Newest articles on The Sacramento Press written by Marc Christensen

Bargain Eats - Dollar Tuesdays

2011-07-26T05:56:55Z

July 2011/Edition2 – Cruising for Bargains on Dollar Tuesdays.
Location – Downtown around K and R Streets.

Short on cash but want to get out? No need to sell your plasma at a blood center or unload your music collection at The Beat. If you can hang on ‘til Tuesday, there are some tasty bargains out there from downtown establishments willing to lure you in their door by staying out of your wallet.

Pedal down to 7th and K and try a Vive taco for a buck – inside where it’s cool or outside on the patio. This part of K Street has been recently cleaned up by the city and it’s looking better than it has in years.

If you’d rather eat asian, give Wayside Noodles a try on 9th and J. Happy hour is 3-7pm, Mon – Fri.

Sapporo’s on 16th and L is more upscale; they’re offering a bargain with Mon-Tues specials on Sushi Rolls.

For dessert you can ride down to R Street and 14th where you’ll find frozen yogurt for two dolllars any day of the week … but on Tuesdays—the cost is a single greenback.But wait – that’s not all! Just around the corner from the R Street corridor, a new Dollar Tree opened on S and 14th. Who knows what bargains lurk inside? A whole new adventure awaits.

Yes, times are tough. And that’s when the tough get pedaling – pedaling for bargains around town, low and slow.
Until next time …

Local Adventure on a Schwinn Tango Tandem.

2011-07-05T02:44:13Z

July 2011/Edition1 – Three Japanese places barely on your radar.
Location – Downtown 10th, 11th &12th Streets, between Broadway & R.

Summer is here. It’s hot. Tomato plants are hitting their stride – if you listen hard enough you can practically hear them growing inches by the hour. But it’s still early for the Early Girls, and it’s too hot to cook. So, time to take the cruiser for a spin and see what we can find.

R Street has new restaurants and is usually hopping. The city is repaving this neglected corridor and restoring the historic rail. (If only they would put a trolley on it.)

What's this? The new Shoki Ramen House!

Their first location off 2nd Ave near Crepeville always has a line out the door – definitely a sign of good food (and limited seating). This place specializes in ramen noodles which I like better than udon noodles. And there's no fish involved. These folks focus on one thing and do it well … reminds me of Tampopo – a Japanese “spaghetti western” from the late 80s. A look at the short menu and moderate prices ($8) assures me Shoki– like the movie – doesn't take itself too seriously. I slurped the noodles loudly and enjoyed every miso-flavored bite.

Back on the bike, we cruised to Fremont Park and found we had worked up a thirst. So we headed for the best snow cones in town – Osaka-Ya at 10th and V. The window on the left serves up the colorful cones and various other frozen treats. You may wait a bit, but the secret of their success is the fresh ice shaved-to-order. Inside the shop you can fine a variety of Japanese foodstuffs. Osaka-Ya’s other unique offering is authentic mochi – sweet rice paste stuffed with sweet fillings such as peanut butter (not ice cream).

We continued south on 10th street toward the city cemetery -- always a meaningful place for a bike ride and full of lively twists and turns on narrow lanes. We made our escape from the land of the inliving, exiting onto Riverside and ran into Yorozu Oriental Gifts (next to Target). This shop has been here since the 50s and is the place for all things Japanese: dishes, chop sticks, origami kits, cards, dolls, kites, books, magazines, etc.. I bought a carp wind sock called a Koi Nobori and tried on a pair of wooden geta (sandals). Browsing slowly through the store I almost thought I was in Tokyo for a moment ... it was a great way to end a local adventure on a hot afternoon.

Until next time, keep it low and slow…

View of the Rivers from a Kayak

2011-03-21T01:57:56Z

Early Saturday morning saw a break in the weather, so I headed for the swollen rivers with my 14-foot sit-in polyethylene kayak. Embarking at Sutter's Landing, I headed downstream to see what all the rain and water releases from the Folsom dam had done to the lower American and Sacramento rivers. The float took only ninety minutes with no hard paddling -- the current is strong and the waters turbid and brown. It was a solitary journey shared with only a few scattered fowl and plenty of flotsam washed loose from upstream shores. For those heartier souls it is a worthy adventure.Wool socks recommended.

Got a bike? Take a tour!

2009-08-08T17:37:35Z

We have alot of history here in Sacramento -- so much that it might seem daunting to narrow it to a manageble list. Here is an attempt to do just that: seven "must see" places you can pedal to in about the time it takes to sit and watch a movie.

1. The State Capitol
Following less-than-satisfactory assemblies of the state Legislature in San Jose, Vallejo and Benicia, Sacramentans successfully bid to make their city the permanent site for such high-level meetings. Ground was broken in 1860 and the neo-classical dome of the California Capitol was completed in 1874. The lower level is made of granite quarried in Folsom; the upper levels are made of brick plastered and painted to look like granite. An extension to house the expanding bureaucracy was added on the east side in 1952.

