Open Streets Project Inspires Sunday Street on Broadway in Land Park

Vendor booths lined Broadway on Sunday.

“Isn’t this the day for Sunday Street on Broadway?” I nudged my husband as we were lying about yesterday morning reading the Sunday paper like old people do. What time does it start? Husband guesses: Oh, probably around noon. I check online at the Land Park Association, nope, it’s over at noon. Holy cow, we had to fly into high gear, get dressed and skedaddle.

It was hot already, in the 90’s, when we hit the intersection of Riverside and Broadway. The crowds must have been at the other end, toward Curtis Park, because it wasn’t as busy as we expected. A sign said the inaugural car-less event lasted until 1:00 PM. Kids skateboarded down the middle of the street. Bicyclists whizzed by. I felt odd walking on the sidewalk. Perhaps we should be in the street? Ah, but then we’d be in the direct sun.

You see the guy in the Sacramento Realtor shirt? I don’t know that person or even if he’s an agent, but he did display a big sign in front that read “Bank Repos” or some other kind of crap that doesn’t exist in order to snag buyers. I’m glad I’m not reduced to that kind of marketing. But everybody has their own way of doing business. Would you like this guy to sell your home in Land Park?

Some sections of Broadway were set up for games.

By strolling along the sidewalk, we didn’t have to put up with the hot glare of the sun beating down on our heads. Sacramento is definitely a “city of trees” for a reason, and Land Park features many tree canopied streets. Especially along Broadway. This is a street that is beginning to see a return to its glory days in Sacramento, when it was the hub of buzzing activity.

Children drew with chalk in the street by the Golden 1 Credit Union.

We stopped to admire the chalk artwork drawn by kids near the Golden 1 Credit Union. Across the street is Starbucks and Walgreen’s. In retrospect, we probably should have grabbed our bicycles and not walked. My husband’s Fitbit said we walked more than 6500 steps — this is what it has come down to in our modern world, steps! We are expected to know how many steps we walk in a day. WTH? Seriously, people? We are such sheep.

Tower Cafe is a popular spot for weekend brunch and always crowded.

A few years ago, before Fitbit became the craze, I my doctor gave me an arm band that measured steps, and the goal back then was 5,000 steps. Now, it’s 10,000 steps. According to whom? How did they just double this? I wore that thing for all of 3 days and said the hell with that.

As we walked along in the hot sun, I complained to my husband how my weight is too stable, and it would be nice to lose 15 pounds. But to do that, I’d have to eat less, exercise more and maybe limit myself to one glass of wine instead of two. But that is certainly not sustainable in the long run. I mean, let’s get real. It’s easier to be happy with the fact I am not gaining.

Queen Sheba Ethiopian Restaurant is on Broadway between 17th and 18th.

On that note, it was time for lunch. Between the hot sun, all those steps dodging skateboarders and bicyclists, we needed a break. I suppose if I had been more motivated, we could have made it another block to Pho Bac Hoa Viet Restaurant, but hey, they we were, right in front of Queen Sheba.

We had made a reservation at Queen Sheba for Valentine’s Day, and when we got there that evening, the place was mobbed. Our reservation was not to be found because Queen Sheba, being a new Open Table member, did not know how to retrieve the reservations, so everybody who showed up could not be seated.

The staff were devastated, of course, and very apologetic, but we had to settle for Thai that evening. You know, when you get to thinking about injera and key wot, well, nothing else will do.

Combination platter #2 missing the key wot in the center of the injera.

I love key wot so much that I ate almost all of it out of the center before taking my obligatory photograph. It’s the spicy flavors of the key wot and awaze lamb that I generally crave. My mother introduced me to Ethiopian food when I lived in Minneapolis, and we used to visit the Red Sea on the West Bank. Then, when I joined up with her for my second March on Washington in 1989 alongside NOW, we made a beeline afterward for Ethiopian. At that time, I don’t know if it’s true now, there were many Ethiopian Restaurants in Washington, D.C.

Adam Weintraub holds a jar of Nanami Togarashi at the Asian Food Center market on Broadway.

We headed into the Asian Food Center market on 13th and Broadway. For some reason, Adam wanted to show me a jar of Nanami Togarashi (assorted Japanese chili peppers) and did not realize I was about to shoot his photo. Hey, I don’t know why we are in the market. I spotted lobsters in a tank for $12.99 a pound and considered yanking him in that direction, but he was on a mission. He bought something wrapped in paper, I know not what.

Roasted birds hang behind the counter at the Asian Food Center on Broadway.

You can buy almost any kind of seafood at the Asian Food Center. From mussels and shrimp to tubes of squid, alongside a huge variety of whole fish. There must be a demand for headless quail because I noticed many frozen quail bodies in the freezer. You can also buy take-out dinners packed in Styrofoam and sandwiches.

For not really getting any further down Broadway on Sunday than 17th Street, we had a fun-filled time. And for the record, if we had ridden our bikes, we wouldn’t have been able to go to lunch or stop in the Asian Food Center because we don’t haul around bike locks. But I am still not wearing a Fitbit.

Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub