Extended River promenade

Good news !

Just in time for better weather along my bike route to work . Well actually , it wont be finished till winter , but its still good news.

Finished with what ? The extension of the bike and riverfront promenade along the Sac river . Its about time ! I hate how the promenade just ubruptly stops . This will be especially nice with a finished Crocker Art museum !

The planned promenade and park along the Sacramento River will include a 20-foot-wide pedestrian and bike path that will extend the current pathway ending at O Street south by another 1,500 feet, to beyond R Street. Im not sure if they are finally going to finish the R st pedestrian bridge as part of this project.

The project is the first of four phases in the construction of a mile-long promenade to Miller Park and will border a proposed Docks residential and commercial development.

Construction is expected to begin this month with the promenade and park completed by the end of the year.

Mini Metropolis

I was reading a cool article in Wired magazine that I thought id share .

I love these city models mainly because It reminded me of when I used to build cities with my legos and as i got older I moved to SimCity games .

I've always thought Sacramento could use one of these - in a park , museum ,wherever .

Heres the article (with a small Sac connection) :

Biggest Little Cities: Models for Urban Planning

NIMBY

Looking for the reason Sacramento is always 1 step forward 2 steps when it comes to developments - especially along K downtown? Read below. I think Taylors comments sums it all up best .Of course if these projects had a housing component involved it would be harder to make any case against.

From the Bee :

Neither side wanted it to come to this.

But there will be two bitterly divided camps Tuesday when the Sacramento City Council considers the year's most contentious development issue: a $5.4 million subsidy to San Francisco nightclub owner George Karpaty for three entertainment venues near 10th and K streets downtown.

For the past week, both sides – including some of the city's top business leaders – met nearly daily. The mayor and City Council members occasionally joined in.

The tone was civil, we're told.

But in the end, several issues blocked a compromise.

Opponents, led by restaurateur and nightclub owner Mason Wong, wanted a moratorium on future subsidies for "stand-alone" entertainment projects, at least until the economy recovers.

"We're sympathetic to (the developers)," Wong says. But downtown and midtown already have a surplus of eateries and night spots, he notes.

The project's backers, however, felt a moratorium would be a killer blow economically.
"I'm very, very afraid we'd be dooming the investments we already have," while sending a signal that Sacramento is closed for business, says David Taylor, one of the project's local developers.

There was disagreement, too, over licensing. Opponents wanted Karpaty to forgo entertainment permits at two of his three establishments – to ensure he doesn't "knock down the walls" and create what Wong calls a "12,000-square-foot megaclub."

Karpaty agreed to acquire separate leases and liquor licenses. But he insisted on having live entertainment at all three venues: a bar with a swimming-mermaid tank, a dough-tossing pizza restaurant and a "Frisky Rhythm" nightclub.

Why? He wanted "the same flexibility (as any other) restaurant and lounge," Taylor says.
With each side worried about its fiscal future in a spiraling economy, the battle now moves to City Hall.

Tune in to Tuesday's council meeting, starting at 6 p.m. on cable Channel 14 to see where this is headed.




This will be televised on Cable - Ch. 14 @ 6pm on Tuesday

Amgen Tour of California 2009

What a great time at the Amgen Tour of California yesterday !
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And what a great event it was ! Tons of people , world class cyclist and Valentines day all brought together on a beautiful Saturday downtown !

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What a miracle that mother nature spared us rain just long enough for the race .The only bummer is of course someone deciding to steal Armstrongs $10,000 bike ! I imagine it should'nt be hard to find on Craigslist !
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Below are some pics i took during the event (click for a larger view).

A small fan

10th street @ L

4th street @ Capitol Mall


Capitol West steps





Lance Armstrong , flying down N st

Green RT

I know i seem a bit infatuated about green grass & rail line tracks. I already have a past post from the summer ..

Unlike my last post where I dreamt of green along the UP line that splits midtown from downtown I saw the below pics (from european lines) applying more to RT's light rail line and or stops .

