The grid june 2016

INSIDETHE GRID JUNE 16

S A C R A M E N T O ' S P R E M I E R F R E E C I T Y M O N T H LY

By David Lobenberg

THE MOST INTERESTING PEOPLE, PLACES & CULTURE IN AMERICA'S FARM-TO-FORK CAPITAL

916.849.0302 | 915 20th Street

2

THE GRID JUN n 16

Welcome to

THE GRID W

ith this June edition, we are launching our fifth monthly community publication. While we have been distributing our Land Park edition in the central city for almost two decades, starting this month we will bring you design and content in a publication specifically for readers on the Grid. Our target readers are residents of our central city neighborhoods and people who work in Midtown and downtown.

What exactly is the Grid? It’s the area of the city made up of numbered and lettered streets. Since these streets extend into Land Park and East Sac, we are also distributing Inside The Grid to the adjoining Broadway and Alhambra Boulevard corridors.

We are also publishing an upcoming book to be released this September, “Inside Sacramento: The Most Interesting Neighborhood Places in America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital.” It's a photo-driven guide to Sacramento’s neighborhood restaurants, boutiques and places to explore. The year-long experience of scouting our city neighborhoods led us to many new discoveries for dining, shopping and exploration that we wanted to share with our monthly readers.

Watch as we grow along with our city as it undergoes an exciting renaissance in the coming years. We welcome your feedback. publisher@insidepublications.com @insidesacramento

CH

By Cecily Hastings Publisher

INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

3

INSIDE THE GRID JUNE 16

VOL. 1 • ISSUE 1

PUBLISHER Cecily Hastings publisher@insidepublications.com 3104 O St. #120, Sac. CA 95816 (Mail Only) EDITOR PRODUCTION DESIGN PHOTOGRAPHY AD COORDINATOR DISTRIBUTION ACCOUNTING

Marybeth Bizjak mbbizjak@aol.com M.J. McFarland Daniel Nardinelli, Cindy Fuller Linda Smolek, Aniko Kiezel Michele Mazzera, Julie Foster Lauren Hastings Jim Hastings, Daniel Nardinelli, Adrienne Kerins 916-443-5087

EDITORIAL POLICY Commentary reflects the views of the writers and does not necessarily reflect those of In-

side Publications. Inside Publications is delivered for free to more than 70,000 households in Sacramento. Printing and distribution costs are paid entirely by advertising revenue. We spotlight selected advertisers, but all other stories are determined solely by our editorial staff and are not influenced by advertising. No portion may be reproduced mechanically or electronically without written permission of the publisher. All ad designs & editorial—©

SUBMISSIONS Submit cover art to publisher@insidepublications.com

Submit editorial contributions to mbbizjak@aol.com SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscriptions at $25 per year guarantees 3rd class mailing. Pay online at insidepublications.com or send check with name & address of recipient and specify publication edition.

GRID COVER ARTIST David Lobenberg ADVERTSING

David Lobenberg is an international published and exhibiting watercolor artist in Sacramento. His work has been published in Plein Air Magazine, The Art of Watercolour Magazine, Southwest Art Magazine, American Art Collector Magazine, and Pratique Des Art Magazine. Visit Lobenbergart.com

VISIT INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM AD DEADLINE IS THE 10TH OF THE MONTH CONTACT OUR ADVERTISING REPS: Susan Lewis 916.470.5959 direct

SL@insidepublications.com Ann Tracy 916.798-2136 direct AT@insidepublications.com Duffy Kelly 916.224.1604 direct DK@insidepublications.com

INSIDE

I N S I D E

G E T

4

THE GRID JUN n 16

P U B L I C A T I O N S . C O M

I N T O

3 1 0 4

T H E

EAST SACRAMENTO McKINLEY PARK RIVER PARK ELMHURST TAHOE PARK CAMPUS COMMONS

O

S T R E E T

S A C R A M E N T O

JUN 2016

C A

9 5 8 1 6

N E I G H B O R H O O D

INSIDE

I N S I D E

G E T

P U B L I C A T I O N S . C O M

I N T O

3 1 0 4

T H E

LAND PARK CURTIS PARK SOUTH LAND PARK HOLLYWOOD PARK

O

S T R E E T

S A C R A M E N T O

JUN 2016

C A

9 5 8 1 6

N E I G H B O R H O O D

INSIDE

I N S I D E

G E T

P U B L I C A T I O N S . C O M

I N T O

3 1 0 4

T H E

ARDEN ARCADE SIERRA OAKS WILHAGGIN DEL PASO MANOR CARMICHAEL

O

S T R E E T

S A C R A M E N T O

JUN 2016

C A

9 5 8 1 6

N E I G H B O R H O O D

INSIDE

I N S I D E

G E T

P U B L I C A T I O N S . C O M

I N T O

3 1 0 4

T H E

POCKET GREENHAVEN SOUTH POCKET LITTLE POCKET

O

S T R E E T

JUN 2016

S A C R A M E N T O

C A

9 5 8 1 6

N E I G H B O R H O O D

RICH CAZNEAUX CLASSIC BRICK TUDOR! This brand new listing in the

heart of East Sacramento is perfectly situated on 50th Street.

3 Bed/1 Bath, just under 1500 sq/ft, this house is perfect for anybody looking to live in one of the best neighborhoods in all of Sacramento county. The character of this property includes in-laid hardwood Áoors, original tile Áoors in the bathroom, and a beautiful built-in Àreplace in the living room and one of the bedrooms. Original Ànishes really bring this property to life, yet it is still open for your imagination and personal touch! $615,000

BEAUTIFUL CRAFTSMAN! You won’t believe the curb appeal of this beautiful East Sac home. With lots of original character, this 3 Bed/2 Bath, home boasts a full second story master suite and a spacious backyard for your family. Original Ànishes in the dining room (wainscoting and built-in hutch) lead you into a completely updated kitchen with SS appliances and a beautiful glass tile backsplash. You won’t want to miss out on this property. $689,950

CHARMING COTTAGE BUNGALOW!

2 Bed/1 Bath, 1027 sq/ft, in East Sac! Nice, light open living room/dining room space with many windows. All new hardwood Áoors and interior/exterior paint. Kitchen has a cozy breakfast nook with built-ins and a separate laundry room off the kitchen. Within walking distance to shopping, coffee houses and restaurants! $439,950

HIDDEN GEM IN EAST SAC!

Don’t miss out on this beautiful 3 Bed/1 Bath, 1080 sq/ft, property on one of the most private streets in the entire neighborhood. New dual pane windows and an updated bathroom accompany this can’t miss home your buyers will love. Take into account the low maintenance backyard and the vast amount of attic storage space! Close to shopping, restaurants and freeway. $419,950

Continued Proud Sponsor of: PENDING

Every Saturday In June

CUTE HOME IN TAHOE PARK! Adorable 2-3 Bed/1.5 Bath, with an open Living/Dining room with custom built Àreplace.

Kitchen has granite counters installed last year and custom cabinets. Possible 3rd bedroom off the kitchen or can be used as an ofÀce/den. Features dual pane windows throughout. Large low maintenance backyard with a covered patio. 1 car garage has a separate storage area that can be used as wine storage and has it’s own AC unit. $329,950

BRE#01447558

Rich@EastSac.com

www.EastSac.com

454-0323 INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

5

6

THE GRID JUN n 16

CONTENTS

08 SHINING STARS

10

14

TO DO LIST

18

GROW YOUR OWN

20

SNEAK PEAK

MEXICAN KITCHEN

26

READY FOR SOCCER

HISTORY LESSON

32

30 LOST & FOUND

SO LAST CENTURY

40 44

36

DESIGNING WOMEN

WORTH THE COST

42

CHAMPION OF SPORTS

EXERCISE ELIXIR

Photo by Aniko Kiezel @anikophotos.com

22

46 MARKET REPORT

INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

7

Shining a Spotlight SACRAMENTO GETS ITS OWN WALK OF STARS

F

or the past eight months, I have had the pleasure to write about the Grid, Midtown and downtown for Inside Publications.

Now I have the opportunity to write about an exciting personal endeavor that my wife, Lucy Eidam Crocker, and I are leading that we hope will make a mark on Sacramento’s culture, entertainment and economic development for generations to come.

Lucy and I own Crocker & Crocker, a marketing, branding and outreach firm. We’ve served on dozens of nonprofit boards for business and arts organizations and groups that deal with youth development and the environment.

After 30 years of community service and success in business, we’ve formed a nonprofit organization to honor some of the Sacramento region’s best and brightest by creating a Sacramento Walk of Stars.

We want to recognize people from our region who took their talents to extraordinary heights. They are sons and daughters of Sacramento, their talents forged by the families, mentors, teachers, communities and neighborhoods we see every day.

The Sacramento Walk of Stars will do just that. It will provide educational, cultural and economic benefits. It will be fun. You’ll feel a

SC

By Scot Crocker

8

THE GRID JUN n 16

To be a Sacramento star, the person must be significant at a national or international level; must have lived in the Sacramento region; and must have had a positive impact on the Sacramento region in some way.

sense of discovery as you stroll the Grid, discover stars embedded in the sidewalk and learn about where the people they honor came from and what they accomplished.

In early May, the first four stars were announced: Olympic swimmer and three-time gold medalist Debbie Meyer, world-renowned artist Gregory Kondos, groundbreaking breast cancer surgeon Dr. Ernie Bodai and internationally celebrated actor and director LeVar Burton. We couldn’t be more proud of these local legends, and through Sacramento Walk of Stars, we finally can show our appreciation as a community.

Meyer won three gold medals when she was a 16-year-old student at Rio Americano High School. Kondos’ work has been honored around the world. Dr. Bodai developed the Breast Cancer postal stamp, with more than 1 billion sold, raising more than $90 million for research.

Burton played Kunte Kinte in the acclaimed miniseries “Roots” and Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge on the hit television series “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” Parents and

children know him for his Emmywinning and long-running PBS show, “Reading Rainbow.”

To be a Sacramento star, the person must be significant at a national or international level; must have lived in the Sacramento region; and must have had a positive impact on the Sacramento region in some way. Stars will come from the following categories: arts and entertainment, sports, news, business, and science and technology. Honorees can be living or dead.

If you think hard, you can probably come up with many of the possible Sacramento stars: Dusty Baker and Ruthie Bolton (sports); Lisa Ling, Joan Lunden and Lester Holt (news); Eleanor McClatchy, Charles Schwab and Russ Solomon (business); Wayne Thiebaud, Mark Twain and Joan Didion (arts); Timothy B. Schmit, Jessica Chastain and Pat Morita (entertainment). The list goes on and on.

