Lizzo: The Special 2our - A Wheelchair Accessible Evening Out at the Golden 1 Center (Sacramento, CA)

 May 28, 2023

We’ve been to the Golden 1 Center several times over the years to see the Kings play and watch Disney on Ice, but Lizzo was our first concert there. I was fortunate enough to get an email announcing Lizzo's tour stop in Sacramento and was able to purchase 4 tickets as soon as they went on sale. The concert was a week before Egypt's 8th grade promotion and her 14th birthday. It was also 6 days after Kellisa's birthday. Even though Egypt is the bigger fan, we tend to give Kellisa experiences for her birthday and knew she would enjoy her night out with family. 

I was able to get 4 seats together in one of the accessible areas of the Golden 1 Center. Some venues only allow you to purchase 1 companion seat with a wheelchair space. This is very unfortunate for families. In these cases, we find a guest services office and explain our situation and more times then not, they can accommodate us together, but there have been a few times where we've been separated.

 

I knew from past visits, we had great seats in an area with comfortable folding chairs and plenty of space,  while enjoying unobstructed views of the stage. I recommend purchasing a parking space in one of the local garages before arriving to save time and limit your preshow frustrations. We got a spot across the street from the arena on L St. This was ideal because the VIP entrance is on L St. and they allow wheelchair guests to use this uncrowded entrance without any ramps or stairs.  

After a quick pass through security, we rode the elevator up one level where it opened just one section away from where we would be seated for the show. It is also a convenient location near bathrooms, concessions, and souvenirs. Within minutes of parking, we were in our seats enjoying hot dogs and hamburgers for dinner. 

The show started with Lizzo's DJ getting the crowd excited and pumped up the for about 30 minutes before Latto and her DJ took over the stage just after 8pm. Egypt really enjoyed Latto and her revealing show while Kellisa loved the loud music and lightshow. Latto owned the stage for  30 minutes before leaving the crowd ready for the real star of the evening, Lizzo.

 

I don't pretend to know a lot about Lizzo and I'm sure you can find many reviews online, so I will just share our experience of the night. The energy in the crowd was intense from the second the house lights went down and didn't dissipate until later in the evening when concert goers were heading home. Everyone in attendance who cold stand, was standing and dancing. Egypt has an amazing memory for lyrics and has hundreds, if not thousands of songs fully memorized. Every time I looked over at Egypt, she was screaming every word along with Lizzo.  

Kellisa again was enjoying the loud music, lights, and lasers. She was even pointing and swinging her arm as she danced in her wheelchair. I recognized a few songs that Egypt listens to on a regular basis. I didn't understand every word of the evening, but Lizzo seems to have an overwhelmingly positive attitude that connects with the crowd. I found myself enjoying the show far more than I expected before the show. I was impressed and as always, loved watching the girls, especially Egypt have a great time. 

As Egypt thanked us, she added, “seeing Lizzo was a dream come true” and “this was the best night of my life!”

More pictures from an amazing evening out with Lizzo:

EVENINGS OUT

       

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A Wheelchair Accessible Evening Out - Sacramento, California

 Mesmerica and the Bank

It all started with a random email about Mesmerica with a brief description and link to buy tickets. Basically, it's music composed to a light show projected on a planetarium's screen and it was scheduled to be playing in Sacramento for a couple of weekends at the SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity. To be honest, we didn't even know there was a SMUD Museum. In our defense, it's a rebranded museum that reopened in 2020. The tickets were a little confusing. You could buy accessible seating, but only for 2 people. There was an option to buy VIP tickets, but it didn't really explain what you got for the VIP tickets. I didn't want the hassle of calling, so I purchased 4 VIP tickets and figured we'd figure it out when we got there.  

We arrived a little early and found available disabled parking in the museum's lot for about $6. I wheeled Kellisa to the ticket counter and they asked for our last name to match to their list. Our hands were stamped VIP and we were pointed towards the elevator. Once on the second floor, their was another employee who saw our stamps and told us we could enter the theater and it was open seating, but the front is easier with a wheelchair.

The VIP tickets got us in ahead of the general ticket holders, and even though I purchased 4 seats, we found 3 seat in the front and I left Kellisa in her wheelchair. It was worth the extra little expense to enter early so we could sit together and not have to wait in a line with a wheelchair. 

The theater has a strict no photography rule, so the only picture I took from inside the theater was Kellisa after watching Mesmerica. I'm sure you can find pictures and reviews online along with possible videos, so I'll keep it short since it's hard to describe.  

For about an hour, you relax to the soothing beat of the rhythms of the music while focusing on an artistic light display that jumps between nature scenes, to geometric forms, and to architectural elements with some spoken words to encourage living a hay life while taking advantage of the precious short time we have on earth. 

