shop is terrific.

The old Governor's Mansion, a Victorian relic at 1526 H St., can be seen by tour only ($2). Versailles it's not. Furnishings include a 1903 Steinway piano and a 1954 Sylvania TV. Built by a prosperous hardware merchant in 1877, it's been home to 13 governors, including Reagan, who got out as quickly as possible (after only 3 1/2 months). My favorite room was the 1950s kitchen, a real hoot.

*

Outdoors

The region also offers plenty of outdoor activity.

A scenic biking and hiking trail starts in Old Sacramento and winds for 32 miles to Beal's Point at Folsom Lake. Called the Jedediah Smith Memorial Bicycle Trail, the route along the American River honors the pioneering spirit of that 19th-century mountain man. Bike Sacramento at 1050 Front St. rents bikes for $6 an hour or $20 a day and is open daily. A path from the bike shop leads to the trail head at Discovery Park, which is at the confluence of the American and Sacramento rivers.

The river-view bike trail, which cuts through stands of oaks and sycamores, is part of a 5,000-acre protected habitat, the American River Parkway. Each year the parkway - the jewel of Sacramento's outdoor attractions - lures 5 million visitors. Wildlife abounds. There are camping accommodations at Folsom Lake, which is rich with trout, bass and perch, and is a magnet for anglers.

Arnoldville

BASICS

Sacramento, Calif., is northeast of San Francisco via Interstate 80. Driving time from San Francisco International Airport: 1 1/2 hours (one way), about 97 miles.

DINING

Esquire Grill, 1213 K St. There have been several Arnold Schwarzenegger sightings at this clubby, wood-paneled downtown restaurant. Politicians are frequently seen here at lunch. Dinner entrees (steaks, chops, fish): $14 to $24.

Biba, 2801 Capitol Ave. is a favorite owned by cookbook author Biba Caggiano. Northern Italian cuisine. Big and busy, with popular piano bar. Schwarzenegger was spotted here. Dinner entrees $19 to $23.

RESOURCES

Self-guided walking tour maps of Old Sacramento available at Old Sacramento Visitor Information Center, 1104 2nd St. (916) 442-7644 anytime.

Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau, 1303 J St., Suite 600, Sacramento, CA 95814; (800) 292-2334, toll-free, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. weekdays; www.discovergold.org.



http://nctrans.org
Wrinnbo@aol.com

> Below is a copy of an LA Times article that
> ran in my paper's travel section Sunday. As
> it should, it prominently mentions CSRM as a
> must-see location for visitors. What caught
> me though, is what the writer locked in on
> at CSRM... the heavyweight Pullman that
> rocks back and forth (animation) and the
> AT&SF diner that is filled with
> beautiful place settings (reflections on the
> so-called "Golden Age"). I though
> it was just a good reality check... we all
> get wrapped up in our Consolidations, Es,
> etc., but a couple of the "little
> things" is what made mention in this
> piece. Jim

> "Nothing exciting ever happens in
> Sacramento." That's the oft-repeated
> rap against the state's capital, which has
> the misfortune of being just 90 freeway
> minutes from tourist magnet San Francisco.

> Now it's command central for Arnold
> Schwarzenegger.

> So the Terminator is also a tourist
> generator? Well, yes.
> "Gov. Schwarzenegger's presence has
> definitely increased interest in Sacramento,
> both from domestic and international
> travelers," said Steve Hammond,
> president and chief executive of the
> Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau.

> But tourism in the region would bring in $2
> billion annually even if California's
> gubernatorial race had gone differently.

> The city is frequently seen on screen but,
> alas, rarely as Sacramento. With its
> tree-shaded streets and old frame houses, it
> can pass for Anywhere, USA. "We've been
> Harrisburg, Pa.; Cleveland; Kansas; and a
> Mississippi shantytown," said Lucy
> Steffens, the bureau's film commissioner.
> The Capitol has masqueraded as the nation's
> capitol and Alabama's capitol.

> With a population of 460,000, Sacramento is
> a manageable size. It's hard to get lost in
> the central city, where streets are laid out
> on a grid, numbered streets running
> north-south and lettered streets east-west.
> The city is dotted with green spaces,
> including 40-acre Capitol Park.

> *

> Old Sacramento

> But not all is what it might be. Much of the
> pedestrian-friendly K Street Mall downtown
> is decidedly grungy, with cheap stores,
> fast-food joints, empty storefronts and, at
> night, homeless people sleeping in doorways.
> Old Sacramento State Historic Park, the
> city's No. 1 tourist attraction, has, sadly,
> attracted mostly shops of the T-shirt and
> taffy ilk.

> As a good tourist, I started my explorations
> there, lunching at the Rio City Cafe
> overlooking the Sacramento River. Readers of
> Sacramento magazine chose it as one of the
> city's best restaurants.

> I then headed for the splendid California
> State Railroad Museum. A $4 ticket includes
> a simulated ride on a 1929 Pullman car that
> actually rattles and sways. Then there's a
> walk through an old Atchison, Topeka &
> Santa Fe diner, its tables set with linens
> and fine china. A far cry from today's snack
> cars.

> Otherwise, the best part of Old Sacramento
> is just strolling the plank sidewalks and
> cobbled streets and soaking up the
> architecture of the restored or
> reconstructed Gold Rush-era buildings.

> *

> Stately digs

> Head to East Sacramento and drive past the
> "thrifty 30s" to the
> "fabulous 40s," an area of grand
> homes in a mix of architectural styles. The
> big white brick house at 1341 45th St. is
> where the Reagans lived when Ronald was
> governor.