A steering committee of community members will choose new honorees each year and find a location for their

stars on a route that goes from 21st Street in Midtown to the new Golden 1 Center along the J, K and L Street corridors.

The first year, stars will be placed in sidewalks on L Street between 18th and 19th streets thanks to a sponsorship by SKK Developments.

“This is an exciting new attraction for Sacramento. SKK Developments is pleased to a part of it, sponsoring the inaugural four stars,” said Sotiris K. Kolokotronis, owner of SKK Developments.

Later this year, honorees will be celebrated with a sidewalk star

installation event, followed by a gala dinner where our honorees can talk about what the Sacramento region has meant to them.

“Those who lived or grew up in the Sacramento region were shaped by their family, friends and community,” said my wife Lucy, who is the CEO of Crocker & Crocker. “They took their talents and excelled on the national and international stage. To say the least, we are proud of them and want to honor them in a meaningful way.”

The project has received the full support of the city, along with the commitment and involvement of Michael Ault of Downtown Sacramento Partnership and Steve Hammond of Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau. Other steering committee members include business leaders Linda Geery of Gilbert Associates, John Frisch of Newmark Cornish & Carey, Jeff Hallsten of Hallsten Corporation and Patrick Harbison of Patrick Harbison Public Relations. Most members of the steering committee are sponsors, along with Lasher Auto Group of Elk Grove, Kaiser Permanente, VSP Global, Direct Technology and others.

“We have a great group helping to get this off the ground, and I’m sure more will join our cause,” Lucy said.

“Plus we are thrilled that Cecily and Jim Hastings of Inside Publications will promote the Sacramento Walk of Stars as a sponsor!”

The founding committee is raising money to fund the stars and the events and is more than halfway to its goal. The stars will be constructed of terrazzo and brass.

The public will be invited to the gala dinner. Tickets go on sale June 1 at SacramentoWalkofStars.com.

Some people say Sacramento has an inferiority complex. There’s a view that the city is always battling: to have and keep major league sports, to have first-rate professional, cultural

Scot and Lucy Crocker with the first stars: Debbie Meyer, Dr. Ernie Bodai, Gregory Kondos (seated) and LeVar Burton.

and performing arts, for recognition as a world-class city.

In the past year, it’s become clear that Sacramento is on its way to something grand, something special.

The Sacramento Walk of Stars is just one of many new and exciting additions to a vibrant downtown and Midtown. It’s a chance to showcase the stars of the past who got us here—people like Mark Twain, Morrie Turner and Joe Marty. It’s also a chance to shine a light on today’s stars—like Urijah Faber, Colin Hanks, Brie Larson and the band Cake.

The Sacramento Walk of Stars is an opportunity to showcase the talented people of and from Sacramento.

Their contributions show how deep our roots go in science, the arts, sports and entertainment. With the Sacramento Walk of Stars, everyone will get to celebrate those contributions. n

“They took their talents and excelled on the national and international stage. To say the least, we are proud of them and want to honor them in a meaningful way.”

Lucy Crocker INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

9

TO DO THIS MONTH'S CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT HIGHLIGHTS

Musical Mantras

Evening Jazz

Mantra Music Concert featuring Sean Johnson & the Wild Lotus Band

Jazz Night featuring the Joe Gilman Quartet and Jamie Davis

Sunday, June 5 at 6 p.m.

E. Claire Raley Studios for the Performing Arts, 2420 N St. wildlotus2016.brownpapertickets. com

The E. Claire Raley Studios for the Performing Arts (casually known as CLARA to those “in the know”) are already hopping with performances from the Sacramento Ballet, so keep the party going with the Mantra Music Concert featuring Sean Johnson and the Wild Lotus Band.

Hailing from New Orleans, Sean Johnson and the Wild Lotus Band (a.k.a. Alvin Young and Gwendolyn Colman) are celebrated as some of the leading voices in western kirtan—music meant to both reflect and inspire spiritual devotion in the listener— through their dynamic sound that merges mantras, rock, funk, gospel and world grooves. This concert’s kirtan experience will draw from the group’s newest release, “Unity,” a collection of ten soul-stirring songs that explore spiritual mantra music through the guts and authenticity of the musicians’ own American roots.

Thursday, June 16 5:30 p.m.

(Café Stage) & 6:30 p.m. (Main Stage) Crocker Art Museum, 216 O St. 808-1182, crockerartmuseum.org

Craving some jazz? Don’t miss Jazz Night featuring the Joe Gilman Quartet and Jamie Davis. The Joe Gilman Quartet, led by acclaimed jazz pianist Joe Gilman, will delight with a performance of “Summertime” from the George Gershwin songbook, and Davis’s rich baritone repertoire will feature music from Cole Porter to Stevie Wonder to Charles Mingus.

ArtMix “PRIDE” Thursday, June 9 5-9 p.m.

Crocker Art Museum, 216 O St. 808-1182, crockerartmuseum.org

Be loud and proud at ArtMix “Pride.” Follow the rainbow to the Crocker for a fabulous celebration of LGBTQ Pride Month, featuring live performances, art from social-justice activist Moe Otanez, dancing, a drag show, mix-and-mingle games and much more.

jL

By Jessica Laskey River City Previews

10

THE GRID JUN n 16

Jazz musician Jamie Davis performs at the Crocker

Heart Of Glass

Block By Block

Art in the Community Little Dreams in Glass and Metal: Enameling in America, 1920 to the Saturday, June 11 12-7 p.m.

Present Steve Jones Park, 2331 Casa Linda Drive

June 19 through Sept. 11

808-1182, crockerartmuseum.org

Crocker Art Museum, 216 O St. 808-1182, crockerartmuseum.org

Ready to party hearty in your very own neighborhood? The Crocker’s new Block by Block program started last month to much excitement, so jump on the next block party bandwagon at Steve Jones Park in South Sacramento. This free community event—a Crocker initiative that focuses on Sacramento City Council districts 2, 5, and 8 to strengthen connections between the Museum and its broader community—will feature food, artists, musicians, community groups, dancers, DJs, urban gardeners, poets, performers, culinary artists and all kinds of creative souls for a party you won’t want to miss.

Dale Chihuly aficionados have already been treated to the arrival of the renowned glass sculptor’s stunning “Golden Teal Chandelier” in the entryway of the Crocker Art Museum’s Teel Family Pavilion, but brace yourselves for some even more exciting news: this month kicks off the Museum’s Summer of Glass, featuring three exhibitions highlighting glass from the ancient to the present.

First up is “Little Dreams in Glass and Metal: Enameling in America, 1920 to the Present.” As the first nationally traveling exhibition to survey the art of enameling in more than 50 years, the show has been organized by the Los Angeles-based Enamel Arts Foundation and includes 121 works by 90 artists, including the late Sacramentan Fred Uhl Ball, considered a pioneer in the field.

Objects range from jewelry and vessels to large enamel-on-steel wall panels.

Photo Impulse Ourselves through the Lens: Photography from the Ramer Collection

June 19 through Oct. 23 Crocker Art Museum, 216 O St. 808-1182, crockerartmuseum.org

Another cool Crocker exhibition opens this month as well, “Ourselves through the Lens: Photography from the Ramer Collection.” By training the camera on individual personalities and circumstances, photographers like James Van Der Zee, Graciela Iturbide and Luis Gonzalez Palma sought to capture the emotional lives of others.

This exhibition of 44 images examines our very human impulse to look and the ways photography directs such visual encounters.

Black Cedar Performs Classical Concert featuring Black Cedar

Sunday, June 12, 3 p.m.

Crocker Art Museum, 216 O St. 808-1182, crockerartmuseum.org

Get back to basics with the Classical Concert featuring Black Cedar, a performance of guitar, flute and cello to celebrate the final week of the “Andy Warhol: Portraits” exhibition.

This unique ensemble will highlight new works by contemporary composers and rarely performed classical works, including the 2015 work “Miscellaneous Music” by Durwynne Hsieh, commissioned by the group itself.

Untitled by Dijana Harding at Red Dot Gallery

Like Mother, Like Son Artwork by Dijana and Laurence Harding

June 1 through July 2 Red Dot Gallery, 2231 J St., Suite 101 267-8100, reddotgalleryonj.com

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree for Dijana and Laurence Harding.

See work by the artistic mother and son—the first exhibition for 31-year-old Laurence—at the Red Dot Gallery. The exhibition (organized by Sacramentobased artist/curator Robert-Jean Ray) will feature Dijana’s poetically expressive paintings that guide the viewer through life’s journeys and her son’s figurative, representational and abstract compositions rich with space, contour, line and gesture.

To page 10

INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

11

FROM page 9

Summer Crafts & Cocktails

Flow III, Cherie Hacker, 2016, oil, oil stick, latex, gesso, paper, enamel, ink, sand on canvas, 60 x 72 inches at Beatnik Studios

Thursday, June 30 6-9 p.m.

Crocker Art Museum, 216 O St. 808-1182, crockerartmuseum.org

Is the heat making you thirsty and ready to test your artistic mettle? Then Summer Crafts and Cocktails is right up your alley. Join the Crocker in the courtyard for an evening of refreshing cocktails and festive crafting. You’ll be provided with a variety of supplies to create summer treasures and 4th of July decorations. Each ticket includes one cocktail or two nonalcoholic refreshers and a no-host cash bar will be available throughout the evening.

A View From The Bridge

Truck Month(s)

“Bridges” featuring artwork by Cherie Hacker and Jeffrey DeVore

The Pickup Truck: Where Utility Meets the Everyday

June 3 through July 21

Through Sept. 11

Beatnik Studios, 723 S St. 400-4281, beatnik-studios.com

California Auto Museum, 2200 Front St. 442-6802, calautomuseum.org

Talk about a dynamic duo. See paintings by real-life couple (and a couple of fantastic artists) Cherie Hacker and Jeffrey DeVore at Beatnik Studios and see what brought them—and keeps them—together.

Following a joint exhibition last summer at Ardgillan Castle in Ireland, this show represents the bridge that brought the two artists together: love and art.

DeVore’s acrylic paintings of figurative landscapes tell stories of the human experience and Hacker’s mixed-media abstractions reveal the experience felt in nature via shape, line, layers and motion. And the collaboration is not in name only: each artist began three paintings and passed them on to the other to complete the process, resulting in six stunning examples of what happens when you work well in tandem.

