Sacramento, CA through the eyes of friends

I am always looking for ways to find hidden treasures in towns that I visit. Sometimes I know people where I am and sometimes I don't and even when I do and they give me a tour, it captures the highlights of what everyone else sees too. I decided I wanted to find out what makes my friends love the city they live in. I started my adventure in Sacramento, California where I lived for 8 years. I wanted to see if my friends could show me something I didn't already know about "my town".

First I went with one of my best friend's, Kris, to her favorite Starbucks at the corner of Alhambra and N Streets where she introduced me to her favorite barista, Jayc. Kris told me that this Starbucks is her 'happy place' because Jayc is so awesome, and because there is a big coffee cup on the outside of the building! Jayc has Kris' drink ready before she even gets to the counter to order it...lol excellent customer service at it's best :)

Next I met up with my friend Warren. He was funny and tried to tell me his favorite thing about Sacramento was his phone....hahahaha...it is a G2, but that's not the "favorite" kind of thing I was looking for, Warren! So I pushed a little harder and got him to fess up to loving the drive-in movie theater. It is one of the few remaining drive-ins in the country, so it completely makes sense why it would be a favorite. 
While we did not go to the drive-in that night, I have been there before and it was always a great time...many fond memories :)


I met my friend Cari at Zocalo's downtown for happy hour. It's a great spot, I love their enchilada's with green sauce...YUMMY! We had virgin blackberry margaritas which were amazingly tasty. Talking about it makes me want one now! 

However, this wasn't the favorite spot she wanted to share with me. Unfortunately we couldn't go to her favorite spot because it was raining, but she told me about it and now not only am I craving a blackberry margarita from Zocalo, but also a caramel apple from Apple Hill just east of Sacramento in the foothills. I have to confess that I have never been to Apple Hill, but Cari shared with me that she loves the small town feel, fresh apple pie smells, and tasty treats.

I also met up with my friend Danny who always has a nice glass of wine ready and waiting for me - love him!  He shared with me his favorite walking path from the Sacramento Marina to Old Sacramento, paralleled by the Sacramento River and the railroad tracks. As you head towards Old Sacramento, which by the way is one of my favorite spots, you have a great breeze coming off the river and a fantastic view of downtown. We stopped in for happy hour at Fanny Ann's in Old Sacramento, met some cool people there (including Athena, my new favorite bartender), enjoyed some laughs and headed back to the car. Great walk, great view, great company...loved it!

Christena is my Goodwill/thrift shop/salvation army buddy. We have often gone out and created our own adventures on hot Sacramento summer days in various thrift shops and Goodwill stores, so it didn't surprise me that she wanted to show me an antique shop . We started our day at Cafe Bernardo for some Breakfast Potato's (yummy!!!!!) and then had some time to kill before the antique store opened so we went to Sutter's Fort (which wasn't open either) and walked around the park. We met a man there who is friends with all the wildlife. He shared the names of some of the squirrels and ducks and told us some stories...it was really quite fun. Christena cautiously fed the squirrel before we ventured off to explore the rest of the park. 

It was finally time to head to The Antique Company on X Street...FUN! We found so many treasures, although we purchased nothing. I really liked the "hall of pictures" which was literally a hallway with art, photographs (some of real people, some of landscapes) and mirrors; however, my very favorite part was the basket where you could replace family members!!! LOL Maybe not literally, but you know there is someone in your family too who you wish you weren't related to!

My last visit in Sacramento was to see my good friend Angela, owner of Simply Sweet Pastries and Dessert Tables. I stopped to see her at a vendor exhibition event at the Capital Building. She couldn't take me to her favorite place because she was working, but the event just happened to be at her favorite place - Capital Park. I have to admit when I lived in Sacramento I drove by the Capital and park numerous times, even worked at events there, but I never took the time to explore the grounds. Today, though, that changed and wow am I glad it did. Angela shared with me that the hidden pond and the statues and monuments throughout the park are what she loves about it. For her, it is a sanctuary that provides tranquility in the middle of the hustle and bustle of life and downtown Sacramento. After spending an hour or so wandering the grounds, I have to say I can understand how she formed her opinion.


My visit to Sacramento was fun! Granted I got to spend time with some of my favorite people, which is NEVER bad, but the best part was I got to see Sacramento through their eyes. In the process I was able to not only revisit some of my own favorite places, but also see places that I hadn't taken the time to explore or visit before. It was definitely an adventure that I'm glad I took. Thank you to Kris, Warren, Danny, Cari, Christena and Angela for showing me YOUR Sacramento!


PS - If you want to check out all of the pictures I took, you can do so here: Photos of my visit to Sacramento