> And you might peek through the imposing twin
> gates of La Casa de Los Gobernadores at 2300
> California Ave. in close-in Carmichael. It's
> the governor's mansion that never was - not
> finished in time for the Reagans and
> rejected by bachelor Jerry Brown. The
> nine-bedroom, 11-bath, 12,000-square-foot
> estate with ballroom is for sale for $5.9
> million. But the owner will sell it to the
> state for $3.5 million - if it's for the
> governor.

> Is the first family interested? Listing
> agent Geoff Zimmerman said she can't say,
> "but there's definitely interest right
> now from different people in government
> who've looked with him in mind."

> The Arnold buzz is big around Sacramento. At
> Ettore's - a diet-dooming bakery, deli and
> cafe at 2376 Fair Oaks Blvd. in East
> Sacramento's "gourmet gulch" - the
> new pastry chef is Vienna-born Peter
> Wimmler. Just a coincidence, said manager
> Joe Thompson, but a fortuitous one. The
> bakery made Austrian strudel for two
> pre-inauguration gatherings, and "I'm
> assuming our strudel count will begin to
> come up," Thompson said.

> At David Berkley, an upscale wine
> shop-deli-greengrocer in the tony Pavilions
> shopping center on Fair Oaks Boulevard, we
> found jovial owner David Berkley tasting
> wine - California wine. He doesn't expect
> Austrian wines to be poured at gubernatorial
> galas: "California wine is a
> significant part of the economy."

> *

> Gotta-see sights

> A must-see attraction is Sutter's Fort State
> Historic Park in midtown. It's a
> reconstruction of an adobe fort founded by
> John Sutter in 1839. The self-contained
> community was a shelter for weary settlers
> who trekked West, among them survivors of
> the ill-fated Donner Party. When gold was
> discovered 50 miles east at Sutter's Mill,
> it spelled ruin, not riches, for Sutter. His
> fort became a way station for transient
> miners, and he was victimized by swindlers,
> squatters and thieves.

> The Crocker Art Museum at 216 O St. is worth
> the $6 ticket, if only to see the opulent
> 19th-century mansion built by Judge E.B.
> Crocker, a onetime state Supreme Court
> justice, and his wife, Margaret, as their
> private art gallery. (They lived next door.)
> The gallery has tile floors, a carved double
> staircase and massive doors. The eclectic
> collection includes Pieter Brueghel the
> Younger's "Peasant Wedding Dance,"
> drawings by Albrecht Durer and Rembrandt, a
> Rufino Tamayo, contemporary sculpture and a
> gallery of early California art, much of it
> by artists from Europe and the East Coast
> who were lured West by the Gold Rush. And
> the gift shop is terrific.

> The old Governor's Mansion, a Victorian
> relic at 1526 H St., can be seen by tour
> only ($2). Versailles it's not. Furnishings
> include a 1903 Steinway piano and a 1954
> Sylvania TV. Built by a prosperous hardware
> merchant in 1877, it's been home to 13
> governors, including Reagan, who got out as
> quickly as possible (after only 3 1/2
> months). My favorite room was the 1950s
> kitchen, a real hoot.

> *

> Outdoors

> The region also offers plenty of outdoor
> activity.

> A scenic biking and hiking trail starts in
> Old Sacramento and winds for 32 miles to
> Beal's Point at Folsom Lake. Called the
> Jedediah Smith Memorial Bicycle Trail, the
> route along the American River honors the
> pioneering spirit of that 19th-century
> mountain man. Bike Sacramento at 1050 Front
> St. rents bikes for $6 an hour or $20 a day
> and is open daily. A path from the bike shop
> leads to the trail head at Discovery Park,
> which is at the confluence of the American
> and Sacramento rivers.

> The river-view bike trail, which cuts
> through stands of oaks and sycamores, is
> part of a 5,000-acre protected habitat, the
> American River Parkway. Each year the
> parkway - the jewel of Sacramento's outdoor
> attractions - lures 5 million visitors.
> Wildlife abounds. There are camping
> accommodations at Folsom Lake, which is rich
> with trout, bass and perch, and is a magnet
> for anglers.

> Arnoldville

> BASICS

> Sacramento, Calif., is northeast of San
> Francisco via Interstate 80. Driving time
> from San Francisco International Airport: 1
> 1/2 hours (one way), about 97 miles.

> DINING

> Esquire Grill, 1213 K St. There have been
> several Arnold Schwarzenegger sightings at
> this clubby, wood-paneled downtown
> restaurant. Politicians are frequently seen
> here at lunch. Dinner entrees (steaks,
> chops, fish): $14 to $24.

> Biba, 2801 Capitol Ave. is a favorite owned
> by cookbook author Biba Caggiano. Northern
> Italian cuisine. Big and busy, with popular
> piano bar. Schwarzenegger was spotted here.
> Dinner entrees $19 to $23.

> RESOURCES

> Self-guided walking tour maps of Old
> Sacramento available at Old Sacramento
> Visitor Information Center, 1104 2nd St.
> (916) 442-7644 anytime.

> Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau,
> 1303 J St., Suite 600, Sacramento, CA 95814;
> (800) 292-2334, toll-free, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
> weekdays; www.discovergold.org.

Let's not forget the very functional and attractive light rail system that runs down the K street mall and can take you to many of the funky places in Sac City.

Actually, a cool town, with friendly folks and many neat ethnic restaurants of the Asian variety.



East Troy Electric Railroad
jftrolley@aol.com