Are You That Woman

We're Gonna Have Ice Cream

Ice cream has no rules. It's summer! It's hot! Young and old line-up for local ice cream, gelato, sherbet and sorbet. Big scoops, cones, sundaes, shakes, malts and sandwiches – some adorned, dipped or dripping with chocolate, caramel, whipped cream, nuts and maraschino cherries. Culinary trends come and go, but these frozen delights never go out of fashion. When July temperatures rise, celebrate National Ice Cream Month with Sacramento’s best!

My Sacramento – Elizabeth McCleary Devine Gelateria
1221 – 19^th Street, Sacramento
916/446-0600
Originally from Monterey, Elizabeth McCleary always loved creating desserts. She moved to Sacramento after college and quickly became the ‘dessert bringer’ at work and social gatherings. In 2009, friend Vince Gee nudged her towards gelato and in August 2011 Devine Gelateria opened to rave reviews.

I love Sacramento because of the warm weather, wealth of outdoor activities and so many positive lifestyle opportunities. Everything you could possibly want is at your fingertips. We’re so lucky; there’s no place like California.

After studying at Italy’s Carpiginani Gelato University, I combined my love for baking with crafting the most exquisite gelatos and sorbettos. We make more than 20 summertime flavors. The big sellers are Caramel Sea Salt, Espresso Chip, S’mores, and fruity flavors. We get to be very creative because there’s so much local fruit. The farm-to-fork movement ties wonderfully to our gelatos and sorbettos which are made fresh daily entirely from scratch. When people come into Devine it’s a happy thing. They’re getting something really yummy. I want them to know how much I care and what goes into this labor of love. This exquisite, outstanding sweet treat is so much more than just a scoop of ice cream.

Read the rest of this delicious story....

Falling in love with Stockton Boulevard

In 2017, I had the great good fortune to be asked by the Stockton Boulevard Partnership to explore and write about Stockton Boulevard. While many wondered or asked, "What's there to explore?" My response was, "I'll let you know when I'm done." I wasn't new to the Boulevard having shopped at the Asian markets for years and frequented Luigi's Pizza back in the '70s. Still, I had no idea just how amazing the experience would be. Meeting and making new friends along the way; it was thrilling. Decades ago, Stockton Boulevard was a place and a community. Families lived and worked along its route and corridors. Many longtime residents have wonderful stories to tell about the history of Stockton Boulevard "back in the day", some of which will be recounted here, along with other snippets about the Boulevard's past and present.

I continue to explore and discover this once vibrant highway and neighborhood -- the people and places that made it great and a new generation that will make it great again. I fell in love with Stockton Boulevard and hope you will, too!

 Historic Highway 99:  Sacramento to Stockton
More than 100 years ago Stockton Boulevard was a thriving transportation corridor linking the cities of Sacramento and Stockton. This function ended in 1961 when State Highway 99 replaced Stockton Boulevard as the regional transportation artery. Although the lengths of the new freeway and the former street route of Stockton Boulevard were almost identical, eight to 10 minutes were shaved off travel time when driving the entire distance. This was big news in those days! Then, as now, delays on along the route were caused by restricted speed zones, signalized intersections and narrow lanes.

The Central California Traction (CCT) provided interurban train service from Sacramento to Stockton and provided local streetcar service to two new neighborhoods – Colonial Heights and Colonial Acres – and commuter service to the central city. These neighborhoods were built along the main line on Stockton Boulevard between 21^st Avenue and Sacramento Boulevard (now known as Broadway). The CCT stopped offering train service in 1933, but continued offering streetcar passenger service until their system was sold in 1943. 

Historic Highway 99 lives on. In 2017, Stockton Boulevard is a major transportation artery connecting Sacramento's Central City and South Sacramento. However, you can still drive (West and East) Stockton Boulevard to Galt. It requires some zigzagging and creative use of Google Maps.