I have already accepted that for the time being this will have to remain a pipe dream ...

but wouldnt it be nice ?!

Lipstick on a pig

Long before there was the ugly , neighborhood killing ,nonfunctional behemoth known as the East End project I had a different focus for my hatred - AT&T’s massive facilities building at 14th & J downtown.

Ugly on all sides, exceptionally hideous on the roof with its myriad antennae and with no street functionality at all. It’s hard to make the state look bad architecturally but I give credit where credit is due. I would venture to say that even the Sac main jail looks better .

It looks like now they are trying to dress up the building with ceramic tiles depicting ancient Sacramento history. I gotta give credit to Steve Cohn for trying to do something with the eyesore, I imagine that he has always gotten complaints about that structure. Couldn’t we just tear it down!?

I always thought that the entire side facing the Memorial Auditorium / 15th st. should be done to look like a 14 story US or California flag. It’s the perfect shape.

That’s my 3 cents, here’s the Bee article for those of thirsting for more info …

http://www.sacbee.com/shallit/story/1556985.html

Happy 2009 Sacramento !

Here is my view of the chaos / celebration @ 10th & K last night .

Cry me a river

Interesting article online @ the Biz Journal :

Too much midtown nightlife?

It seems that some residents are not so pleased with some of the darker aspects of having a growing nightlife so close to their front doors . I live downtown hemmed in by 3 very busy one ways and ill be the 1st to admit it can get / be noisy but if i really wanted quiet and solitude id choose a quieter , calmer location ( see: Natomas , Roseville) to live in .

I hear idiots hootin and hollering after drinkin more than they should but maybe im tolerant because im sure ive been one of them !

I guess you cant have your cake and eat it too , but to be honest the problems raised in the article dont seem like a hard problem to fix ...

Any one else live downtown or near busy sections of Sac metro having similar issues or are people just needing to lighten up ??

4th Annual Dine Downtown Restaurant Week

Sactown foodies mark your calendars for the fourth annual Dine Downtown Restaurant Week, January 10-16 !
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During this 7-day celebration of capital city dining, 24 of Downtown Sacramento’s top restaurants will offer special three-course prix-fixe dinner menus for only $30 per person.
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Participating restaurants to date include 4th Street Grille, 58º and Holding Co., Brew It Up!, The Broiler Steakhouse, Chops Steak, Seafood & Bar, Cosmo Café, Dawson’s at the Hyatt, Esquire Grill, Fat City Bar & Café, The Firehouse Restaurant, Frank Fat’s, Fuzio, Gaylord India, Grange Restaurant at The Citizen, Il Fornaio, Mason’s New American, McCormick & Schmick’s, Melting Pot, Morgan’s at the Sheraton, Pilot House on The Delta King, Rio City Café, River City Brewing Company, Spataro, and Table 260.

Eight participating restaurants are new to the event this year, including 4 that are new to Downtown.

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“We’ve seen 14 restaurants open in downtown this year,” said DSP Executive Director Michael Ault.
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“Dine Downtown Restaurant Week is a celebration of the central city dining scene, including new restaurants that are just getting started and those iconic names that make Downtown special.”
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For more information about Dine Downtown, visit www.downtownsac.org/dinedowntown

Were No.3 !

Something kinda funny happened this last few months .

Gas prices have spiraled downward sharply - and despite that - RT ridership spiraled sharply upwards ! According to the American Public Transportation Association light rail ridership increases over the summer were third highest in the nation, trailing only Baltimore and Minneapolis ! Not bad Sacramento , not bad .

I would have thought that as prices went down people would be less likely to continue riding the bus & rails . It appears the opposite is true , perhaps people realized that some of the "stigma" attached to riding public transit was exaggerated . Perhaps people also realized that riding public transit is better than sitting in traffic and still is quite the money saver.

