Friday, May. 22, 2009

Goin Mobile: Getting out of the car and into another mode of transportation is a path to great fun in central Sac

You can go by Segway or on foot, by pedicab or carriage, by bike or train.

Sacramento is a great place to explore, and here are some ways to do it:

Segway

Segways have been rolling along Sacramento sidewalks for about five years.

Hysterical Walks & Rides operates the humming electric curiosities. Older folks can cover a lot more ground than they could manage on a walking tour, said Hysterical's owner, Paul Messier, but that's not the main reason people take the Segway tours.

"It's like nothing they've ever experienced before," Messier said. "People love it because it feels like you're floating. It turns a lot of heads."

Rental bikes

Renting bikes isn't a new idea, but it's usually something people are more likely to try in the country.

Robin Little, of Bikes & Bites, located his business on 12th Street downtown to cater to a different trade: the urban adventurer.

Riding a beach-style cruiser through downtown and midtown "lets people see, hear and smell Sacramento, which they normally don't do."

Little has developed a deal with the air quality management district to sponsor some bike hours, so riders will get a free hour of rental for riding -- instead of driving for a certain number of hours.

"It kind of puts Sacramento on the map as something different," he said.

Pedicabs

Sacramento's pedicabs, in operation for less than three years, are a sign of growth in the city's nightlife.

"People see us and want to get from a bar to restaurants or from restaurants to the bar," said Marc Christensen, who is going into the second full season with Velocab, one of two pedicab operators in town.

The operators do best -- and consequently are most visible -- when there are lots of people out enjoying downtown and midtown.

That means they're easier to find Thursday through Sunday evenings. Second Saturdays, when thousands of people flood the restaurants and galleries, is prime time.

On weekends, though, they also attract families.

"Kids have an immediate reaction to the shape and color," he said.

His cabs are bright and almost egg-shaped, while Dial A Bike operates rickshaw-style cabs.

Both operate on the cheap, with rates that may be a $2 minimum, free, or just whatever the customer tips.

Horse-drawn vehicles

The horse-drawn carriage is one of the most popular ways to get around Old Sacramento, but it's possible to ride them outside the historic district wedged between Interstate 5 and the Sacramento River.

Rick Newborn regularly takes schoolchildren across town to Sutter's Fort in a covered wagon so they can get an experience of the old days.

He also drives one-horse carriage tours along the river, by the Crocker Art Museum and to the state Capitol.

Trolley

Regional Transit operates Route 143, a motorized trolley with wooden benches and a bell rung by the driver.

"People love it. Kids love it," said Alane Masui, a spokeswoman for the agency.

The route is essentially a rectangle, bounded by J, L, 15th and Second streets, which takes riders from Old Sac past many of the downtown sights and out to the edge of the midtown dining and arts district.

Train

The California Railroad Museum Foundation runs several trains per day along the levee on weekends through September.

Sacramento is, at heart, a railroad town, said Kathy Daigle, assistant director of the foundation.

It was the western terminus for the Transcontinental Railroad and even now sees a lot of passenger and freight trains.

The train along the levee from the museum, however, is a historic version.

"You get to step back in time," Daigle said. "(Travel) as people used to do years ago."

If you want to ride how the important folks did years ago, for an extra charge you can take a newly refurbished 1924 observation car that was finished with stained glass and mahogany woodwork in a rose motif.

Walking

California State Parks started a noon walking program aimed at keeping its employees active, but now anyone can take advantage of it.

A brochure you can download shows 10 urban hike routes, with each beginning at the west steps of the Capitol.

There is also a hike at noon on the second Tuesday of each month, and families are welcome.

The brochure and hike schedule are available at www.parks.ca.gov/takeahike.

Boat

Riverboat rides long have entertained Sacramento waterfront visitors. Water taxis and an amphibious tour boat joined in more recently.

Neither is afloat at present.

The operator with the city contract declared bankruptcy last year and all boat tours have stopped, said Barbara Bonebrake, director of Sacramento's Convention, Culture and Leisure Department.

A new operator may be selected by the end of the month, however, Bonebrake said, with boats on the river on an interim basis for summer.