Sacramento is an interesting city, and the letter C highlights a couple of its most prominent communities.

As the capital of the state of California, Sacramento is home to the California State Capitol building. Like many capitols, you’ll find the usual domed building with Greek revival columns on the outside. On the inside you’ll find both government workers doing their jobs at the state legislature and a museum showcasing California history.

You can tour the Capitol for free. You can also make yourself a sweet Capitol penny there, if you’re looking for an inexpensive (and extremely portable) souvenir.

Sacramento is also home to a large Catholic population, and their largest (and oldest) house of worship is the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. Modeled after L’Eglise de la Sainte-Trinité in Paris, the cathedral is celebrating 130 years of existence in 2019, and claims to be “home to a diverse and welcoming parish community.”

As someone who was raised in the Catholic faith, I have to admit I’m curious to explore the cathedral. These ostentatious buildings always seem to have quite a treasure trove of valuable and/or unusual items in their possession, which piques the interest of my inner (wannabe) crime novelist. I wonder if they have any interesting artifacts, comparable to the reliquary at Montreal’s St. Joseph’s Oratory, which contains fragments of Brother André’s heart?