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Inside Sacramento: Culture

Sacramento has the distinction of having been named by Time Magazine, "America's Most Integrated City." From Croation to Greek to Asian (and everything in between), the city enjoys a rich texture of cultural and ethnic diversity that is reflected by its many yearly festivals and celebrations.

There's the Croation Extravaganza, for example, and the Greek Food Festival. Or how about the Dragon Drum Boat Festival? More than an illustration of mere tolerance, the city's fusion of cultures displays its reception and acceptance of diversity.

While in one sense Sacramento's ambiance cannot be separated from its history, it boasts many modern offerings as well. Riverside Old Sacramento gives a taste of the gold rush era, and in Fort Sutter, surviving members of the ill-fated Donner Party were temporarily sheltered.

There is refinement and sophistication at the Sacramento Ballet, the Sacramento Opera, and the Sacramento Area Performing Arts. Or, if your style is of a different bent, the California Music Circus or the Studio Theatre might fit the bill.

The California State Fair, two zoos, several theatre companies, and museums galore spot the city with things to do and see throughout the year on a visit to Sacramento.
 

Local Restaurants

Downtown Sacramento is the place to go if you are tired of the chain restaurants.

For Mexican, Ernesto's - great outdoor seating, tasty margaritas and noisy inside.

Another Mexican place is Zocalo.  Not your traditional Mexican restaurant, Mexican with a flair, more gourmet, tasty, trendy, moderately pricey.

Cheap eats and delicious = Jack's Urban Eats.  GREAT salads and the Urban Fries are good too.  Fries with blue cheese dressing and hot oil w/ crushed red pepper.  Yum!

Pizza - Zelda's, you either love it or hate it.  Some people call it blender pizza. Not much on atmosphere but tasty pizza!

Waterboy, very nice for that special occasion.  Just kitty corner from Jack's.

Tower Cafe, mixed bag with the food, sometimes hit or miss but outdoor seating is very good.  Sometimes you just want to eat outdoors, you know?

And here's something good from the deli at the Co-Op.  It's a curry tofu sandwich.  You can get it made with any kind of bread, different kinds of mayo and I recommend the fontina cheese with it.  Talk about good for lunch!!!

 Also like 33rd Street Bistro for sandwiches and other good food.  Once again you can eat outside here too.  They are owned by the same people who own Riverside Clubhouse over by the old cemetery downtown.  Great for Sunday morning breakfast.  Dinners are good too.  Once again, nice outdoor patio. 

		Waterboy Restaurant 2000 Capitol Ave Sacramento, CA 95814 916.498.9891 www.waterboyrestaurant.com
		Bidwell Street Bistro 1004 E. Bidwell Street Folsom, CA 95630 916.984.7500 http://www.bidwellstreetbistro.com
		Buca di Beppo 1249 Howe Avenue Sacramento, CA 95825 916.922.6673 http://www.bucadibeppo.com
		Claim Jumper 250 Harding Blvd Roseville, CA 95678 916.788.1705 http://www.claimjumper.com
		Frank Fat's 806 L Street Sacramento, CA 95814 Downtown Sacramento one block west of State Capitol http://www.fatsrestaurants.com
		The Old Spaghetti Factory 1910 J St. Sacramento, CA 95814 916.443.2862 http://www.osf.com

Sacramento Nightlife:

What'll it be, hmm? A margarita? A White Russian? Or maybe a Cosmopolitan is more to your taste. In any case, you may have to stay up all night in order to check out the extensive bar and club scene in Sacramento.

The Monkey Bar, located on the corner of Capital and 28th Street, is usually full of (not monkeys, but) patrons. It is contained within Cafe Bernardo. It's strictly a bar without froo froo like pool tables, arcades, sports tv; simply a place to meet friends new and old, hang out, listen to the energetic DJ, or enjoy live music.

The Capital Garage Coffee Company on 1500 K Street has been named in the Sacramento Bee's "Best of Sacramento" section. It's a dance club that's popular with the local musicians and has a variety of mixed drinks. Thursday nights feature an open mic, so feel free to visit and, after a few drinks, yodel or do your best Mick Jagger rendition of Satisfaction.

Lomo's Argentine Grill, formerly Jazzmen's Art of Pasta, at 1107 Firehouse Alley, has got to be one of the more aesthetically-pleasing Sacramento night spots. It's a restaurant with an outdoor courtyard on a tree-lined terrace.



Sacramento Shopping:

What do you want? Clothes, books, jewelry, specialty items, fun stuff? You'll probably find it at one place or another in Sacramento.

For those visiting Old Sacramento (downtown), the Westfield Downtown Plaza is one of the most popular destinations, and is accessible via a walkway under Interstate 5. It's located on K Street and has stores such as Macy's, 9 West, the Disney Store - all the most popular offerings and a theatre.

Perhaps the most popular store in Old Sacramento is Evangeline's. Tucked in among the many downtown shops and boutiques, it is an offbeat and fun place to shop, or even just look around. Many locals would say it is the place to go. Evangeline's has novelty items (think wacky) gifts (think unusual), and a second floor solely devoted to Halloween costumes, making it an especially busy place in October. There's also a third floor offering "vintage" items.

Arden Fair Mall, located at 1689 Arden Way, has more than 40 acres of parking. Here, you'll find Macy's, Sears, Nordstrom, J.C. Penney, books, gifts, kids' stores, and an indoor carousel for children and adults.

Just a reminder California's sales tax is 7.75% on non-food items, which is added at the register.

The Performing Arts:

If you've got the time, Sacramento has the performing arts venue to satisfy your tastes. With not dozens, but hundreds of theatre, voice, dance, literary, and musical organizations, you'll think you've gone to Performing Arts Heaven. At www.jumbotickets.com, you can search and purchase tickets for just about any of the city's offerings.

There's Best Of Broadway, a nonprofit theatre organization devoted to developing and bringing out the best in local talent. Fair Oaks Theatre Festival brings you "theatre under the stars" in a unique, amphitheatre setting. The Light Opera Theatre brings you great Gilbert & Sullivan musical comedy.

Camelia Symphony Orchestra showcases Sacramento's (and surrounding area's) own musicians. The Sacramento Master Singers is a group of premiere chamber singers who collaborate with several performing arts groups to bring the audience a multi-faceted presentation.

Sacramento Ballet has been around since 1954, presenting such varied performances as The Nutcracker, Sinatra Songs, and Where the Wild Things Are.

Orchestras, theatre, opera, ballet, dinner theatre, Taiko drummers, puppetry, mime, magic shows, Sacramento just about has it all.