The bad side of all this news you ask ? Despite continued increases in ridership RT has plans to increase fares next month . A basic ticket will run you $2 or more ( more than a gallon of gas ) and a monthly pass could be up to $100 !

Cant have it all right ?

Tour De California route announced

I don’t wanna get too excited too early but I am very excited that the route has finally been announced for the prologue of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California bike race, which will begin with a 2.4-mile course in downtown Sacramento (starting near 9th & L ) ending near 11th & L .

Particularly awesome for me is that the route goes right below my living room window affording me a birds eye view of the action and Lance Armstrong as he participates in his inaugural Tour De California .

Here is the route :

The Art of Warner Bros. Cartoons

If your like me you grew up with Warner Bros cartoons every Saturday morning and loved it . For some , it was there 1st intro to classical music ! My favorite episodes are still the ones with no spoken words !
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Well , Bugs , Wiley fans - looks like the Crocker has an exhibit that will be running through the year!
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Heres what you can expect , from Crockerartmuseum.org :
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"Consisting of more than 160 drawings, paintings, animation cels and related art objects used in the making of Warner's classic cartoons, the exhibition traces the development of all of Warner's cartoon stars and provides a step-by-step breakdown of how classical cel animation is made."
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I havent had a chance to get over there yet and check it out but I cant wait to. Keep in mind that the Crocker has free admission on Sundays before 1 .
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To supplement this exceptional exhibit the Crocker is having animation workshops , events for Second Saturday (12/13) and even a film festival @ the Guild Theatre in Oak Park.
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If any one beats me there let me know how it looked .

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Thats all folks .

The days after ...

Man am glad all this is over !

What do you make of Fargo losing in her own neighborhood ?

Personally , I have always been surprised that downtown , midtown , East Sac and surrounding areas are / were so loyal to Fargo . Other than it being a safe central city (IMO) i didnt really think she deserved much credit for the central citys growth and resurgence . Unlike the national election , I was saddened that I felt I had to really choose from the lesser of 2 evils . My confidence in KJ is questionable , and I really only voted for him because I couldnt take any more Fargo . I hope he isnt / wasnt all talk , but justt like the President to be that he compares himself (wrongly) to - he has alot of work to do.

I hope KJ reaches out and works with the council & community , remembers that their are other neighborhoods outside the numbers & letters and truly makes Sac City Hall transparent . Those are my wishes ...

Really all that matters now is what happens in these days after ...

Interesting map of voter results by neighborhood :

http://www.sacbee.com/latest/story/1374147-a1355606-t37.html

Off Target

Call it a sign o the times ... From the Biz Journal :

Target Corp. has withdrawn plans to build a new store at its Broadway and Riverside Boulevard site in Sacramento just months before a planned start date, officials announced
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"Due to the current economic climate, we have decided to pull back our plans to tear down and rebuild this store," said Target spokeswoman Delia McLinden.The present store will remain, officials said. McLinden said the Target under construction on 65th Street is still on track for a 2010 opening.

"We have worked closely and supported the Sacramento community for many years," McLinden said. "Our ongoing commitment to this community will not diminish as a result of this change in plans."

Demolition and the new construction were set to begin as soon as January 2009.
The new 160,000-square-foot building was planned to sit at the sidewalk at the corner of Broadway and Riverside, as opposed to the current 115,000-square-foot store, which is fronted by a large parking lot.

At the new site, parking would have been behind ground-floor retail shops and the Target and other shopping would have been reached on the second level by escalator, Target officials said when describing the plan last year.

With few shopping options, residents of the nearby Southside Park and Land Park neighborhoods were eagerly anticipating the project.

Luree Stetson, a Land Park Neighborhood Association board member, had worked with Target officials on plans for the project.

"We're disappointed, but we understand," she said. "Target is committed to the neighborhood, and we're committed to working with them."

Nelson Lucas, a Southside Park Neighborhood Association board member, said, "We wanted the change aesthetically. It's our closest shopping corridor."

