"Jeannette's SACRAMENTO Page" a Sacramento Travel Page by Jeannette1

I am posting a link to a short travel article posted in the Washington Post. I thought it would give you a good overview of the city of Sacramento and outlines what to see in 2 days.

check it out:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A17911-2004Oct8?language=printer




Sacramento: The Two-Day Tour
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Sacramento is a graceful, pleasant, easygoing place. Sandwiched between the American and Sacramento rivers, it's a great town for history, politics, biking, walking and floating, either on a river boat, in a water taxi or in a tube.

Although it's small, the city's neighborhoods are varied. Around the Capitol building, Sacramento looks a bit like Washington, except prettier, due to the giant sequoias and palm trees that line the grassy mall.

In central downtown, the outdoor cafes and coffee shops and bookstores lend the feel of an upscale college town.

Old Sacramento brings to mind the Gold Rush, the great transcontinental Atlantic-Pacific Railway and the Pony Express -- all of which once began and ended here..

Most of my first day was spent in Old Sacramento, which boomed for a time in the 1800s, when gold was found in the nearby foothills. In fact, the Gold Rush is said to have spurred one of the largest recorded mass migrations in history.
It could easily have become one of those dead, re-created-village places where people in period customs run around, not fooling you for a minute. Instead, the city allowed merchants to open real restaurants and shops in some of the 53 historic buildings, making it feel not only historic but alive.

The 28-acre site with National Landmark status also holds several small museums, such as the Wells Fargo History Museum and the extensive, 100,000-square-foot Museum of Railroad History, part of the California State Railroad Museum complex.

The museum has on permanent exhibit 21 restored locomotives and cars from the 1860s through the 1960s. By September, average temperatures fall to 87 degrees, and in October, they average a balmy 78. Really, the only time to avoid Sacramento heat is July and August: The winters are mild, with sunny days in the 50s and 60s. April averages jump to 71, and May and June remain in the low 80s, on average.

Even in the hottest two months, temperatures dip into the 60s in the evening and early morning. In fact, on my second day in Sacramento, I began by enjoying the cool of the morning at a cafe in the modern downtown. I strolled to the State Capitol, a building similar to but somewhat more luxurious than the U.S. Capitol and found no lines.

Guided tours are available, but don't you often find that guides tell you way more than you feel a need to know? I chose a self-guided tour. Once you pass through a metal detector, security officers allow you free rein to just wander around.

From the Capitol, I headed to Sutter's Fort, where the first settlers set up camp in 1839. When I reached the grounds, however, I noticed the California State Indian Museum next door and decided to stop there first.

It's a modest, somewhat dusty little place, but the exhibits are worth a look. You come away knowing that there were an estimated 150,000 Indians in the area on Jan. 24, 1848, when James Marshall stuck his hand in the American River and pulled out a shiny nugget of gold. Ten years later, only 20,000 natives survived.

The displays killed my appetite for seeing the fort, so I headed instead to a downtown Imax theater that shows about a half-dozen different movies each day. I chose one about the Lewis and Clark expedition and the amazing Indian woman, Sacajawea,who not only helped lead the men and translate for them, but just happened to have a baby along on the journey, as well. She was no girlie-girl.

INFORMATION: For details on 15 museums and other activities: Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau, 800-292-2334, www.discovergold.org. -- Cindy Loose

© 2004 The Washington Post Company