Are you a truck lover? Then drive yourself down to Old Sac to the California Automobile Museum ASAP to revel in its ongoing exhibit “The Pickup Truck: Where Utility Meets the Everyday.”

With 12 trucks on view dating from 1935 to the present, the exhibit aims to demonstrate the evolution of the iconic pickup truck from an everyday work vehicle to its place in today’s culture as a popular recreational vehicle. The exhibit will also include storyboards that highlight the origin of the trucks and societal influencers during various time periods, and Museum guests can participate in interactive elements like “selfie stations” (where you can dress in period attire) and a matching game.

ArtMix Pride at the Crocker

12

THE GRID JUN n 16

WORDS, WORDS, WORDS “See It With Words” featuring artwork by Michelle Andres and Judy Jacobs

June 10 through July 5 ARTHOUSE on R, 1021 R St. arthouseonr.com, michelleandres.com, judyjacobsart.com

It’s been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, but what if that picture is literally made of them?

That’s the case at ARTHOUSE on R’s current exhibition, “See It With Words.”

This unique exhibit features abstract works by Sacramento artists Michelle Andres and Judy Jacobs— both published authors as well as artists, which might explain their use of poetry, prose and haiku in their abstract and mixed media large format diptychs.

HAIL CESAR! Sacramento French Film Festival

June 17, 18, 19, 24, 25 and 26 Crest Theatre (1013 K St.) and Esquire IMAX Theatre (1211 K St.) 476-3356, sacramentofrenchfilmfestival.org

For Francophiles and film lovers alike, the Sacramento French Film Festival is an event not to be missed.

Help the cinematic sensation celebrate its 15th anniversary at both the Crest Theatre (the festival’s original home) and a new, one-day-only venue, the Esquire IMAX Theatre.

Take in rare classics, fresh shorts, new releases and the most Cesar Award-winning (the French equivalent of the Oscar) films straight from the land of chic ennui. You can catch screenings all day long on all of the event days, but don’t miss the 15th Anniversary Opening Reception on June 17 immediately following the opening screening (around 9 p.m.), the special IMAX screenings on Sunday, June 19 only, or the closing reception featuring a champagne fountain (what else would you expect?), dessert and live music.

Black Cedar performs at the Crocker

“The Shape of Things” by Michelle Andres at ARTHOUSE

Return To Summer Camp 2016 Senior Summer Camps at Camp Sacramento

August 15-19 (Grand Camp) August 22-26 (Arts in the Sierras) 808-1593, fiftypluswellness@cityofsacramento.org, cityofsacramento.org/seniorsummercamp

Registration is now open for the 2016 Senior Summer Camps at Camp Sacramento, part of the 50+ Wellness Program run by the City of Sacramento’s Older Adult Services.

Each day will include joint activities for grandparents and kids, as well as structured kid-only activities, all led by camp staff. Grandparents have lots of opportunity to relax on their own or join programs especially designed for adult campers.

Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail. com. Please email items for consideration by the first of the month, at least one month in advance of the event. n

INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

13

Grow Your Own URBAN AGRICULTURE AND COMMUNITY GARDENS CHANGE THE LANDSCAPE

T

here was once a time when you could peek into almost anyone’s yard and you’d find fruit trees, vegetable gardens and perhaps a mini farm. With great soil and weather, it was common for folks to grow their own.

That waned for a time as Sacramento prospered. There were restrictions on ag gardens and farming in the city, and the local

grocery store had all the fruits and vegetables you ever wanted at a pretty good price. Now, the pendulum is swinging the other way and personal urban-ag gardens and community-ag gardens are flourishing in the city.

For residents and property owners who wanted to grow and sell their goods, the city council got on board last year by passing an urban garden ordinance. Adding to that, the city’s

Bill Maynard is the community garden coordinator with the city’s Parks Department

14

THE GRID JUN n 16

parks and recreation department is opening more and more community gardens, allowing residents to rent a plot and grow their own fruit and vegetables.

You could call this a movement. It’s certainly synergy with Sacramento’s promotion as a farm-to-fork leader combined with sustainability, educating people about better nutrition and providing fruits and vegetables in neighborhoods that might not be served by a grocery store or market.

Maybe it’s just the fact that there’s nothing better on a BLT than a freshly picked tomato from your own garden and a bagful of sweet peaches your neighbor just dropped off on your porch.

As part of the city ordinance, property owners can get tax incentives when they allow their properties, including vacant lots in residential, commercial, industrial and manufacturing zones, to be turned into mini farms.

“This is a movement that’s catching on,” says Jim McDonald, a principal planner with the city who works on urban-ag gardens. “We expect it to grow over time.”

He says there were many advocates pushing this ordinance and they

are now monitoring the program to evaluate its success with plans to report back to the city council. So far, he thinks the program is working well with few negative impacts.

One proponent for the urban-ag garden movement is Chanowk Yisrael, who advocates for the necessity of teaching communities and youth about what they eat, how food can be the center of community and how to gain life skills. Some call him an ecolutionary or gangster gardener.

Others say he is transforming the “’hood to good.”

“I see a time when every student has access to an ag garden at home, at school or in the community,” Yisrael says. “They will learn about food, healthy eating, how to cook and other life skills from carpentry to electrical.”

Yisrael sees vacant lots in Oak Park and other neighborhoods as learning grounds for youth and community.

Lots can be transformed into gardens

SC

By Scot Crocker

Pre-Listing Preparationn

Marketingg

Financial Financial c l Negotiation

Transaction Management Management

Doing more for clients Steph Baker wears many hats to help her clients get the best terms for their property. Contact her for your customized listing plan and get moving!

and opportunities for education, understanding and bonding.

The city is allowing residents to grow gardens up to 1 acre in size at their homes. Products grown can be sold at on-site farm stands two days a week as long as operators get a business operations tax certificate and comply with city water restrictions.

“There’s a lot of work to develop an ag garden and farm stand,” says McDonald. “We are hoping to see more vacant land turned into gardens because it’s a good use until the land is developed. We just haven’t seen a lot of that yet.”

Yisrael agrees. “This is going to take some time to catch on, but it will happen,” he says. The hope is that vacant commercial and industrial land that creates an eyesore can be put to good use. “We’ve made a lot of progress and think the city is ahead of the county and other areas in promoting this opportunity,” says McDonald.

Urban gardens continue to be a source of education about the health

benefits of fruits and vegetables, especially for young people and students. These gardens can also provide homegrown produce in neighborhoods that don’t have easy access to a grocery store or market, and could even provide a source of revenue for lower-income residents.

“Some see urban ag as an in thing to do or a fad,” says Yisrael. “But it’s really about communities taking responsibility for feeding themselves.

I’ve talked with people from around the world and that’s what they do.

Just think if Oak Park could grow 50 percent of its own food.”

In addition to produce, city residents are also allowed to keep bees and up to three chickens.

For residents who don’t have the space or desire to grow their own, the city’s parks and recreation department has been installing community gardens since 2004.

Many of the parks and rec programs are designed to keep people active and healthy. Community gardens

As part of the city ordinance, property owners can get tax incentives when they allow their properties, including vacant lots in residential, commercial, industrial and manufacturing zones, to be turned into mini farms.

TO page 17

INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

15

PRINT: Reconsider the Value Tangible and Engaging The look, touch, feel, and even the aroma of PRINT offer a sensory experience that digital media cannot replicate. 70% of Americans prefer to read PRINT communications rather than digital screens.* A PRINT page encourages one to be more focused, unlike web pages which are often skimmed in as little as a 15 second visit. A study actually shows that people read substantially slower and absorb less content on digital screens than in PRINT.*

A More Effective Reach That’s Longer Lasting As email marketing campaigns gain popularity and grow in volume people increasingly overlook, delete or mark as spam most promotional emails without even opening them.

PRINT stands alone and can be saved and referred to again and again when there is more time to act. Plus, ad blocking software is now available to help readers block digital ads from news websites they visit.

Ability to Deliver to Filtered Markets PRINT also offers increased credibility a.k.a. “the company you keep,” upscale branding, and it is the ONLY way to deliver to “filtered” markets like a neighborhood or demographic.

Versatile The strongest marketing strategy integrates PRINT and digital. Using PRINT to drive your customers or prospects online produces greater results than print or digital alone.*

We direct-mail more than 70,000 hyper-local newsmagazines each month via direct mail to SACRAMENTO’S BEST NEIGHBORHOODS

insidepublications.com

16

THE GRID JUN n 16

FROM page 15 are just another way to engage city residents in a healthy lifestyle. And it’s working.

Community gardens are found throughout the city and the downtown/Midtown grid. There are 15 gardens in operation and two more on the way. One of the latest gardens is at 19th and Q streets, the site of a combination dog park and garden in a growing area of Midtown near the Safeway store.

“These gardens are very popular in the city core,” says Bill Maynard, community garden coordinator with the city’s parks and rec department.

“It’s kind of a community lifestyle.”

The city provides planting beds, water, tools and even the seeds.

Residents then rent the plot from the city for $25 to $50 per year. Residents can plant what they want as long as it’s legal, and they must maintain their gardens. If someone doesn’t maintain their garden, it will be given to someone else.

There are a lot of takers for popular locations. The new city

garden at 19th and Q streets recently opened and had 100 applicants for 28 plots.

“It’s an exciting project,” says Maynard. “With more applicants than lots, we had to have a lottery. People were very excited when they heard they got one. It’s also great to see the joy on people’s faces when they are actually growing food that they can use or give to co-workers and neighbors.”

Unlike the urban agriculture program, there’s no selling from city community gardens. People use what they grow, give it away to friends and family or donate it to a community program like a food bank.

Plots do change hands at community gardens. People get busy, move away or decide to construct a garden at home and don’t need the city garden anymore.

According to Maynard, these city gardens are a result of community and neighborhood collaboration.

The city might designate an area for a park. Through community discussions, the city can determine

what’s wanted and needed. It can range from a traditional park to a dog park to a community garden. And just like all city parks, the department takes care of and maintains community garden infrastructure for the benefit of residents including easy access for the disabled.

“Plots can be as small as 10 feet by 10 feet or as large at 20 feet by 20 feet,” says Maynard. “You can grow a lot of food in a plot that size—maybe even $400 to $600 worth depending on what you grow. People can grow all year with winter and summer vegetables and herbs.”

Celebrations around the harvest have been going on for centuries. The growing of fruits and vegetables in Sacramento, then selling or giving them away, is a decades-old tradition.