2. Capitol Ave (M Street) Victorians
The Reign of Queen Victoria (1837 – 1901) helped define a stately and ornate style of architecture in the US, including Sacramento. Capitol Avenue features some of the city’s finest examples of high-water Victorian homes, where the first floor is often elevated above street level due to a fear of flooding. A variety of architectural styles can be found including Arts and Crafts, Mission, Dutch Colonial, American Colonial and modern shoebox.

3. Sutter’s Fort and Indian Museum
John Sutter arrived at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in 1839 and established his headquarters on high-ground about a mile inland. In 1840 he began construction of his fort using indigenous labor and old world technologies. By 1849 his New Helvetia venture was humming along and he had earned an excellent reputation as an organized and industrious leader and a warm and generous host. But the unintended consequence of discovering gold while setting up a lumber operation soon made his New Helvetia venture untenable as hordes of gold seekers rushed to the area and disrupted his business operations.

4. K Street and the Cathedral
K street has been, until recently, the major business district of the city. It’s revitalization is part of city hall’s redevelopment plan. On the other side of the popularity spectrum is The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament which has been seeing a resurgence in mass attendance as attested to by an overflow of parishioners at Sunday services. This is the city’s primary Cathedral since its construction in1887.

5. The Southern Pacific Train Depot
Constructed in 1925 at a time when transportation hubs were visible symbols of progress and celebrated public structures, the expansive scale of this cathedral-like terminal of the Southern Pacific Railroad is inspiring. No less impressive is the mural on the east wall depicting the Sacramento terminus of the transcontinental railroad at its inception. The terminal has been an Amtrak station since 1971 when Amtrak was created.

6. Old Sacramento
During the Gold Rush, the Sacramento river front was a bustle of activity as adventurers from around the world disembarked here making their way to the Sierra Nevada gold fields in search of fortunes. Sutter’s Fort was all but abandoned at this time and it was John Sutter Jr – the Captain’s son – along with engineer William H. Warner who was responsible for laying out the grid of streets which comprise the current city. Sacramento was an immediate success and became California’s first incorporated city in 1850. It evolved into a commercial center and a nexus for various modes of transport including steam ships, wagon trains, carriages, stagecoaches, trains, the Pony Express.

Gradually the surface lying placer gold was exhausted and extracting valuable ore required more sophisticated techniques; mining companies replaced the colorful forty-niner and settled in for the long-haul. Waterfront activity subsided and more permanent businesses were established pushing the commercial center east – primarily along K Street; the waterfront became a skid row.

Plans to revitalize it emerged in the mid 1960’s and the result was the West’s first historic district. Today this 28 acre Gold Rush time capsule has 53 historic buildings, cobble-stone streets, a genuine paddle-wheel steamer, horse-drawn carriages, a steam-powered train, a railroad museum and an annual historic festival complete with Pony Express reenactments. Old Sacramento is a registered National and California Historic Landmark.

7. The Leland Stanford Mansion
Located on N Street about midway between the Crocker mansion and the new State Capitol sits the Leland Stanford mansion—its most famous resident, not its original builder. Stanford, a lawyer by training, found success during the Gold Rush in the mercantile business and became even more influential as one of “The Big Four” who managed the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad – the western half of the transcontinental railroad. From 1862-1863 when Stanford was Governor, his magnificent French Second Empire mansion housed the state’s executive offices while the Capitol was under construction. He was also a US Senator from 1885-1893 and founded Stanford University in honor of his fifteen year old son who passed away unexpectedly. The mansion was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987.

Don't have a bike? Don't want to pedal? Velocab will pedal for you ... and here comes the full disclosure part: I am a downtown denizen and owner of Sacramento Valley Velocab. Give us a call for a tour Fri, Sat, Sun 10am - 6pm c.916-265-8640 or 916-498-9980

Pedicabs: How We Got Here

2009-04-12T07:20:54Z

If you took a trip to, say, Phnom Penh, you would expect to be able to take a pedicab from your hotel to a restaurant and then afterwards around the city for a tour. The same would be true for most cities in Southeast Asia. But these days you might be surprised to do the same in Frankfurt or Delft … or even more recently in Boston or Sacramento.

Pedicabs are being introduced in cities across Europe and America. The reasons are varied. Certainly they are a green alternative to cars or other forms of internal-combustion transport. There have been some technical innovations such as the electric assist that have made them more user-friendly. I like to think of their emergence in modern industrial cities as a desire to return to a slower lifestyle – a humane pace. The following is a brief look at the evolution of the pedicab:

The Rickshaw
These two-wheeled carriages are entirely powered by a footman pulling by two long shafts mounted to the carriage. The wheels are huge in diameter and proved to be a tremendous improvement over the wheel-less palanquin carried laboriously atop the shoulders of two porters. The original name was “jinrikisha” whose translation is “man-powered car.” Who first invented the rickshaw is a matter of debate, but beyond dispute is the fact that they were popularized in Tokyo and Osaka in the late 19c, not long after Admiral Perry opened up Japan for trade with the West.

