Letters for August 1, 2013

Is SN&R anti-arena, or just anti-Sacramento?

Re “Kings arena debate gets nasty” by Nick Miller (SN&R Editor's Note, July 25):

I don't understand why Nick Miller can't leave this issue alone. Are you simply anti-arena, or anti-Sacramento? I guess it is true that there are no guarantees that once the arena is built, the downtown area will be revitalized. But can you give me one example of a city that has built a new NBA arena and not gone through a major revitalization? Just one is all we need. The answer to that question is that there isn't one. None. Period. Stop wasting our time by using what will never happen to try and scare those people on the fence. The city will be fine. Better, even. The problem hasn't been the uncertainty about the details of the arena. The problem has been that people that think like him have been the ones in charge and thus kept the city of Sacramento stuck. I, for one, am happy that we have finally moved beyond that antiquated way of thinking.

Bert Beattie

via email

Good boulevard—and damn good burgers

Re “On the rise and fall (and rise and fall, again) of Franklin Boulevard” by Cosmo Garvin (SN&R Feature Story, July 18):

I’m glad that SN&R saw fit to mention Scott’s Burger Shack in its article about Franklin Boulevard. Scott’s is definitely one of our neighborhood gems. Health food it ain’t, but for cheap and tasty, you can’t beat it. Their signature Fatboy Burger is a whopping half-pound bacon cheeseburger with all the trimmings, and at just under five bucks, it’s better than a lot of burgers you get elsewhere for twice the price. Plus, Scott Hackett and his family, who not only own the place, but also actually work there every day, are good, solid folks who know their regulars by name and make everybody feel welcome.

The rest of Franklin Boulevard is a lot more appealing than your article makes it sound, too. Nobody would call it pretty, especially the stretch between Sutterville and Fruitridge roads; it’s not shady or treelined, like lots of the beautiful streets we have here in Sacramento. But it’s an urban corridor bursting with vitality, home to many thriving small-business establishments, including a muffler shop where they do good work quickly at a fair price (Muffler Man); an award-winning Thai restaurant (Siam [Restaurant]); a plumbing-supply store; a locksmith; a large, spanking-new supermarket (La Superior Mercados); numerous terrific little taquerias (including La Favorita Taqueria); a larger and more upscale Mexican restaurant (El Novillero); a branch of Planned Parenthood; a costume shop; a couple of bakeries (including La Esperanza Mexican Food Products); a couple of doughnut shops; a furniture store or two; some thrift stores; and much more. A few blocks farther north on Franklin Boulevard are the best ice-cream shop in town (Gunther’s Ice Cream, still packing them in after more than 60 years in business) and a couple of newer hip spots, the Pangaea Two Brews Cafe microbrewery and the Coffee Gardens coffeehouse.

As for safety, I’ve lived in this neighborhood for over 20 years and … never had a problem.

So let’s give Franklin Boulevard some love! It’s a wonderful big-city street in a wonderful city.

David Urman

Curtis Park