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Thiebaud: A Celebration

Five months after Wayne Thiebaud passed away, the Crocker Art Museum is mounting a retrospective of the artist’s career. The museum’s chief curator Scott A. Shields gives us a tour of 10 of the 117 pieces in the exhibition, and lends his perspective on Sacramento’s “patron saint of painters.”

16 Fun Food Festivals in 2022

After a long pandemic pause, harvest fairs are back and bursting with all the varied flavors of Northern California’s farm-fresh bounty. From pear pies in Courtland to asparagus ice cream in Stockton and mandarin-topped pizza in Auburn, here’s our guide to a year’s worth of produce-packed feast-ivals. Your fruitful journey awaits.

A Life of Crime (the Perfectly Legal Kind)

John Lescroart became an “overnight” success at 45, and the Davis author has since published 19 New York Times best-selling legal thrillers, with his 30th novel due out soon. Meet the man with his ink-stained finger on the pulse of American crime stories.

Where She Was From

Sacramento native Joan Didion, who was one of America’s greatest writers, passed away on Dec. 23, 2021, at the age of 87. We spoke with the literary giant 10 years earlier, as she reflected on the deaths of her husband and only child, and her memories of growing up in River City.

Get a Room!

Call it a room boom. Over the past year, three new marquee hotels have flung open their doors in Sacramento, each mixing historic charm with modern flavor. Look for local art, high design and restaurants with noteworthy culinary pedigrees. And more are on the way. So pack a bag, book a show, and turn a date night into a date weekend. Why should we let the tourists have all the fun?

Double Vision

Following their Sacramento-centric HGTV home design series, Mash-Up Your Home, Colossus Mfg is also rebranding Broadway’s Tower District.

A Star Is Born

Nearly 15 years in the making, the SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity is ready to open a portal to both the past and the future on the banks of the Sacramento River, pairing a historic 1912 power station with Northern California’s most advanced planetarium.

The New Golden Age

On weekends, they abandon their respective vocations and venture far up into the storied Sierra foothills and far back in time—circa 1849—dodging rattlesnakes, poison oak and the stink-eyed gazes of seasoned treasure hunters as they transform into passionate modern-day prospectors.

Getting Back on Track

Five years ago, Sacramento Regional Transit was on the verge of derailing. Riders felt unsafe, staff morale was low, and the agency was flat broke. Then Henry Li stepped in. He cut costs, launched innovative programs targeting climate change, equity and customer service, and built a $30 million reserve—leading him to be named, effectively, America’s public transit CEO of the year in 2019. But when Covid hit, ridership plunged, a key funding mechanism was pulled from the ballot, and now the future of commuting is a looming question mark. Whether you ride public transit or not, his decisions will affect your commute, the air you breathe and, in many ways big and small, the future of Sacramento. Henry Li is now arriving.

Perfect Picnics

We’ve filled our wicker baskets with the best takeout en route to eight sonnet-worthy spots across the region for your alfresco dining pleasure. Whether you’re unpacking a gourmet BLT on toasted artisan bread while gazing upon a sweeping view in Gold Country or digging into a bucket of crispy fried chicken while smelling the roses at McKinley Park, we prove that life in the wake of a pandemic can be a picnic after all. (Just don’t forget the sunscreen.)

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