Take me to the fair: Then & Now
The first California State Fair was held in San Francisco, October 4, 1854, drawing more than 5,000 visitors.  The fair was held in a different city each year, with Sacramento hosting in 1855.  When the exposition returned to Sacramento in 1859, it was decided that a permanent site should be found. By 1860, a six-block site bounded by E, H, and 20th and 22nd streets was purchased and was home to the state fair for the next fifty years. An Agricultural Hall at 6^th and M streets was used for exhibitions until 1884 until a new exposition hall, completed in 1884, was built at 15^th and N streets in Capitol Park.

Increased attendance at the State Fair forced the purchase of 80 acres just outside the (then) city limits on Stockton Boulevard. The first fair was held there in 1909. The admission price was $.50, which had remained unchanged for 39 years. Continued growth caused that site to be expanded by 75 acres in 1937. By the 1950s, the State Fair annually was attracting 750,000 attendees, considered a top attraction in America through the 1950s and one of the top five fairs in the nation; it was a boon to the Stockton Boulevard bringing jobs and tourism dollars to the community.

In 1968, the California State Fair moved to its current location at Cal Expo.  Much of the Stockton Boulevard location was acquired by the UC Davis Medical Center. Two remaining historic structures still stand at Stockton Boulevard and Broadway.  The old fairgrounds stretched for almost a mile north and east from that intersection. Currently vacant, the majestic Governor’s Hall marked the entrance to the fair. The adjacent Agricultural Pavilion (2921 Stockton Boulevard) now houses the UC Davis Clinical Transactional Science Center. The Center is one of approximately 60 National Institutes of Health-supported centers funded to facilitate and accelerate the study of human health and disease to bring new treatments to patients and communities through biomedical research.

Read the rest of the Stockton Boulevard stories: 

*Little Saigon: Stockton Boulevard Destination
*Performing Arts, a reflection of our growing community
*Parkwest Casino Lotus: Stockton Boulevard's New Gem
*Stockton Boulevard's Medical Mile
*Stockton Boulevard Memories: In their own words

 

 

Throw Back to Vinyl

Vinyl is back and it’s big. In 2016, vinyl sales hit 25-year high thanks, in part, to Record Store Day and the retail shops selling records. The deaths of music icons – David Bowie, Prince, Sharon Jones, Glenn Frey and others – had fans and collectors investing in keepsakes. Even with the advent of cassettes, CDs, DVDs and iPods, diehard audiophiles held tight to cherished collections of 78s, 45s and 33s. Cruising the racks, admiring the artwork, unwrapping the plastic and letting it spin—records provide a nostalgic journey for every generation. Sacramento boasts a superb selection of record stores. Used or new releases, a new generation of listeners is vinyl’s lifeblood.

My Sacramento - Cactus Pete & his 78 RPM Record Roundup
Put another spin on the vinyl world every Tuesday night at the Hideaway Bar & Grill. Record lovers come for more than dive bar aesthetics. Local artist and audiophile Cactus Pete (Stegall) has been spinning 78s and selling his signature cactus cut-outs for years.

In Pete's own words: KRAK Radio use to sponsor concerts at Sacramento Memorial Auditorium. The last vestiges of the country shows, it was a long list of Nashville musicians. I only started collecting 78s in 2010 – they took me back to those days and the roots of two genres I’d been listening to, country and jazz. I started playing 78s at The Hideaway and The Golden Bear and friends started coming out. Now I’m a fixture and have quite a following even with some younger fans. I’m the only one who’s doing this. Local record store owners hook me up with records and I regularly go crate digging at thrift shops. I actually believe the 78s (shellac records vs. vinyl) have better sound than LPs – the speed has a lot to do with the sound quality. I’m representing the original frontier when they started recording. I’m glad “vinyl” is back, it’s a revolution! People are responding to our heritage and all the great music.

Where to Spin
Brooks Novelty Antiques & Records
1107 Firehouse Alley, Sacramento
(916) 443-0783
Sacramento’s record store old-timer. With more than 100,000 vinyl albums, audiophiles from around the world seek out Brooks Novelty and Records tucked away on Firehouse Alley. There’s also a cool collection of pinball and slot machines, neon signs, and old toys.