It may have been lost in recent memory, but it’s coming back strong.

“We’re in the farm-to-fork capital,” says Yisrael, “but we ship 99 percent of our food out of the area and then have to rely on others to bring food here. In Sacramento, I think we can grow our own destiny.” n

Show Them You're Proud Flowers & Gifts for Grads & Dads

Father's Day is June 19

Relles Florist & Gifts Full-Service Florist since 1946 rellesflorist.com 2400 J St. 441-1478

INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

17

Inside Sacramento Sneak Peek Have you ever wished you could hold something in your hands that would tell you exactly what and where to eat? To shop? To explore? Consider your wish granted! This September, “Inside Sacramento: The Most Interesting Neighborhood Places in America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital,” will hit bookstores and boutiques near you. This visually stunning 8" by 10" book will act as your own personal guide to Sacramento’s restaurants, boutiques and activity hubs, efficiently presented by neighborhood—so no matter where you are in town, you know where to go. We thought you might want a sneak peek, so check back here each month to read about a few of the 101 businesses featured in the book.

IINSIDE IN SIDE

The most inte interesting erestiing neigh neighborhood hborhood places pllaces in America’s farm-to-fork capital.

I NS I DE

P U B LIC AT IO N S

CECILY HASTINGS

jL

By Jessica Laskey

18

THE GRID JUN n 16

INS ID E

Downtown

ANDY’S CANDY APOTHECARY Glass jars sparkle with sweet treats on the shelves of Andy’s Candy Apothecary, a nostalgic downtown wonderland for every candy aficionado. Open since 2013, this sweet shop is a magical place realized by owner Andy Paul, whose victory in Sacramento’s first-ever Calling All Dreamers contest helped him open the store.

He used the prize (business services along with money for rent and construction) to create the candy store of his dreams. Today, Paul is Sacramento’s resident candy expert. He’s delighted to unravel the mysteries of sweets and can explain why all candy bars are not created equal, or how some Swedish fish are better than others.

As a youngster, Paul spent his allowance money and cash from his newspaper route on penny sweets and drugstore candy bars. These days, his business provides the world’s finest sugary confections to customers of all ages.

1012 9th St. 916.905-4115 andyscandystore.com

ALLSPICERY A world of spice can be found in one location at Sacramento’s ultimate culinary specialty shop. Allspicery is exactly what the name suggests: a place where the world’s hardest-to-find spices are available for adventurous chefs, both home-style and professional.

Allspicery is the vision of Heather Wong, the 2015 winner of Downtown Sacramento Foundation’s third annual Calling All Dreamers competition. A culinary enthusiast who was frustrated with the scarcity of global spices in Sacramento, Wong decided to take matters into her own hands. Wong, an avid traveler, was determined to deliver the flavors of the world to her adopted hometown. In the quaint shop, chefs can choose from about 300 spices, many of them impossible to find at traditional retail outlets in Sacramento. Customers can purchase spices whole or have them freshly ground in-house.

1125 11th St. 916.389-7828 allspicery.com INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

19

The Mexican Kitchen CENTERED ON GREAT FLAVORS FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS

I

t’s easy to take for granted a restaurant that’s been around for decades. We’re sometimes overly concerned with what’s new, innovative and hip. Restaurants that go about their business, year after year, decade after decade, frequently filled with diners, can get overshadowed by the newest entrants onto the dining scene.

Many of the restaurants in the Paragary restaurant group fail to fall under the heading of “new and exciting.” Yet Esquire Grill and the multiple Cafe Bernardo outlets are every bit as good as many of the newest restaurants in town.

Centro Cocina Mexicana, one of the many Paragary restaurants that opened in the 1990s, falls under that

20

THE GRID JUN n 16

umbrella as well. For more than 20 years, Centro has put forth a full-throated celebration of regional Mexican cooking, highlighting flavors and preparations one normally does not find at basic Mexican restaurants throughout town.

It’s easy to forget, in a town where Mexican cooking is everywhere from taquerias to white-tablecloth joints, how much of a standout Centro was when it first opened, and how consistently excellent it continues to be.

I recently visited Centro with my good friend Patrick, who is not only an excellent chef but also a veteran of Paragary’s kitchens. I thought it’d be good to get an insider’s view of whether Centro is still bringing the good stuff.

GS

By Greg Sabin “I love this place,” Patrick said as soon as we arrived. “They haven’t changed some of these recipes in 20 years. And why should they? They’re great.”

This is an unusual reaction for Patrick. He normally picks out the small errors and witheringly shames any kitchen that would dare make them. I’ve seem him shake his head in disgust at underdone beets, loudly voice his displeasure at items cooked too long in a too-hot fryolator and

predict the demise of a restaurant within 12 months. He is not an easy critic.

But he loves Centro. So I went in with eyes open and ready for anything.

He was right. The flavors were bright and the menu’s variety outpaced many Mexican restaurants in town. Simple items were handled well. The guacamole was spot on.

“They used to make it tableside,” said Patrick, “but it’s still just as good.”

Drinks, mostly margaritas, were made with flair and a variety of combinations. Tequilas infused with fruits and herbs made for a large variety of flavorful drinks.

Starters, like the ceviche, were done well but were not show-stopping.

But simple-sounding items, like the quesadillas and the empanadas, nailed more complex flavors. The quesadillas married puffy fried masa with roasted chilies and the traditional Mexican herb epazote. The empanadas brought together marinated pork, plantains, almonds and raisins. Neither was standard taqueria fare, not even close.

“I told you,” Patrick said. “They’re still doing great stuff here.”

We tried a variety of entrees and found several standouts. The shrimp tacos were amazing, mixing crispy shrimp, mango salsa, cabbage slaw and chipotle cream. The chorizo and potato burrito also hit the spot,

It’s easy to forget, in a town where Mexican cooking is everywhere from taquerias to white-tablecloth joints, how much of a standout Centro was when it first opened, and how consistently excellent it continues to be. bringing in roasted chilies, cilantro and crema.

The fish tacos and chicken in mole were both a little bland and didn’t wow anyone at the table. But one dish really stood out as sophisticated, flavorful and lovely. Called manchamanteles, the dish consisted of slow-cooked pork shoulder in a sauce of ancho chilies, spices, pineapple and plantains, with sweet potato tamales on the side. It’s a dish I would order again and again.

Desserts were surprisingly thoughtful as well. The flan (of course they have flan) was pretty textbook but done with skill and fine execution.

The platanos flameados con ron,

flambéed plantains with a rum sauce (basically a Mexican bananas Foster) stole the show. Topped with toasted almonds and freshly grated and toasted coconut, and served with ice cream, it was a fantastic end to the meal.

“What did I tell you?” Patrick said when we were done. “This place still holds up, right?”

He is right. After two decades, Centro Cocina Mexicana still holds up, still puts out quality food and still packs in the crowds. I’ll try not to take it for granted in the future.

Centro Cocina Mexicana is at 2730 J St.; 442-2552; paragarys.com. n

Summer Porch Finds for Your Home & Garden Vintage & New Unique Finds

Old Town Chalk Style Paints

Local Handmade

3254 J Street

|

444-2900

| shopsummerporch.com |

10% OFF Purchase thru June

SummerPorch

INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

21

Ready for Soccer ON THE VERGE OF GETTING AN MLS EXPANSION TEAM

n April 14, Sacramento Republic FC threw a party that attracted more than 1,000 fans and one special guest: Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber. During his visit, Garber met with city and team officials to discuss the future of Sacramento and MLS and to tour the Railyards, the proposed site for a $226 million stadium.

Fans who congregated for the party were probably hoping the commissioner’s visit would provide an answer to a question long on Sacramento’s collective mind: Just when will the city become the next expansion team in MLS? “The league has said for a while it’s not if, it’s when,” says Erika Bjork, vice president of marketing and communications for Sacramento Republic FC. In late April, Sports Illustrated published an article online calling Sacramento a shoo-in to join the MLS, placing the city first on a shortlist of potential expansion cities that include St. Louis, Detroit, San Antonio and San Diego.

Sacramento tops the list for factors that show it’s ready for MLS. Public and private funding? Check. A rabid fan base? Double check. Existing

O

JV

By Jordan Venema

22

THE GRID JUN n 16

Sacramento tops the list for factors that show it’s ready for MLS. Public and private funding? Check. A rabid fan base? Double check. Existing plans for a new stadium?

Sacramento, you just sealed the deal there. plans for a new stadium? Sacramento, you just sealed the deal there.

Garber already said that MLS won’t accept future expansions without a ready-made stadium, and since the city council unanimously approved the Railyard stadium late

last year, the city could be on track to join MLS by 2019 or 2020.

About a week before Garber’s visit in April, Sac Soccer and Entertainment Holdings unveiled updated plans to the 375,000-squarefoot stadium, which will seat about 20,000 fans, nearly doubling Bonney

Field’s current capacity. The stadium will also seat an additional 2,000 fans during special events, including an MLS All-Star game, which Garber has guaranteed Sacramento will host within three years of its expansion.

Between games, concerts and other

events, the stadium will attract nearly 500,000 people annually.

SSEH, a private partnership, will assume the estimated $180 million cost to build the stadium, while city and public agencies will front the remaining infrastructure costs for roads and utilities.

Though private and public developers have guaranteed a stateof-the-art stadium, the building would mean nothing without the fans to fill it. Since Republic FC was founded in December 2012, playing its first game in 2104, fans have turned out in record numbers.

Of the 29 teams that make up the United Soccer League, Republic FC had the highest average attendance over the past two seasons. “We even have the sellout streak currently in the USL,” says Bjork.

The USL belongs to a tiered pyramid of professional soccer leagues, with MLS sitting at its top.

There exists a partnership between MLS and USL, but Bjork says that affiliation can’t be compared to the farm system in other sports, like the Sacramento River Cats’ relationship to its parent team, the San Francisco Giants.

USL teams may be affiliated with MLS teams (for example, Republic FC is affiliated with the MLS team San Jose Quakes), but ultimately those teams are independent of MLS. Farm teams in baseball exist to develop players who will be used at the sport’s

highest level, so competition at the farm level comes second.

“Soccer is different,” says Bjork.

“We’re playing to win. Even if the Quakes send us loan players, there’s an understanding that we’re going to play whoever helps us win.”

That winning mentality has been with Republic FC since the team played its first game in 2014. Its debut season turned into a championship year.

“We like to say that the best and the worst thing we did was win a championship that year,” says Bjork.

