Old Town Sacramewnto & The State Capitol

We started the day with my visit to see Peter. Since Aunt Vivacious and Scrabble Queen visited yesterday I went by today and had a great visit,

We then left 49'er Village and headed to Sacramento and the President's Award Winning West Sacramento KOA.

Next we took the rental car to downtown Sacramento to visit Old Town and the State Capitol.

We went from the new ...

... including a golden bridge ...


To the old.

We decided to dine at The Firehouse, a posh eatery with a distinctive New Orleans flair.

"In 1850, Sacramento organized California’s first fire department. After two major fires resulted in extensive damage to the area, a new brick firehouse was built in 1853 to house the fire chief and volunteer crew of Engine Company No. 3. In 1872, the Legislature made this company the state’s first paid fire department. In 1921, the building was abandoned for a larger facility, and was sold to a private party in 1923. A succession of owners and tenants were custodians of the building until its purchase by Newton Cope in 1959. By that time, the once bustling waterfront area had deteriorated into a slum, which was scheduled for demolition to make way for construction of Interstate 5 along the river. Concerned citizens heavily lobbied the State Department of Transportation and the freeway route was moved 1½ blocks east to its present location, creating the National Historic District of Old Sacramento. Mr. Cope undertook a major face lift on the firehouse building, converting it into a small bar and restaurant reminiscent of the Gold Rush Era. This was the first building renovation of the new Historic District."

The bar area was really cool with many vintage pictures...

...a nice view of the courtyard dining area...

... and a beautiful stained glass, domed skylight.


We decided to eat in the courtyard.


I really liked the old vines growing on the Firehouse walls.

It really had the look and feel of the French Quarter.


Scrabble Queen and Aunt Vivacious relaxed in the shade of the tree next to our table...


...while I played crazy photographer.

It was a great place for pictures.

I especially liked the filtered light on the fountain.


I started looking for Edgar Allan Poe after spotting this bust of Pallis in a dark corner. Quote the Raven nevermore.


The vined walls must be beautiful at night lit by these torchlight fixtures.


Our waiter Darryl was outside when we left on a break between lunch and dinner and was kind to indulge me with a picture.

This cool looking place behind The Firehouse is called the Back Door Lounge.

"The Back Door has a great old 70s lounge vibe, complete most nights with a lounge singer.It's an little known joint so it's often a lot less crowed than most places in midtown or old sac. If you want to sit and chat with friends, this is the place to go."

Next we went on the other side of Interstate 5 otherwise known in California as "The 5" to the State Capitol.


There is a beautiful memorial across the street from the Capitol building for those killed in the line of duty to the State of California.

There are benches facing the memorial and on one this stature of a young girl and her mother. The object next to the mother, on the bench is a neatly folded flag. To stand on that spot is to remember we are surrounded by heroes.



This young man was at the fountain photographing a beautiful young woman a tender time.



There is more but I'll close with this state building near the fallen heroes memorial. It is the Stanley Mosk Library and Courts Building.

"Stanley Mosk was a part of public life in California for much of the last century.In December of 1999, he became the longest serving justice ever to sit on the California Supreme Court, and we convened a special session of the court in San Francisco in his honor. He served an amazing almost 37 years on the court."

No Scrabble today

Quote of the Day ~

"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before." ~ Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American poet, short story writer, editor, literary critic, and one of the leaders of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and of the macabre, Poe was one of the early American practitioners of the short story and a progenitor of detective fiction and crime fiction. He is also credited with contributing to the emergent science fiction genre.