Delta Breeze Records
1715 10th Street, Sacramento
(916) 822-4096
Christened in West Sacramento circa 2014 by record hawkers Rick Daprato and Ben Johnson, their Midtown digs opened late 2017.  Collection includes the usual suspects – jazz, blues, rock – plus a sentimental selection of children’s 45s. Used turntables sold and repaired. 

Dimple Records
2500 16th Street, Sacramento
(916) 441-2500
Sacramento’s largest independent music, movie, and video game store. The newest of Dimple’s seven stores pays homage to the once iconic Tower Records location. Remastered and period labels feature rock, pop, soul and blues. A one-stop shop, checkout their retro-style record players and turntables, huge selection of tchotchkes and new or used books.

Phono Select
2475 Fruitridge Road, Sacramento
(916) 400-3164
Here to help records find good homes, Phono sells underground heavy metal, foreign punk and the weird and obscure.  Sizeable $3 Budget Section has great titles. Lots of DIY CDs, cassettes and vinyl from local musicians. Pop-culture magazines, pin ball, foosball and free root beer.

Kicksville Vinyl & Vintage
1104 R Street, Sacramento
(916) 706-0536
At the WAL Public Market, get kicks and kitsch at Kicksville. Vintage accoutrement from classic hi-fis and tune totes to posters and 45 picture sleeves. Thousands of labels include rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, punk, R&B, hip-hop and more. Curated collection of 45s across all genres is Sacramento’s largest.

MediumRare Records & Collectibles
1104 R Street, Sacramento
(916) 442-5344 
The museum-style boutique features high-quality vintage vinyl and rare rock artifacts. Peruse exhibits and displays of iconic bands such as The Beatles, Beach Boys and Elvis Presley.  Obscure recordings by local Sacramento artists and cool portable record players.

11^th Annual Record Store Day – April 21, 2018
In 2007, Dilyn Radakovitz, owner of Sacramento-based Dimple Records, helped craft this yearly celebration. Nationwide, 700 record stores sell special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products made exclusively for the day. There are Record Store Day participating stores on every continent except Antarctica.

Originally published in Visit Sacramento guide. Read the digital version online!  

Wild West Bass Pro/Am Northern California’s Tuolumne County

For the first time, Don Pedro Lake will host the Wild West Bass Pro/Am. Sponsored by the Tuolumne County Visitors Bureau the tournament takes place March 2-4, 2018 and is expected to attract more than 200 professional and amateur anglers. Located in the heart of Gold Country and the gateway to Yosemite National Park, The sixth-largest reservoir in California, the lake has an abundance of largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass making it a prime location for the Pro/Am.

Events are scheduled at Fleming Meadows Marina, 11500 Bonds Flat Road, La Grange, CA 95329. Daily events include Facebook Live Videos, Interviews, Weigh-Ins, and How-to Tips from Pros like Ken Mah and Vince Hurtado. Anglers are expecting to bag 20-25-pound bass making the daily 3 p.m. weigh-Ins a must-see event. Schedule, information and directions.

Outside the fishing zone, from Don Pedro Lake take Highway 132 to Highway 120 for the scenic drive to Yosemite National Park. With fewer crowds and waterfalls flowing, early spring is one of the best times to visit the park. The weather is brisk, making it perfect for day hiking. A less visited part of Yosemite, Hetch Hetchy Reservoir combines waterfalls with hikes. Across the dam and through the tunnel finds you alone above the water, surrounded by granite walls and silence.

Other non-angling activities include historic Jamestown, home to Railtown 1897 State Historic Park. Open daily until 3 p.m., park admission ranges from free to $5 dollars depending on age,  Sip some wine in local tasting rooms at Inner Sanctum Cellars, open until 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and Gianelli Vineyards, open until 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday. There are many great dining options in historic Jamestown, including the 1859 National Hotel and Restaurant where gold is accepted as payment. Tucked away around a street corner is Stogies Gold Country Lounge featuring live entertainment, liquor, and fine cigars.  Enjoy shopping at charming antique and eclectic shops that line the streets.

