Cool, the California Museum for History, Women, and the Arts (because you know women and art aren’t very historical) will be hosting an OPEN HOUSE Saturday evening which includes FREE admission to the museum, and free parking. The primary purpose is to show would-be researchers a glimpse at the archives.

It’s 4-8 PM on Saturday evening, October 6th, and there’ll be refreshments. But I don’t think it’ll be much more than clear kool-aid (so as not to stain the documents) and maybe a few Costco cookies. (Have you ever noticed how cheap those cookies are?)

Oh yeah, the museum is at 10th and O streets, in the heart of downtown, a mere few steps away from our own beloved white house, the State Capitol building.

Flat bumps in the road: what’s with the new ‘flat’ bumps (aka ’speed tables’) on 24th Street? They’re not nearly as fun as the old speed bumps. Not only that, but it seems like they’re not slowing any of the SUVs down–just the smaller car drivers, who were probably not speeding on that street, anyway.

Burger Watch: They’ve finally started the construction work over at the future home of Suzie Burger. I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to salivate already.

Traffic girth control: Both 19th and 21st Street are going to be downsized into two-laners with room for bikes. Find another route home, if you dare. Or maybe dust off that Trek and use your own fuel.

Shopping cart man: were BOTH those bikes on your cart yours? How can you ride two bikes, one pink, one yellow, when you’re pushing a full shopping cart? Is anyone out there missing a putrid yellow bike or a shocking fuchsia one? I may have seen them floating down Q Street on the back of a rust-dusted shopping cart.

Oto’s on Freeport:
New incarnation of the Japanese-food-focused grocery store is now open, in a highly visible spot. If you want tiny one-human desserts or to make your own sushi, this is the place to go.

Bird word: A large red tropical parrot was seen frolicking with its human pet on a stoop on T Street, midtown.

Spelling error: Near Broadway, on 24th Street, the side of a bagel shop proclaims “University Bagles”–what *is* a bagle, anyway? (Aside from a computer virus?)

Turbo veggie diesel: A Mercedes on 21st Street proclaiming by bumper sticker that it ran on vegetable oil. The scent of grandma’s fried chicken coming through my air vents from the Mercedes at 8 am confirmed this progressive and fantabulous claim.

Truck munch: A big rig on W Street was turning right when a little silver car tried to sneak in behind him. The silver car got crunched (no one appeared hurt) under the big rig. Looking in my rear view (continues after the jump)
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The Downtown Sacramento Partnership has announced its annual photo contest - which seeks entries celebrating Dowtown’s rich historical, cultural, and geographic diversity. Winning photos will be featured in the 2008 Downtown Sacramento Calendar.

You can find the rules, details, and release forms here..

The deadline is a looong way off - September 7, 2007 - so you still have quite awhile to get out there, enjoy downtown, and snap your winning pic. You can enter up to 3 photos for consideration. There’s no money prize, just the chance to share your work with the community.

I’d also like to credit the Partnership for coming up with a licensing policy that makes sense (unlike some others). All submitted images remain the property of of the photographer, and the photog agrees to let the Partnership display the photo in the calendar. See, easy peasy. (Was that so hard, SMF?)

Have fun, Shutterbugs!

The great weather we’ve had the past few days has really gotten me in a spring mood. And what’s more spring-like than field trips? On Sunday I decided to see what all the construction hubbub for 2 1/2 years at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament near 11th & K had resulted in. Catholic or not, anyone can show up around noon on Sundays and 12:40 on Wednesdays for a free 45 minute tour.

Sacramento Fire Department was called to the gym located at Seventh and K streets at about 12:30 a.m. after 26-year-old Elida McCall of West Sacramento was found unresponsive at the bottom of a swimming pool.

Okay, I have read about these types of things happening, but usually only in my beloved mystery novels. Foul play suspected! Also,I don’t know about YOU, but I don’t think I would be wanting to go for a midnight swim at that 24 Hour Fitness any time soon. Brrr, gives me the shivers!

The weather forecast certainly had me bummed until I remembered how wonderful a nice hot pizza from Zelda’s can be. If you haven’t experienced it yet, you have to go at least once. Sooner or later, it’ll come up in conversation. Trust me.

