# Sacramento and area **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 28, 2013, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sacramento-and-area/659525 "2013-05-28T06:14:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sacramento-and-area/659525/21 "2013-05-29T17:21:55Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > This town seems to be actively hostile to its residents - ever see a double speed bump? I’m told that originally, they didn’t even mark them - put up signs reading (yes, really) “Undulations Ahead” and let you find exactly where they were. My understanding is that “speed bumps” are illegal under the California traffic code, thus the places that put them in have to play little legal terminology games. You see “undulations” and “uneven pavement” and “raised crosswalks” and such instead. > [@](#): > > “Minor league” pretty well sums up the town… The main industry is government, meaning the population is 90% state workers, who as a class make the prototypical Levittowner of the '50s look cultured and intellectual. Indy restaurants and stores can barely survive the stampedes to Olive Garden, Outback, Macaroni Grill and Target. > [@](#): > > Lodi as a wine Mecca is something of a giggle. Besides, as CCR said at the time - they were talking about Lodi _New Jersey!_. Actually, they had a standing gig to play the Lodi Prom. The fine citizens of Lodi CA cancelled that. I’m sure John Fogarty, to this day, rues ever offending the folks at the Lodi High School. I won’t disagree that Lodi is a boil on the bull’s ass that is the central valley (I rescued Mrs. B. from there.) But the CCR song is indisputably about Lodi, California - I heard it from straight from Doug “Cosmo” Clifford, along with the back story of driving all day (and then all night, home) to play a shitty little club whose patrons kept yelling at them to turn it down. They were basically humming along with unpowered guitars by the end. There is, or was a sign outside of Lodi that read something like “Green River ordinance enforced.” I forget what it was supposed to refer to - actually, I think it was something a bit “sundown town” and racist, but barely legal - but the common story was that it meant it was illegal to play CCR music there. > [@](#): > > Oh well, at least there is an In-n-Out here… Oh, yes. The height of California freeway culture. Never could understand it myself. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sacramento-and-area/659525/22 "2013-05-29T18:25:26Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > No train to Tahoe. But its a short drive and lots to do and see there. > > As a bonus, you get Carson City (Nevada State Museum, Train Museum, V&T Train ride), Virginia City (tourist trap) and Reno (train trench and Auto Museum). > > How the hell did this turn into a train thread? Waves from Carson City!🆒🙂 ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sacramento-and-area/659525/23 "2013-05-30T05:10:28Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Spend a day (or several) in Monterey and Carmel. Don’t miss Carmel. There is so much to do and see there, you could easily spend a week and not get bored. I go down there every chance I get, which ends up being about twice a month. You lucky. Just took a quick pass through Old Town (did not see the Underground tours). It would look better as a ghost town - 1880’s - 1890’s buildings in truly gaudy paint, occupied by tourist-trap enterprises. One thing for digital photography - it did get rid of the huge “Kodak” signs. I’m trying to get some response to the idea of spending most of the time driving vs doing whatever presents itself locally. I actually checked out Bodie; _That_ would be a death march. Come on folks, more of you have been here than we’ve heard from - spit it out - where are the well-hidden local attractions? ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sacramento-and-area/659525/24 "2013-05-30T20:38:17Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > Come on folks, more of you have been here than we’ve heard from - spit it out - where are the well-hidden local attractions? People can post ideas here all day and have you shoot them down. How about you tell us the kinds of things that would be of interest, or per your OP, what you would consider “worth seeing/doing?”. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sacramento-and-area/659525/25 "2013-05-31T03:58:27Z")
Well, to recap: 3 bommers, not into swimming or eating (diabetes). Would prefer not to spend all the time driving. We all come from much larger, more cultured environs - me SF, them Chicago. Small town zoos are not going to thrill; I’m forwarding the suggestions as they come in. So far, no response, so I don’t know how they are being received. I looked up a local Hotel/Casino/Entertainment outfit on a Native Reservation. Their big acts (Gladys Knight, Beach Boys, Leonard Skynard, etc.) are one-shots a week apart. As far as I know, none of us are interested in gaming. So far we have a day wandering around the Capital grounds and Old Town. They may lap up an Underground tour, I have suggested it. Of all the museums, any besides the Railroad and McClelland (military planes) worth a shout-out? Ideally, there would be something unique to the place which could rival the Filbert St steps in SF or the Mt Tam overlook. Way too much to ask, but something along those lines. NOt a scale-down version of things done much better a hundred other places. For visuals, all I keep coming up with Tahoe - which is a stretch. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sacramento-and-area/659525/26 "2013-05-31T13:03:04Z")
I’ll repeat my suggestion of the Empire Mine in the gold country. Close to Sacramento. Tours of both the mine and Bourne’s house and garden may be interesting. Nearby towns are pleasant. ---
**Author:** ![RoniaBorkason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9dc877/32.png) [@RoniaBorkason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RoniaBorkason)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sacramento-and-area/659525/27 "2013-05-31T13:47:59Z")
If you’re willing to drive to Monterey, go to Yosemite instead. Its the same amount of time in the car, and is gorgeous. It can be done as a really long day trip, but is better as an overnight (camping/$$hotel). Also, its crazy crowded, so during the week is slightly better than a weekend. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sacramento-and-area/659525/28 "2013-05-31T14:21:50Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > Just took a quick pass through Old Town (did not see the Underground tours). It would look better as a ghost town - 1880’s - 1890’s buildings in truly gaudy paint, occupied by tourist-trap enterprises. Yes, Old Sac has spent 30 years caught between “let’s make it a real, vibrant business district” and “let’s fleece the yokels.” So there is one faction that frantically tries to entice real businesses to locate there, and then they do things like rope the whole place off for five days of a jazz festival, meaning the ‘real businesses’ might as well close down for that period. The train museum there really is wonderful, astounding, world-class. A reporter friend who attended the grand opening a while back summed it up as “Much too good for Sacramento.” It’s worth (easy) parking and two hours or so on any day you can fit it in. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sacramento-and-area/659525/29 "2013-05-31T15:08:25Z")
