Sacramento's Hometown Tourists Blog

Janet, Cindy and Carol:  Who we are.

We met in a Toastmasters Class in 1994.  When the chapter disbanded, we decided we would still meet occasionally for lunch.  Since we all worked in different departments for Sacramento County, our paths frequently crossed at work.  We had the common employer denominator to give us plenty of topics to discuss at lunch.  By making sure we set our next luncheon date and place before we left the table, we were able to keep our monthly meetings going for 18 years.  None of us has blogged before, but we look forward to exploring Sacramento as "local tourists" and sharing our travels with everyone.

Carol Dabrowiak

Sacramento is my adopted home town.  I moved here 40 years ago with my husband when he accepted a job transfer.  It was supposed to be a temporary assignment, but we loved California and chose to settle here.  This is where I raised my two sons.  This is where I finished my college degree and this is where I worked as an Accountant for Sacramento County - making great friends along the way.   I'm originally from a large family in Chicago.  Now they all live in different parts of the country, so it is fun to travel around and visit my siblings and their families.   I like to read and discuss books.  I also enjoy taking classes to learn new things.  A few years ago I retired from Sacramento County.   Finally there is time to explore the area and visit the museums and sites that make Sacramento such an interesting city.   I look forward to sharing my observations with others.

Cynthia Gibbs

I am an accomplished tourist and have traveled and lived many places.  I have traveled to Australia, New Zealand, China and Hong Kong, India, Japan and Thailand. I have traveled through Europe, the Mediterranean, North Africa, Scandinavia and the British Isles.  Before the wall came down in Berlin, I traveled the eastern block, Russia, Poland, etc.  I have traveled throughout the United States, from Mexico to Canada, along the West Coast, East Coast, South and Southwest.

As long as I can remember, I wanted to go places.  I have lived and worked in Sacramento County since 1984.  I am a hometown tourist, traveling where I live and enjoying the great companionship in Carol and Janet on these adventures in and around Sacramento.

Janet Lewis

I am a lifelong Sacramentan but have traveled enough to know that we’ve got a good thing going here!  What I especially love about Sacramento that gives me a real sense of place (besides the iconic Tower Bridge) are the delta breeze and the scent of willows along the American River.  I’m happy and sometimes amazed that Sacramento provides such a diversity of arts: ballet, opera, poetry center, theater, art galleries, etc.  You may be surprised to learn that I’ve had a passport for 5 years but have never used it.  I guess it’s just that I know there are still a lot of wonderful places and experiences close by and in my own hometown.  Cindy and Carol are such good pals to share and discover all of these nearby destinations with.  Our list is already long and interesting; we will never run out of Hometown Tourist adventures!  HT: it’s a state of mind!

When Cindy, Carol, and I heard that the Leland Stanford Mansion and the California Governor’s Mansion were rumored to be on the State Parks closure list, we decided we wanted to see both of these important Sacramento attractions. 

We were able to take the public tour of the Leland Stanford mansion at 8th & N Streets on a recent chilly but sunny morning.  Our tour guide, Richard, explained to us how the Mansion’s structure was built in phases.  It went from being a small plain boxy structure (circa 1856) to a large ornate one with its distinctive front porch stairway by the end of the 1870’s.  The whole building was raised 12 feet during one of the addition projects, about the same time as the rest of downtown Sac was being raised to avoid recurrent flooding.

The entire tour of the Leland Stanford Mansion was very interesting.  From the unusual 4-pocket pool table, to the beautiful ceiling medallions that acted as “soot catchers” in the days of gas lighting, to the mirrors in the fireplaces so that Victorian ladies could check to be sure their ankles weren’t showing, to the massive wood furniture in the dining room with seemingly straightforward carving which are actually reminiscent of railroad locomotives, to the “ice bucket” fishbowl in the ladies’ parlor, the Stanford Mansion is full of fascinating pieces and stories.  The museum/gift shop/visitor center in the back yard is small, yet thorough. 