Tuolumne County, located 133 miles/200 km east of San Francisco, is a pristine, scenic expanse reaching into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. For more information Visit Tuolumne.

Placer County Mountain Mandarins are better than gold

Sacramento is the gateway to farm-fresh diversions. Less than 50 miles away, in its quiet, rural communities, Placer County offers winter tours and baskets brimming with edible and seasonal delights. Heralding the arrival of mandarin season, the annual celebration of these diminutive citrus gems takes place along Placer County farm trails and at farmers’ markets and festivals.

Agriculture was Placer County’s second Gold Rush. By 1856, nearly 6,000 Placer County acres were under cultivation. In the early 1900s, Newcastle was the fruit-shipping capital of the world. The diverse landscape —– valleys, Gold Country foothills, majestic Sierra Nevada — supports a wide range of crops, including world-famous mandarins.

In 1994, Placer County growers decided they needed a marketing arm for promoting agriculture and started Placer Grown. That same year, Joanne Neft, along with the Newcastle Business Association, founded the Mountain Mandarin Festival. That first year, six mandarin orchard farmers participated and saw close to 1,500 attendees. Today, there are 60 mandarin growers in Placer County, and 17 orchards are represented at the festival, which now attracts more than 25,000 visitors a year who delight in this succulent fruit, available only from November through January.

The Satsuma mandarin is the signature citrus crop for Placer County; these mountain mandarins are well-known within California and beyond. Satsumas are distinctive as a result of the terroir where they are grown. Warm days and cool nights translate into more intense flavors and sugars than mandarins grown in the valley or in warmer locations.

“If you buy Placer County Owari Satsuma mandarins, you’re buying from the farmer,” says Rich Colwell, owner of Thundering Herd Ranch in Penryn. “We only pick when fruit is ripe. It’s sweet and more flavorful.”

Cuties and Halos, the tiny mandarins that are sold widely in grocery stores, are grown on large-scale farms throughout the San Joaquin Valley. They are clementine, tango, or Murcott mandarins, but they are not Satsumas. Available November through April, those fruits are efficiently harvested at mature green, so may not have full coloration or the same rich flavors as locally produced mandarins. They are stored in large packinghouses, often for long periods of time, and may be treated with ethylene gas to increase their orange color.

“Placer County farmers pick fully ripened fruit according to color and feel,” says Cindy Fake, director at University of California Cooperative Extension for Placer/Nevada counties. “It’s not treated with ethylene, and it’s stored in ambient temperature conditions. We don’t grow enough for large-scale commercial markets. Generally, I would say our fruit is going to a very premium market and at premium prices.”

Placer County mandarins are available at local farmers’ and specialty markets. On weekends in December, follow the mandarin trail during Mountain Mandarin Orchard Days to mandarin oils, sauces, honey, juices, cookies, cakes, spreads, and, of course, hand-picked and tree-ripened fruit. Enjoy arts and crafts, farm animals, and even a visit with Santa. Combine this local excursion with farm stays, bed and breakfasts, and vacation rentals, and you have a delicious night or weekend ahead of you.

It's never too late to plan. The 25th Annual Mountain Mandarin Festival, Nov. 16-18, 2018, marks the official beginning of the Placer County mandarin season. Enjoy frequent entertainment, food, arts and crafts, Best Mandarin Contest, and more.

Gold Country Fairgrounds
1273 High Street, Auburn (Parking and entry available at 209 Fairgate Road)

Courtesy of Joanne Neft, co-author, Placer County Real Food From Farmers Markets: Recipes & Menus for Every Week of the Year:  Spiced Mandarins with Pomegranate & Kiwi

2 cups sugar

3 cups water

2 cinnamon sticks, each about 4 inches long

14 whole cloves

½ cup fresh ginger, peeled, thinly sliced

8 green cardamom seeds

6 whole star anise

12 Satsuma mandarins

1 to 2 kiwis, peeled, thinly sliced

½ cup pomegranate seeds

Dissolve sugar in water and bring to boil. Add cinnamon, cloves, ginger, cardamom, and anise. Simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover pan, and let steep 15 minutes. Using sieve, strain spices and discard. Chill syrup in covered pan several hours. Cut peel from mandarins, being sure to remove pith. Slice mandarins in ⅜-inch rounds, then place in large serving bowl. Cover with syrup and refrigerate 2 hours. Serve in small dessert bowls; top with kiwi and pomegranate seeds. Serves 8.