Bicycle Rickshaws
Also known as “pedicabs”, these vehicles are generally three-wheeled and offer the mechanical advantage of a bicycle with pedals and gearing to provide efficient propulsion. They have maintained a constant presence in the crowded cities of less-industrialized Asian countries for decades. Bangladesh, Cambodia and Indonesia, for example, have had them operating in various geometries and formats since before WWII: some with the driver in the rear; some with driver at the side; most with the driver in front and pulling their passengers. In the US, the primary manufacturer is Main Street Pedicab out of Broomfield, Colorado

Modern Pedicabs
Three innovations put modern pedicabs in a new category: an integrated electric system including a motor in the front hub, recumbent seating for greater pedal power, a modular carriage that both protects the passenger and is an advertising platform. These three features are best embodied in the CityCruiser from Berlin, Germany – the brainchild of Daimler–Chrysler engineer Ludger Matuszewski, who in 1997 saw the potential for just such a vehicle and quit his job to embark on its creation. It is now the best selling pedicab on the European continent.

GM’s PUMA
Borrowing from the gyroscopic technology of the Segway, the Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility vehicle is clearly a technical achievement. Two side-by-side seats balance atop two wheels mounted on a transverse axle; the vehicle propels forward at speeds of up to 35 mph for a range of 35 miles. But is this truncated chariot a practical means of personal mobility? Would a tandem bicycle work better? It might be suitable for very specialized applications – much like the Segway has found a limited but useful niche in mall security. Or maybe it’s just GM’s way of saying “we are thinking outside the box - desperately”.

As the world moves into a post internal-combustion era, alternative means of transport will undoubtedly be developed and offered up for public consumption. As well, old designs will be rehashed with modern components and better materials. It’s a good bet that pedicabs in one form or another will continue to be in the mix.

Last Night at the Mayor's Meeting ...

2009-02-20T16:52:57Z

... I pitched an idea for an event that celebrates the arrival of John Sutter and the subsequent founding of the city of Sacramento. While Old Sacramento annually hosts Gold Rush Days around the Labor Day weekend, I am not aware of an event that celebrates the city's founder and his fort. Is he too controversial? I hope not. A city should be able to celebrate its history and events such as this help promote civic pride and a sense of community.

Proposal
A celebration of the founding of the city of Sacramento that highlights the lower American river and Sutter’s Fort and encourages folks to come out for the day and participate in period attire.

A family event commemorating the landing of John Sutter in this area in August of 1839 and the subsequent building of Sutter’s Fort and the eventual establishment of California’s first incorporated city in 1850.

In cooperation with:
City of Sac Dept of Parks & Rec - Sutter’s Landing
Sacramento County - Discovery Park; The American River
CA State Parks - Sutter’s Fort

When
Annual event held mid-August which is when Sutter arrived in the area (August 12) or in conjunction with Gold Rush Days (Labor Day weekend). Breakfast kicks off at 8:00am at the fort; race begins at 9:00am at Sutter’s Landing.

Where
Sutter’s Landing Park (28th and B) at the river front. This is the site of the old city dump; currently there is a skate park and a dog park is planned for development. Sutter’s Fort is the other point of activity. Wagons and carriages can run the 1 mile distance between the two locations. Parking is available at Sutter’s Landing Park and throughout midtown.

What Takes Place
• a kayaking race on the American River that starts and ends at the 28th Street river access point. It can go to Discovery Park and back or even go down the Sacramento River and back (whatever the kayaking community wants to stage). There could be a one-mile run to Sutter’s Fort after the kayaking.
• Kids games/activities at the 28 Street river access point – identify the animal tracks in the sand, name the trees, rock skipping, history of Native culture in the area, basic kayaking and canoeing
• orienteering course and treasure hunt for gold for kids and families
• a pioneer pancake breakfast at Sutter’s Fort (8am – noon).

Additional Considerations
Organizers and participants might be encouraged to dress up in period attire. If the Sutter Scramble takes place during Gold Rush Days (Labor Day weekend), the hay wagons and carriages can transport participants to Old Sac for that event.

Local Sporting Events Abound - Try One!

2008-12-14T06:14:18Z

Last Sunday I braved a 44 degree frigid morning and walked down to the Capitol to find a bunch of kids under-dressed in running shorts. They were finishing the Marafun run with their parents. Inspired, I pulled up the collar on my fleece jacket and determined I could stick around to catch the winner of the 26th Ca International Marathon. Stationed on the corner of 10th and L Streets I was one of six people interested in the outcome from this vantage point. In fifteen minutes or so we were rewarded with a blur of legs and motion that was Halefom Abebe (of Ethiopia) sprinting on his way to a winning time of 2:16:42. I was inspired again.

Back in the warmth of home I went to the Fleet Feet Sacramento website and found a calendar of local athletic events: http://www.fleetfeetsacramento.com/local-race-calendar. I was astounded to learn there are over fifty events scheduled over the next twelve months ranging from mountain biking to triathalons to marathons! Who knew we had such an active community? I promptly registered for the Shamrock Half Marathon on March 15.