There was nowhere left to go but up.

Immediate success always generates expectations, but the FC was unable to repeat as champions its second year. Now in its third season, the FC has regularly attracted about 11,000 fans at home games at Bonney Field.

Sacramento’s enthusiasm for Republic FC has spilled over the confines of Bonney Field, catapulting Sacramento to the forefront of the MLS expansion conversation.

There’s just something about the atmosphere at Bonney Field, says Bjork, “and there’s no comparison, especially here locally. We don’t play music during our matches, and we don’t have crowd props, but our Tower Bridge Battalion, our supporter group, leads cheers before the kickoff till the end of the game.”

A rendering of the future Bonney Field

TO page 25

INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

23

You’re Invited!

Sacramento Walk of Stars Gala Celebrates First Honorees

DR. ERNIE BODAI

LEVAR BURTON

DEBBIE MEYER

GREGORY KONDOS

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ENTERTAINMENT

SPORTS

ARTS

Dr. Ernie Bodai is a world-renowned breast cancer surgeon who advocated for the development of the breast cancer postage stamp, which has raised over $90 million for research.

LeVar Burton is a Sacramento-raised actor, producer and director known for his roles in the miniseries Roots, Star Trek: The Next Generation and the children’s series Reading Rainbow.

Debbie Meyer is a threetime Olympic gold medalist and the only woman ever to win three individual freestyle swimming Olympic gold medals.

Gregory Kondos is a Sacramento–raised artist and one of the world’s most prominent and award-winning California landscape artists.

The Sacramento Walk of Stars Gala will be held on August 31, 2016.

For table sponsor and individual tickets, please visit SacramentoWalkofStars.com.

Join the celebration as we honor notable stars who called Sacramento home and have gone on to make their mark on the world.

For sponsorship information, contact Scot Crocker at Scot@CrockerCrocker.com

24

THE GRID JUN n 16

O N E- O F-A- K I N D

design for a modern lifestyle

RESIDENCES REMODELS

FROM page 23

916 456 9600 serraodesign.com

Though private and public developers have guaranteed a state-of-the-art stadium, the building would mean nothing without the fans to fill it.

“I’ve worked in professional sports for over 20 years: the NFL, NBA, the WNBA,” Bjork continues. “And I’ve never experienced a sport, especially in the U.S., that is so inclusive and engaging of its fans.”

Which is why the plans for the new stadium include one of the steepest rakes in MLS: to get Sacramento fans as close to the pitch as possible. Now all that’s left is to build the stadium, since those fans have inverted the famous maxim from the baseball film “Field of Dreams”: If you build it, they will come. Well they’re already here, and they’ve been saying it since the FC’s first season: Sacramento is MLS ready. n

INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

25

History Lesson HOW THE CITY’S STORIED WEST END BECAME OLD SACRAMENTO

T

here were homeless people in the West End, lots of them, but they weren’t called homeless. Some were called drifters, vagrants and derelicts. Others were tramps and winos. A few were hobos. But mostly they were called bums.

They were the people left behind as the fortunes of Sacramento grew and shifted east, north and south. New suburbs, where people who worked in the rail yards or the canning plants could buy their own homes, began to expand around Land Park and McKinley Park. By the 1950s, the neighborhood where the city’s life began, along Front Street and out to Seventh Street, was left to the bums.

Hotels and apartments that once thrived in the West End became flophouses. Cafes and taverns became saloons selling cheap beer, sweet wine and bitter whiskey. Decent people— or at least people who considered themselves decent—wouldn’t venture west of Seventh Street.

For the past 50 years, the legacy of the West End has been deliberately scrubbed away by Sacramento business and political leaders.

Eager to present an upbeat and attractive image to tourists, the city changed the West End’s name to Old Sacramento. The past was purged and the waterfront was rebranded decades before rebranding became fashionable.

The scrubbing worked. Ask most Sacramento residents younger than 50 for directions to the West End and you’ll get a blank stare.

But all things come around. And these days the West End is getting some overdue recognition. The Sacramento History Museum has opened a remarkable exhibit that examines the history of the West End. The vagrants, derelicts, winos and bums aren’t exactly celebrated in Place and Replace: The Making of Old Sacramento, but their sad stories, grizzled faces, scuffed shoes and battered fedoras are pulled from the shadows, embarrassed no more.

“The first weekend we opened the exhibit, we were packed with people of all ages,” museum program manager Kristin Ryan says. “They were checking out our interactive materials, opening drawers and studying the maps and pictures. They had no idea what had happened here.”

The Sacramento History Museum is the perfect place to tell the West End’s story. The museum resides in a fabled corner of the West End, near the Sacramento River, adjacent to the California State Railroad Museum. Visitors can absorb the neighborhood’s curated past with photos, maps and priceless videos from local television archives, then wander out into the streets that minutes before were under historic consideration. The past literally becomes the present.

The most compelling part of the West End narrative is its death.

RG

By R.E. Graswich

26

THE GRID JUN n 16

Kristina Swanson of the Sacramento History Museum

The transformation from skid row to tourist attraction wasn’t dictated by political whim. The policies that created Old Sacramento were surprisingly democratic and collaborative. The community

weighed in on key aspects of the retrofit.

The TV films, many of which were preserved by legendary Channel 3 cameraman Harry Sweet, show man-

Tempting Treats for Dads & Grads!

Big temptations, small bites.

1200 K St. #9 | 638.8949 | aboutabitebakery.com

Unique Bite Sized Desserts & Gifts

The vagrants, derelicts, winos and bums aren’t exactly celebrated in Place and Replace: The Making of Old Sacramento, but their sad stories, grizzled faces, scuffed shoes and battered fedoras are pulled from the shadows, embarrassed no more. in-the-street interviews with residents debating the West End’s future.

The decision by state authorities to run Interstate 5 down Third Street—rather than dropping the freeway in West Sacramento or along Front Street—was intensely discussed by residents. The exhibit affirms that the West End’s fate was sealed by redevelopment opportunities stimulated by the freeway’s placement, not by politicians plotting with business owners in a back room.

The exhibit has an engaging biographical feature to highlight notable personalities who helped the transition from West End to Old Sacramento. But one important voice didn’t make it into the exhibit: Niels “Big Pete” Pedersen, a Sacramento cop who worked nights in the West End from 1945 to 1970. Walking the beat from Front Street to Eighth, he broke up fights and kept the West End reasonably honest.

Seventeen years ago, I interviewed Big Pete at his home on Larkin Way. He was in his mid-80s but still formidable and tough. On the job, he was 6 feet 2 inches and 250 pounds.

That’s why he was called Big Pete. He still had his badge, No. 175, when we spoke. Here’s what he said: “I got out of the Army and a guy told me the police were hiring. Two days later, I was on the job. Some nights would be like a slaughterhouse.

They would cut themselves up in street fights. Knives were the thing.

There weren’t too many shootings. I never shot nobody and didn’t like to use the stick. You could hurt them if you did. Mostly I used my fists.”

Big Pete told me many cops were friendly with West End saloon owners. Some bars kept a nice bottle on a hidden shelf behind the bar, just for the beat cops. It was OK in those days. Old Sacramento was another place entirely. n

INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

27

HAVE INSIDE, WILL TRAVEL 1. Jeff Harris and Patrick Kennedy at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. 2. Vince and Heather King at Mt. Everest Base Camp, Solokhumbu region, Sagarmartha National Park, Nepal 3. Diana Roofner and Ben Schwartz at the Duomo in Milan 4. Janis and Jonathan Lightman on the Great Wall of China 5. Debbie Towne and Steve Casarez at the Greek Theater in Taormina, Sicily 6. Sally Day at Frogner Park in Oslo, Norway

Take a picture with Inside Publications and e-mail a high-resolution copy to travel@insidepublications.com. Due to volume of submissions, we cannot guarantee all photos will be printed or posted. Can’t get enough? Find more photos on Instagram: InsidePublications

28

THE GRID JUN n 16

Colorful Craft Cocktails

Top left clockwise: Mojito at Cafeteria 15L, Blackberry Margarita at Zocolo, My Sherry Amour at Ella, Martinis at Rio City Cafe

INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

29

Photos by Debby Sprigg

Lost & Found STOLEN PARK TRELLIS TEACHES US MUCH ABOUT OUR SOCIETY

I

t started with a simple idea to enjoy a few minutes alone in the McKinley Rose Garden on an early Saturday morning to take in the lovely atmosphere and help center me for the busy week ahead. For the past four years, our small nonprofit Friends of East Sacramento has fully restored and now manages the garden’s care and rental events.

As I walked the grassy paths, my calmness was shaken when I saw piles of freshly cut red rose bouquets strewn on the lawn in several locations. In May, the garden provides

CH

By Cecily Hastings Publisher

30

THE GRID JUN n 16

a colorful backdrop for photographers, especially on prom nights. While this may sound harmless, we have found it is not. On spring evenings, prom couples—many orchestrated by their parents—barge into scheduled events at the garden and routinely step into flower beds, risking damage to the bushes. When our staff gently asks them to be less obtrusive, we often get lectured by the parents about the importance of their beloved child’s big night.

After cleaning up the mess and heading out for a day out of town, I noticed out of the corner of my eye what looked like a fallen branch in one of the beds. I texted our staff person Lyn and asked her to check it out when she arrived to train volunteers that morning.

When she got there, she was shocked to discover one of the garden’s 16 majestic wrought-iron trellises had been stolen. What I

thought was a fallen branch was instead a 15-foot length of climbing rose cane strewn over other rosebushes. Shocked by this brazen theft, we reported it to the police.

Joe Pane, our facility manager at Clunie Community Center, which our nonprofit also manages, is a

retired police officer. We posted some photos on our Facebook page and shared them with other groups we are affiliated with. By that night, our post had reached more than 3,000 people.

A few days later, a call came in from an anonymous tipster who reported that he had seen the trellis

What struck me was that, for less than $500, the family could have rented the entire garden for three hours and enjoyed a ceremony under any one of the trellises amid 1,200 blooming rosebushes tended lovingly by almost 200 volunteers.

being used at a wedding in a Natomas backyard. He was upset because the family had bragged that it had been stolen from McKinley Park. He led us to the family’s Facebook page, where photos of the smiling couple under the trellis had been posted. After a little cyber-sleuthing, we were able to provide the family’s information, including the rough location of their home, to the police investigator.

