Sacramento
Hiiiii!! It's been a minute, & I apologize! Between work + moving + vacations May/June have been crazy! In a good way...but ready to relax!! I just got home from Seattle today & am finally able to chill out & post. It's hard to make the time to blog every single week but I hope you'll stay with me & keep reading - there's much more to come!!
View from our hotel room at The Citizen Hotel Sacramento.
Today is a travel related post featuring SACRAMENTO!! Sac town. Old Sac. Sacra-memento. A city I didn't know I'd visit but then my beautiful friend went and got married there!! It was stunning. And the city was really, really fun! So I thought I'd write a lil snapshot of recommendations for Sacramento. I'm no travel expert but I definitely appreciate travel input & advice whenever I go somewhere. That's what I hope to provide ya'll - recommendations/advice on places to stay + eat + drink...and in this case, have a wedding!
SLEEP
The Citizen Hotel Sacramento. HANDS DOWN the place to stay!! I have nothing but good things to say about this place! It was my boyfriend's birthday so I wanted to surprise him & I knew he would love The Citizen. Then the Uber driver ruined it, but it's all good because I was right, he loved it!!
It's a super old school + decorative + swanky hotel downtown with amazing views & the coolest decor. Books. Velvet couches. Lush robes. Chess. Whiskey. LOVE. We never wanted to leave!!
I hope to go back & spend more time at this gorgeous hotel! You can find out more information about them at www.thecitizenhotel.com
Sidenote - We did only stay at The Citizen for one night! I failed to mention the other hotel we stayed at for two nights that does not need to be named but was absolutely terrible. Terrible but $120 a night vs $400 thanks to graduation being that weekend. Needless to say, you definitely want to stay at The Citizen.
EAT
Grange Restaurant & Bar - Also located in The Citizen Hotel, this restaurant was ***** (5 stars if in case you missed that)! Really nice dark ambiance with amazing food & the nicest waiter ever!! It is a locally grown + farm-to-fork style restaurant with great cocktails! My faves were the Grilled Yogurt Flatbread & the Beef Fat Potatoes. Colin loved his chef-inspired vegan entree that was handmade for him! It was gone in sixty seconds. Cocktail faves were the You Know Nothing & The Grange Manhattan.
Ella - This was my absolute favorite meal I ate in Sacramento! The vibe was so gorgeous & I was in heaven with the food + flowers + drinks. Such cute details everywhere & white hydrangeas filled every single table! Wood. Candles. Rustic shutters. Wine cellar. Pretty menus.
Amazing & pretty details with absolutely delicious food! Colin ordered what the waitress recommended as the "Vegan Frankenstein." Just a whole mix of a lot of veggies!! Which was so good! I had the Twenty Four Hour Braised Beef Short Rib. JUST WOW. Clearly the vegan thing is working out much better for my man. LOL. Amazing food + service + romantic ambiance. So much romantic ambiance I couldn't get a good picture of our food lol. We highly recommend Ella if you're visiting!! www.elladiningroomandbar.com
Cafeteria 15 - Brunch!!!! Yasss. This is a spot you want to brunch! Esp if you want about 300 breakfast potatoes. Because their breakfast entrees come with about that many on the side. And a bourbon bloody mary! Order a bloody mary FOR SURE. www.cafeteria15l.com
La Cosecha - Yum. Super good Mexican food right by a park called the Cesar Chavez Plaza. Our faves were the chicken & vegan enchiladas. Cocktails - bloody mary + pepino jalepeno margarita!
On Sunday they had salsa dancing in the park with a DJ which was too fun to watch!! We thought they were doing lessons but it seems our salsa dancing skills are still minimal after returning home. Ha.
There are also a ton of homeless people at this park. We ate a yummy meal but did watch an arrest while seated on the patio. Just a heads up! www.lacosechasacramento.com
I'm sure there are SO many more amazing restaurants in Sacramento these are just a few of my favorites we went to! I'd love to hear any more recommendations for my next visit :)
DRINK
The Diplomat Steakhouse - This was an excellent stumble upon spot while walking home one day! The cute patio + twinkly lights stood out to me...obviously. I'm a sucker for twinkly lights anywhere and everywhere. Once inside, we were majorly intrigued & impressed! Beautiful bar with gold details & moss walls. REAL green moss. Not to mention the freakin cocktails!! Perfection. Some drinks are just better than others. And this place had drinks that tasted the best! Our Manhattans & French 77 were beyond!! We didn't eat here but absolutely recommend this place for a good cocktail/happy hour spot & it's right across from the Capitol! I'm sure the steaks are to die for! Especially with the cool green moss backdrop & a perfect Manhattan on the side ;) www.thediplomatsacramento.com
As far as bars to visit.....
The Shady Lady - YES. SO MUCH YES. This place was right up our alley with live jazz music & craft cocktails! Super busy atmosphere but well worth the wait for the cocktails. We went around 11 PM and it was the perfect time while the music was going & tons of people! www.shadyladybar.com
Coin-Op - Aracade games + beer + pizza. Low-key but big bar with a ton of games & a big beer selection! Comparable to 1 Up in Denver. It had a long line so be prepared for that but it was a great place with tons of people and a big bar so you got served quickly even though it was busy. www.coinopsac.com
Pre Flite Lounge - Divey, dive, dive. In the best way! We took advice from our waitress at Ella and went here for a drink. It was a little hidden in an alley but was packed with people sitting in the dark getting their drink on! Like I said, divey but fun! www.preflitelounge.com
WEDDING
Congrats to Mr and Mrs Cox! I wish I could go back in time and keep dancing at your wedding! It was held at Vizcaya Pavilion & Mansion which was a stunning venue! Located off of 21st Street, this venue is eye catching with a beautiful white exterior + fountains + courtyard + bed and breakfast + plants & flowers everywhere. www.vizcayasacramento.com
The gorgeous couple!
I love the chalkboard detail!
They ended the night with sparklers & Journey. So perfect!!! So happy to be a part of their wedding & also extremely jealous they left for Italy the following day.
It's been almost a month since this trip to Sacramento but now that I'm finally posting this, I want to go back!! FOMO. I basically get fomo from every place I go. I just got back from Seattle about 3 hours ago & I'm already missing it like crazy! But fomo from my boyfriend is also a thing. And we have another friend's wedding to attend this upcoming weekend! Stay tuned for a post featuring their wedding in Boulder. I CAN'T WAIT!!!
Thank you for checking back in to my blog & reading the latest travel post. I appreciate you all & there will be a lot more posts in the near future!
Enjoy your week friends :)
Xx, Han