Toluu

The NorCal Explorer

Sacramento's Vintage Neon SignsNovember 5 2008

[Other Sacramento neon sites of interest:

Agilitynut's Sacramento page


Roadside Peek's Sacramento search


What the monkey did the 15th week of his year]




R.I.P Astro Club Neon

Radio City Music Hall was my first photograph of a neon sign, back in 1986, and I shot some neon at night in Italy in 1987. But my hobby of photographing vintage neon signs (and occasionally vintage signs that aren't neon, or new neon signs, but it is the vintage neon that is my favorite) started innocently enough when I was pursuing a totally different obsession.

My high school friend from Montana, Eric, came to visit me in Davis in July of 2000 while his wife attended a conference in

Index: NatureNovember 4 2008

The Coast

Marin County: China Camp State Park
Marin County: Steep Ravine and Stairstep Falls
Mendocino Coast: Russian Gulch State Park
Mendocino Coast: Van Damme State Park
Mt. Diablo Summit from Mitchell Canyon Road
Mt. Tamalpais State Park & Muir Woods
Mt. Tamalpais Watershed: Cataract Falls
Mt. Tamalpais Watershed: Two Lakes Loop
Point Reyes: Alamere Falls
Point Reyes: Alamere Falls Revisited
Point Reyes: Arch Rock Revisited

Index: CultureNovember 4 2008

Roadside

Highway 99: Pollardville & the Chicken Kitchen
Sacramento's Vintage Neon Signs
U.S. 40: North Sacramento's Del Paso Boulevard
U.S. 40: Sacramento's Auburn Boulevard
U.S. 40: West Sacramento's Motel Row
U.S. 395: Road Trip

Restaurants

East Bay: Classic Restaurants
Sacramento Area Barbecue Joints
Sacramento Area Classic Burger Joints
Sacramento Area Pizzerias
Sacramento's Vintage Diners

Sacramento T

Sacramento's Vintage DinersNovember 4 2008

Market Club
2630 5th St.

You could easily live in Sacramento for a decade and never be aware that the Market Club exists. It's tucked away within the Sacramento Produce Market, which was built in 1933, in a light industrial area south of Broadway on 5th St. According to the Sacramento Bee, the restaurant opened when the market did, but the old city directories don't list a restaurant there until 1937, when the directory lists the Lincoln Fruit Co. Market Grill. Later it is listed as the Market Grill, and by 1953 as the Market Club.



Inside is a counter with very old stools, and then there is a seating area with vintage beer advertising devices. It's the only place in town I know that you can get baloney and eggs, which I'm anxious to try soon.

Sacramento: Classic Burger JointsOctober 20 2008

Trails Restaurant

Historic diners, vintage drive-ins, old hamburger stands, and newer small, unique local burger, fries, and shakes restaurants are where I usually choose to eat. The food is not good for me--I'm aware of that. But they are usually cheap, always tasty, and always have a lot of character.

I used to just go to nearby ones for convenience, but now I search out new ones, and occasionally receive tips from people who see my photos on Flickr about places I should, or "must," visit. I have conversations at work about old restaurants and the best of what they have to offer, and sometimes I'm just out driving a different way and spot a place I'd never noticed before.

Here's an inventory of the Sacramento area burger joints I know of, in a very rough west-to-east pattern. This is not meant to be a comprehensive survey--I'm always looking to add to more, and appreciate suggestions.


Redrum Burger