One place I could really enjoy spending some time is the 2nd floor master bedroom/bath.  I wonder if it is the fact that there is a comfortable looking “fainting couch” in the corner by the front window.  Carol, Cindy, and I laughed with relief that we are living in the 21st century when our guide reminded us how useful that particular item of furniture was to women who wore tight corsets and had just climbed 2 flights of stairs!  The adjoining master bath had its own Victorian-era wood-trimmed metal bathtub, with a curtained exterior window behind it looking out onto the interior hall.  That window was a particularly unusual and interesting artifact of one of the Mansion’s several addition-remodel events. 

The Leland Stanford mansion has been put to several different uses over the years, including an orphanage and teenage girls home.  Currently, the Mansion is used for official State receptions, since California doesn’t have an active Governor’s mansion.  There is an historical “reception” office in one wing, with a “working” (i.e. includes phone, fax, computer, etc.) office behind it. 

We knew the Leland Stanford Mansion would be interesting to see, but as Cindy exclaimed at the conclusion, “That was better than I expected!”  We recommend that you go see it if you can.  We could only wish to be lucky enough to attend an official function there - that would be fantastic!  We have not made it yet to the historic Governor’s Mansion at 16th and H Streets, but hope to get there soon!  It is great that both of these great Sacramento tourist attractions are located in downtown Sacramento, steps from several great restaurants and hotels.  Click here for more information about this and several other great Sacramento museums.

By Carol Dabrowiak

The evidence is right there.  As soon as someone points it out to you, you can see it.  A doorway or a window that was bricked in.  Remnants of columns that were left in a park.  It's pretty apparent there is a city of Sacramento below the City of Sacramento. 

When we took the Underground Sacramento Tour in Old Sacramento, we learned about the tragedies that befell Sacramento in the 1800s.  First floods washed away the city, then a fire destroyed it, then another epic flood and finally locusts.  OK, I made up the locust part.  But Sacramento had a rough go of it in the beginning.  

Finally the city fathers decided to raise the city up ten feet.  They started by raising the walkways.  But then the shops were below street level, and patrons had to climb up and down ladders to get to the shops.  So shop owners had to raise their own establishments.  They hired workers who used old-fashioned jacks to slowly crank the buildings up.  Some owners just built a new building on top of the structure down below.  It took 15 years to complete the project. 

Our tour guide, Miss Odette (in period costume) guided us through the lower levels in Old Sacramento.  She told us about the shops that would have been above us.  They included saloons, laundries and brothels.  There are also display cases with items recovered during the archeological dig such as ceramic dishes and whiskey bottles.  Everything a gold rush city needed in the 1800s.  It is a fascinating tour about an amazing engineering feat.

This tour is a Sacramento attraction that is not to be missed.  The new season of tours starts March 31.  To learn more about the Underground Sacramento Tour, click here for more information.
 

EDITOR'S NOTE: Our Hometown Tourists visited Sutter's Fort on their most recent excursion.  The following blog includes two accounts by Janet Lewis and Carol Dabrowiak, detailing their visit to this Sacramento attraction.

Janet Lewis

Where can you time travel back more than 160 years without leaving town?  Maybe you know of a few places already.  But, how many times have you passed by the distinctive white walls spanning the blocks 26th-28th-K-L Streets in Sacramento without stopping and going in?  Well, you should re-discover Sutter’s Fort!

Cindy, Carol, and I did exactly that by visiting Sutter’s Fort one recent Thursday morning.  We arrived at the opening time of 10 a.m. in order to avoid August afternoon heat.

“When you walk through the gate of Sutter’s Fort you will be taking a step back in time and watching history unfold before you as the past is recreated...”  This key phrase is from the informational brochure each visitor receives upon entry along with a map of the Fort.  Sutter’s Fort also features an audio self-tour, which activated simply by leaning into each display room. 

