Grubzilla Sactown

Wow I just stumbled across this amazing little site for the frugal shopper in Sacramento!  It is called Groupon and it is amazing! Basically it is a buying group but it’s free to join and be a part of. As far as I can tell there is a daily Groupon Coupon that you are notified about. It might be for events, shows, dining, retail, gift cards, car repair, or so forth! If your love Half Off Sacramento you are going to love Groupon Sacramento! It looks like they have even shared some of the same discounts in the past! Check it out for yourself! 

Enter Groupon Site Here!

Last night my girlfriend and I took our dog Tuffy for a walk downtown. I like going for walks downtown I see so much more than when I’m driving or riding a bicycle. Our walk started on the River Walk in West Sacramento, crossed the Tower Bridge, and meandered down Capitol Mall, through the Capitol Plaza, into the Pan Handle District, ending at our favorite midtown frogurt shop Yogurtagogo!

The frogurt treat was our prize but taking in the sights was the topping that made the walk fun! Along the way we encountered a really cute Jack Russell Pomeranian mix puppy, people exploring the West steps of the Capitol, a Masserati Mixer on the patio at Morton’s, a Honda with a padlock for an anti theft device, and some lost tourists who were looking for the nation’s capitol. (They were way off!)

Walks are also great for finding out all sorts of stuff from whoever you’re walking with. For example after 5 years with my girlfriend it’s just last night that I find out she has a creative knack for coming up with inspirational poster quotes. She also explained to me what some of the band Hanson songs were about. Apparently an MMM Bop is a measurement. It’s an equivalent to a moment in time. (File that away for later.)

So get out and take a walk, explore our cool little city, check out the sights, and get to know a friend even better! You never know what you’re going to see that is going to spark the conversation that gets you the useless information you file away that one day you may need to win a game of pop culture trivia!

Thursday I wondered out of Midtown to see what all the buzz was swirling around the opening of the new Pinkberry at the Howe ‘Bout Arden shopping center. To my surprise I encountered the largest group of people I have ever seen in one place for frozen yogurt. Upon my arrival at 6:00 PM I found a good 200 people waiting in line to sample Pinkberry’s signature flavors. By 7:30 PM the crowd had grown to at least a good thousand frozen yogurt fans if not more and camera crews from local news stations began to arrive. The buzz and excitement that had been trending on Twitter all week was real deal!

I personally love frozen yogurt and I had already had it twice during the week. I like to make hot fudge sundaes with vanilla fro-yo topped with Heath Bar sprinkles instead of nuts. Boring I know but I like it, it makes me smile. Pinkberry has different swing on frozen yogurt and they offer several fresh original flavors that you mix with fresh toppings to achieve a personalized and delicious experience for your mouth. Well when in Pinkberry do as a Pinkberry I guess! I sampled the original which is a mixture of sweet and tangy with fresh strawberries and chocolate chips.

WOW! I was not ready for the blast of fresh-a-liciousness that came over me! I think I may have honestly experienced frozen yogurt as it was intended to be enjoyed for the first time in my life. The swarms of people, Twitter buzz, and excitement in the air all suddenly made sense. It was a fro-yo nirvana like experience.

Don’t just take my word for it. Check the new Sacramento Pinkberry at Howe ‘Bout Arden for yourself. They have a really great crew, knowledgeable in helping you find your mouths path to fro-yo nirvana as well.  I have no doubt that you will enjoy your visit as much as I did mine. The store will be the first of six to open in the area, with locations in Elk Grove, Citrus Heights, Davis, Fair Oaks and Folsom to open soon after.

Please feel free to comment below to let me know what your favorite flavor combination is. It looks like I have a lot of experimenting to do!

The Sacramento Pinkberry is located at Howe ‘Bout Arden shopping center at 2100 Arden Way. Phone: 916-921-5852. You can check them out on the web at www.pinkberry.com/groupies.

It’s the first morning after a long Easter weekend and for some reason I cannot focus on work so I think I am going to screw around on MySpace for ten minutes then grab a coffee and see if I can shake the Monday’s!

