Seeing Sacramento & Beyond » Community

Cool Surprise Awaits in Midtown

melanie noel light — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 23:04:19 +0000

Midtown Ice Rink

It’s a beautiful sunny day and a new year full of potential. Forget the finger-pointing ‘shoulds’ of your resolutions… why not combine something that’s fun and good for you?! The Midtown Ice Rink is still open, after all (through Jan. 18), and what better way to liven up after the holidays than with a little brisk, lingering cheer!

You can grab a warm drink at Peet’s next door, a warm slice at Luigi’s next to that, or stop in afterward for a glass of bubbly at Lounge on 20. While the theme is still Christmas-based, the glittering lights and pop music add a little sparkle to an otherwise dull January. Just bring your mittens and some cash, because they don’t take American Express.

Midtown Ice Rink
20th between K & J Streets
$8/adults, $5/kids, $2/skate rental
www.exploremidtown.org

Plays Well with Others

melanie noel light — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:02:43 +0000

You know those guys standing on the street corner holding pizza signs and waving? Do you ever wave back? When you enter or exit a public place, do you look back to see if anyone could use an open door? How about walking down the street? Do you make eye contact, smile or say ‘Hello’ to passer-bys?

It seems some of our bad (or just nonexistent) manners are just a reflection of our self-involved society: talking on cell phones, listening to Ipods, being distracted or generally just being self-absorbed. I’m pleased to say, however, that there are still plenty of well-mannered people out there. And yet one place, in particular, seems to have maintained its general ongoing goodwill toward people in the midst.

The waterways of Sacramento, which are dominated by the Sacramento and American Rivers, are ever-flowing portals of summer fun. Boaters, rafters, jetski-ers, sunbathers, bird watchers, anglers, joggers, cyclists, campers, picnic-ers and the likes frequent the American River Parkway regularly, which is about 30 miles and 4,000 acres of pure nature and mankind mingling. And there’s one thing I’ve seen consistently on these rivers: basic manners.

Certainly, there are exceptions to every rule (jerks in every city). But we shouldn’t let them get the best of us. At least that’s my motto… Whether it’s older gentlemen in a fishing boat, teenagers crammed into a speedboat or a family floating merrily down river; whether it’s kayakers, wakeboard-ers or beach-goers, acknowledgment of one another is the norm. Whether the rivers are crowded on a holiday weekend or sparse in playmates during the week, one thing usually stands: The standard ‘I-see-you-and-share-a-common-bond-with-you’ wave. That bond being – the love of the rivers that have nourished our land for so long, and continue to elevate our spirits daily. Mother Nature can make a city beautiful, but it’s the people that make it especially grand.

[Above Photo: 'Sacramento River' by Steve Duroncelet]

The Rivers’ Edges

melanie noel light — Mon, 11 May 2009 16:57:34 +0000

Historic Chinese Town of Locke

It only takes about a 5-minute drive from downtown Sacramento to begin seeing the light of rural life. Our two rivers – the Sacramento and American – yield the kind of open, natural space that sometimes comes as a surprise to the traveler (and even resident) who is unaware such natural wonders still exist so close to the hustle and bustle that buildings in close proximity tend to bring.

Ok, that was a long sentence.

The river roads are a marvelous way to meander around the city and through the small towns that dot Sacramento’s perimeter. Just pick a direction and follow the curves, the orchards, the boaters, the birds and the farms that have been in existence for generations.

Just watch for roosters hanging out on the side of the road, peacocks in full plume, slow-going tractors, and flying white egrets so large they look more myth than reality.

Wherever you stop, make it a point to chat up the locals. They don’t tend to see the kind of crowds and traffic that might leave them wary of visitors. And they’ve got stories to share about life in their small town that may make you want to linger on for more.

The Art of Ceremony

melanie noel light — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 21:02:58 +0000

Crocker Art Museum Entrance

It was Sunday, April 19^th, nearing 3pm, and the air was balmy outside the Crocker Art Museum in Downtown Sacramento. Couples, families, teens and solitary souls made their way to the back lawn of the museum grounds for a ‘Mass Meditation on Peace’. It was the closing ceremony for the ‘Buddha’ Exhibition.

I headed toward the entrance and past a guard who simply smiled as I walked by. There were no fees, no bag checks, no sign-in sheets, no questions, no hassles. The rather full crowd was mostly sitting in chairs and on the grass; a few were resting comfortably at picnic tables or standing around the shady perimeter.

There were brief introductions and warm welcomes to and from members of the Dalai Lama Foundation and Lion’s Roar Dharma Center, the exhibition’s curator and Sacramento’s City Manager. There was a brief (and very soothing) chanting demonstration by 3 monks in red and gold robes. And then the mass meditation and chanting began.

The crowd whispered the mantra of compassion and self-transformation (Om Mani Padme Hum) over and over again within the tall protective hedges of the grounds. It was so softly audible that I wondered what it might sound like to a passerby.

More like “an applied sacred psychology” than religion or even philosophy, Buddhism has long been revered for its openness and acceptance of others’ ideals and traditions. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise to me then that the gate to the museum lawn remained open during the entire ceremony – with people quietly wandering in and out, and back in again. Nonetheless, I was pleasantly surprised at the complete ease that seemed rooted within this ceremonial gathering, and radiated so effortlessly throughout the crowd.