Take the family out for a historical day of reenactments, education and fun games and entertainment! Admission is free and events begin at 11 through Monday. It's an entirely different experience to see the streets of Old Sac covered in dirt and all the cars removed. Kids will enjoy trying to play authentic games of the time period while adults marvel at the food preparation required in early California. I highly recommend it for everyone. For more information visit the Gold Rush Days website or just pop over to Old Sac anytime this weekend. If you're already been to the fair, this is great entertainment for the long weekend.
One word of caution, if your children are frightened by loud noises, check the schedule carefully for reenacted gun fights and cannon firings. You'll want to be on the opposite side of Old Sac when they occur.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
A great place to blow $30, eat a ton and have fun!
My son has a new favorite location. It's not technically Sacramento, but it's close enough that he does not complain once about being in the car. If you have kids under 40 you must take them to the new John's Incredible Pizza!
Located in the old Sam's Club building in Roseville, just off the Atlantic St. exit, you'll find fun, food and entertainment. John's has some of the best pizza I've ever had, especially considering it's mass produced buffet style. The Garlic Alfredo is worth the drive alone! For $6.49 at lunch or $8.49 dinner and weekends, you'll be treated to all-you-can-eat buffet of pizzas galore, a large salad bar, breadsticks, pastas, desserts and ice cream. You'll load up your tray and sit in one of the theme rooms from cartoons to cabins, techno to calm and quiet. The cartoon room is our favorite because we can eat and chat while the little man watches a few cartoons that are generally kid appropriate.
After you are stuffed to the brim, venture into the gaming room where you can play a variety of games, bowl, ride a few rides and gamble for tickets. You can purchase individual credits on a card or just go for the gusto and get the $24.95 fun card with a ton of credits on it. There are many choices and the place is much cleaner than any Chuck E Cheese I've ever seen. Little man loves that the games give out tons of tickets too so you can buy cool prizes at the end.
If you're looking for an alternative to the same movie and coffee date, JIP could easily be a fun and exciting date night as well! My husband and I could easily spend an evening there playing games, dueling on the mini-bowling alley or battling bad guys in the teen/adult games in the back.
Located in the old Sam's Club building in Roseville, just off the Atlantic St. exit, you'll find fun, food and entertainment. John's has some of the best pizza I've ever had, especially considering it's mass produced buffet style. The Garlic Alfredo is worth the drive alone! For $6.49 at lunch or $8.49 dinner and weekends, you'll be treated to all-you-can-eat buffet of pizzas galore, a large salad bar, breadsticks, pastas, desserts and ice cream. You'll load up your tray and sit in one of the theme rooms from cartoons to cabins, techno to calm and quiet. The cartoon room is our favorite because we can eat and chat while the little man watches a few cartoons that are generally kid appropriate.
After you are stuffed to the brim, venture into the gaming room where you can play a variety of games, bowl, ride a few rides and gamble for tickets. You can purchase individual credits on a card or just go for the gusto and get the $24.95 fun card with a ton of credits on it. There are many choices and the place is much cleaner than any Chuck E Cheese I've ever seen. Little man loves that the games give out tons of tickets too so you can buy cool prizes at the end.
If you're looking for an alternative to the same movie and coffee date, JIP could easily be a fun and exciting date night as well! My husband and I could easily spend an evening there playing games, dueling on the mini-bowling alley or battling bad guys in the teen/adult games in the back.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
A children's museum would make us a "real" city
Once upon a time, about two years ago, some neighbors and I embarked on an adventure to start a children's museum right here in Sacramento. We made some decent progress when we were shocked to discover another group was working on the same concept. We handed over all of our materials and gracefully bowed out of the competition, as we were promised that the other group had significant fundraising capabilities and "larger" contacts in the community.
Two years and some change later and the Sacramento Children's Museum website hasn't been updated. From what I understand, they got stalled in arena talks, the discussion of putting some sort of civic contribution at the railyard and general infighting among the group. It's a real tragedy that they have been unable to get something productive off the ground.
What brings this up? I spent the day with my son at the Stockton Children's Museum. We sat in a real ambulance, police car, bus and fire truck. We shopped at a pretend grocery store, looked at x-rays, learned about delta fish and made some great art. For a measly $4.50 each, we played in an airconditioned, child-friendly, educational center. For three hours, he was able to touch everything in sight, experiment and play in his own way and discover how to make current flow on a water table.