If you’ve ever been to Chicago and had the authentic stuff, that should give you a clue what to expect. Before you go, there are a few things everyone should be aware of:

1. This place is about the food, not the atmosphere or the service (it doesn’t come with a smile), so it’s unlikely the Bee or Sacramento Magazine will ever do a big story on them

2. This is not diet food–no whole wheat or thin crusts

3. Good food can’t be rushed, so be prepared to wait quite a while if you don’t call ahead (they recommend 30-45 minutes at least)–and don’t dare try to speed it up

4. Leave your attitude at home because there is definitely no valet–in fact parking is all on the street, so be prepared to walk a few blocks

Do yourself a favor and get a deep dish pizza before comfort food season passes.

” …the best 3-D viewing experience I’ve ever had. If there’s a choice, try the IMAX version. Or go twice. This is a movie that doesn’t wear out.” -Roger Ebert

Rog is right. We went last night to the Esquire IMAX and were impressed. There are parts of Polar Express 3D where you think you can grab the floating yellow ticket. And yeah, I was sober. Other exciting moments were the roller coaster train rides…and of course the train coming at you out of the screen. Whew, wotta ride!

The kids had a lot of fun and so did I. IMAX, though, is not cheap. 15 bucks a person (adult) and 13 bucks a kid…it’s not the Nutcracker, but it’s a refreshing, fun change. The theater was not packed on Thursday night, probably because it was a weeknight and this movie has been out for a few weeks–the 3D version, that is–oh and that’s THIS year. (I didn’t know before I started blogging on this that the 3D version has actually been out since 2004, repeating in ‘05 and again this year–)

It’s definitely worth the price, though, for young and old. If you haven’t seen it yet, I heartily recommend bundling up the kids and taking them. Better yet, take the neighbor’s kids. Remember, it’s fun!

Yesterday I was asked for directions by several folks as I was out for a lunch walk on 29th Street. “Which way is U Street?” a lady asked. A man checked with me, “Is this P Street?” Of course, being a friendly person, I always give directions–even if I don’t know where I am…HAH caught you there, didn’t I?

Actually, downtown Sacramento is perhaps one of the easiest cities to navigate on foot. The entire downtown/midtown is on a grid. There’s no A or B, but we start with C Street and move alphabetically to W Street. (M Street is Capitol Mall as you approach the Capitol Building, and is Capitol Avenue on the other side of it.) We start at the Sacramento River with “Front Street” but after that is 2nd Street and onward to 29th. C through W Streets are positioned roughly East-West and 2nd through 29th Streets run roughly North-South. If you need to find a business that sits at, say 1100 O Street, you’d go to the intersection of 11th and O Streets. If you were on W Street, you’d walk north to O Street…

Now granted, if you were DRIVING…that’s a different story, because several streets are One Way. And even I can confess to turning the wrong way down P Street many years ago after having lived in another city for a few years. Driving is a little more complex, but the same grid applies. If you get close enough to your destination, you could always park and walk the rest of the way.

Not only will you feel better, look better, and be more relaxed, but you will (should you decide to walk to work or to the local grocery) be contributing to the improvement of our local air quality. Can’t walk 10 miles to work? Can you bike it, or part of it and RT the other part? It’s inconvenient if you’re overscheduled, but in the long run, it’ll keep you sane. (Sanity being ‘relative’ this time of year…!)

We have a lot of nice parks here in Sacramento, as well as canals and bike trails in my part of town. If you’re in Natomas or Elk Grove where you’re burbed behind a wall from everything, ask yourself why that nice developer didn’t create a more walkable neighborhood. Like maybe putting a grocery store in the middle of it all or zoning for a few shops here and there? Then again, there’s downtown, midtown, and parts in the East and South which are very walker friendly. We’re even listed on the Walkable Neighborhoods website as an up and coming city–”second tier” but moving right on up into premier.

John at Uneasy Rhetoric wrote a really nice treatise on expanding your walking and here’s a link to it. I couldn’t think of any more reasons or tips than he has in the list. Check it out. Tell us if you have any of your own. See you out there–walk walk walk!