How did I get to be almost 60 years old without ever going to Yellowstone National Park? Besides Old Faithful, Yellowstone has almost 300 waterfalls and it's the world's first national park. It's bigger than Rhode Island and Delaware put together. It has 10,000-some thermal features, petrified forests, exotic plants, calderas, weird wildlife and, at more than 2 million acres, a person can't see it all in a week.
So, come this fall, my husband and I are taking a vacation to Yellowstone. We planned this trip last year just before The National Parks by Ken Burns was released on DVD, figuring that we'd never get a reservation onsite in 2010 after that movie hit Netflix. The problem with going to Yellowstone is it's in the middle of nowhere, which means you pretty much have to drive there. Even with flying into Jackson, Wyoming, it's still a 3- to 4-hour drive. And of course, there are no direct flights into Jackson from Sacramento.
The average altitude in Jackson Hole valley is about 6,500 feet above sea level. That's higher than Denver. Most of Yellowstone is over 7,500 feet. Yikes. I realize that adjusting to high altitudes takes a few days because the oxygen level is much lower the higher you go. Hey, I used to live in Colorado. Plus, high altitudes can make you dizzy and give you nausea. So, to sort of ease into it, we're planning to take an extra day and spend the night in Jackson, Wyoming. Have you ever looked online at 5-star hotel rates in Jackson, Wyoming? You wouldn't think that a place in the middle of nowhere would charge $1,000 a night for a hotel room, but there is such a hotel in Jackson.
I suspect people who would spend $1,000 a night for a hotel room are the same people who might light their cigars with a $100 bill. It's not that I couldn't afford to pay $1,000 a night for a hotel room, but why would I want to? You don't get enough bang for your buck. It's still just a hotel room. Hair dryer, tub and bed. The TV doesn't rise up and vanish into the ceiling. There's no Jacuzzi or dancing bears in the room. Butlers aren't dangling grapes over my head. Nobody is massaging my feet . . .
If you'd like a lot of bang for your buck and you're a home buyer who is looking at homes in Land Park, I just listed a very special home at a great price. This is a 3-bedroom, 2-bath 1940 Tudor, featuring all the little nooks, crannies and woodwork vintage you'd expect to find in a Squeaky Williams home. As an added bonus, there is a large room over the 2-car garage that can be used for guest quarters, a hobby space, art studio or workout room. It's accessed by a genuine spiral staircase inside the garage.
The sellers remodeled the kitchen a few years ago, and it's gorgeous. Granite counters, maple cabinets, wood flooring, stainless appliances, including a counter-depth, built-in Sub Zero refrigerator. The breakfast nook area has a wood ceiling. Off the other end of the kitchen is a laundry room, with drawers for holding laundry supplies and maple cabinets, plus the counter over the space for the front-loading washer and dryer is attached by Velcro, so it can be removed to put your own washer and dryer in that space.
In the living room and dining room, you'll find hammered wood beams and crown molding. Almost all of the flooring is original oak hardwood. Each of the bedrooms has unique architectural characteristics crafted from wood. There is a fireplace in the living room and another fireplace in the master.
The master suite has wood vaults, too, plus a spacious bath with a skylight, dual-sink custom vanity and 3 cedar-lined closets. There is also a separate area for a desk and computer. From the master, you can access the back-yard deck through French doors. But you can also get to the back yard from the dining room. The fenced yard has a flagstone walkway, gardens and 2 mature alders.
3109 16th Street, Sacramento, CA 95818 is exclusively offered by Lyon Real Estate and Elizabeth Weintraub at an affordable price of $499,000. For a private showing, please call your Land Park agent, Elizabeth Weintraub, at 916 233 6759.
View the virtual tour of 3109 16th Street.
Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub
UPDATE: AUGUST 2010 THIS HOME IS NO LONGER FOR SALE.
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