Cruising the Capital
by MARY EVANS
The last time I made the trip up to Sacramento, I was an 11-year-old elementary school girl out on her first sleep-over field trip. Now, just a few years later �C no I��m not going to say how many �C we��re well into the middle of summer and my four kids were starting to get a little frazzled with the whole summer camp routine. Jeff was deep in the throws of giving birth to an Internet startup, and I figured it would be the noble thing to take the kids and spend a few days in a zip code far, far away.
Granted, the thought of the eleven-hour drive from San Diego to the state capital in Northern California was a little daunting. However, the attraction of enjoying a chunk of time in my new gas-friendly GMC Yukon Hybrid far outweighed anything the nagging twins and their constantly bickering older brother and sister might throw at me. Besides which, I suspected that the DVD entertainment system would prove itself a powerful ally in battling boredom and its evil companion, sibling rivalry.
After a relatively uneventful, and thankfully, peaceful journey, we arrived in beautiful Sacramento, located in California's expansive Central Valley. Cited as one of the five ��most livable�� regions in the United States, Sacramento has also been declared the most integrated city in the union.
The moon was almost setting in the night sky as I pulled the Yukon Hybrid into the driveway of the charming bed and breakfast nestled on the edge of Old Sac. This is an area where the original settlement of Sacramento was first established, and which functions today as a lively, bustling tourist destination. At this juncture, a shout out to the Yukon��s OnStar navigation system is most definitely appropriate. Without it, we might still be traversing the picturesque highways and byways of Northern California struggling to get a fix on our destination.
I figured it would satisfy my nostalgic cravings, and serve as a kid-appropriate cultural outing to pay a visit to California's impressive State Capitol Building. Begun in 1860 to be reminiscent of the United States Capitol in Washington, DC, the Renaissance Revival-style California State Capitol was completed in 1874. Looking at this grand structure from a grown-ups point of view did not diminish its impact, although I have to admit to a lapse of reverence as we delighted in imagining the Terminator presiding over important state matters in its lofty halls and stately chambers.
All that history and culture was making us extremely hungry, so we hopped in our trusty GMC and drove via Sacramento��s famous Tower Bridge into West Sacramento to satisfy a craving 20 years in the making. Destination? Johnnie��s Sidewalk Pizza, a family-operated establishment that attracts hungry pizza connoisseurs from all over the Sacramento valley. I��m pleased to report that the Scrumptious Greek Pizza did not disappoint.
Being the fabulous mom that I am, I figured it was time to let the kids choose the next activity. Back in the Yukon Hybrid for a short drive to kiddie heaven �C the Sacramento Zoo and adjacent Fairytale Town. Needless to say, after hours on our feet and exciting encounters with Sumatran tigers and Robin Hood��s Merry Men, we were all exhausted and ready to enjoy a well-deserved rest back at the B&B.
We spent the next two days with intrepid explorations, marvelous eating and educational meanderings being the order of the day. Highlights included imbibing culture at the Crocker Art Museum, riding a miniature train at the California State Railroad Museum, and enjoying mouthwatering cuisine aboard the Delta King, a rescued and refurbished paddlewheel steamboat that once lay on the bottom of San Francisco Bay.
By the time the end of our stay rolled around, we were satiated with all things Sacramento and ready to climb aboard our GMC Yukon Hybrid for the return trip from Northern California to our home in the south. Jeff was overjoyed to see us, and announced that the next road trip would certainly not happen without him as co-pilot.
Author Bio: Mary Evans is a freelance writer who loves nothing better than a good road trip with her family. She is also an avid history buff, who has achieved notoriety for trying to pass on her interests to her loved ones. For more information on the Yukon Hybrid, visit norcalgmc.com
