Sacramento is the capital of the great state of California, and its nickname is the City of Trees.
It’s definitely a lush city, and a river also runs through it, so while driving around sunny downtown Sacramento I have a strange deja vu of being in Austin. But other than being a capital and university town, the two cities are not the same at all. I’ve long been enamored with the grandeur of the State Capitol in Austin–when you are looking at it, you feel the history. And when you stand inside it, you want to be a part of that history. Like many things in Texas, it’s enormous.
The building that is the state capitol of California is less imposing and quite reminiscent of the capitol in DC., best described by a sign across the street as designed in the “popular classical revival style that reflected the young nation’s idealistic admiration of Greek democracy and Roman republicanism.”
The small radius where all the the buildings of historical significance clump together is easy to manage on foot. Makes a perfect Sunday stroll actually.
I want to go inside and look for the Governator….I’ve a few complaints I’d like to lodge, though I know that’s what I get for voting an actor into office!
Tags: Austin, California, Governator, Sacaramento, State Capitol, Texas
I finally unpack my suitcases from the Dallas trip, but it’s just a matter of time before I refill them with necessities for the next trip that’s happening in a couple of weeks. No disclosure yet as to where I’ll pop up next, but if I’m lucky I’ll get to hear a few languages totally foreign to my ears. And if I’m really lucky, I will finally see the architecture that I’ve been wanting to see for a very long time. OK, one hint: think onions.
The picture above is actually of the American Airlines Center in Victory Park, which is a huge mixed-use project that’s part of the gentrification movement that has changed the landscape of Dallas in the last few years. The whole area is lovely, full of upscale residential, retail, and entertainment choices. But on the two weekends that I’m there, it feels like a ghost town. There’s enough vacant retail space to remind me that the urbanization of America can’t always work out like in the movies. Build it and they won’t come, not with the recession looming large over all our heads anyway. And here I was telling myself how far Dallas has finally come; too bad not many people have the confidence to enjoy it.
But far be it for me to be the voice of doom and gloom for Big D. Compared to many other large cities, the quality and cost of living in Dallas are quite amazing. It’s a good town to raise a family in affordable square footage, and it is a city with an extraordinary art culture–one of my favorites is the Nasher Sculpture Center.
Here’s hoping the city of Dallas figures out how to draw more transplants and tourists to its metroplex. Austin can’t be the lone star shining in this big state, can it?
Tags: American Airline Center, Austin, Dallas, Nasher Sculpture Center, Texas
There’s a huge Korean supermarket in Carrollton, Texas called H Mart. And by huge I mean enormous. Turns out it’s a chain and a big enterprise. At this location there’s a full produce section,
kimchi department (I don’t know how else to call it), food court,
bakery, large seafood section, clothing boutique, household goods section, phone store. And also a large grocery store in the middle of all this. It’s like a Super Wal-Mart or Super Target–for some reason super doesn’t happen in my state of California–but with a dedicated aisle of soy sauce:
So walking around all this square footage with the aroma of food enticing my every step, I really want to find a snack. Sure enough, amidst all the Korean food-to-go stands, I spot something that has no meat. The sign says “fish black bean.” Eww, right? But for $1 I’ll try anything, especially if it comes with a show:
The pastry is a cross between a pancake and a waffle with semi-sweet black bean paste baked inside:
My mom liked hers, and I’m good for about 3/4 of the fish. The first bite sure was yummy though:
Tags: Carrollton, H Mart, kimchi, Korean, Texas