For instance, in the cooperage I learned that for either dry or wet goods, it is easier to roll a barrel than pick up a box.  Hmmm, never really thought about that before, but it makes sense!  Then in the bakery, we heard that the residents of Sutter’s Fort ate mostly beef and bread (and vegetables when they could get them); and coffee was so scarce that they ground and roasted acorns to brew up instead! 

Fascinating as these auditory historical vignettes may be, the days at Sutter’s Fort when the costumed docent historical re-enactors are in attendance bring history to life even more!

Some highlights of our time travel excursion at this unique Sacramento museum included:

• The Pioneer Woman at a wagon in the shade of a tree told us about the journey west in a wagon pulled by yoked oxen.  She also played the hoop and sticks game called “Graces” with me and took it in good grace when I put the hoop up in the tree! 
  
• The Vaquero making tooled leather decorations explained how the Californio’s tradition of decorative arts differed from the Yankee-Puritan’s concept of plainness in all things, while the fur trapper, Sam, fashioned a leather strap to mend his suspenders. 
  
• Adrien explained and demonstrated the loading and firing of a French musket of the type used “back in the day” at Sutter’s Fort.  There is quite a story related to how the French muskets got there, but you will have to visit Sutter’s Fort to hear it!  Adrien also related the origins of several phrases used to this day, such as “flash in the pan” while showing how to load and fire the musket.  It went off with a satisfying loud noise and puff of gunpowder smoke!
  
• The Trade Store (where I bought a souvenir chunk of iron pyrite aka “fools gold”) offers an uncommonly good selection of books -- some about the historical period and some that are replicas of books actually in use during the 1840’s and 1850’s; such as George Washington’s Rules For Courtesy And Deportment; it could fit in anyone’s pocket and be useful even today.   The Trade Store also features various high quality toys, games, and craft kits that would be just as much fun for kids of all ages now as in the olden days.

After circling the fort with the audio tour and interacting with the costume docents, it was an actual surprise to come down the stairs from John A. Sutter’s office and see the modern skyline over the white adobe walls of the Fort!  In my imagination, it had been 1850 until that very moment! 

Then, capping off our tour at noon, we witnessed the cannon firing.  Wow!  It gave off even more loud noise and smoke, along with the fun of yelling out “fire in the hole!” to warn unsuspecting 21st Century passers-by outside the Fort’s adobe walls.

Fast-forward as Carol, Cindy, and I walked two blocks and almost two centuries into the present and enjoyed lunch at Centro restaurant, where we saw people at business lunches with laptop computers up on their table!  What a lot of changes have taken place since Sutter’s day.  We are very fortunate to have the Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park right here in the middle of downtown Sacramento, where we can get a glimpse of what it might have been like in the historical past and then enjoy some great downtown Sacramento dining!  My friends and I had a great time there.

Carol Dabrowiak

How many museums have you visited recently that fire off a replica of a pre-Civil War cannon during your tour?  That is one of the things that make Sutter's Fort a truly unique experience. 

It was a beautiful morning in Sacramento when my friends and I toured Sutter's Fort.  I felt like I was visiting the past nestled in the architecture of the future.  Walking into the Fort takes you back to the 1840s, before California was a state and it needed an adobe fort with cannons to defend it from enemy attacks.  But when you look back out to the horizon and you see high rise buildings and construction cranes lifting us into the twenty first century, the contrast is striking and a little jarring.

John Sutter built this fort as a way station for settlers who were heading west.  They needed temporary shelter and supplies to continue their journeys.  He befriended the travelers and provided them with lodging.  He even sent his workers to Tahoe to rescue the 47 survivors of the Donner Party.  He was California's first humanitarian.

A tour of Sutter's Fort is an interactive experience.   Docents in period costumes perform tasks that the settlers to Sacramento Valley would have performed.  A young man demonstrated how to load and fire a musket.  And he let the children hold the weapon after he fired it so they could feel the weight of it.  A woman in a long muslin dress and sun bonnet explained how families risked their lives to travel across the plains to get to California. 