City leaders said last year they were hopeful the outlet would be a flagship store that would revitalize Broadway.

Among them were Councilman Rob Fong, who represents the area that includes the Target.
In a statement on Monday, Fong said: "We are obviously disappointed that the project has been put on hold, but we are happy that we will still have our Target store on Broadway."
Officials said they were notified Oct. 9.

"It's like everything else. It's wait and see where the national and global economy is going," said Greg Bitter, principal planner for the city's Development Services Department. "We're disappointed not to move forward with it."

This was actually a project I was looking forward to seeing complete . I know I wasnt alone. It was going to be a real shot in the arm for that particular stretch of West Broadway . Let’s hope when things pick up the project will too...

UPDATE : Looks like Target says they are out of any plans to be a part of the DTP renovation . I will officially file this under good news / bad news . I alwasy thought a Target @ the mall was a cop out so i couldnt be happier to hear this bit of news .Now maybe Westfield will pretend that they care about DTP like the Galleria and get a real anchor store in there that doesnt exist within a mile.

http://www.sacbee.com/749/story/1354464.html

World Interface Peace March @ Capitol Park

Always nice to wake up to a celebration at your front door !

I just wanted to share some pics I took at the World Interfaith Peace March put on by the Sikh Temple, Sacramento. It was really nice to see so many different faiths and groups get together with a common message – especially in such scary & trying times. The march was miles long with thousands participating .

The Peace March, coincided with the 300th Anniversary of the Sikh Scripture .The peace march started at 11 a.m. at T and Sixth streets, then circled around the Capitol stopping at the north steps, where community leaders and elected officials addressed the peace marchers - what a great way to start a Saturday !

(Click on the photos for much larger image )

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Dog classes @ Fremont Park

Hopefully this fills a void downtown for those dog lovers I see running around!

Classes are set for a Basic Dog Obedience course to be offered at Fremont Park starting Sunday October 12th at 10:30 am!

Here’s the basic info:

Course Title and Number: Basic Dog Obedience (39952)

Better understand your canine companion(s)! Train your pet the basics; sit, stay,down and many more. This class will also address undesired behavior such as jumping up and pulling on the leash, by using positive reinforcement.

Dogs must be at least 6 months and have proof of current vaccinations. First class is for owners only, please do not bring pets.

Location: Fremont Park (16th @ P)
Dates & Time: Sunday, 10/12-11/16/08, 10:30AM - 11:30AM
Fee: $95
Ages: 18 and up

Hope to see you and your pooch there, special thanks to Friends of Fremont Park for furthering the agenda of making the park a place for everyone to use!

Spare some change sir ?

Let me start by saying I never give people who ask me for money a dime - but I will buy you a bite to eat if you are hungry . Now maybe ill have to think again after yesterdays shooting / attempted murder today on J st. ( & 6th ) downtown. How am i suppose to know if your asking me or telling me ?!

Read more here - Cops: Homeless woman shoots man who refused to give her money

What do you guys do when you are inevitably asked for some of your hard earned ( or not so hard earned ) money ?

2 down

Wow looks like they're are two causalities in the restaurant biz this week ...

Fins on 19th is closing and 55 Degrees on Capitol mall is closing as well . To be fair i havent eaten at 55 degrees , I hear it was wonderful - but expensive . To bad , if only Capitol Mall had some life ! Everytime i walk down it i can count the people i pass on 1 hand - any day of the week , that probably played as big a role as high food prices .

I have eaten at Fins , my GF being a big fish / seafood fan ... neither of us were that impressed and didnt return - and that was last year after waiting eagerly for it to open . I guess the only good news is that Fins operated on a real prime corner in midtown so it should be filled soon enough . Pray its not a Quiznos , or Jamba Juice !

Sacramento city dumps Wi-Fi contract

Under the category of least surprising city news :

The Sacramento City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved to terminate an agreement with a tech consortium that aimed to bring both free and paid wireless Internet coverage across the city.