 The Dish on Placer County

Originally published in edible Sacramento

 

If my Subaru can't get me there, that's a good reason not to go!

 

Jeff Myers "Larger Than Life" Solo Exhibition Elliot Fouts Gallery

Elliot Fouts Gallery
1831 P Street
Sacramento, CA
November 4-30, 2017
Second Saturday Opening November 11, 2017

Artist's Statement: 

"I began painting farming artifacts and machine culture while, ironically, living and working as an artist in Brooklyn, New York. From time to time I would visit Sacramento, and I began to paint outdoors in the delta where I became increasingly aware of agricultural machines. They seemed like sculptural sentinels dotting the landscape, like a David Smith sculpture. One day in the delta, I started to paint the form of the tractor itself. The tractors manifested a powerful intimacy that suggested many secrets, especially the older tractors richly draped in rust and chipped paint. I felt they displayed a kind of insistent consciousness at work that resonated with me.

As I continued to branch out, I painted more advanced machines such as droids and half-human/half-machine composites. I realized there was a type of lineage occurring, as if the tractor was the grandfather to artificial intelligence. I perceived a type of dance between the organic and inorganic; a sense of a collective consciousness at work.

What Is New In This Body Of Work

Raised in a family of professional photographers, I have always thought about different ways of integrating photography with oil paint through image transfers and collage. The collage elements in my work are all specific and mostly consist of photographic imagery taken from the “Body Environment Series.” In this series I use aerial imagery of urban and agricultural patterns taken from a helicopter and project them onto the human body, using up to five different projectors at once. Then, creating a type of digital collage, I create random compositions.

All kinds of disruptions of form occur, from blurring to pixelation and inverting. For me, these digital compositions are like an organism mat that is half organic and half artificial. There is a repetitive nature of figures and forms that celebrate motion, much like Italian Futurism. This motion echoes the great accelerations in our present time, such as technology, connectivity and environmental change.

Other influences are Gerhard Richter's experiments in blurred or scraped patterns, the re-introduction of magic realism elements by artist Peter Doig and the miniaturized but large-scaled installations of Geoffrey Farmer.

In the “Geneticists” we see a woman who is immersed in the possibilities of the genetic frontier. This includes the future possibilities of the convergence of organic and mechanical integration (with both the positive and negative effects) as well as the unforeseen trajectories of self-evolving systems or the imagined singularity phenomena.

In “Lone Scout” (an image after Remington) we see a person, or perhaps an artificial intelligence, on horseback peering into a web of financial networks. This image is about connectivity, trailblazing and risk-taking. Time also threads through the image as there are elements of past, present and future recombining.

In “Guarding the Old Growth” a Nimitz Class aircraft carrier acts to conserve a primeval redwood forest.

In the painting “Levitation” a person is standing bare in front of an antiquated grader that has a self-emanating glow washing and staining the nude in turquoise.

In “Parisian Graffiti Tractor”, a painting I started last year while in Paris working on separate photography installation project, we see a giant crusted machine. An under-layer made of image transfers from photographs I shot in the working class commune of Saint Denis depicts urban fragments such as graffiti walls.

I always start my work with a concept. Then I work from memory with a series of drawings, re-imagining or completely inventing a new machine, meshing it with environment/time elements. Although some of this work presents archaic machines, conceptually it relies on the increasing intimacy in our 'present moment' between people and technology. Some of the machines may not be 'current,' but the intimacy is increasingly of this moment."