It’s been a couple of years since I’ve posted anything on MySpace or really even changed my profile. I remember there was a time when my long time bro-roommate and I would change our pages 30 times a day, post a new video, comic, or interesting fact and were in a death match competition for page views. Wow how times have changed.

Like the majority of once avid MySpace users I have defected to Facebook too. When doing this I took several of the lessons I learned from MySpace and carried them over for a purer social networking experience. To be honest with you I made a mess out of my MySpace online life trying to have as many friends as Tila Tequila one day and then in a manic fury deleting everyone the next! I didn’t want to replicate those behaviors on Facebook.

For about a year I didn’t tell anyone I had a Facebook profile and just slowly added friends from elementary school through college as I came across them. Then one day I decided that was going to be my rule. Facebook was only going to be for friends from my past that I knew I would not keep in touch with unless it was through a social networking site. So far it’s worked out fine and people who have requested my friending that didn’t meet those requirements have been cool with my explanation. Although I’m sure they probably think I’m being somewhat of a divo, whatever.

Now I contribute a Sacramento blog, well it’s actually my own blog (as narcissistic as that is right?) Grubzilla.com, have three twitter accounts to support my social networking habits, and recently launched Sacramento’s very own Dating and Singles Site DateTheGrid.com. Facebooking has taken a backseat to my endless and mindless tweeting, Foursquare Check-ins, quasi informative blog posts and Yelp reviews. If you’re curious and want to keep up with me these days please follow me on Twitter @SacramentoMarko my blog @Grubzilla or @DateTheGrid and I’ll follow you right back.

I feel like I lost my social networking virginity to MySpace. Sometimes I miss all the stupid and oh so important (in the moment) games and competitions that it caused around my house. Remember having those random MySpace friends that you added or that added you but you didn’t know ahead of time? Uh what am I talking about, hello gateway drug for Twitter… Well anyhow one of those friends recently got married and I felt so happy for her I nearly shed a tear. Only nearly because then I was like (in my head), “You sappy dork you never even met her in real life!” and I had a sip of coffee and forgot about it.

My last year of using MySpace was for it’s Music feature. I spent many a night listening to new music I wished they played on KWOD. (Yes Jamie I still call it KWOD and no I won’t move on!) I was exposed to one of my favorite bands, MGMT about a year before the radio grabbed ahold of them and played them to death. MySpace made listening to local bands easy too. I remember my friend Derra telling me about how amazing a musician her friend Billy Blackburn was. I was like, “Yeah cool, I’ll check him out sometime, whatever…” Then low and behold I see him on her profile, check him out, and ended up listening to the four songs he had on his profile on repeat for 4 days straight. Billy’s music is amazing. If you like rockin music with a ton of soul and energy behind it you should check him out too. I used to love putting new music up on my profile to let my friends know what I was into for the day. Now I can’t even figure out how to update my playlist. Damn you MySpace!

Well it’s been great thanks for joining me on my quick trip down memory lane. I’m curious to know if anyone still uses MySpace and if so what for. If you are please let me know I would love to hear from you or drop me friend request!

Marko

The Downtown Sacramento Partnership (DSP) has released the 2010 schedule for the Friday Night Concerts in the Park. The free, outdoor concert series will rock Cesar Chavez Plaza (10th and J streets) every Friday night from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. starting May 7 though August 13. For the latest concert news, visit www.downtownsac.org/concerts. 2010

CONCERT SCHEDULE*

May 7 – Kepi Ghoulie The Kelps, Dog Party, Simpl3jack

May 14 – Rick Estrin & The Nightcats Low Down Dirty Dogs

May 21 – Dance Gavin Dance Phallucy, Con of Man, Desario

May 28 – Mike Farrell Aaron King & The Imperials, One Eyed Rhyno

June 4 – Method Echo The Nibblers, Live Manikin

June 11 – The Nickel Slots Los Blazing Hangovers Mae McCoy & The Neon Stars

June 18 – Secretions The Shruggs, The Four Eyes, The Enlows

June 25 – Mumbo Gumbo Not An Airplane

July 2 – The New Humans Sister Crayon, Chelsea Wolfe

July 9 – Izabella Walking Spanish, Inversions

July 16 – Kate Gaffney Gerald Pease, Autumn Sky, Juliana Zachariou

July 23 – Lite Brite Prieta, Musical Charis

July 30 – Whiskey & Stitches Final Summation, Bastards of Young

August 6 – The Golden Cadillacs Light Rail, Johnny Guitar Knox & the Soothers

August 13 – The Brodys The Phantom Jets, This Luxury *Schedule is subject to change.

Produced by the DSP, the Concerts in the Park attract more than 4,500 fans every Friday night during the 15-week concert series. The event is presented by Budweiser and sponsored by Revolution Wines, CBS 13 and CW 31.

Disclosure: Article submitted by DSP Marketing Manager Jennifer Snyder

For more Free or Discounts of 50% or more check out this Mystery Link!

If you live or work in downtown Sacramento you are sure to have seen the hard-working crew that takes washing cars to the next level on the corner of 19th and L st. Yes I am talking about Harv’s Metro Car Wash glad you asked! Many of us on the downtown grid don’t have the luxury of a front yard or driveway to wash our vehicles so thankfully there’s Harv’s. Well now not only is Harv’s bringing us the convenience we have come to expect, they are offering a car wash for $.04 this April 15th! I recommend that you follow Harv’s on Twitter for future updates!

This just in! Harv’s will be charging $16.99 for the car wash however $16.95 of that will be donated to WEAVE. Please come down, your car wash will benefit an awesome and often overlooked organization helping women and children to escape violent and often deadly enviroments. I hope to see you while I’m having my car washed at Harv’s Metro Car Wash on Thursday April 15, 2010! 

Thanks for helping keep Midtown Sacramento clean Harv!

Follow Harv’s Metro Carwash on Twitter @HarvsCarWash or find them on the web here Harv’s Metro Car Wash.

Click here for the 2010 Shamrock’n Half Marathon Results

The Shamrock’n Half Marathon & 2-Person Relay has become a “must-do” event. The event begins early Sunday March 14th and last all day. The Shamrock’n offers a fast course with tons of entertainment and an epic on-field finish at Raley Field the Shamrock’n Half Marathon has become a west coast premier event. Grubzilla volunteers will be handing out water to the runners at the E St. water station. 

Medals
All race finishers will receive commemorative Shamrock’n Half Marathon finisher’s medals.

T-shirts
The Shamrock’n Half Marathon will continue to feature a commemorative Shamrock’n Brooks Technical Tee. And we will have Shamrock’n Half Marathon merchandise available.

Personalized Bib Numbers
Yes, the Shamrock’n Half Marathon will feature personalized bib numbers again in 2010. This way your friends, family and other spectators can cheer for you by name.

Visit shamrocknhalf.com for details and registration.

With great excitement de Vere’s announces the return of Sacramento’s biggest St. Patrick’s Day celebration! Once again, L Street between 16th & 15th Streets will be closed off for a celebration like no other. Last year, nearly 7,000 people showed up for an all-day event that remained festive and safe; de Vere’s had no incidents, thanks to great security and a great crowd. This year, they’re projecting 8,000 revelers, and all are encouraged to get involved. De Vere’s is working with The Sacramento Press to get the community involved. We will be sure to  keep everyone up-to-date as things develops right here. So join the conversation, tell them what you think–and what you want to see more or less of for 2010.

Last year, the crowd-favorite 80′s cover band Tainted Love headlined the street concert series. Great news: They’re confirmed for 2010! Start practicing your moon walk. The Second Stage will feature traditional Irish dancers and Irish session music. The California Fire Department Pipes and Drums will blow your mind and have you screaming between live bands.

Outdoor concessions will be well stocked. The food tent will again be selling sandwiches, sodas, and brats–and all proceeds will benefit the Fire Dept.’s Burn Unit. Two outdoor bars, a whiskey tent, and 26 beer taps will keep those beverage lines to a minimum. The 20/30 Club will host a Donation Station selling shirts with proceeds benefiting a local children’s cancer center.

All this, plus de Vere’s Irish Pub bustling scene, will make this an event not to miss.

Event Details:

Time: 8am – 2am.

