days_unfolding

I really like this hotel. They put a lot of thought into making the room livable for travelers. They provide a coffee pot and hair dryer, but the thing that really impressed me is that they provide an iron and an ironing board. Now that's practical. They also didn't bother me when I spent most of the day in my room, apparently assuming that I had my reasons for staying in my room, and that I was able to make a decision whether I wanted my room cleaned or not.

The hotel struck me as having the same attributes as Sacramento: livable and laid-back.

My three must-have livability criteria are some form of water (and a place to commune with the water), trees, and bookstores. Sacramento definitely rates on the water and tree attributes.

The Sacramento River

I decided to walk from my hotel to an area called Old Sacramento, which is a historic area and a main tourist attraction, figuring that parking would be a nightmare down there. (I was right.) I followed a walking/biking trail on the banks of the Sacramento River. The trail was well-used, without being packed. There were some joggers, but there also were people strolling (not power-walking, just strolling). Some people were hanging out by the side of the river. No one blinked at my taking a million pictures of the river.

Eventually, I made it to the Railway Museum, which I'd really enjoy seeing when I have more time.

Tracks just outside the museum (and trains in the distance). Old Sac is to the left.

Then I got to Old Sacramento, which is a bunch of shops and restaurants in old buildings. It reminds me of a mix between Main Street in Disneyland, and Ghirardelli Square and the Cannery in San Francisco. It was absolutely packed. There were lots of families with kids running around. A lot of the people no doubt were tourists, but some of the people knew people who worked in the shops.

I stopped for a sandwich in one of the restaurants. The man working there pegged me for a tourist right away, and asked how long I had been visiting, where I was from, and how long I had lived in San Jose. (He gave up the trail when I told him that I've lived in SJ for 15 years--actually, it's 16. I guess that length of residence qualifies me as a quasi-Californian.)

A few other people asked me similar questions as well. Pretty neat, but it also throws me a little. I think that I've been sending some "don't do that" vibes. The interesting thing is that people in Silicon Valley used to do that during the time period when I first moved out there. It really threw me then because you just don't ask any personal questions (even those) of strangers in Chicago. If you strike up a conversation with a stranger in Chicago, you talk about something completely impersonal, such as the vagaries of the public transportation system-;) Anyway, SV has gotten more remote and impersonal as time has gone on.

To be continued....