           -Jeff Myers, Artist

Sacramento's urban tattoos are a labor of love

This article originally appeared in Sacramento News & Review about 10 years ago. At that time, these murals were raising quite a stir, even at City Hall. The fear? Oh, that people would perceive them as graffiti. Imagine that! And now, well, now murals (urban tattoos) are totally the rage. Wow, why didn't I think of that? I photographed dozens of these urban tattoos before and after the article appeared. Sadly, many of them no longer exist. Painted over in the name of progress or simply a lack of vision. So glad these incredible works of art live on in my photo archives.

Sacramento has finally come into its own. The Central City is evolving, and Midtown is emerging as a swish and swanky scene for every age (and not just the 20-something crowd). 

Urban dwellers and visitors ought to note there’s always something new to see. Lately, it’s been a visual cornucopia of what should be viewed as art in public places. Not the usual sort of government-commissioned art, but a collection of 21st-century murals cleverly and appropriately dubbed “urban tattoos” by Bonni Shasky, a local landscape designer.

One has to love this innovative wall art. Its edgy and funky appeal makes less attractive buildings seem born again. And our wonderful City streetscape is taking on a far-out chic appearance that is strangely reminiscent of the ‘70s psychedelic. 

The first of these urban tattoos appeared on an unsightly corrugated metal garage at 21st & O streets. Entitled, “A Labor of Love,” it pays homage to the nearby Limon’s Barber Salon. The artist, who prefers to be known as 2Hermano, was also working out some love issues of his own which he resolved through his own labor of love – painting. Whether it was timed or planned, this first urban tattoo inspired a collective of artists to get busy adorning structures throughout the city. 

With the approval of building owners, artists 2Hermano, Shaun, Daniel, Josh, Miguel, Steve, and Max (there may be others) have given everyone a new reason to walk. Not just during the Second Saturday Art Walk, but every day. Retro, free-hand spray-painted images now embellish Two Women & an Armoire and American Market  & Deli. At Bon Air Market & Deli, their new urban tattoo playfully promotes sandwiches, sodas, and Sacramento’s skyline and includes the likeness of the store owner’s son.

A collaborative-work by Shaun, Daniel, and Miguel, on the 24th Street side of American Market & Deli, a peacock, a woman soulfully singing, and a modish chick – friend of one of the artists – is probably one of the most colorful tattoos. And the market’s shabby interior is enlivened by Shaun’s fanciful forest of trees with faces, blowing autumn leaves, and a young girl with wind-swept hair. A once less-inviting environment is welcoming and full of life.

Over on Del Paso Boulevard, the half-face of Frida Kahlo bedecks a wall at Sol Collective an arts and cultural center located at 2010. Other examples of this new urban street art can be seen on display inside. To be expected, not everyone embraces this art scene. Someone complained to the City about Frida, but fortunately she lives on. The artists have specifically chosen images to balance this art form so “not to frighten people” – to make it more acceptable. The point isn’t to encourage tagging and unsolicited graffiti. 

  

There is wine and then the Amador cookie the best ever

Journeying today to the annual Barbera Festival, I have many things on my mind including the sights, sounds and tastes of incredible wines and foods at this highly-regarded event. The highlight, of course, is California's unsung varietal wine, Barbera!

The Barbera Festival is an outdoor wine and food festival highlighting Barbera varietal wines from more than 70 wineries from throughout California and beyond, including the Sierra Foothills, Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Paso Robles, Livermore, Ventura County, Lodi and the Bay Area. In addition, noted area restaurants and chefs will again offer prepared gourmet food for sale, and over 60 vendors of art and artisan crafts will be showcasing their wares.

While I'm heading for a long day of festivities and feasting, my journey must include Andrae's Bakery in Amador City. I am really not big into desserts or chocolates; yes, I know it's sacrilege by some people's standards! But I have to tell you, Andrae's has created this irresistible Nibby Cookie- chocolate, hazelnuts, and cocoa beans -- that is just about the yummiest thing this side of Heaven. I will not be deterred. These cookies will be mine. Also, a stop at Fine Eye Gallery in Sutter Creek will round out a perfect day exploring Amador County.

