This is great! A thought crossed my mind: why can't the mall do something with all those empty shops and play host/expand the 2nd Saturday art walks? They'd hopefully get so many more patrons to Downtown Plaza if they opened their vacant sections!

That's too bad. Some of the smartest, most interesting people I know have tattoos. I wouldn't discriminate on someone based on their looks. I used to be a manager at a clothing store (that will remain nameless but most will know which one I'm talking about) that encouraged me to hire only the best-looking people regardless of qualifications, intelligence or personality. No joke: they chastised me for hiring Asians and blacks and NOT putting them in the stockroom. Clearly the job wasn't a good fit for me, but I did what I could to knock down those barriers of discrimination. There was an eventual lawsuit and the company has since changed it's policies (barely). The point is, hiring or firing someone for personal appearances beyond "do they present themselves well to the public and are they clean/well-groomed as to not offend?" is simply old-fashioned and out-dated in the 21st Century.

As usual, Mr. Burg is the living breathing historian for us all! Thanks for sharing this with us, and all you're doing to show how Sacramento's core was once so vibrant (and CAN BE again)!!!

This is a really great article. I clicked through the photos in semi-rapid succession and it's really interesting to see those colors go from dark to light with every census count. It seems as though the core transportation services played a huge role in the vacating of downtown. Will returning streetcars be part of the solution? I know so many people would love to live in a vibrant city center, but they won't want to hoof it on foot...

I have absolutely NO athletic skills whatsoever, but think this is absolutely a cool thing to have! I wonder, like Jman just mentioned above, if some private businesses have the ability to help. I'm sure the roller derby league would have some contacts they could use as well...