Have you ever heard the phrase “Bloom where you are planted.” Its meaning can range from your place in life is full of magnificent possibilities to you can still make lemonade out of lemons.
I was born in Sacramento, California in 1950. I’ve worked to bloom where I was planted. The New York Times recently did a Travel Section piece on “36 Hours in Sacramento.” It surely gives us pride of place.
The essay starts with a note that California’s capital “gets no respect.” It then describes our City as a place with “sprawling shade trees that make much of the city feel like a leafy park” with “a thriving cultural scene and architectural character all its own.” Our city is also described as “an unusually bikeable city” that is flush with breweries, beloved sports teams, a 40-acre Victorian-style Capitol Park and unique art and theater opportunities.
I’ve been in every one of our nation’s fifty states. When I was younger I felt that at times that I needed to apologize that I wasn’t from San Francisco or Los Angeles, our state’s most famous cities. Now our civic pride grows with experience and appreciation for our city – including Greta Gerwig’s 2017 filmLady Bird – a love letter to her hometown.
The New York Times says it well: “Unlike California’s glittering, glamorous coastal cities, Sacramento’s location in the Central Valley gives it an earnest, small-town affect and a welcome lack of pretension.”
Thank you, Sacramento.
The New York Times Describes Sacramento | A Thriving City from Hackard Law on Vimeo.