Crisis rarely comes at a convenient time. But despite a pretty tightly packed work schedule the following week (design deadline for our upcoming book), I somehow managed to do numerous television interviews in the garden, four before it was found and four after recovery. The last two were on my porch at 9 p.m. when it was pouring rain. We also took our own photos and issued several press releases to the media. My stepson, who lives in San Francisco, called to say he’d heard me interviewed on his local news talk station! Talk about a slow news day.

Quite obviously the media loved the story, especially the happy ending brought about by social media. You can imagine how irked we were that when the family was exposed, they all claimed to know nothing about the origin of the huge, distinctive trellis that magically showed up in their yard. The mother of the bride placed the blame on a “crazy” uncle who just happened to be homeless. Yet he managed to coordinate a vehicle to transport a 500-pound iron structure in the middle of the night without being detected. One reporter actually asked me if I felt a little bit sorry

for the family. I won’t repeat my response.

What struck me was that, for less than $500, the family could have rented the entire garden for three hours and enjoyed a ceremony under any one of the trellises amid 1,200 blooming rosebushes tended lovingly by almost 200 volunteers. It also dawned on us that if we didn’t manage the garden and work it with volunteers almost daily, the theft may have gone unnoticed by the city. I’m told that park theft and vandalism are rampant.

In the initial report, the police asked us to estimate the value of the trellis. For guidance, we turned to one of our garden volunteers, Bill Kuyper. He’s an iron sculptor who a few years ago created a beautiful companion gazebo in the center of the garden that we funded with private donations. Bill was willing to make and install a replacement for $6,000, so we reported that value to the police and the press.

Then we got a call from the iron artist who originally made the trellises for the city about 18 years ago. He was upset because the city paid him $15,000 apiece, and he thought he should be hired to replace it. By this time, however, it was a moot point because the trellis had already been found.

I am grateful for the attention to our beloved garden, but it certainly came at a cost to those of us who volunteer in terms of time, worry and management of the repair. Let’s hope the publicity keeps this from ever happening again. n

Photo by Mary Gray

More than a hundred volunteers learned to deadhead roses at the Friends of East Sacramento Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast and Training on May 14.

Volunteers are encouraged to return weekly to dead-head for an hour. Contact Lyn Pitts at lynpitts@comcast.net for more information on ongoing training weekday mornings at the garden.

Photos by Steve Harriman

INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

31

So Last Century THIS COUPLE EMBRACES ’50S ATOMIC STYLE

M

el and Shane O’Brien were married 11 years ago.

Ten years ago, they began collecting nostalgic collectables for their home. Two years ago, they moved into a 1959 South Land Park ranch-style house. Today, every room of their 1,700-square-foot home is filled with the bounty of their searches.

“If there is an empty spot, we fill it,” Shane says.

It took the couple a bit of time to discover their preferred style. They settled upon midcentury kitsch or atomic style. Pieces tend to rotate in

32

THE GRID JUN n 16

“WHEN YOU COME HOME, IT FEELS LIKE DISNEYLAND.” and out of their home since they are on the lookout for new treasures all the time.

“We were collectors and became dealers because we had so much stuff,” Shane explains. “We love to shop, and as we find better pieces for us, we pass along pieces from our collection.”

Initially they frequented local antique stores. Now they find many items on eBay and Etsy. They began collecting modern style pieces, then art deco, then sleek midcentury modern with a Danish feel. In 2011, they fell in love with the kitsch/atomic look.

Though they extensively remodeled their home, they have made numerous changes. Repainting was a necessity.

The previous owner’s color palette ran to chartreuse, yellow and orange. The

jF

By Julie Foster

master bedroom was oxblood red. They prefer turquoise and aqua tones. All the kitchen appliances, with the exception of the oven, were replaced with Big Chill retro-style appliances in the Pink Lemonade color.

New vinyl composition tile in the kitchen spiffed up the room. The new custom front door has three diamond windows. They found starburst escutcheon plates on eBay for the door handle. Double-paned windows in the lanai, a space Shane speculates was once a breezeway, help boost the energy efficiency.

The exterior was freshened up by replacing fencing and gates and adding a sprinkler/ drip watering system. Mel’s stepdad made the vintage shutters, and they helped install them. A local welder made the cool entryway feature out of a repurposed mental room divider. The driveway and brick planters were redone.

The pair loves light fixtures. Their collection includes Moss, Reglor, Continental Art Company and Heifetz Rotaflex lights. Other treasures include HeywoodWakefield, Brown Saltman and Paul Frankl furniture pieces and many Carlo of Hollywood watercolors. The lanai boasts a rare Witco tiki bar.

Everything in the house works, including an original NuTone intercom, five vintage televisions, five record players and three jukeboxes. Shane has restored or refurbished 90 percent of the items in their home.

When they first started collecting as a young couple, money was tight. When they found midcentury modern pieces that needed work, Shane began restoring them for much less than if they hired the job out.

“After a while, I discovered I had a knack for it,” he says. “We gained a real appreciation for these pieces and started seriously collecting.”

Wanting to share their passion for wares from the 1950s and ’60s, as well as DIY restoration techniques, led the pair to start a blog, hepcatrestorations.com.

“We try to be a resource to inform our readers of the history of our pieces, and we try to be an inspiration

for others who decorate in the midcentury style,” Shane explains.

“People email with questions all the time about a piece’s value, history or how to restore it,” Shane explains.

Mel’s hectic schedule involves traveling for a large corporation, limiting their time for socializing. When she’s not working, she prefers being at home with Shane and enjoying what she sees around her.

“When you come home, it feels like Disneyland,” she says.

Their decorating process doesn’t follow a set pattern. It just evolves based on the space and their needs. “We don’t have a vision of the room when we step into it,” Mel says.

TO page 35

INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

33

34

THE GRID JUN n 16

FROM page 33 Everything they own is not designer. Mel prefers to buy new things like couches and rugs. “Who made the piece is not as important to us as how the piece makes us feel when we’re around it,” Shane says.

Shane loves the cowboy-centric rancho style, but Mel isn’t keen on the look. A few rancho items did make it into the laundry room. Mel explains she was slow in appreciating the tiki style in the lanai. “Because I am Filipino, I thought how cliche to have a tiki room,” she says. Now it’s her favorite room.

“We do add other things that are not tiki in here. It is pretty eclectic,” Shane says. “I just love being surrounded by all this stuff. It makes me happy.”

The O’Briens’ home will be featured on the Sacramento Midcentury Modern Home Tour on Saturday, June 18.

For tickets and more information, go to sacmcmhometour. blogspot.com.

If you know of a home you think should be featured in Inside Publications, contact Julie Foster at foster.julie91@ yahoo.com n

INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

35

Designing Women TWO FRIENDS WITH SIMILAR SENSIBILITIES MAKE JEWELRY TOGETHER

F

riends and business co-owners Amber Collins and Pam Tuohy-Novinsky finish each other’s sentences, listen attentively to anecdotes they’ve probably heard more than a few times, and laugh a great deal. It’s easy to see why this former model and former jazz dancer became friends when they met seven years ago in San Francisco.

They soon discovered that although they had individual styles, their tastes and philosophies about consumption and waste were similar. TuohyNovinsky and Collins use the word “interdependent” to describe their close friendship and Cabine, the mostly Internet-based company they founded two years ago.

According to Cabine’s website, the company is based on “a shared passion for connection, living simply, love of creativity, a good story, objects of quality, crafts(wo)manship with meaning, choosing quality over quantity, celebration, a big belly laugh, [and] purpose and growth.”

Products include affordable, craftsbased, recycled jewelry and art, along with soy candles and sage smudge sticks. Everything is made by hand; Tuohy-Novinsky and Collins are the only employees. “It isn’t our goal to be a global corporation. It was a goal to start a company based on a heartfelt belief system,” says Collins.

“We’ve both laid our hands on every piece we sell.”

AW

By Angela Wright

36

THE GRID JUN n 16

Necklace is crafted with grey seed beads and handmade Ethiopian metal accents

Although they’ve seen a lot of places and done a lot of things, both women agree that Sacramento is one of the best communities to live and work.

The company’s name was inspired by Collins’ modeling days. A cabine, loosely translated, is a holding place where models change their clothes and spend the most time. “My community was that cabine,” Collins says.

Collins and Tuohy-Novinsky source their own materials and repurpose them into unique and affordable jewelry. “We don’t believe in waste,” TuohyNovinsky says. Tuohy-Novinsky is a model for low consumption. She and her husband grow a lot of their own food. She also gave up her car and relies on public transportation and her bike to get around.

Despite their similarities, they come from different backgrounds. Collins, who is an East Sacramento resident, and the more vocal of the two, was raised on a reservation. It was an hour’s drive to the nearest Dairy Queen, so she didn’t grow up eating a lot of fast food. She used to sing the Helen Reddy classic “I Am Woman” at school during show and tell. “I had to be asked to stop. I was ‘leaning in’ a really long time,” she says and laughs.

In seventh grade, she visited a mall for the first time and thought it was “beautiful.” She started modeling when she was 15, and three years later

she was modeling full time in Paris.

“I loved being a model. I traveled. I earned a really good living. It was my job,” Collins says.

Modeling was heady stuff for a teenager who grew up on a reservation, yet there were humbling moments as well. At a Chanel show, Collins wore a sexy swimsuit covered with jewelry. “I was strutting my stuff. The crowd was digging me,” she says. Later, she discovered that the heavy jewelry had flipped the top of her swimsuit; she had walked the runaway topless. Collins’ mother told her to remember that story because “‘you cannot forget who you are.’”

While she no longer works as a model, Collins still looks and moves like one. She currently represents models and actors for Cast Images Talent Agency. “I spend a lot of time reminding them that it is a job,” she says. “You have to look on it as a business.”

Earrings are crafted with grey seed bead with freshwater pearls and handmade silver Ethiopian metal beads. Shown on a hand-tied sage smudgestick.

Cabine's cream colored seed bead, freshwater pearl, Ethiopian metal & heishi necklace.

Amber Collins and Pam Tuohy-Novinsky

Even though she doesn’t consider herself to be an artist, Collins works with Tuohy-Novinsky to craft the recycled jewelry offered

by Cabine. They also use the word “interdependent” to describe how they create Cabine’s custom-made jewelry, with both women taking turns working on a piece until it is done. They transport the unfinished jewelry in the same Ziploc bags they started using two years ago.