There is a IKEA for some cheap Swedish meatballs:D ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sacramento-and-area/659525/30 "2013-05-31T17:37:21Z")
Goodness. My family always told me people from SF were arrogant and condescending towards us, but I never believed them. Why would a truly international-class city in one of the most beautiful natural settings in the world go out of it’s way to bash a small commuter-focused town that basically functions to keep state workers housed and fed? If you are looking for a bang-up once-in-a-lifetime experience in Sacramento, you just aren’t going to get it, no matter how hard you complain. Its a small city. It’s only about 150 years old (and was flooded or burning for half of that), and most of the place is 60s suburban sprawl. It’s not a center of arts and culture-- and why would it be, with San Francisco in it’s backyard? Sacramento is a pleasant enough town where people live and work, and it has just about enough to keep families entertained on the weekends. If you are there for a week, I’m sorry, but you just aren’t going to find enough to spend all day touring. But if you are happy with a quiet, relaxing little trip passing the time in pleasant (if not particularly unique or exotic) places, you’ll be fine. There are a few small historic sites to stroll around- you can fill up an afternoon with that. There are a few natural places that are not super-dramatic, but certainly pleasant. You can easily spend a day lolling around at Folsom Lake, or biking down the American River bike trail. It’s flat and scrubby land, but pretty in its own way. Old Sacramento is a bit of a tacky tourist trap (Gee, San Francisco wouldn’t know anything about that, would it), but it’s a nice place to get some brunch and poke around for a long morning. If you look, there are events. Some of them are pretty cool, but you have to find them. Last time I was in town, I went to a (completely packed) Sikh underground hip-hop show. There are art galleries and plays. You aren’t going to find anything world class, but you’ll find stuff that is nice. One thing Sac does well is food. The high-end is pretty sad, but Sacramento’s diversity means it has one of the greatest collections of mid-range and cheap ethnic food you could ask for. One of my favorite places is Koreana Plaza in Rancho Cordova. They started out as a Korean supermarket. Soon, there were so many Eastern European customers that they started a Russian aisle. Now, they’ve expanded to take over two large supermarket-sized spaces and offer a fully array of Asian, Latin American, and European specialties. Otherwise, what do you want? I could tell you where to find the world’s largest piece of Lucite, but I doubt that’s going to make you happy. Sac is the kind of place where you have to use your imagination a bit, it’s not just all going to come to you on a silver spoon. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sacramento-and-area/659525/31 "2013-05-31T21:35:22Z")
OK - Direction at last! They’ve seen Capitals, Zoos, Museums to their little hearts’ content. Looking for things natural. and maybe Gold Rush - so the Empire Mine and Tahoe spring to front of the list. Has anyone experience with Pyramid Lake (above Sparks, on the Paiute lands. It seems too many outsiders did not know how to behave in sacred places, so the north end is now closed to non- Natives. Is what’s left worth the side trip from Truckee/Tahoe? Our idea of lunch is fast food. Gawd help me, 30 years in SF, and I ate real food about 12 times. I’m a firm believer in buying the best you can afford for durable items. For use-once-and-throw-away, quality does not matter. Food is the ultimate in use-once-and-throw-away. ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2013, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sacramento-and-area/659525/32 "2013-06-01T18:06:25Z")
Just day trips, or overnights? If they haven’t been to Yosemite, that’s required. Within day trip distance, try Angels Camp and Calaveras Big Trees. For Tahoe, check out Taylor Creek, Baldwin Beach, Pope Beach. For little bits of what’s left as natural in the Sacramento Valley, you might check out the Cosumnes River Preserve west of Galt, or Caswell state park near Modesto. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2013, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sacramento-and-area/659525/33 "2013-06-01T20:30:17Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > OK - Direction at last! > > They’ve seen Capitals, Zoos, Museums to their little hearts’ content. > > Looking for things natural. and maybe Gold Rush - so the Empire Mine and Tahoe spring to front of the list. Spend a day in [Coloma](http://www.coloma.com/california-gold-discovery/marshall-park/). ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sacramento-and-area/659525/34 "2013-06-02T00:25:42Z")
Yeah, just to make this planning nightmare easier: Only day trips Interestingly, I just email a link to El Dorodo’s “fun things to do in the middle of nowhere” (I keed) to her (he and I never chat) - we’;; see. Now that it’s cooled somewhat, I’m heading to Placerville (which is now a suburb of Sacto). I suspect it will be another generation before the condo-loving yuppies discover that condos can be stacked - urban sprawl is not needed. Thanks again. When they leave here, they are headed to another sibling in Kings County - I’m strongly hinting at a side trip to Carmel/Monterey on that excursion. Besides the charm of Lodi (and Stockton, where people muttering to themselves on the sidewalk are NOT on cells - they are talking to the parking meters. Any ideas on CA99 or I-5? ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sacramento-and-area/659525/35 "2013-06-02T04:49:19Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > Spend a day in [Coloma](http://www.coloma.com/california-gold-discovery/marshall-park/). We have a Winner! Coloma/El Dorado county are a hit. May sneak them yo Tahoe - I’m nocturnal and can drive all night if need be. (damn, I’m old) Thanks to all again! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sacramento-and-area/659525.md?page=1)