Sacramento

I woke up at about 4:45 am. I never really transitioned to west coast time which is fine. I checked our location on google maps and saw that we were only 23 miles outside of Sacramento. The scheduled arrival time was 6:30ish. I hurriedly packed up my stuff and then Justin came to my room to see if I was awake. He helped me get my bags down the stairs and changed the room back to the daytime configuration. 

We pulled into the station over an hour early. It was still dark out! The tracks and platforms are a little walk from the station. The walkway was lined with an arboreatum. 

The signs were all in the Classic Amtrak blue with their font and it was really pretty. There were also stone benches arranges in several places along the walk. 

I entered the station which was all filled with scaffolding. There were some homeless people sleeping on the wooden benches. I walked to the back of the station where there was a little area cordoned off with sofas for sleeping car passengers. I plopped down to get my bearings for a little bit and was able to check my bags for the day at the baggage office. 

I wasn't too keen on walking around Sacramento in the dark, so I hung out until around 6:30 am to tour the city. As I walked out of the station the sun was just starting to brighten the sky. I noticed a Starbucks on the corner and then, with some caffeine, I took off to explore. 

I walked past the county jail and then the public library. The city was still sleepy and quiet. 

I continued along I street and into Ceasar Chavez Park. There was a lovely fountain in the center and I think perhaps city hall across the street. 

I crossed though the park and made my way to the state house building. It was gleaming white and topped with intricate carvings. 

The park and lawn surrounding the Capitol was lined with HUGE palm trees. 

There were also some lovely flowering bushes and trees and the lingering scent of flowers was heavy in the air. 

I continued across town towards the R street historic district - my destination for breakfast.

A quick search on yelp led me to the Fox and the Goose, a British pub with homemade scones and a mean breakfast.  Outside they had a little statue of a goose and a fox. 

For breakfast I had an omelet with English bangers, onions and cheese and a blueberry banana scone. Yum! It was so much good food. I ended up only eating about half of it before acknowledging defeat. 

Feeling sated, I walked towards the river and old Sacramento. This area of town was very quaint. It was still before 9 am so I was pretty much the only person wandering the streets. This area has wooden sidewalks and looks like it is straight out of the old West. 

I also came across the "what cheer house" which is a very nice Rhode Island name for a California establishment. 

There is also an excursion train that operates historic rail cars. 

Over on the river is an old steam ship, the delta king, which now operates as a hotel and restaurant. 

There was also a rail road museum, but unfortunately it was too early to be open. While this area of town was definitely touristy it was kind of cute. I would have enjoyed spending time there later in the day when things were open. 

Now I am back in the train station and waiting to board the California Zephyr. If it is on time I will arrive in Chicago around 3 pm on Wednesday (two days from now).