Big Fun

For those who like their food a little faster, this is the last weekend of the California State Fair. It's no big gig, but it is big fun. In addition to the animals, there are interesting garden displays, information on various counties in California, and, of course, beer, wine and every type of fast food imaginable.

If you go, I highly recommend taking Amtrak. The Capitol Corridor route takes you up along the San Francisco and San Pablo Bays before heading into the Central Valley to downtown Sacramento. It is a great way to see the back side of cities such as Oakland, Emeryville, Berkeley and Richmond, as well as some beautiful vistas of the bays and the wide open spaces in the interior of California.

After you get to Sacramento, a short walk through the downtown leads you to the Sacramento Regional Transit blue line train, where there are free shuttles from the Arden/Del Paso station. The trip takes a little longer by rail, but is far more interesting.

Of if you'd just as soon stick around Oakland this weekend, there is always Art & Soul.