Sactown Magazine - August-September 2011

The Music Man

In the ’80s, Charlie Peacock was jamming with Randy Jackson in midtown Sacramento and being asked to open for a then-fledgling U2 in Davis. These days, he’s collaborating with the American Idol judge on TV projects and having Bono over to his house for breakfast. This is the unlikely tale of a kid from Yuba City who moved to Nashville to become a Grammy-nominated producer and multiplatinum songwriter, and his journey back home to where he once belonged.

A Competitive Spirit

A novel concept behind the new arena campaign (public input) and a strategy for a revamped Capitol Mall (a design competition) are steps in the right direction toward great civic design. But they’re just a start.

Message in a Bottle

Downtown’s new Tequila Museo Mayahuel pays homage to the culinary art of Mexico and the unexpectedly elegant side of the country’s most celebrated spirit

Small Wonders

Big cities are fun, but small towns have big advantages, too. Think beach picnics with freshly shucked oysters and crisp regional wines; corn buttermilk pancakes in a mountain cottage; or waking up to the sound of seagulls. Let’s get small!

La Dolce Biba

Martha Stewart helped make her a national treasure and Darrell Corti says she makes the single best dish in town. With a new cookbook and a decidedly old school work ethic, she’s served up the city’s most authentic Italian food for 25 years. Viva la Biba!

Candles in the Wind

In many Asian countries, a centuries-old tradition of releasing lanterns into the sky has captured the imagination of millions, though the concept has been on a slow boat to America. But now San Antonio has given us a roadmap to these man-made stars.