That said, better get going. Long day ahead and my Subaru is waiting.

If my Subaru can't get me there, that's a good reason not to go!

 

 

 

Relax Sacramento Spaaaaahs

Day spas and resorts promise to set you free to release and relax from daily hassles. In our hurried world, close your eyes, breathe, soak, massage and meditate your cares away. Here are some of Sacramento’s best, newest and trending spa escapes. An hour, afternoon, overnight - you deserve it!

My Sacramento – Cori Martinez, Owner
Asha Urban Baths
Bathhouses are a rich part of many cultures throughout the world. A place to gather and socialize or peacefully retreat, the Greeks thought tidal waters were blessed by gods for healing. Asha Urban Baths, Sacramento’s first and only bathhouse has created a sanctuary to sooth your cares away and, yes, heal body and spirit. Therapeutic steam or sauna, cold plunge and sea salt waters are healing and invigorating. On a quiet alley off Broadway, the baths and yoga studio raised the bar on relax Sacramento. Cori Martinez, owner, had a dream 20 years in the making. Close your eyes and say, “SPaaaaah!”

After college, we moved to Hawaii and opened a yoga studio. Seven years later, my husband and I returned to Sacramento to be near family. Within a year we opened Asha Yoga. Now there are so many yoga studios, I became interested in creating inspired fresh spaces for community and so Asha Urban Baths was born. It took a lot of years of entrepreneur to build up the courage to do a project this big. It took six months to find the right space.  This building was perfect and gave me a clear indicator to make that leap of faith. My vision was to create the new happy hour. Do something that’s healthy, a place to socialize and have quality time with friends and feel great the next day. This is not a spa, but another option for self-care. You can get a massage and make a whole day of it. I hope this area stays a little funky, but additional urban and cultural blends would be nice. 

We’re really happy here – the health and food scene has grown and both are things we enjoy.  However, it’s really the gigantic family and friends community that we love best.
2415 – 27^th Street, Sacramento, CA
(916) 837-3290
Tuesday-Sunday 10am to 10pm

Spa at Thunder Valley
AAA four-diamond rated hotel and spa, no detail has been overlooked. Every spa guest is a VIP at this suburban oasis. Wrap yourself in a yummy Boca Terry robe and unwind in the Meditation Room.  Not just traditional luxury treatments, they embrace holistic practices. Aromatherapy, a wellness therapy, is added to all treatments at no charge. Wine-inspired grape seed-crush body scrub restores and leaves skin baby soft. Chocolate is trending in the spa world; ask about decadent Esthechoc – blessed by gods. Spa guests lounge at the resort pool and can reserve cabanas and cabeds. Skip Las Vegas and make Spa at Thunder Valley a weekend escape.
1200 Athens Ave, Lincoln, CA
(916) 408-7777
Open daily 10am to 7pm

Emperia Wellness & Spa
This intimate boutique spa provides the perfect retreat for weary travelers. Just steps from Sacramento’s AAA 4-diamond Hyatt Regency Sacramento in the heart of downtown, peace and tranquility reigns at Emperia Wellness & Spa. Don’t be deterred by the fitness center entrance. Swedish massage spoken here – 5-star on the Yelp meter! Experienced therapists tranquilize tight muscles and reduce stress.  Grapeseed oil, aromatherapy and customized massages available. Room service? In-suite massages offered, too!
1109 – 12^th Street, Sacramento, CA
(916) 321-3718
By appointment only: Tuesday-Thursday 10am to 7pm
Friday-Saturday 9am to 6pm
Sunday 9am to 1pm
Monday, closed.

Spa LaLe
Located inside the Westin Sacramento, this inspired haven embraces an unwind and recharge mantra. Say “Spaaaa,” at your next corporate event! Go all out with LaLe’s Golden Tao Body Treatment, 110 minutes of bliss. Wellness and hot stone massages or customized spa experiences practiced here. Spa guests access hotel pool and saltwater Jacuzzi to create a full-day of ahhh.  A local’s member discount includes monthly and weekday wellness specials. Enjoy a little retail therapy at Spa LaLe’s boutique and dining at Scott’s Seafood Bar & Grill overlooking the Sacramento River.