Location: L Street will be closed to traffic between 15th and 16th Streets from 9am to 6am the next day.

Confirmed Bands: Tainted Love, The Silent Comedy, Nine-8ths Irish

Tickets: A limited number of advance tickets go on sale Monday, March 1 for $20. Tickets will be available on St. Patrick’s day at the entrance for $25. 

Parking information:

The East End parking garage between L and K on 17th Street. No charge for the first 90 minutes, $5 maximum charge! NO overnight parking allowed in this garage.

• Valet parking will be provided by Priority Parking. Overnight parking will be available.

City of Sacramento Off-Street Parking (pdf) | Off-Street Parking Rates

IF YOU ARE SINGLE, DO NOT WANT TO GO ALONE, OR NEED HELP FINDING A  ST. PATTY’S DAY DATE! ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS REGISTER FOR FREE AT DateTheGrid.com

Check it out Sacramento! A dating website dedicated to the Downtown Sac Scene! DateThe Grid! Meet sexy and smart Sacramento Singles now! Guess what it’s Free! Tired of playing cupid? Sign someone up as a gift! Registration gets also gets you FREE Cover to our Events, Socials, and Happy Hour Mixers!

Date The Grid

 It’s where Singles meet in Sacramento!

Killer Potato Nachos

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: about 40 minutes

Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut each potato into 8 wedges. Place in a large bowl with oil and seasonings; toss well to coat. Spread on a large baking sheet and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp and golden brown. Top with cheese, chiles, olives and tomatoes. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes more to melt cheese. Sprinkle with green onions and serve with sour cream and salsa, if you like. Makes about 6 servings.

russet potatoes,chili powder,ground cumin,garlic salt, Raley’s Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese,diced green chiles,sliced black olives,tomato,green onions,sour cream,salsa

I would like to thank Raley’s Extra for this recipe. I learned about this recipe because of them. Another great variation of this recipe to make the Potato Nachos on top of a Bobili Pizza Crust and serve as a Potato Pizza.

Do you love beer? I love beer. Beer is good but not all beers are created equal. You probably already know that but did you know that next week is Beer Week in Sacramento? Beer Week! A week set aside to show your appreciation for your Siamese twin friends Hops & Barley. A week they are setting aside to appreciate you back. Check out the official website for details on where to get pints for $2, who is pairing meals with specialty beers, and where to get a commemorative Pilsner glass with your beer! http://sacramentobeerweek.com/

Here’s some info regarding the kick Inaugural Gala set to kick off Sacramento Beer Week!

Sacramento Beer Week, DBI and Markstein present A Salute to Sacramento Beer History at the historic Colonial Theater.

6pm – Enjoy old timey music from The Bad Ol’ Boys and craft beer sales by the Northern California Brewers Guild. We feature a Showcase of Sacramento Breweries with Brew it Up!, Hoppy Brewing, Odonata Beer, Pyramid Brewing, River City Brewing, Rubicon Brewing, and Sudwerk Brewery, and guest taps from Sierra Nevada Brewing, Valley Brewing, and Lagunitas Brewing, which has brewed an Imperial Brown Ale for Beer Week destinations named Ryan’s Imperial Folly.

7pm  A celebratory toast to the Inaugural Sacramento Beer Week!  Beer historians Ed Carroll and Rick Sellers will give presentations on Sacramento’s illustrious history of brewing from Gold Rush days up through our new golden era of modern brewing.  Ed Carroll’s new book City of a Beer: Sacramento’s Breweries details the first 100 years of brewing in Sacramento and will be available for purchase.

Admission is $10.  21 and older only.  3522 Stockton Boulevard.  Presale tickets are available at The Brewmeister in Folsom during their Brewing Demo on Sunday, February 21 from 10am-3pm.

This event is generously presented by DBI, Markstein, and the Historic Colonial Theater.

Seinfeld might ask, “What’s the deal with the Urban Dictionary?” Personally I wonder who decided “Urban” was synonymous with Hip Hop Culture? Nah strike that, I don’t really care. Today while taking a little break from the monotony of blah, blah, blah, at work I decided to google Downtown Sacramento’s nickname SacTown. Instantly I was directed to a definition from the Urban Dictionary dubbing SacTown as the nickname given to our city by gangsta’s and rappers. After reading through the three definitions that people had left as their opinion of what SacTown meant to them I thought about what it meant to me.