A Land Park resident, TuohyNovinsky has a curly mane and the body of a dancer. She was born and raised in San Francisco two blocks from Golden Gate Park, where she worked as a docent at Steinhart Aquarium, shepherding private donors around, until she moved to New York to study jazz on a scholarship. Tuohy-Novinsky has

had a variety of jobs. She worked for San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk, and in jewelry studios. She also managed a music studio and, later, represented actors and musicians. In addition to Cabine, Tuohy-Novinsky shares a business, 2ETN, with her husband, making one-of-a-kind jewelry. She is currently pursuing an MFA in interdisciplinary art.

Although they’ve seen a lot of places and done a lot of things, both women agree that Sacramento is one of the best communities to live and work. “This is an undiscovered jewel,” Tuohy-Novinsky says. “I can’t imagine doing business anywhere else.”

For more information about Cabine, go to cabinemonde.com. Their products are usually available at Display in Oak Park. n

INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

37

Art Preview GALLERY ART SHOWS IN JUNE

In June Artspace1616 will exhibit photography by Richard Gilles, paintings by David Hollowell and sculpture by Tom Bills Shown above: A Bills sculpture and a Hollowell painting.

1616 Del Paso Boulevard

The b. sakata garo gallery will exhibit paintings by Gail Chadell through July 2. Shown above: “Of All Things Lovely,” oil on canvas.

923 20th St.; bsakatagaro.com

Tim Collom Gallery will exhibit a new series of work by Margarita Chaplinska (shown above) through June 28. 915 20th St.; timcollomgallery.com

John Natsoulas Gallery will feature works of Pat Mahony through July 2.

Shown above: “Purple Iris” 2015, oil on canvas, 60” x 48.”

521 First St. in Davis; natsoulas.com

38

THE GRID JUN n 16

Archival Gallery presents the sculpture of Cindy Wilson during the month of June, along with lush landscapes of Bruce Leavitt (shown above).

3223 Folsom Blvd.; archivalframe.com

Fabulous COUTURE for you

#PANACHE & vintage for your home Voted Best Vintage Couture by Sacramento Magazine 5379 H Street #B • 813-5758 • instagram/panache_on_hst

POPART DRAW YOUR

BE SURE TO REMEMBER THE SPECIAL GUY IN YOUR LIFE...

UART HAS ALL KINDS OF COOL STUFF TO MAKE HIS DAY GREAT!

DAD! BRING THIS AD IN FOR 20% OFF PHOTO AND WALL FRAMES*

FRAME YOUR

UART SACRAMENTO 2601 J STREET 916-443-5721

FATHER!

SUN JUNE 19th

*One coupon per customer. May not be combined with any other offer. May not be used for custom framing.

Expires 6/30/16.

SACRAMENTO

REDWOOD CITY

SAN JOSE

UNIVERSITYART.COM

Read at home...

Inisde The Grid is distributed at dozens of central city newstands. But for $12 a year (reg. $25 a year) you can have it mailed to your home or office each month.

Offer expires July 1.

Explore and celebrate some of Sacramento’s best mid-century modern architecture, including cool ranch homes!

Saturday, June 18, 2016 9AM to 3PM

Details and tickets: sacmcmhometour.bpt.me

VISIT insidepublications.com INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

39

Worth The Cost PROPERTY OWNERS NEED TO STEP UP TO PREVENT FUTURE FLOOD RISK

A

s business owners, we work hard to ensure that our customers are happy, our employees productive and our businesses profitable. We worry about threats to our regional economic stability and health, despite knowing that we have little or no control over either.

One of the constant threats to our region is flooding. Over the past 30 years, we’ve seen portions of our region flood and know how perilously close we have come to catastrophe.

While we cannot control the weather, we can protect ourselves.

The Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency has managed more than $2 billion of levee improvements since the 1990s, but there is more work to do. With changing federal and state standards, SAFCA also must change. The agency updated its flood control plan to better ensure we are protected from catastrophic flood.

What was once deemed safe—a 100year flood standard—has been revised to a more rigorous 200-year standard.

These changes better protect our community but come at a cost.

40

THE GRID JUN n 16

By voting yes, property owners can ensure that the consequences of a catastrophic flood are avoided.

Ballots were mailed to property owners last month seeking approval for an assessment district that will support this necessary, more comprehensive flood control plan.

By voting yes, property owners can ensure that the consequences of a catastrophic flood are avoided.

While we understand the risk to life and property that flooding presents, the economic disaster is also terrible. A levee breach in Sacramento would cripple our regional economy, seriously affecting 2.4 million people.

Even after our region deals with the health and safety impacts, the local economic impacts would be devastating and long lasting. Supply and distribution routes would be

broken, manufacturing would largely stop, businesses would close and jobs would be lost. Merely getting from one point to another would be difficult long after a flood, as we struggle to repair and rebuild.

SAFCA’s proposed assessment offers us the best chance to avoid what no one wants to experience. And we aren’t in this alone. For every dollar that Sacramento property owners contribute, state and federal agencies contribute approximately $8. But this is contingent on Sacramento contributing its share.

We must do our part.

If the proposed assessment fails, state and federal portions will become unavailable. That cannot happen. Property owners would have to pay very expensive flood insurance premiums. Inevitably, the lack of progress on flood safety would lead to crippling building moratoriums and, ultimately, to the decline of our regional economy.

I urge my fellow property owners to make the smart decision for our homes and families, our businesses, our employees and our customers. Return the SAFCA property assessment ballot by June 13 and vote yes.

Randall Selland is executive chef and co-owner of the Selland Group, which includes The Kitchen, Selland’s Market-Cafe, Ella Dining Room and Bar and the soon-to-open OBO’ Italian Table & Bar. n

Keep Our Libraries Funded PROPERTY OWNERS NEED TO STEP UP TO PREVENT FUTURE FLOOD RISK

O

n June 7, you will be asked to vote to continue to fund our library system without increasing taxes or fees by renewing Measure X. The measure will extend the current parcel tax for an additional 10 years to continue library services within the city of Sacramento. Your yes vote will make sure our libraries continue to be funded without new taxes. This investment in our libraries is crucial and needs your support.

We are fortunate in the city to have an outstanding library system. Since 1879, when city residents voted to turn the “subscription association” into a free library, our community has placed great value on our public libraries.

Since 1879, we have seen our library grow from 6,000 volumes to more than 2 million. We have seen it grow from one branch to 12 branches, serving every neighborhood in our city. Our city has a long history of supporting our

More than 250,000 people in the city of Sacramento have a library card, and more than 5 million books and periodicals are checked out each year.

libraries. They need your support again.

Please vote to yes to maintain services for children and teens, including after-school homework assistance and reading programs. Also vote yes to protect library operating hours and 24/7 online access to library resources. Vote yes to preserve library services for seniors and families trying to improve their lives.

A yes vote also gives people who don’t have computers at home access to the internet. Your vote will continue to make quality library materials, programs and services available in your neighborhood.

More than 250,000 people in the city of Sacramento have a library card, and more than 5 million books and periodicals are checked out each year.

Our libraries are well used and very loved.

Measure X would continue the funding that provides one-third of the operating budget for our library system, the funding that keeps

our libraries open. It also buys the books that we read and enables us to meet and learn together. Measure X provides access to the internet and research services that help us all. Our community groups have great places in libraries to meet, share information and work together for the betterment of our community.

Our libraries prepare children to start school ready to read and offer a safe place for children to learn and study. Our libraries help job seekers and adult learners and provide information and enrichment to people of all ages. To maintain our hours of operation, online access, quality books and library materials, children’s programs and more, I urge you to join me in voting yes on Measure X. Rick Jennings is the city councilmember for District 6, vice mayor and chair of the Sacramento Public Library Authority. For more information about Measure X, go to excellentlibraries.org. n

INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

41

Champion of Sports HIS JOB IS TO SELL THE CITY TO ATHLETIC GROUPS, BIG AND SMALL

T

hree names, maybe four, pretty much summarize Sacramento sports history for the past halfcentury: Solons, Kings, River Cats and maybe Republic FC, though time will tell. By any measure, much less the yardstick of a city always eager to declare itself on the verge of something big, that isn’t much to brag about.

But true sports fans know there’s more to the game than major-league affiliations and a season or two of boxoffice success. It’s not membership in the big leagues that determines a city’s sporting credentials, as our friends in Oakland have begun to realize. It’s the appreciation for athletic competition in general, large and small, that identifies a great sports town.

RG

By R.E. Graswich

These days, it falls to a man named Mike Sophia to translate Sacramento’s long history of sports enthusiasm into a definable asset: a scalable product that builds upon the city’s love of sports and attracts revenue without help from the spillover effect enjoyed by majorleague markets.

Sophia runs the Sacramento Sports Commission, a branch of the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau. He’s been on the job for three years but hasn’t exactly become a household name. It’s likely most sports fans in Sacramento have never heard of him, and that’s partly by intent. Fans don’t need to know Sophia. But they should know what he’s up to.

His job is not to sell himself, but to sell the city—and to a lesser degree the region—to youth, college and amateur sports groups that bring lots of visitors to town for several days of athletic competition. If these groups stay in Sacramento hotels, eat in Sacramento restaurants and drink in Sacramento bars, tax revenue grows.

Sports fans don’t need to know Sophia.

But they should know what he’s up to.

42

THE GRID JUN n 16

Graduation Cakes Father's Day Cakes Sophia has done his job and can sleep soundly at night.

He begins by recognizing that despite its slender big-league credentials (back to those three names and that half-century), Sacramento is an excellent community for sports, far more enthusiastic and sophisticated than other towns with grander sports histories.

“It’s an amazing city,” Sophia says.

“People here really care about sports, are loyal and respond to a product well presented. Look at the support the Kings have maintained over the years. And look at what Republic FC has done. Their story is textbook.”

Sophia has several goals each day when he arrives at the convention bureau’s offices on I Street, one block from Memorial Auditorium.

For starters, he focuses on economic development, which involves creating and preserving jobs in the hospitality industry. When more people visit Sacramento, more people take care of them.

There’s an entrepreneurial aspect to Sophia’s work. He wants to create and operate events that will attract fans and participants to town with money to spend. And there’s the idea Sophia calls the “community piece.” This is where the sports commission serves as a booster for local promoters. Republic FC is a good example.

“We advocate for sports in the community,” Sophia says. “We champion sports that are doing cool things.”

There are challenges to running the sports commission, and one big challenge involves history. When Sophia arrived in 2013, he inherited an organization that had been shut down by its benefactors. The commission was bankrupt and unable to repay loans of public funds. Sophia

oversaw a restructuring, with the commission born again as part of the Convention & Visitors Bureau, rather than as a stand-alone.

