An afternoon in "Old Sac," with boardwalks, cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages and a lot of commotion.

The drive into Old Sacramento was quite by accident. One moment I was on Interstate 5, taking an exit toward downtown, making turns as street signs directed me to Old Sac. Minutes later I was in the heart of this old tourist trap.

Not that I hadn’t planned on visiting Old Sacramento. I had. I just didn’t expect it to come upon me so suddenly and with such force.

Pedestrians blasted full charge in front of my car. Horse drawn wagons plodded along in front of me. Other drivers stopped at inopportune moments. Big c.c. motorcycle engines roared and bellowed, as did the nearby Interstate. Men, women and children hollered…. The cacophony was mind boggling. At least the horses remained peaceable, clip-clopping their hooves on the cobblestone streets and letting out an occasional snort and whinny.

I had imagined Old Sac to be a short stretch from downtown, maybe with a large grassy field separating it from real life and fairly unassuming in its manner. Not so.

Old Sacramento has its merits of old-time shops, boardwalks, 19th century buildings, watering holes, restaurants and riverfront location. It is, I had been forewarned, a monstrous tourist trap. At first take I was appalled. After thinking the situation through, I was game. It was a beautiful springtime 70-degree Sunday afternoon and I had to have more.

Circling the streets to find my way out of the maelstrom I looped around to locate the car park. I needed to explore at a more leisurely pace — on foot.

I stopped into the Wells Fargo Museum with its selection of keepsakes. Nodding my head, I realized that I was looking at 150-year-old pieces of paper, which must have been important documents in their day. The young museum-keeper sensed my gaze at the sepia-hued papers and offered, “Any questions at all, just ask!” Gold scales, photographs and rambunctious children rounded out this pleasant diversion. I had no questions, and moved on.

On the boardwalk I was once again overwhelmed by the masses; Sunday afternoons in Old Sac can be a wee heavy on the lively side. The California Military Museum caught my eye. After paying a $3.00 admittance fee I was ushered in with aplomb and given free reign to investigate more than 30,000 artifacts. With three levels to explore (a dollar per floor!) this is surely one of Sacramento’s greatest bargains. And the tempo is sane.

Afterward, strolling more boardwalks and exploring the riverfront, I nosed into restaurants to look at their menus. Most establishments had cute names and were overpriced. One was within my budget for an early supper but the staff was too occupied to wait on me. B.B. Brinks caught my eye; I stopped into this well-lit but under-patronized restaurant.

I was shown a corner window seat (ideal for watching the homeless poke through the garbage bin at the intersection) and ordered a lackluster smoked salmon sandwich with French fries then took a digestive walk out of old Sac, down the K Street Mall, to the capitol building.

After a couple hours of traipsing around downtown and with the afternoon winding down, Old Sac was settling in as I found my way back to the car park. The horse-drawn carriages were still out, offering rides, as the evening became subdued.

© 2003 Todd Wisti

Todd Wisti is the author of the travelogue Full English Breakfast.