Air Canada will begin direct flights between Toronto and Sacramento on June 3, 2023, with four flights per week. Here’s a story I wrote for the Postmedia newspaper group several years ago.
SACRAMENTO – This used to be the Rodney Dangerfield of California cities, a government town that never got the kind of attention heaped on San Francisco or Los Angeles. But wonderful, local food, relatively affordable rents and a great location – 90 minutes from San Francisco and less than that to the majestic Sierra Nevada mountains – have brought in a number of young entrepreneurs looking to make their mark.
WHAT TO SEE
A mural of Lady Gaga in downtown Sacramento, California. JIM BYERS PHOTO
A cycling or running tour to check out the vivid murals in downtown Sacramento is a great way to spend a couple hours. You’ll find colourful, blue, purple and pink likenesses of Lady Gaga and haunting paintings of young children, along with wild geometric shapes, stylized California bears and other designs by artists from all around the world. You’ll also cruise past cool neighborhoods with fun pubs and restaurants carved out of old warehouses and factories.
The California state capitol building is a gleaming white palace with a gorgeous copper dome. The state offers free tours that show off gleaming wood balustrades, intricate mosaic floors and the spacious interior dome. You’ll also find portraits of former governors, including Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger. My guide pointed out a portrait of John Bigler, who was governor for just five days in 1860 before he quit to become a U.S. senator for California, filling a vacancy that occurred when one of the two senators was killed in a duel in San Francisco.
Old Sacramento is a fun spot with dozens of historic buildings and an “Old West” feel from the state’s Gold Rush days. There are several fun places to explore, including outdoorsy shops and souvenir stores. Stop for a bite The Spud Shack, which serves “fries from around the world,” including poutine. The California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento is regarded as one of the top rail museums in the U.S. There are glorious old engines and cars you can check out, including an old Canadian National sleeper car.
The California Capitol Building is a handsome structure in surprising Sacramento. JIM BYERS PHOTO
The Golden 1 Center is one of the snazziest looking arenas in the U.S. and home to the Sacramento Kings. The food options are dizzying; everything from southern barbeque to chicken on a donut and grass-fed beef burgers. They also have a Sierra Nevada draught beer house, a vodka bar and a tequila bar.
WHERE TO EAT
A tasty dish at Zocalo Restaurant in Sacramento, California. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Grange Restaurant and Bar is a lovely restaurant inside the stately Citizen Hotel. I had a terrific tequila drink with chile and grapefruit called an Aye Carumba. The scallops were massive and cooked just right, with mustard seeds and greens and an accompanying slab of smoked bacon the size of a fist. I also had an amazing salad with local greens, persimmons, feta cheese and almonds. Mulvaney’s B & L is a small restaurant built inside a former firehouse, with an open kitchen and terrific food. I enjoyed the soda bread and a very nice turkey pot pie. Zocalo is a beautiful Mexican restaurant built inside a former car dealership with pretty, leaded windows. The pork shoulder tacos are sensational. Old Soul is a handsome-as-all-get-out coffee spot and roastery in an alley a short walk away.
LOCAL WINE
The Old Sugar Mill is a great place to taste wine in the Sacramento area. JIM BYERS PHOTO
The Sacramento area is home to a number of excellent wineries, many of them only a 15-minute drive from downtown. The Old Sugar Mill is a towering old brick building that used to process sugar beets and now houses 13 wine-tasting rooms and also has shady picnic grounds. I loved the Clarksburg red wines, especially the Remenance blend with merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and a dollop of petit Verdot. I also loved the C. Vociferous blend, which one of the workers described as “a pissed off Petite Sirah.” Bogle Winery is reached by a pretty road that slides past farmhouses and Sacramento River levees. They make a series of wines that range from introductory to spectacular and they’re often available in Canada. There’s a lovely picnic area near the vines and it’s open seven days a week, holidays excepted.
WHERE TO STAY
The Kimpton Sawyer Hotel pool in Sacramento. JIM BYERS PHOTO
The Kimpton Sawyer is a sleek hotel in the heart of downtown; walking distance to great shops and restaurants. Expect high ceilings, big bathrooms, free wine in the evening and a stunning rooftop pool that feels more South Beach than Sacramento. The hotel’s Revival Bar makes a marvellous drink called Opposites Attract, with bourbon, rum, honey, orange bitters and a splash of absinthe.
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