“There are between 200 and 300 sports commissions in the U.S., and only a handful of them are standalones,” Sophia says. “It’s far more efficient to take the organization out of its silo and operate it under the strength of the CVB.” Sophia has promoted sports for years, but his formative time was the decade he spent at the Miami Sports Commission. On his watch, Miami attracted prestigious events such as the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, McDonald’s All American Games and the USA Volleyball Junior National Championship.

With Golden 1 Center set to open this fall, Sacramento is ready to return to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament lineup next year. Sophia believes the city will become a regular stop for major college tournaments, including volleyball, gymnastics, wrestling and swimming.

“When I mention swimming, people wonder where,” Sophia says. “We don’t need an aquatics center, because they build temporary pools now.”

Pools may come and go, but the sports commission still cares about permanent facilities. Sophia is trying to convince nearby communities to spend their athletic facility funds strategically, so the region can attract soccer, lacrosse, softball and baseball tournaments.

“Sometimes, the city of Sacramento has to compete with neighboring cities for hotel business,” he says.

“Sometimes, we lose out. That’s OK. Ultimately, we’re all better off when we work together.” n

Macarons • Cookies Cupcakes • Pies Cakepops • HandPies

2966 Freeport Boulevard Freeportbakery.com

442-4256

imagine... a beautiful photo of your business seen by almost every neighbor surrounding your location every month.

Remember they can only become your customer if they know about you.

(And it is a big mistake to assume they do.)

VISIT insidepublications.com INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

43

Exercise as Elixir WHY DRIVE WHEN YOU CAN WALK OR BIKE?

Active transportation—walking and biking—is an astonishingly convenient way to make exercise routine without setting aside lots of extra time.

ublic health officials plead with people to get more physical activity. They suggest parking farther away from destinations instead of hunting for the closest spot in the lot.

They tout taking the stairs instead of the elevator. I guess every little bit helps, but come on. Unless you park a quarter mile away or work in a highrise office tower, those are literally tiny steps indeed.

It shows how far expectations have fallen about people’s ability and willingness to be physically active.

Our culture seems to be built on avoiding exertion, not embracing it.

A tennis colleague told me he drives the three quarters of a mile from

P

44

THE GRID JUN n 16

home to work instead of walking or biking. He plays tennis for hours at a time, so avoiding exercise on his commute probably doesn’t hurt his health, but why drive when the alternative is so simple? Far too many people get far too little exercise when healthy physical activity could easily be part of daily life. Active transportation—walking and biking— is an astonishingly convenient way to make exercise routine without setting aside lots of extra time.

The health and economic consequences of the American lack of physical activity have been catastrophic. Diabetes is epidemic.

Heart and vascular diseases are rampant killers. All of us share in

the resulting skyrocketing costs of health coverage. Meanwhile, it’s been evident for quite a while that exercise is better than any drug. Not only does it help prevent and treat diseases; its side effects tend to be positive instead of frightening. Weight loss, stress relief and increased longevity all are related results. That’s a lot better than the litany of the scary, and sometimes horrific, side effects that can accompany popping a pill.

Instead of avoiding exercise when getting around, I seek it out—an attitude that makes a difference. I seize the opportunity that short trips provide to be active. A national survey indicates 40 percent of trips are less than 2 miles. I welcome the chance

to walk or bike in my beautiful East Sacramento neighborhood. I bike to the gym (2 miles) and arrive in 12 minutes already warmed up. It’s been many years since I drove there.

My wife and I usually bike to the varied fine restaurants in Midtown and downtown, including Biba. It’s satisfying for me to see bike racks (some provided free through a city program) now featured at many restaurants and coffee shops, though Biba hasn’t yet gotten one of the green SacRacks on offer. (Biba told us after lunch, when we mentioned the need for bike parking, “My customers don’t ride bikes.” It was a puzzling response since we were holding our bike helmets, and a guy in a bike jersey was dining at a table nearby.)

Still, even without nice-to-have racks, it’s easier to get close and to

WS

By Walt Seifert

park a bike than park a car. The difference in total travel time is negligible. It might even be faster to bike. Going home after a dinner out in the spring, summer and fall, it’s a delight to be riding on our dark, cool, quiet, mostly empty neighborhood streets.

Short neighborhood trips are an especially convenient way to get exercise. You don’t have to don special athletic gear; just go. A trip to the drugstore, post office or soccer practice shouldn’t take too much out of you, but it does take a car off the road, which is good for everyone.

Another tennis colleague lives several blocks from his club. He drove to the club, discovered a special event was going on and there was no close by parking. He wound up driving back home and walking. Why not walk in the first place?

Technology offers a new way to get into the habit of exercising.

Humorist and author David Sedaris wrote a piece about how a Fitbit bracelet incentivized his walking

around his home in England. He started doing 10,000 steps a day to get the rewarding Fitbit tingle. If he could do 10,000 steps, why not more? He added steps whenever he could. He walked the 3,895 steps to the local pub and back after dinner instead of cocooning. He wound up at 60,000 steps, walking some nine hours a day while picking up litter, simultaneously satisfying his desire for order. He wrote, “You can tell where my territory ends, and the rest of England begins.”

It’s not necessary to go to extremes.

There’s a difference between getting some additional activity and engaging in compulsive behavior. Exercise can be a bit addictive, but it’s an addiction that should be liberating, not debilitating. When you’ve got a choice on how to get there, think about choosing a way that includes the elixir of exercise.

The health and economic consequences of the American lack of physical activity have been catastrophic. Diabetes is epidemic. Heart and vascular diseases are rampant killers.

Walt Seifert is a bicyclist, driver and transportation writer. He can be reached at bikeguy@surewest.net n

Sacramento’s Premier Antique & Design Center Over 120 Dealers 45,000 sq ft

IN BUSINESS SINCE 1977

4 Star Dining

Free Customer Parking

& Design Center

Amorini Antiques 455-1509 Aquila Fitness 207-7500

1900 ALHAMBRA BLVD. & S OPEN DAILY TO EVERYONE 7AM -10PM • SACFOOD.COOP 100% ORGANIC PRODUCE • SEAFOOD • POULTRY • MEAT • GROCERY • WINE CHEESE • BEER • BULK FOODS • HERBS • BODY CARE • SUPPLEMENTS • DELI

Fifty-Seventh Street Antique Mall 451-3110 The Ruralist 956-0776

The Lighting Palace - Sales and Repair 817-9625 Evan’s Kitchen 452-3896 Mike & Greg The Pottery Guys 731-4556 Picket Fence Antiques 455-6524

Sassi Salon 739-0878 Sekula’s 712-8303 Design Alchemy 999-1409 Dance “10” 769-4857

855 57th Street (Between J & H Streets) INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

45

This Month @ the Market

A LOOK AT WHAT’S IN SEASON AT LOCAL FARMERS MARKETS IN JUNE

46

CORN

APRICOTS

CHERRIES

There’s nothing that says summer like an ear of fresh corn. It has high concentrations of antioxidant carotenoids and is a good source of fiber—not to mention it’s delicious!

To eat: Remove the husk and silks, then char the corn over a hot barbecue grill before dousing with seasoned butter.

This beautiful golden-orange-colored stone fruit is full of betacarotene, fiber and vitamins A and C. To eat: Perfect for making jam, a tart or ice cream.

Cherries have a lower glycemic index than many fruits, making them a great choice for a fruit snack, especially for diabetics.

To eat: Remove the pits and toss into the blender for a smoothie.

OKRA

FIGS

EGGPLANTS

This very low-calorie vegetable has lots of vitamin A and antioxidants such as beta-carotene and lutein, and it’s a good source of folates.

To eat: Use in a Southern gumbo or Caribbean stew.

Figs supply potassium, which controls blood pressure, and dietary fiber, which can help you lose weight.

To eat: Add quartered figs to an arugula salad, or poach in wine for dessert.

Eggplant provides dietary fiber, plenty of vitamins and minerals and phytonutrients such as nasunin and chlorogenic acid.

Many of its nutritional benefits come from the vegetable’s skin.

To eat: Cut into thick slices, brush with olive oil and grill.

THE GRID JUN n 16

Brunch JOIN US FOR...

C H A M P A G N E

CHAMPAGNE BUFFET BRUNCH

F A T ’S ASIA BISTRO

Father’s Day, June 19, 2016 CALL FOR INFORMATION & RESERVATIONS.

2585 Iron Point Road Folsom 916-983-1133 1500 Eureka Road Roseville 916-787-3287 www.fatsbistro.com

“...Shortly after returning from Italy, we thought we had never come home.”

- Gourmet

JUNE 3 WINEMAKERS’ DINNER VARIOUS LOCAL RESTURANTS

SAVE

JUNE 4

SAVE

JUNE 5

$11 on Grape Escape Tickets $5 on Sunday Brunch Tickets When you purchase tickets at your local Save Mart Supermarkets!

New Happy Hour!

Monday – Friday 5 - 7 pm 2801 Capitol Av Avenue (916) 455-2422 www.biba-restaurant.com

SAVE MART GRAPE ESCAPE CESAR CHAVEZ PARK

FARM-TO-FORK SUNDAY BRUNCH 13TH ST DOWNTOWN

Visit SaveMart.com for participating locations Tickets available May 2nd

Produced by:

FARMTOFORK.COM/SUMMER

INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

47

™

LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE

Every city has its own unique story. Sacramento’s story begins with Sutter’s Fort and the Gold Rush and has evolved over the years to include a mélange of attractions including easy access to shopping, fine dining, theater and museums, lively Sacramento Kings basketball games, scenic biking and jogging trails along the American River Parkway and more. Today, Coldwell Banker is proud to be a part of Sacramento’s continuing story by providing homebuyers with the necessary resources, connections and expertise to make their home buying dreams a reality.

photographer Thaddeus Thompson @goodthompson

Shouldn’t you love where you live? Find your happily ever after by contacting Coldwell Banker today.

Coldwell Banker Sacramento Metro | 730 Alhambra Street, Sacramento | 916.447.5900 ColdwellBankerHomes.com |

californiahome.me |

/cbcalifornia |

/cb_california |

/cbcalifornia |

/coldwellbanker

©2016 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker® is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Office is Owned by a Subsidiary of NRT LLC. Real estate agents affiliated with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage are independent contractor sales associates and are not employees of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage or NRT LLC. CalBRE License #01908304.