1.	Sac-Town	129 up, 13 down
	buy sac-town mugs, tshirts and magnets another name for the city Sacramento we about to go kick-it in Sac-Town for a minute. by Ariana Aug 4, 2003 share this
2.	Sac-Town	96 up, 17 down
	buy sac-town mugs, tshirts and magnets Sac-Town is the slang term for the city of Sacramento, California. “hey where do you live?” “i reside in Sac-Town, reppin’ the 916 blood.” 916 saramento city place noun by karlie krash Jan 25, 2006 share this
3.	Sac-Town	79 up, 20 down
	buy sac-town mugs, tshirts and magnets ‘Sac-Town’ is what the residents of SACRAMENTO, California call it. Sac-town is where the true gangstas are at. That’s how we be rollin’ up in the 916. 916 gangsta kelsi awesome pimps by Kelsi is []D[][V][]D[][\] Dec 13, 2005

When I hear ”SacTown” I think of cute girls on beach cruisers peddling through midtown, friends enjoying an afternoon brew on the patio outside of The Beach Hut Deli on J Street, Second Saturday Artwalk, Cool tunes coming from the Alpha Romeo shop on Music Night in the Pan Handle District, Bumping into the mayor every so often at Yogurt-a-go-go, the 20th St. outdoor ice rink after drinks at Azul, finding the best coffee hidden in an alley, and of course sharing a pint with friends on the patio at Devere’s watching the Cougars come and go from The Mix.

I’m interested when you hear SacTown what do you think of?

Enter to Win a Basketball Autographed by Tyreke Evans

Become a fan of the Sacramento Kings on Facebook and enter to win a basketball autographed by Tyreke Evans!

To enter to win, go to the official Sacramento Kings fan facebook page and become a fan of the Kings.

Once you become a fan, update your status with the following: I’m a fan of the Sacramento Kings. Become a fan today and enter to win a Kings basketball autographed by Tyreke Evans: Facebook.com/sacramentokings.

Keep this as your status until Monday, January 25 to be entered to win.

http://www.facebook.com/sacramentokings

Earlier this year I wrote an open letter to Nor Cal Beverage the creators and producers of Go Girl Energy Drinks. Since then I have continued to enjoy all three flavors of Go Girl and have met a lot of guys that enjoy it as much as I do! I’ve also found some really great deals on Go Girl at Raley’s Supermarkets! If you’re a fan of Go Girl Energy check out the link below. Good Day Sacramento recently visited Nor Cal Beverage and was given a tour. Did you know that 30,000 cans of Go Girl Energy are bottled each day here in West Sacramento? It’s true! I also learned that by drinking Go Girl Energy Drinks you’re not only donating to breast cancer research but supporting a local family owned business! Check out Good Day Sacramento’s Tour Here! Thanks for the tour guys! Hope to see you around town!

Follow Go Girl on Twitter @ http://www.twitter.com/GoGirlEnergy

An open letter to Nor Cal Beverage the creator and bottler of Go Girl .

Dear Go Girl,

I have to ask, as a guy who is trying to keep his dude card in good standing can we ever expect something in a little less pink of can for the Go Guy? Thought it was worth asking.

Your number 1 Guy fan,

@SacramentoMarko

Downtown Sacramento restaurants would like to wine and dine you! Tonight January 8th 2010 officially kicks off the 5th annual Dine Downtown Restaurant Week. Local restaurants of all calibers are offering three-course, prix fixe dinners at $30 per person. 

Allow me to punctuate this awesome little opportunity with a little testimonial of my own. This last Wednesday my girlfriend and I took advantage of Zocalo’s 2 dinners for $20 offer. The offer included a three course meal for two from a prix fixe menu. http://ow.ly/TLed The menu also features a number of wonderful drink specials as well. Our dinner and drinks were exactly $30 before tax and gratuity. Our dinner started with the Sopes (Grilled masa, chicharrones sautéed in a tomato-chile sauce, black bean purée, sour cream, queso fresco, cabbage and radish.)  from the Appetizer selection. That was followed by absolutely fabulous Enchiladas En Mole and the Taco De Pollo Dinner as our entrée’s. For dessert we chose the vanilla cream filled churro which comes topped with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with chocolate syrup. It was beyond heavenly to say the least.

