Normally, I’d just leave the Natomas chat to those who live there, but I found myself (yet again) cruising the magnificent, sweeping boulevards of Sacramento’s red-headed stepchild today. My goal was two-fold: locate Borders and food. Both objectives were completed with great success. But, along the way, I started feeling a little mystified and then a tad empathetic toward Natomasians.
As I drove up Del Paso, I passed numerous stripmalls in varying stages of development, interspersed with wide, flat swaths of cleared land that (I can only assume) is not being built on for economic or FEMA reasons. I passed the “Town Center”–which was truly baffling. It appears to be a gas station. I mean, seriously, who is behind this (non)planning? Natomas seems to have been designed by people who subscribe to the “There’s no there, there” philosophy of suburban layout. All the shopping centers (and there are quite a few) are identical, as if the building plans were ordered from cookie-cutter-stripmalls-r-us.com. These so-called master-planned developments do not appear to be walkable, bike-friendly, or even remotely inspired. However, you can certainly find any type of fast-food you could possibly want.
Even more baffling is that Borders is on Natomas Drive, right near a huge sign that proclaims “Natomas Park” (I didn’t see a park), but Natomas Park Drive is 5 miles south, off El Camino.
I found myself humming the theme song from “Weeds”–you know the one: “Ticky tacky, little houses..and they all look just the same.”
The saving grace of my venture was the serendipitous discovery that Tuk Tuk restaurant is located in the same sprawling center as Borders. Melly over at Cooking Schmooking had recommended it a while back, and I had forgotten about it until I drove past. The service was a bit slow, considering there were only two occupied tables and it was lunchtime. However, Melly was right–the food was excellent. I tried the green curry with chicken. The curry was medium-hot, full of complex spices, a bit on the watery side, but very flavorful anyway. I am a Thai junkie, so I probably should have asked for the “hot” level, but I’ll know for next time. The veggies, including perfectly done eggplant, were fresh, as were the generous chunks of chicken. The restaurant’s decor is filled with lovely, well-polished woods, low-slung tables, and huge wall sculptures. My only complaint is that they somehow determined that their very small restaurant needed not just one but *three* flat screens interspersed around the entry and dining area. Three. Why? Do people really go out to eat so they can watch TV? Call me crazy, but I think TVs in restaurant dining rooms are totally unacceptable. Sports bars and pubs? Yeah, okay, that’s expected. But don’t these restaurants want you to pay attention to their food and/or your dining companions? Anyway, aside from the TVs, I was glad to find this little oasis of quite good Thai food in the strange land that is Natomas.
Why do people keep building these disconnected urban barnacles that just end up being festering sinkholes of sameness? Riddle me that, Batman.
2 responses so far ↓
Mike // August 27, 2008 at 7:04 pm |
Here is the reason for the cookie-cutter approach to Shopping Center development. Our City Council take the “if they have money and are willing to put it where we tell them, they can put a glorified outhouse on location and we don’t care a crap” approach to city planning.
For one brief moment in 2001, the Council turned down a developer who was going to bring in a huge shopping center across from Wal-Mart. We all cheered. Then they saw the lost revenue and approved EVERY SINGLE PROJECT that came up to them ever since.
City planning means planning not prostituting to developers.
Nanny Goats // September 8, 2008 at 9:14 pm |
It’s always about money. Imagination and culture costs too much money. Cookie-cutter development is in the developers’ financial interest, not the residents.
Poor red-headed step child Natomas. Awwwww.