We recently hired a new FP/OB doctor, allowing me to step back from my twice-weekly OB call schedule right before the Thanksgiving holiday (sweet relief!). Since our clinics are closed Thursday-Friday and I'm post-call Tuesdays, we took the additional Wednesday off and decided to take a road trip to our old stomping grounds in Sacramento with the goal to to try to reconnect with some of our old (and universally vaccinated) residency friends and to get out of Humboldt, where we've spent so much (more time than we usually do!) time during the past 18 months.
Kelvin and I met in residency in Sacramento and got married right afterwards, a decade ago. The last time we visited was in February 2017. We told Niall (who was less than enthused by the city tour of our old apartments and frequented sites), "This is where mama and papa met. If we hadn't met here, you wouldn't exist." Niall (still having a hard time grasping the concept of not-yet-being-alive) replied, "But was I dead?!"
Where it all started (UC Davis Ambulatory Care Center where our FP clinic was)
Kelvin's old (gated) apartment complex
His haircut place of choice
After our long, 5+-hour drive from McKinleyville, we took the kids to a trampoline park (Rebounderz) where they could bounce off all of their pent up energy (they actually did very well this road trip!).
We then headed to midtown and ate at some of our favorites from residency days.
Chicago Fire Pizza (the kids' first restaurant experience since the pandemic!)
I've never seen this kid (the olive lover) eat this much in one sitting!
(someone else was seriously disliking the black olives topping)
We then walked across the street to Rick's Dessert Diner, where the kids' lack of restaurant etiquette shone loud and clear.
... while Iver tried his hand at bouldering at The Boulder Field.
The doctor-mom in me (not wanting any wrist fractures) stressed the "don't FOOSH" (fall onto an outstretched hand) if you fall off the wall!
After lunch, we headed just east to Folsom and visited SeaQuest, an aquarium with enhancements.
The kids had a ton of fun petting and exchanging tokens to feed the animals.
(fake komodo)
Bearded dragon, like they've had in their classroom.
Reticulated python
Iguanas
Koi pond
(I had never seen koi this large-- they're certainly well fed!)
Iver tried out the "fish pedicure" like we'd done in Cambodia!
Niall loved feeding "Wesley" the capybara
We passed some time at McKinley park, which was a favorite of ours for playing frisbee during residency (and where [in the rose garden] we also had some engagement photos taken).
There is a fantastic kids' playground, which is fairly new and went unnoticed when we lived here.
Recreating our couple/family photos
Spot the photobombers in this family photo!
Iver thought watching the train pass through midtown was quite exciting!
We enjoyed dinner at Jack's Urban Eats and I enjoyed some social time and a drink with my friend Amy (alas, we did not take a photo!).
Being in Sacramento ("the River City") has been nostalgic, and surreal (now two kids and a decade later). We're at such a different stage of life than we were when we lived here, but we've loved showing the kids this city-- Iver seems to think it's a hit enough to want to fly to vacation here again (even though the drive is really not too bad). Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Sactown! You've been good to our journey and our family (which, obviously, may not have existed but for this place!).
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