The promotion Zocalo’s is running is a great representation of what you can expect from our downtown restaurants. My advice to you is to not be afraid to get into your car and come see what downtown Sacramento has to offer. Check http://downtownsac.org/dinedowntown for further information. If I may offer a further tip call ahead to see if the restaurant you’ve chosen offers the following; call ahead reservations, valet, or can give you information on when the best time to come is and where to find the best parking. Restaurant week continues through to January 17th.

 Bon Appetite ~ Grubzilla

You can follow Grubzilla on Twitter @  http://www.twitter.com/SacramentoMarko

Hello all just came across this great little buy one get one free coffee coupon from Peet’s Coffee! http://ow.ly/TMfy If you enjoy coffee as much as I do I think it should come in handy! Speaking of handy, it’s not even necessary to print it! Simply access the coupon via your smart phone and show it to the cashier! Wow now that’s keeping saving some green, GREEN! If you don’t have a smart phone I’m sorry there’s still a place for you in 2009. Bon Appetite!

Donate it! Maybe it could become a homeless camp named after you!

Erect a giant statue of yourself on it.

Raise Llamas.

Start a cult.

Keep it and tell people you’re a land baron.

Mine for precious metals!

Built a fort.

Sell time shares.

Create a Bigfoot wild life preserve.

Sell it and buy a Prius.

Plant a 1000 trees on it.

File papers to succeed from the state!

Incorporate.

Give it away on Twitter.

Farm it.

Put up signs that say “No Trespassing! This means you Richard Grieco!”

Hide a treasure.

Find a treasure.

Rent a portion of it to the mob.

Live on it and re-enact your favorite scenes from Red Dawn and Rambo.

Sell it and buy a Hummer. Then park your Hummer uncomfortably close to a Prius.

Write a book about the special vampire/werewolf powers it possesses.

Chase all of the skinny daunt Twighlight fans off it dressed like a wolfman.

Start a secret society and meet there.

Build a house and live happily ever after.

In 1909 none of these things had been invented: zippers, band-aids, traffic lights, bubble gum, penicillin, sunglasses, ballpoint pens, shopping carts, nylon stockings, cat litter, or milk cartons. In the United States there were about 230 reported murders and the average life expectancy was 47 years of age. An accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year and a dentist $2,500. The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year, but sugar only cost four cents a pound and eggs were just fourteen cents a dozen. Most women washed their hair only once a month and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo. The six leading causes of death were pneumonia, influenza, tuberculosis, diarrhea, heart disease and stroke. From 1909 to 2009 the world population grew from 1.7 billion to 6.4 billion.

Yes people died from diarrhea.

For some reason we all love to be followed on Twitter. We have our own witty little tweets that mean more to us than probably anyone else. It doesn’t matter if your a marketer, a student, a business, or just a keyboard cowboy like me; I want to build up to a million followers together.

Here at Grubzilla we are embarking on a new project that doesn’t require you retweeting some spam and letting someone else take control of your Twitter account like all of the other follower websites do.  Here’s how it’s going to work, everyone that signs up is going to be added to the most followed list which at the beginning of each week will be broadcasted across the internet through various websites, blogs, chat rooms, tweets, and press releases. It is a follow for a follow list. You can create a “list” for all of the new people you’re following so it doesn’t take over your favorite follows or real life friends. Either way your going to get a poop load of followers without any effort. Yes I know that unfortunately there is no real way to guarantee you who is going to be following you but hey it’s a start. Let’s hit 1 million followers together just for fun. Next year we’ll do an Unfollow a Million Spammers Project.

Here’s all you have to do:

1. Tweet @SacramentoMarko “Add me to the Million Follower Project List”   

2. Follow everyone who follows you - they’re adding you because your on the list!