In full disclosure, the hubs and I sort of moved here without totally knowing what we were getting into. We were these crazy kids, that were planning on getting married and starting a life somewhere where the American dream (of buying a home and having a kid or two) was still viable. The Bay Area was just getting more and more out of control and we were looking at different options. Portland and Seattle were to damp and lacked days of sunshine necessary for hubs. Austin, while fun and brimming with possibilities seemed too far and too much of a gamble. We spent one 4th of July weekend here in 2014, and decided this was it!

It has been a decision that has served us well, and we have no regrets! It has been an adventure trying to navigate the waters of a new area, but one that has been surprising in the best way possible. We are still exploring neighborhoods in the surround areas, finding new places to eat, drink, and exploring local events! We still have a lot to learn and explore, but we’re slowly and steadily working on it! 

Here are some discoveries we made, that are new to us since living here.

1. Wine! 

Everyone knows about Napa Valley, but the Sacramento area has it’s own wine makers too! We are a 15 min drive from Clarksberg where we go to the Old Sugar Mill every now and then to check out events and take visitors. I plan to check out Bogle nearby for their summer picnics! Lodi also has a Zinfandel growing area that we haven’t explored yet, but we did make it there for some hiking a few weeks ago!

2. Farm to Fork Capitol

Farming is very prevalent here. Our friends at True Terre Farms are close enough to deliver farm fresh, organic, free range eggs. When we go to the farmers market I have noticed that the locations of the farms as being a lot closer to us than when we were living in the Bay.

Eating fresh and local here is easy to do. We have embraced this culture and started growing our own herbs and fruit and last year. This year we have expanded to vegetables! So far, kale, chard, basil, chives, and tomatoes have been the major crop winners in our yard! 

3. City of Trees… City of pollen

Allergy suffers beware!

I was told that if you didn’t have allergies before you moved to Sacramento, you soon will. Rather ominous sounding, no?

Last year my allergies were so awful. I really could not breathe well. I was using a nose spray andoral allergy medication. It helped, but I still went through a lot of tissues and felt really unpleasantly congested. I was suffering for weeks before hubs suggested we go up to Tahoe. When we were driving up the mountains, I could feeling the congestion get better and better I didn’t feel stuffed up at all anymore! It was magical. 

Luckily this year I don’t have that problem!  I’m going to say it was a combination of taking a lot of local honey in the winter with my teas, and having HEPA filter in our house. 

I hope these tips were helpful for any other allergy suffers and hope you keep reading to hear more discoveries we’ve made!