Sactown An Idyllic Travel Destination? You Bet!

You know times are changing when our big sister city to the west touts Sacramento as a happening weekend getaway spot. A recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle entitled "Hip, Artsy Heart Beats in Sacramento" spotlights all that is new and cool about our fair river city. While the story opens with a slightly pretentious tone, the end result is a (mostly) accurate and favorable portrayal of Sacramento's new midtown scene. Enjoy!

Hip, artsy heart beats in Sacramento's midtown
'Grid' turning into the place to hang out
Spud Hilton, Chronicle Staff Writer - Sunday, May 18, 2008

It used to be the most you could say about Sacramento's midtown was that it has pleasant, tree-canopied streets and row after row of Victorian-era homes, most remarkably well-preserved. Yawn.

What used to be a cultural dead zone and excitement black hole between downtown and the burbs, however, quite suddenly has a hot, hip, walkable neighborhood at its heart, with dozens of stylish white-linen restaurants, of-the-moment boutique shops
and galleries, and a sophisticated bohemian vibe not typically associated with, well, Sacramento.

It still has the trees and Victorians, but hardly anyone notices those anymore. The midtown - officially called "the Grid" by locals and some savvy marketing firm - is still a work in progress, but it easily offers enough new diversions for a Sacramento weekend that have nothing to do with Gold Rush history or gargantuan shopping malls. The whole of the Grid is about 2 square miles, but at its center are about 24 square blocks (from 16th to 24th and from J Street to Capitol Avenue) that offer an accessible concentration of hip bistros and shops, including one intersection from which a well-thrown baseball could hit two funky coffeehouses, a wine-tasting shop and adjacent bar, three eclectic boutiques and four restaurants that would rate well by San Francisco standards. (Story Continued)