So why don't we have a children's museum? Most major cities in the US have at least one, some have several. My personal favorite is in Portland, but we have also visited similar designs in San Jose, Seattle, San Antonio, and San Francisco. Each is unique in the way it is presented, but all are designed for children to learn and explore on his/her own terms. They allow children of all types, ages, shapes, sizes, disabilities and backgrounds to come together and play in a unifying and friendly way.
It's time for Sacramento to get on board. Sure we have the Discovery Museum or Explorit in Davis but these aren't the same. Science museums are exciting and interesting but you have to be old enough to manipulate the exhibits and understand the context of the information. At a true children's museum, kids come in with all different education levels and still appreciate the exhibits, discovering and learning as they go through.
If we are to be a true family friendly city, it's time to provide an enriching, enlightening experience for all families to enjoy. If Stockton can do it, Sacramento can too.
Two years and some change later and the Sacramento Children's Museum website hasn't been updated. From what I understand, they got stalled in arena talks, the discussion of putting some sort of civic contribution at the railyard and general infighting among the group. It's a real tragedy that they have been unable to get something productive off the ground.
What brings this up? I spent the day with my son at the Stockton Children's Museum. We sat in a real ambulance, police car, bus and fire truck. We shopped at a pretend grocery store, looked at x-rays, learned about delta fish and made some great art. For a measly $4.50 each, we played in an airconditioned, child-friendly, educational center. For three hours, he was able to touch everything in sight, experiment and play in his own way and discover how to make current flow on a water table.
So why don't we have a children's museum? Most major cities in the US have at least one, some have several. My personal favorite is in Portland, but we have also visited similar designs in San Jose, Seattle, San Antonio, and San Francisco. Each is unique in the way it is presented, but all are designed for children to learn and explore on his/her own terms. They allow children of all types, ages, shapes, sizes, disabilities and backgrounds to come together and play in a unifying and friendly way.
It's time for Sacramento to get on board. Sure we have the Discovery Museum or Explorit in Davis but these aren't the same. Science museums are exciting and interesting but you have to be old enough to manipulate the exhibits and understand the context of the information. At a true children's museum, kids come in with all different education levels and still appreciate the exhibits, discovering and learning as they go through.
If we are to be a true family friendly city, it's time to provide an enriching, enlightening experience for all families to enjoy. If Stockton can do it, Sacramento can too.
Yes we have a budget... mostly
So after much deliberation the CA Senate approved the budget today in nearly identical form as the Assembly passed it weeks ago. What was the holdup?
Apparently Republican Senators were unhappy with the promise of the Governator to make some line-item veto cuts on his desk. According to the Sac Bee, they didn't trust their own party Governor to uphold his word to remove an additional $700 million from the budget. Yet suddenly, they have a newfound trust and believe the Governor will keep his word. The only other major gain the Republicans made by holding out was an amendment to protect infrastructure bonds from greenhouse gas emission lawsuits. That doesn't strike me as a major gain, nor one the Democrats would have refused in regular session.
Perhaps it's time to sit down and seriously reevaluate the CA budget process. Obviously, being 52 days late on a budget is not a good plan. If I were 52 days late paying my credit card, you can bet there'd be someone calling my house, my cell, my work and anywhere else they could find me. Why then are Californians so unconcerned with the ongoing budget problems?
Could someone explain to me why our legislators were out playing softball instead of wrapping up loose budget ends so that we could pay healthcare providers, childcare centers and others?
Apparently Republican Senators were unhappy with the promise of the Governator to make some line-item veto cuts on his desk. According to the Sac Bee, they didn't trust their own party Governor to uphold his word to remove an additional $700 million from the budget. Yet suddenly, they have a newfound trust and believe the Governor will keep his word. The only other major gain the Republicans made by holding out was an amendment to protect infrastructure bonds from greenhouse gas emission lawsuits. That doesn't strike me as a major gain, nor one the Democrats would have refused in regular session.
Perhaps it's time to sit down and seriously reevaluate the CA budget process. Obviously, being 52 days late on a budget is not a good plan. If I were 52 days late paying my credit card, you can bet there'd be someone calling my house, my cell, my work and anywhere else they could find me. Why then are Californians so unconcerned with the ongoing budget problems?
Could someone explain to me why our legislators were out playing softball instead of wrapping up loose budget ends so that we could pay healthcare providers, childcare centers and others?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
