Do you prefer a fast paced or slower paced lifestyle? Why?

“I think that L.A. or San Francisco could be rushed but Sacramento is just laid back.” ( Nick Johnson )

Our road trip visits to California typically move pretty fast as our friends live in the busy San Francisco and Los Angeles vicinities. Of course as urban residents of South Florida, we’re used to  road congestion, crowd noise and of course the energy and excitement associated with big city living conditions. So in order to accomplish your normally action packed  day, let’s just say there’s a constant pressure to stay on a planned schedule daily.

But on our two day road trip visit to Sacramento ,a sizeable metropolis of over 500,00 people, I noticed an easier managed lifestyle right away. Sitting at Sutter Health Park  to watch an Athletics major league baseball game for instance on our first night , I immediately noticed how people moved at a slower pace as they made their way from the parking lot to their seats. Before  the game began, a distinct buzz of respectful cheering and friendly conversation reminded me of a neighborly gathering in a town hall setting. I also noticed there seemed to be plenty of space to move around without being crowded by other people in stadium corridors, concession  lines and those visits to the restroom. 

The next day, our Sacramento tour continued with a visit to the California State Capitol  Museum. Our self guided tour of the interior took up most of the morning  as we visited historic rooms of state government use dating back from the late 19th century as well as those prominent gathering areas presently used  today.  ln those moments, each setting felt orderly arranged yet more quietly experienced than expected. Then exiting to the expansive capitol lawn noticing minimal city noise nearby,  I found good reason instead to serenely concentrate on  tree landscape and sculptured memorials well placed within the park. 

We then continued moving at our own slow pace to  the “Old Sacramento” waterfront area. After finding surprising ease of parking space close by, around lunchtime we sauntered along old wooden walkways to satisfy our curiosities of historic buildings dating from the 19th century “gold rush” era of California’s discovery times. Deciding what to do then really didn’t really matter as we renewed our energy with the cool breeze coming off the river to  invigorate us at that time. Afterward we closed this relaxing day trip with an unrushed  riverside stroll which provided us picturesque viewing spots of the famed Tower Bridge boldly painted all gold and the reconstructed Delta King riverboat as well. 

So I loved how this Sacramento sightseeing day naturally unfolded rather than being tightly managed in time and distance like back home. And that kind of spontaneous feel of sightseeing  seemed exactly what we needed on such a long road trip we are arduously undertaking.