Top 10 Things I'll Miss About Sacramento

Growing up, Sacramento was merely a pit stop when driving from my hometown Reno to San Francisco. It was the place I would cruise right on through, occasionally stopping for a chelo kabobee lunch (Persian food), but that was the extent of my relationship with this place. However, for the last three and half years, Sacramento has been my home, the place of life changing events, and crazy ol’ law school. Now that my time here comes to an end, I look back on the Top 10 things I’ll miss about this city (can we call it a city, or is it a town? Or a half-city?)

(#10) Getting on the wrong freeway

Whether I was driving on X street looking for the 80W only to find an 80E entrance, followed by another 80E entrance a quarter mile away, or trying to get on 80E and suddenly found myself taking the 99 South, figuring out if my destination was off the Business 80 or the Interstate 80, jumping on the 50E when I meant to go 80W, all while a car is riding six inches behind me, the car on my left cutting in front of me without signaling, and the driver in the exit lane speeding up to make sure I miss my exit…hah, breath… this mess of freeways is not suitable for the easily stressed or those without an electronic GPS. Let’s just say the combination of 1st year law school stress and trying to find the a good place to eat downtown caused many punches and dents on the interior of my car.

(#9) Sactown beaches

What? Beaches? You might say. I’ve surfed the coasts of Australia, boated the shores of Santorini, traversed the water of Nice, and swam in the Carribean…but I’ve never seen the beaches like the ones in Sacramento. It’s host to one of the few river beaches in the world! One of my favorites is Paradise beach, a little ‘hole in the wall’ near Sacramento State that sports Skin boarding and is fun to chill if you don’t mind the hippies indulging themselves in their ‘medicine.’ Another spot is near (or in) Discovery Park where the Sacramento meets the American river. It’s pretty narly seeing the varying colored American and Sacramento rivers merge together. I’ll be missing hitting these places up in the summer time.

(#8) McGeorge

It’s been my home the last three and half years (literally, my home the last three). It was great, kind of. I could sleep on campus, wake up and roll down the stairs to my personal kitchen, enjoy my wonderful grassy courtyard, take a swim in my swimming pool, go for a nap in my library, and eat free pizza half the year. Hopefully I’ll find another residence just as accommodating.

(#7) Capitol and I street bridge

Few cities in the world have as much untapped potential as Sacramento. Although, I think the two rivers are highly underutilized, the street leading from the I-Street bridge to the Capitol was a great design. I took many ‘clear-my-thought’ drives in this area while admiring the beauty of the Capitol, center of the 7th largest economy in the world (or used to be 7th largest). The Capitol is especially great to see at night. It is reminiscent of the sacred forums of Rome.

(#6) Friendly Ladies on 35th and Broadway

You may have heard California has friendly people. But you’ll find some of the friendliest there are by taking a drive on 35th and Broadway around 11pm on any given night. As you’re driving by, these ladies are all waves and smiles (with what’s left of their teeth). You can choose to do any of the following with them: a) chat, (b) interact, or (c) go ‘joy’ riding for the right price (likely the cost of a candy bar). Just make sure you pick (d) none of the above if you want to keep your mind, body, soul (and car…) clean. The famous saying, “Look, but don’t touch” is very much applicable here.

(#5) Sactown celebrities

Whether it was Mayor Kevin Johnson walking around in sweatpants at the old Starbucks on Broadway, seeing the Kings Omri Casspi (the first Israeli basketball player) at the bars, or running into Charles Barkley at a fundraiser (twice), I’ll miss walking around and damning myself for not having my camera on me.

(#4) Coffee Garden

There’s no place quite like the Coffee Garden. A traditional McGeorge favorite (before Pangea came and stole the show), this place is great for a chai latte, a late night study, or some time to chill in the outdoor garden. The atmosphere is eccentric, filled with decorations, and almost anything in the store can be purchased. I’ve shared conversations about business, personal, and taken family members to this spot. It’s truly one-of-a-kind.

(#3) Downtown

What I like about Sac is that a lot of it is centralized downtown, with a nice, layered plan and one-way streets, making everything all nice and organized. I’ll miss being able to walk around and seeing all the nice and sometimes, eccentric, restaurants, shops, and other adventures I might have missed by driving.

(#2) Free chocolate chip cookies at the Doubletree hotel

Oops, I spilled the beans! Yes, the Doubletree hotel gives free chocolate chip cookies! And we’re not talking about some small, old, stale cookies. These are warm, large, and freshly baked! All it takes is a simple, “Can I have a cookie?” and they’ll answer with a big, comforting smile, “Sure,” and probably hand you two cookies! The next time you’re in Arden and feel like your taste buds deserve something special, skip out on Mrs. Fields, and make the trip across the street. It’s well worth it and you’ll save big money!

(#1) Losing the ‘Hella’ tag line.

I was born and raised in Reno and have spent the last three and half years in Sacramento – both strong supporters of the word ‘hella.’ I didn’t realize this wasn’t a nationwide thing until my southern California friends laughed at me after showing them a ‘hella’ funny clip on youtube. But now that I leave Northern California for Southern California, I also must leave this word behind. It’s been fun and you’ve been ‘hella’ good to me. Goodbye.