4800 Riverside Blvd, Sacramento, CA
(916) 379-5980
Monday-Thursday 10am to 7pm
Friday-Saturday 10am to 8pm
Sunday 9am to 5pm

The Spa at Arden Hills
A suburban retreat, there are many options to relax at award-winning Arden Hills Resort Club & Spa. Sacramento’s only full-service spa is the play-cation for lovers, friends, bachelorette parties or just some personal pampering. Unwind in the sun-drenched Serenity Room. Savor a detoxifying steam or distress in the hydrotherapy whirlpool. Indulge in signature facial and mani-pedi to make this a daylong affair or extend your stay with an overnight at The Villas.
1220 Arden Hills Lane, Sacramento, CA
(916) 480-1150
Tues – Thurs 11am to 7pm
Fri – Sun 9am to 6pm

Happy Day Spa
Chinese foot massage is a centuries-old tradition. Reflexology focused, massages include pressure points in your head and feet. Not a traditional massage by any means, this clothed experience leaves guests stress-free and begging for more. In a communal setting, foot massages are a price you can’t resist.  Located in Little Saigon since 2008, Happy Day Spa has three locations – Little Saigon, Natomas Crossing and Folsom – to keep your feet smiling.
6911 Stockton Boulevard, #500, Sacramento, CA
3890 Truxel Road, #100, Sacramento
1004 Riley Street, Suite 3 & 4, Folsom
10am to 10pm

Originally published in the Visit Sacramento Visitors Guide Summer 2017
Digital version linked above

Barbera Festival Highlights California's Celebrated Varietal Wine

Courtesy of Balzac Communications & Marketing

More than 70 California wineries will present their wines at the 7th Annual Barbera Festival, taking place on September 16, 2017 at Terra d’Oro Winery in the Amador Foothills. New this year, wineries will not only showcase Barbera varietal wines, but also a limited selection of other Italian varietals, such as Sangiovese, Vermentino, Montepulciano, Fiano, and Nebbiolo.

The Barbera Festival is an outdoor wine and food festival highlighting Barbera varietal wines from more than 70 wineries from throughout California and beyond, including the Sierra Foothills, Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Paso Robles, Livermore, Ventura County, Lodi and the Bay Area. In addition, noted area restaurants and chefs will again offer prepared gourmet food for sale, and more than 60 vendors of art and artisan crafts will be showcasing their wares.

“While Barbera becomes more and more popular in California, these wines still remain fairly obscure,” says Brian Miller, founder of the festival. “We started the festival several years ago to draw focus to this delicious varietal wine, and it’s grown into a huge success. Each year is a sell-out and we constantly get feedback from wine enthusiasts how much they love it.”

Barbera originated in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. John Doyle (Cupertino Wine Company, and later Las Palmas Winery) first imported Barbera into California and produced his first Barbera vintage in 1884. Post-prohibition, Louis Martini was the first to produce a varietal Barbera (a wine labeled as Barbera) in 1954. Today, about 7,000 acres are planted in California and nearly 200 California wineries produce Barbera wines. Barbera can also be found from Washington State, Australia, Argentina, and South Africa.

The 2017 Barbera Festival will again be held at Terra d’Oro/Montevina Winery, from 11:00am to 4:00pm on September 16, 2017. Tickets are $50 and must be purchased online in advance at http://barberafestival.com. Tickets include admittance, wine tasting, and commemorative wine glass. Food is sold separately. Free parking is available on-site. Attendees must be 21 or older to taste or purchase wine, and will be required to show photo I.D. as proof of age.

Check here for lists of participating wineries, artists, restaurants, and musicians.

All proceeds from the festival benefit the Amador Community Foundation.

Terra d'Oro Winery
20680 Shenandoah School Road
Plymouth, California