Crossing the Rubicon

By Niki Kangas, Photo by Scott Duncan

Many Midtowners have tossed back copious happy pints at Sacramento’s favorite brewpub, The Rubicon, but most of us don’t have a clue about the brains behind the brew. These days the taps belong to quite a nice chap, Glynn Phillips. I sat down with Glynn on a bottling day for their winter seasonal, and so was able to enjoy a conversation paired with a freshly bottled 22 oz. Capricorn Black, all before noon Read more »

River City Write

Compiled by William Burg, James Cameron, Tim Foster, Becky Grunewald, Guphy Gustafson, Niki Kangas and Liv Moe

While William T. Vollmann is probably the most respected author to ever intentionally settle down in Sacramento, the River City has had its fair share of bright literary lights over the years Read more »

California Haunts

by Niki Kangas  photos by Scott Duncan

Slamming filing cabinets, falling handtrucks, electronic voice phenomena, pushing, and bruising are among the interactions Sacramento ghost hunters California Haunts has experienced with the dead-but-not-gone. Lead investigator Charlotte Kosa and her associate Rose Coibion are among a handful of paranormal investigative teams peppering the Gold Country. Read more »

SMUD: Power to the People

By Niki Kangas  Photos by Scott Duncan

Damn it, it’s that mint green envelope from SMUD again. When the bills start changing colors, you know you forgot, or weren’t able to make, that last payment. Read more »

Daytrip: Marin Headlands

story and photos by Niki Kangas

Across the banks of the red bluffs, a gentle but unyielding breeze coaxes tall marshy grasses into a tidy comb-over; rainbows of shaking wildflowers bow reverently to the sea. A net of haze blurs the ocean and sky into a blue beyond compare, and there are sighs all around in the company I keep. Amen, we are out of town! Read more »

Take a Walk on the Wild Side

By Niki Kangas    photos by Scott Duncan

At one point in history, zoos were no better than circuses in terms of wild animal capture and exploitation. After discovering this sad fact as a child, my curiosity about zoos vanished for decades. I became an avid backpacker, often observing wild bobcats, moose, marmots, deer, and other critters on their own terms.  Then, as I had children of my own, I was surprised to find the Sacramento Zoo in our Lazy Susan of haunts; this nearby showcase of biodiversity’s best was just too good to pass up. Read more »

Your One Stop Old Timey Shop

By Niki Kangas  photos by Jesse Vasquez

“What does that place sell- granola or something?”

Ah, my buddy Rebecca was dead wrong, making the same mistake that many of you may have made in regard to Sacramento City Dry Goods…that is, disregarding it because it’s in Old Sac and has a nebulous name that could be easily misinterpreted.   Unless you’re super-into historical reenactments- or just wander into every Old Sac store you see- you’ve probably glanced over it too. Read more »

Joyland

By Niki Kangas  Images courtesy the Sacramento Room

Let’s go back a little over a hundred years to a time when Oak Park was in its beginnings- a new neighborhood adjacent to the hustle and bustle of post-Gold Rush Sacramento. Read more »

Urban Farmstand

By Niki Kangas

The Urban Farmstand Project began In 2006 in response to a meaningful shift in one Sacramento neighborhood’s commercial landscape: the Albertson’s  at 22nd and F closed and gave way to a Rite Aid. Suddenly, there was nowhere within walking distance of Alkali Flat to obtain fresh produce.  Read more »

Holiday Brew!

By Niki Kangas   photos by Jesse Vasquez

December’s here and it’s beer:30. Read more »