The show was so relaxing, Egypt slept through most of it. I would gently nudge her periodically, and she would ask to be left alone. Kellisa stayed awake and enjoyed what she could see. She doesn't have peripheral vision and even with strong glasses, it's impossible to know the quality of her visual experiences. But, she clapped and asked for more, so I think it's safe to assume she liked the sounds and visuals.

The night was still young, so we decided to live it up a little and have dinner in downtown Sacramento. Kellisa and I once ate at The Bank and we knew Lisa would like the atmosphere and Egypt would love the food options. The bank is well, a refurbished bank that is now an open three stories with multiple food options and a sorts bar with a lively, yet family friendly appeal. 

Lisa enjoyed a chicken salad, Kellisa ate pub pretzels, Egypt got a poke bowl filled with salmon and crab, while I enjoyed a juicy cheeseburger. The girls enjoyed the festive atmosphere and loud music laying on a Saturday night. 

EVENINGS OUT

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An Evening of Train Rides

May 23, 2018

aka Kellisa's 19th Birthday

Sacramento, CA

We went all out for Kellisa's 18th birthday last year, so we didn't plan anything crazy this year. In fact, we didn't really have a plan until Lisa suggested taking Kellisa for a ride on Sacramento's Light Rail System since she loves trains so much. The plan evolved to riding the train downtown where we would find a place to eat dinner, have cake, and then ride the train back. Since her birthday was a Wednesday and it was also a school and work day, we planned her train adventure for the evening.

Kellisa's birthday started with getting ready for school in her birthday dress before catching her bus. A little later, Lisa dropped off a dragonfly birthday cupcake so Kellisa could celebrate with her teachers and classmates. Even at 19, it can be hard picturing Kellisa going off to school and living a huge part of her life without mom and dad. This hit home when Kellisa's teacher sent a picture of Kellisa taken at McDonald's for a birthday lunch. We had no idea she was going to McDonald's for lunch. A little mind blowing when we think about it.

We didn't really have a plan, just drive to the nearest light rail train stop closest to our house and take a ride downtown. We'd pick a spot to get off and hopefully find a restaurant close. Since this was our first ride, buying tickets from a machine was a little confusing, especially not being able to really see the screen due to the glaring sun, but it all worked out when we hopped on the train at Watts/I-80 West. We got off at the Cathedral Square stop in downtown Sacramento.

SAC 106 - DEN 98

Sacramento Kings 106 

Denver Nuggets 98

Golden 1 Center

Sacramento, CA

January 6, 2018

Lisa was able to get 4 tickets to the Kings - Nuggets game in Sacramento from the Center for Land Based Learning. Thank you!

Since none of us owned any Kings shirts, Lisa pulled off a small miracle by purchasing shirts for all of us and they were delivered on Saturday to our house a few hours before the game. 

This was Lisa and Laurel's second NBA game (they attended a Kings game in early 2016) and the first for Kellisa and Chris. We don't follow basketball and weren't sure what to expect. We found a parking spot in advance across the street from the Golden 1 Center that had ample disabled parking. We walked across the street and entered through the VIP doors since we didn't know any better. They let us in with everyone entering for the suites. We guess the wheelchair had something to do with it, but everyone was very nice as we were guided to elevators that would take us to our seats. 

Evening of Dreams- 2017

"Under the Sea"

Sacramento, CA

May 20, 2017

Sacramento Doggy Dash 2017

Bailey was excited to see Laurel again.

William Land Park

Sacramento, CA

April 8, 2017

We do not own a dog (yet) and this posed a serious problem when Laurel heard a radio commercial many times for the upcoming Doggy Dash. She was very serious in pleading her case that she would be responsible for a dog. Laurel had a lot of confidence in her tone. She even started training for the event weeks in advance. 

Lisa verified that you needed a dog to participate in the event. We are not quite ready to rush into acquiring a dog, so Lisa started to call around to see if we could "borrow" a dog for a day. Laurel was getting a little desperate, she started to ask any stranger she saw walking a dog if she could borrow the dog(s) for the Doggy Dash. As the event approached, Lisa asked around at work and fortunately for us, a wonderful co-worker (HUGE thanks to S and J) agreed to let us borrow her dog, Bailey for the day.

We met them at a park a couple of weeks before the dash so Laurel and Bailey could get to know each other. It went well and Laurel did a great job of working with Bailey.

We were reunited with Bailey an hour before the Doggy Dash. Laurel took her responsibility extremely seriously as she held the lease, gave commands, and rewarded with treats. I think the only thing Laurel was really worried about was having to use a plastic bag.

It started to rain minutes before the Doggy Dash started, but this did not damper Laurel's enthusiasm. She led Bailey around the 2K Course like a seasoned dog owner and as we crossed the finish line, she said holding the plastic bag, "I'm glad I didn't need this".

Disney on Ice

Golden 1 Center

Sacramento, CA

February 18, 2017