See Ya in SACRAMENTO

Sacramento was never high on my must-see travel lists, but a paid pet sit with perfect timing presented itself. If you asked me about my dream sit, it wouldn’t be watching 5 very old dogs, a sassy cat with the meloncholiest meow, and a huge yard and garden with a more complicated schedule than anyone I’ve ever executive assisted. A paycheck, a shaded pool, and exploring this creative capitol city were intriguing enough for me to give it a shot, and I’m supremely confident that Sacramento changed me in the best of ways.

You know I spend my time and energy chasing fun food, craft beer, and beautiful sites- so my very first day of exploring started with a trip to Crocker Art Museum. I have a Tiffany lamp and it is one of the prized possessions that survived the ruthless culling of my junk to take this adventure. So when I saw that there was a Louis Comfort Tiffany exhibit, I moved Crocker to the top of my list. The Crocker is just past the iconic Tower Bridge on the edge of Old Sacramento. The locals call it Old Sac, and I’d sooner gouge my own eyes out than actually equate these beautiful buildings with that less than savory imagery. The Crocker feels like a love child of several of my favorite museums. I’ve left some photos of the magical mashup below.

The Cooper Hewitt in NYC is housed in the Carnegie Mansion and shares a collection of treasures collected by spinster sisters. The ROM in Toroto has everything from modern art to ancient artifacts and it is housed in the most unique building built around a historical property. I went to Musee D’Orsay for the impressionist collection but spent equally as long gaping at the insanely gorgeous ballroom. The Crocker is all three rolled into one fantastic combination. Their collections are varied and interesting, there really is something for everyone.

The Tiffany exhibit is exceptional, and I highly recommend a visit before it ends 9/12. The NY Historical Society’s collection of 130+ Tiffany lamps outshines (har har) the lamps shown here, but the addition of vases, objects, beautifully back lit windows, and the wealth of educational materials provided are delightfully curated.

Like The Frist, Nashville’s art museum, the space itself is thrilling enough to be considered fine art and worth a visit regardless of the exhibits. I LOVE Victorian mansions and the Crocker’s home was unbelievable. The foyer and ballroom were my favorite parts of my visit and I could have stood and stared for HOURS.

My little brother really wanted to go to Stanford, and I made a point to visit Palo Alto to check out the campus while I was here. Leland Stanford was one of the first governors of California and he built a beautiful Victorian mansion steps from the capital. Tours are free and very informative. The space is beautiful, and I snuck a couple of photos before learning that was prohibited- but you’re just going to have to see it for yourself. It was left to catholic nuns to be a group home for orphaned children, but it has been lovingly restored to its original luster and it is INCREDIBLE.

Old Sacramento feels like Nashville’s 2nd Avenue on steroids. You get serious Wild West / Gold Rush vibes walking around, but it’s still a Broadway/Bourbon street type tourist trap and doesn’t necessarily need a lengthy visit. I went for half an hour on a week day to walk around and checked out the gorgeous Tower Bridge before seeing Roadrunner, the Bourdain Documentary at The Tower Theater.

I went to a random brewery for a flight and to figure out what else I wanted to see in Downtown Sacramento. None of the beers at At Ease were memorable or noteworthy, but the experience really was. I happened upon a sweet husky named Benji whose owner was busy screaming at the soccer game. He came to chat with me and recover his pup as I was working on my research and wishlist and gave me great recommendations. Chris really helped make this Sacramento adventure special, he got me right away and steered me in the right direction all around Sacramento and the surrounding areas. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to chat up the locals when you’re out and about, they almost never steer you wrong. Even if that steering involves putting you and your broken toes on a scooter to see some of the Wide Open Walls murals Sacramento is famous for. Check out her blog for some other pretty spots to snap around town.

Sacramento is so fun, and my idea of good time involves trying regional booze and brews. I tried a bunch of badass breweries while I was here. I really enjoyed Urban Roots, the unique BBQ Brewery, Big Stump Brewery had the biggest and best assortment of interesting fruity beers. Alaro had a nice beer selection and Spanish tapas, nothing wrong with that combination. New Helvetia has a fantastic selection of beers, and an amazing menu of mixed beers. Try their “Chandler,” a mix of a Raspberry and a Key Lime beer. They do an annual collaboration with Ginger Elizabeth, a famed local chocolatier every February, and you don’t want to miss trying that either. SacYard wins for best overall brewery experience for me. The flight was fabulous, but I had to ask for a couple additional half pours because they sounded so interesting I couldn’t resist. It’s a great vibe, wonderful hang, and the beer is on point. JJ Pfister was one of my best distillery experience in the past several years. Their offerings are so varied and unique. I’m a huge fan of their Rye Vodka, the Smoked Rosemary Manhattan, and their buffalo chicken chips with a side of jalepeno honey are going to haunt my dreams. Shady Lady Saloon feels like a brothel and speakeasy in the best kind of ways. It’s the perfect spot to escape the heat when you’re wandering around the murals.

The morning of my departure, I went on a greatest hits sightseeing tour to say goodbye, and I discovered a couple cool spots I wish I’d found earlier in my trip. Weird that a quick 2 hours before my flight yielded my favorite finds- but that’s how it works sometimes. I’m not really a dessert person, so I held off on a trip to the famous Ginger Elizabeth, but that was dumb. They had space is stellar, and they had fantastic savory pastries. The rose caramel iced coffee powered me through a very long night on my terrible travel snafu to Alaska, and the jalepeno biscuit and Vietnamese coffee macaron I tucked in my purse saved me on my surprise two flights. It was a total winner. So were the murals I had found on this blog and wanted to see for myself. It helped me discover Jake’s Barn, the most beautiful beer joint I’ve ever seen. It moved to #1 on my return trip wishlist. It’s like a Frank Lloyd Wright meets The Cloud Gate (Chicago Bean) with string lights and brews- what’s not to love? I rounded out the visit with a trip to the Tower Bridge to film my recap video of the trip. Overall, a perfect send off to a superb city.

I can’t believe my time in this sweet city and with that adorable pack is over. I am so grateful that Bob and Ellen wanted to embrace their newfound freedom to travel and picked me to help them do it. They welcomed me into their home and let me love on their menagerie of pets. Bob and Ellen are so serene and calm, I enjoy their company so much, and the owners have certainly rubbed off on these sweet old pups. This sit was stellar, and I chalk most of it up to the excellent company I kept. I made the most of my time with big field trips around the bay. I couldn’t have asked for more on this beautifully serendipitous trip to Sacramento.

Update: Sweet Dinah Flo (the pit terrier in the pink collar) started coughing and acting a little out of sorts my last two days with her. I asked her owners if they wanted me to take her to the vet, but they said they would as soon as they got back. Dinah Flo had so much fluid in her lungs they had to be drained and they discovered a tumor. They are making the most of the time they have left with her, and it sounds like I’ll need to hurry back to do the same.