Born and raised within a strong stone’s throw of Old Sacramento on the sycamore-shaded banks of the Sacramento River, I grew to know every nook and cranny of the charming corridor. Smiles and laughter and small faces smudged with ice cream give more the impression of a theme park than an authentic restoration with businesses ranging from art galleries to tattoo parlors.
Sacramento was the epicenter of the California Gold Rush of 1849, and the Western terminus of the Pony Express and the first transcontinental railroad in the 1860s. With the largest concentration of Gold Rush period buildings in the nation, Old Sacramento is a 28-acre national landmark and state historic park in the shadow of the city’s bustling downtown. Gleaming glass skyscrapers reflect stunning sunsets that glitter like gold on the regnant river running by rustic storefronts.