According to a city staff report, Sacramento Metro Connect LLC was never able to come up with the money to set up the network. The deal, originally signed in June 2007, called for building a system that would cover more than 90 square miles and attract potentially more than 400,000 Internet users.

Sacramento Metro Connect’s partners — including Azulstar Inc., Cisco Systems, Intel Corp. and SeaKay Inc. — left the project. The project was expected to be completed this fall.

(From the Biz Journal )

Movie night in Fremont Park !

Just a heads up ... Movie night @ Fremont Park is coming to midtown in about a month !

A great event to bring neighbors together , do something different with kids & family and enjoy the evening . See you then !

Special thanks to CADA , Friends of Fremont Park , Councilman Rob Fong & Sac Fire Dept !

(Click on the poster above for a larger view & more info)

High-speed rail bill back on track

Slowly but surely this thing keeps chuggin along ...

From the biz journal :

A bill that could make the rules for spending a $9.9 billion bond measure for high-speed rail more flexible is back on track after passing its final legislative hurdle Wednesday.
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Back in May, the Assembly passed AB 3034 60-3. The bill was passed by the Senate Aug. 7 on a vote of 27-10 and a slightly different version came back before the Assembly Wednesday. The Assembly passed AB 3034 on a vote of 56-16.
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The bill now needs the governor’s signature before it can go to the Secretary of State.
AB 3034, by Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani, D-Livingston, would replace Proposition 1 with Proposition 1A on the November ballot. Proposition 1A’s title and summary, legislative analysis and ballot arguments would be in a supplemental ballot pamphlet..

AB 3034 missed a deadline Monday that would have given the Secretary of State time to amend language for Proposition 1 in the main voter guide for the general election. Proposition 1 would provide $9 billion for a high-speed train system and $950 million for improvements to other rail services that connect to the high-speed train system, such as the Capitol Corridor and Altamont Commuter Express trains.

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This Saturday marks the deadline for getting language into the supplemental voter guide, said Robin Adam, a spokesman for Galgiani. But Adam said his office has been told that the Legislature set the deadline — so the Legislature could change that deadline.

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AB 3034 amends Proposition 1 to give all high-speed rail corridors an equal opportunity to compete for a share of the $9 billion. It would require the creation of a peer review committee, a pre-appropriation review process and a pre-expenditure review process. The bill is sponsored by the California High Speed Rail Authority.

Hwy 50 / 99 Connector

Presentation to discuss new highway proposal

Elk Grove will host a community summit Tuesday Aug 19th at 6:30 p.m about a planned highway linking Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova and El Dorado County.

The summit, hosted by Sacramento County Supervisor Don Nottoli and Elk Grove Vice Mayor Pat Humewill be held @ Elk Grove City Council chambers, 8400 Laguna Palms Way.

The meeting will begin with a buffet reception, followed by information about the need, cost and funding sources for the project and its progress. The event is sponsored by Elk Grove Community Connection. The group will be accepting donations for Elk Grove Community Assistance Network, formerly the Elk Grove Community Food Bank Services.

For more information, e-mail Linda Ford at thefords@frontiernet.net or call (916) 835-5988.

SACOG : Elk Grove – Ranch Cordova – El Dorado Connector Joint Powers Authority PDF

Just thought id share a nice article I saw on the web .

It gives me hope that maybe some are starting to see the light . Perhaps people realize that you don’t have to have a car per person per household . That driving less really can & does save more . It can be done .

http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/08/13/are-high-gas-prices-changing-the-way-we-drive/

Sac is the best of the worst / worst of the best

I saw this in the Bee Sunday , made me laugh . Does anyone take these seriously ?

It is the best of cities, it is the worst of cities.

Runner's World magazine says Sacramento is runner friendly, and Golf Magazine proclaimed it the 19th best golf city. But if you run or hit the links here, consider this before you inhale: Sacramento is one of the eight worst cities for ozone and the 50th most unpleasant for allergy sufferers.

