Sacramento Chef Challenge - 06/23/12

Unlimited Tiramisu Cupcakes: need I say more?

Sacramento Chef Challenge
Sacramento, CA

I am a sucker for fundraisers.  Car wash from total strangers?  No thanks. Car wash to raise money for your cheerleading squad/ Boy Scout troop/ drug and alcohol rehab group?  Well, now I can be coerced.

Naturally, fundraisers involving food are a no-brainer for me.  While $35 is enough for dinner, a movie and a post-movie trip to Target's dollar aisle, it can be better spent to support INALLIANCE, a non-profit organization providing programs for the developmentally disabled in and around Sacramento.

At the heart of it, the Sacramento Chef Challenge is just that: a competition between local chefs, a la "Iron Chef", who work against the clock to create a variety of dishes with secret ingredients within a limited time frame.  But there is so much more to this event.  Imagine a venue chock full of food and beverage vendors offering unlimited samples of their best dishes: foamy microbrews, edamame bruschetta will grilled asparagus and shaved parmesan, butter brickle frozen coffees and tiramisu cupcakes.

It's like Costco, but with superior grub - and without the whiny brats pushing you aside to beat you to the microwaved corn dogs on toothpicks.  That should sound like a pretty nice Friday night for most people.

Sun-Maid Store

Don't worry, they have the chocolate variety, too.

Sun-Maid Store
Kingsburg, CA

My Chihuahua, Manny, doesn't understand grapes.  He'll eat almost anything you give him, but grapes?  No, thank you.

I learned this little tidbit of information a few years ago when I rearranged my living room furniture and found several old grapes - now raisins - as I moved my couch.  Apparently Manny didn't understand you could bite through those little orbs.  Luckily, when he saw the raisins, he maintained his lack of interest; that's a good thing considering raisin consumption can cause renal failure in dogs. Yikes!  But I digress.

The good people at Sun-Maid have provided high-quality raisins and other dried fruit products for a century.  Often called "nature's candy" (though a thick coating of chocolate also helps), no oatmeal cookie or trail mix seems complete without them.  Little known fact: the iconic Sun-Maid Girl found on each box of raisins was actually a real girl named Lorraine, who posed with a basket of grapes for that famous image.  While the image has evolved over the years, Sun-Maid's raisins and other products have maintained the same excellence in quality for decades.

Visit the Sun-Maid Store to purchase their full selection of raisins, dried fruits and other gifts.  Watch a brief informative video, take a photo in front of a giant box of raisins, and keep any purchased treats away from your dog.  Trust me.

NorCal Pirate Festival - 06/16/12 - 06/17/12

Arrrrre...you ready to search for me arrow?

NorCal Pirate Festival

Vallejo, CA

At last, a chance to legally grab some booty in Solano County!

If you're still nurturing a disturbing Daryl Hannah fetish from the early 80s, you're in luck: this year, you'll be able to snap photos with mermaids in the new lagoon.  More of a Johnny Depp fan?  Well, he won't be there, but you'll enjoy the magic, ventriloquism and comedic stylings of Captain Jack Spareribs!

Stuff your gullet with festive grub including fish and chips, pretzels and pickles.  You'll need the energy to navigate your way to activities such as sword fighting, cannon battles, and the vixens of singing group Queen Anne's Revenge, whose name sounds like the result of eating too many of those pretzels and pickles.

Bask in a magical day of piratedom, and and be wary of any old, toothless man asking you to "walk his plank".

Cable Car Museum

Take me to your nearest crab stand...

Cable Car Museum
San Francisco, CA

Ah, San Francisco: likely the only city in the world where tourists are giddy with excitement in anticipation of a ride on public transportation.

Travelling at 9.5 MPH has never been so exciting, especially if you factor in the beautiful sights, fellow international occupants and the cable car system's extremely lackadaisical policy against hanging off the sides.

The idea for this unique transportation system was conceived by Andrew Hallidie, who witnessed horses being whipped as they pulled a horsecar up a wet cobblestone street.  They slipped, and were subsequently dragged to their deaths.  There had to be a better way.

The Cable Car Museum chronicles the nearly century-and-a-half history of these unique cars and provides a close-up look at the cables, grips, track and other system features.  On display are three antique cars from the 1870s along with other memorabilia from the era.  The museum is located inside the Washington/Mason cable car barn and powerhouse, where you can watch the gigantic engines and wheels that pull the cables.

The Museum also hosts the Annual Bell Ringing Competition, a great opportunity to pay tribute to the cable cars and those who maintain and keep them safe.

Sacramento SPCA Doggy Dash - 06/09/12

<Yawn> You realize it's Saturday, right?

Sacramento SPCA Doggy Dash
Sacramento, CA

As if gorgeous summer weather and much-needed exercise in the fresh air weren't reason enough to participate in this year's Doggy Dash, consider the fact that it's one of the SPCA's largest fundraisers of the year, drawing thousands of individuals crazy about canines.  Oh yeah...you can bring your bitch, too!

(And the answer is YES, I try to include the word "bitch" in every dog article.)

Based on your energy levels at 9am on Saturday mornings, you can choose between a 2K or 5K walk; and the jaunt is just the start of this event filled with doggy shenanigans. The post-walk Bark at the Park Festival includes demonstrations, Pug races, and a myriad of contests centered around looks and personality: highlights include the "So Ugly I'm Cute", "Fluffiest Dog" and "Most Enthusiastic Wag" competitions.

In case you're wondering, strollers are allowed; just accept the fact you'll be subject to (deserving) ridicule if Killer is napping inside.

Belmont Stakes Wine Festival - 06/09/12

Sadly, no drinking for these guys.

Belmont Stakes Wine Festival

Berkeley, CA

Finally, a reason to bust out that stupid, enormous hat you bought after watching the episode of Newlyweds with Jessica Simpson at the Kentucky Derby.

For less than two Andrew Jacksons you'll enjoy fifteen samples of various wines along with your admission to one of the most fantastical outdoor venues in the Bay Area, Golden Gate Fields.  Help yourself to bruschetta, fruit, and cheese, relax to the sounds of live jazz, then lose the mortgage on Lucky Number Seven because you just sampled fifteen different wines.

Don't forget to bring home your souvenir glass!  It may be worth more than the contents of your wallet by the end of the day.

Bubblegum Alley

Stick 'em up!

Bubblegum Alley

San Luis Obispo, CA

It's happened to all of us.  Who hasn't innocently taken a seat at a restaurant, library, picnic table or strip club, only to find (somehow) that the previous patron has left behind the gift that keeps on giving - a wad of freshly-chewed gum - underneath the table?

I can't remember how many times this has happened to me.  By the way, ONCE is too many times.

If getting up and disposing of your Hubba Bubba in a humane fashion is far too complicated for you, consider alternative oral fixation (I mean Tic Tacs.  Yeah, Tic Tacs!).

At least San Luis Obispo's Bubblegum Alley provides a safe haven for those insistent upon placing their lifeless wads on the closest surface available.  In fact, it encourages it.  The 70x15-foot wall features roughly four decades of gum and other decorative objects used to create "art".  It's been featured in TV shows and newspapers around the world.

Come out, gnaw on some Chewels, slam it on, and enjoy.  Go ahead and take pictures, but lean against the walls at your own risk.