Please click on the YouTube link below to see a video of today’s pictures ⬇️
Today was all about customer service, and great customer service at that.
Our front of house at Andaz Hotel in San Diego wasn’t entirely convinced whether our taxicab would turn up, so he ordered another to be sure. His turned up within minutes and we were soon on our way to San Diego airport.
It was really busy when we got there, even at 6:30 in the morning. The staff were much more organised than at San Francisco airport so we were through security in no time. Once airside we wanted to escape the crowds so went to the Aspire Lounge where a very generous member of staff gave us a 2 for the price of 1 deal on the entry price. The lounge was lovely and peaceful and allowed us to have breakfast without the hustle and bustle.
Boarding went without a hitch and once airborne we were looked after by a lovely lady who was a member of the Alaska Air team. Nothing was too much trouble for her, and she looked after us for the hour flight.
Once we’d landed we took a shuttle train then a courtesy bus to the car rental place. The whole process of checking in for the car hire took about twenty minutes and we soon collected the car. Once I’d familiarised myself with the Chevrolet Equinox we were in the way. Thankfully Apple CarPlay was part of the set up in this SUV so we could pair up a mobile phone and use Google Maps to navigate us to Downtown Sacramento. We were at the Kimpton Sawyer Hotel in no time and once the valet had taken the car, we even managed to get checked in early before midday.
We decided to go and explore Downtown Sacramento straightaway so we could suss out the area and find somewhere to eat. We walked around a couple of blocks before finding a bar/restaurant called Sauced BBQ and Spirits. This place has a large bar with rows of whisky on shelves across the back, and a huge choice of locally brewed ales, as well as some from further afield. We opted for loaded nachos and a pint of one of the house pale ales. The barman called Xander really looked after us and made us feel welcome. Part of the restaurant is caged off if you wanted to have a go at axe throwing. We didn’t get chance to take part as it opens at 3pm.
https://www.saucedbbqandspirits.com
Once we’d been fed and watered we explored a bit more, ending up at the State Capitol Building. The temperature by this point was around 30 degrees and too hot for wandering about so we headed back to the hotel for a shower and change of clothes.
https://www.assembly.ca.gov/statecapitol
The Kimpton does a daily social hour between 5-6pm in the large foyer of the hotel. Staff give out free drinks to paying guests as a thank you for staying there, and we could choose from red or rose wine, a grapefruit cocktail or pilsner beer. We had a couple of glasses of wine before heading to our next venue, the Echo and Rig Steakhouse.
https://www.echoandrig.com/location/sacramento/
This restaurant is a classic American steakhouse that also has a butcher on site. So not only can you dine in but take home the same meats that the restaurant uses as well. This was a new concept introduced by the chef and owner, Sam Marvin, when he opened the sister restaurant in Las Vegas.
The front of house lady greeted us very warmly and took us to our table. We were served water almost immediately along with the menus. We were asked what brought us to Sacramento and explained that we’d been travelling about. Suddenly every person who served at our table knew about us..the one who took our order for the cocktails, the one who brought us our cocktail, the one who took our steak order, everyone. Once we’d ordered our steak we were brought the most amazing sourdough bread. When the steaks arrived they were delicious and we had the most amazing fried Brussels sprout, pistachio and lemon dressing dish as a side order. Wine was local from Lodi, a place we are visiting later on in our trip. We left feeling very full but also very valued in our experience there.
jctraveller 
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