Heck, when it comes to those endless magazine "best of" lists, Sacramento is good, really good, bad and absolutely so-so.

Time declared the California capital the most diverse city in the nation. Men's Health says we're 19th happiest, but the magazine also suggested we're buying it on the installment plan – we're fourth worst for debt.

Forbes says Sacramento is among the best places for singles. Yet America Online calls us one of the worst for dating.

It's enough to make you pull your hair out.

Wait! Don't do that here. Sacramento ranks as one of the worst cities for regrowing hair.

The question of all these published rankings arose recently when Sacramento appeared near the top of two prominent magazines' lists. Outside included Sacramento in its "Best Towns 2008" list, and Kiplinger Personal Finance ranked Sacramento eighth in its "10 best cities of 2008."

Maybe they heard Men's Health listed Sacramento near the top in doughnut shops per capita, or that USA Today ranked the city No. 9 for greatest percentage of sunny days.

"It's been a couple of good months for us," said Mike Testa, vice president of communications for the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau.

In fact, many of these lists are no accident. Testa and others in the business of promoting Sacramento play an active role in pitching and positioning the city.

Months before the August issue of Outside hit the stands, the magazine contacted Testa and mentioned the coming list. Testa quickly put together a highlight packet.

"It's a big deal for us. Their circulation is over 600,000," Testa said. "Any time we can get that kind of third-party endorsement from a publication that size, it's good things for Sacramento."

Like many cities, Sacramento sends convention and visitors officials to trade shows, where they mingle with travel writers. The latest was a few months ago in San Francisco that generated major stories on Sacramento in two Bay Area newspapers and a flattering piece in AAA's Via magazine that declared Sacramento "a great walking town."

"All of these things are résumé builders," Testa added. "One publication does it, and then others say, 'Hmm, I wonder what we're missing in Sacramento.' "

Some of the lists are flattering, some insulting and many just weird. The one about slow hair growth is no joke. Rogaine measured barbershops per capita, regrowth centers and sales of regrowth products to declare Sacramento 10th worst.

That left Neal Young, owner of Neal's Hairpieces for Men in Citrus Heights, scratching his toupee-covered head. "I've never heard of such a thing," he said.

The most prolific list-maker out there is Men's Health, which has a circulation of 1.8 million. Often, its lists make news. In 2004, it called Detroit the nation's fattest city, prompting the mayor to propose a tax on fast food restaurant sales – pundits dubbed it the "fat tax."

"That's exactly the type of thing we hope to accomplish. We want to motivate change," said Matt Marion, the magazine's deputy editor.

He says Men's Health began making lists in 2004 on everything from best cities for dogs to towns having the most and least sex. They were an immediate hit.

"People like to see how they're stacking up. It's a classic human emotion," Marion said. "By and large, Sacramento seems to fall about middle of the pack in a lot of cases, which isn't so bad."

In fact, Sacramento is extraordinarily ordinary, which is why the city has long been used as a test market for new products.

"If they can make it fly in Sacramento, they can make it fly anywhere," said Bob Beyn, president of Sacramento's Seraphein Beyn Advertising.

While getting in a popular magazine is often good news for Sacramento, in Davis such things are considered a mixed blessing.

Next to its university, Davis is best known for its bicycle-friendly streets, earning top marks in Bicycling magazine and the highest rating by the League of American Bicyclists.

It's also a city that clearly doesn't want to get any bigger.

Unlike Sacramento, Davis doesn't push to get on any "best of" lists, though it did make Outside magazine's "Great Places to Live" list in 2005.

"The listing is nice," said Bob Bowen, public relations manager for the city. "We don't go out searching for it. It kind of comes to us. If you don't want a lot of growth, then why would you put the word out that you're a great place to live?"

Labor of Love

Just curious if anyone can tell me whats up with the above mural in midtown ?

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Ive always liked it alot , but wondered why it was never finished .

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Is there not an artist out there willing to complete this piece of art ?

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Green Line

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You know what I always see when I look down the line that divides midtown down the middle ?

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Green .

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Not money , but grass .

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Its always been on my wishlist that UP and the city would get together and beautify the rail line that they use very frequently that cuts the central city in two.You know put some nice green grass on the sides , fencing and some flowers , I think the affect would be dramatic - especially since this new green flowered line would stretch from the American river to Broadway !

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Wouldnt this look nice (better) !

RT cant develop

People always want me to lay off of RT , but i feel RT makes it hard for me to do so .

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Im not talking about frequency or fare hikes , im talking development policies . I thought it was bad enough that RT didnt put up a fight for housing near the proposed massive Bradshaw Landing project . Bradshaw Landing is a project that abuts the Butterfield light rail station as well as the Franchise Tax Board ( employing nearly 6000 !) . It will have about the usual anchors : a Marshalls , Michaels , Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy etc and a Century Theatres multiplex . In all, the center is expected to have 45 to 50 tenants (proposed) .
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"One big issue has been determining to what degree The Landing could and should fit with the county's desire to develop land along light rail in a way that will support transit ridership. At one time, the county had encouraged SyWest to add housing, but the developer said housing wouldn't work"
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Very dissappointing , but sadly not very surprising ...

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So ...as i was taking a walk through midtown I came across the new surface lots being built under the Cap City freeway on both sides of the busy 29th street LR Station . As you can see from the pic no retail is included ! Here we have a very busy station with emptiness on both sides and the opportunity to put even some small services / eateries / etc there for use by riders while they wait is blown for more asphalt ! Sad . Next time you go through the station or find yourself waiting for a train or transfer there ask yourself if you or anyone would use or benefit from a coffee shop / newstand / pizza place / fruit stand etc open on either side of the station . Im of course not sure if its RT developing the lot , most likely its the hospital - but i dont think that excuses the lack of bad planning on anyones part . . .

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another wasted opportunity

Antigua Cantina & Grill

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I came across this while walking down O st btwn 20th & 21st . O has always been a favorite street of mine - mainly because its so residential from the river to 29th . One thing that is kind of a bummer depending on how you look at it is the lack of retail and restaurants - at least in comparison to other midtown streets . Maybe this will be a small catalyst . . .

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Here is their website

http://www.antiguasacramento.com/

Sac & the WSJ

Pretty cool article and video not just about Sac , but about SACOGs Blueprint and the movement towards smart growth in the Wall Street Journal . It's nice to see Sacramento being recognized as a leader in something other than sprawl & air pollution . . .

Here are the appropriate links :

Wall Street Journal article

Wall Street Journal Video

Unbelievable

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As im sure we in Sacramento and its surrounding communities are aware , I-5 is being worked on with dramatic effects on traffic - good & bad . I ride my bike to work so was never really affected by the closures . I have noticed quite an increase in people on the Parkway between Old Town and South Natomas ( my route). I attribute this to the perfect storm of the I-5 fix , great (better) weather and rising gas prices .
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The city , RT , various other regional government and transportation enitites have done a respectable job in teaching people the alternatives , which have resulted in increased bike , rail & bus ridership. Hopefully these habits stick .
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Well imagine my surprise when I saw the above sign on my way home from work near Discovery Park ! All that I-5 planning , all that talk of using alternative methods ( like bikes ) to get to work and the Dept of Transportation ( I checked ) decides that this Thursday & Friday are great days to repave ( and by default close) the section of the American River Parkway bike trail that serves as the main north south route between downtown and all points north - right in the middle of the BigFix!
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I dont know if Im more confused, angry, sad ,or disappointed.
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Probably all of the above .

UPDATE - Via Ed Cox (City of Sacramento ): Due to a flood of calls they are actively looking to reschedule the repaving project.