A replica of the covered wagon they rode in is displayed at the fort.  The interior is about the size and shape of a pup tent, and the journey took about 4 months.  They frequently got lost or ran out of provisions. How did families survive such an experience?   I remember car trips with my siblings when we could barely be together for two hours before someone's life was at risk. 

The docent also had examples of toys and games that the children played.  These games consisted of wooden hoops and sticks and strings and involved throwing and catching -encouraging being outside.  She also played the games with the audience members.  No AA batteries needed here.  The blacksmith had children help him pump the giant bellows to fire up the coals and heat the steel rods.  He also let us examine the different tools the settlers made.

John Sutter is mostly remembered for the discovery of gold.  But gold was not discovered at Sutter's Fort.  It was discovered at Sutter's Sawmill about 50 miles east of the fort on the American River.  And it wasn't John Sutter who discovered it, but his employee, James Marshall.  After gold was discovered there was a "rush" of thousands of people coming to California to make their fortune.  Sadly, John Sutter didn't profit from it nor did James Marshall. 

There are lots of things happening at Sutter's Fort.  The docents were interesting and quirky.  They made sure everyone was gathered together for the highlight of the day.  They made us all yell "fire in the hole!" before they shoot off a large cannon that produces fire and smoke and shakes the ground.  Very Impressive!  Sutter's Fort is a fun place to visit and a fun thing to do in Sacramento.

Carol, Janet and Cindy set out to be Hometown Tourists of Sacramento.  They started their adventure with lunch at Ambrosia and ended it with the bear outside the governor’s office.  Here are comments from each on their adventure of the State Capitol building.

Cindy:
My first tour of the California State Capitol was in 1984, and I have visited several times since.  There is always something different to see each time.  Seeing the building when the legislature is in session is very exciting and the place is bustling with energy.  Seeing the building when the legislation is on break is just as wonderful.  It allows you to focus on the grand structure.  Each time I have taken the tour, I have learned something new.  This time it was about the governor’s painting that really was controversial at the time (hint: it isn’t Jerry Brown’s).  It became a real trend setter for future portraits.  See if you can you find it.

Carol:
My friends and I decided to learn some California history in a fun and factual way, so we took a guided tour of the Capitol Building.  I wonder how many times we drive downtown and actually look at things.  And by things, I mean Sacramento attractions like the Capitol Building.  I have it in my backyard, but I don't always see it.  I should appreciate living in the state capital. 

We met up with our guide in the beautiful, soaring, echoing rotunda.  By the way, our guide was a thirty-something man named Kyle.  I thought all guides had to be retired government workers who recite facts by rote.  Nope.  Kyle was fun and personable and interesting and informative.  He shared little known facts while giving a history lesson of the building.  It is a beautiful structure that has been painstakingly maintained and restored to its original wonder.  The legislature desks are the original desks from the early 1900s.  The staircases and rotunda railings are architectural treasures.   Every corner we turned we saw more beauty and history.  Even the tile floors have an interesting story behind them -- they were cut out, sent off to be cleaned and reset tile by tile.  Did you know they almost put the Capitol in Benicia?  Seriously?  It is a Sacramento wonder, and I plan to take all of my out-of-towners to visit and proudly show it off.

Janet:
Something else:  call me crazy but I guess that I didn't get enough of the Capitol, because I also took the 4:00 public tour of 45 minutes!  It was interesting to mingle with the other ("real") tourists, to hear the questions they asked, and to listen to more Capitol stories from our guide Tyson (also thirty something and from Stockton / Lodi area).  Tyson mentioned the difference in the floor numbers between the old and new parts of the Capitol.  That made me really glad that Kyle had actually taken us into the connecting staircase on our private tour!  The other neat thing for me about the whole experience is looking at my own town with fresh eyes.  I was very glad to be a Hometown Tourist - knowing my way around as I drove east along N Street, past the Capitol again and through Midtown then East Sacramento, to get home from town.  I'm looking forward to our next HTT adventure.  I'll get working on the arrangements soon.  Thanks so much for your company on this endeavor!  It's both interesting and fun!