Necessity may be the mother of invention. Difficult economies may the mother of creative collaboration.

If you're interested in how communities develop in the future and how design principles impact walkability, alternative transportation, and alley development, check out the Urban Design Alliance (UDA) 4th Wednesday Design Dialogue tomorrow evening from 6-7:30 p.m. at the AIA/Central Valley Conference Room on 1400 S Street.

This will be a rich conversation with two very different collaborating developers, Aaron Zeff, of Harv's Car Wash and Priority Parking, and Jeremy Drucker, of 49-mile development and 9onF, the first LEED-certified residential building in Sacramento. 

See a description of the evening's event on the Oak Park Now blog by architecture activist, Dustin Littrell.  Also Bill Burg has an eloquent description of the history of Sacramento alleys from a previous presentation by Drucker on his blog site.

Make your way to City Council tonight for discussions on whether or not the Design Review Board should merge with the Planning Commission, which it recently bifurcated from only 2 years ago.   The Development Oversight Commission, which seems to be a mere euphemism, for conflict of interest commission, is proposing this change after the developer for the local Fresh & Easy lost 7-0 on his Oak Park development of the grocery store forcing him to implementing 5 face-saving mitigating steps.  

Alternatively, the Council may vote on fund allocation for the McClatchy Park revitalization project in Oak Park.   This visionary effort by Oak Parkers to reimagine the experience of the park with a farmer's market, demonstration community garden, renewed children's playground, and urban skate park would propel the neighborhood for the next 50 years.  In this tight fiscal environment, it's easy for the city to move the pots around which might permanently injure this project.   Oak Park has waited its turn in the last 40 years of political mediocrity.  It can ill afford another 50.  Stand up!

-The Grid Guru

For those of you who read the non-controversy about Twitter in the News & Review, here's a more thoughtful construct on why social networking must be taken seriously from News 10 at Curtis Park's Pangaea Cafe.  Done well twitter invites collaboration which leads to energy and new creation.

On another serious note, The Guru applauds Rob Kerth, the Midtown Business Association's executive director, for a superb approach to decrease negative graffiti while fostering the art movement beyond 2nd Saturday.   Why shouldn't the walls of any city, particularly the alleys, become canvasses for artistic expression in conscious ways? 

We cannot sit at status quo.  We must experiment to succeed.  The entrepreneur and social entrepreneur's ethic is a simple creed: one must be willing to be wrong in order to ever be right.   It is a process and if necessary, you simply take your licks, draw your lessons, and go back to the blackboard---or the graffiti wall--to try again!

Keep up the good work.

-The Grid Guru

If you have something to share with Mayor Kevin Johnson, he's holding office hours in Curtis Park at Sierra II this Thursday. See below.

"Mayor Kevin Johnson will be holding office hours on Thursday, March 12th at the Sierra 2 Community Center located at 2791 24th St from 4:00-8:00pm. If you have additional questions regarding the office hours please call 808-5300 for more information. Please forward this to others that are interested in discussing current issues within the city and asking questions directly to the mayor."

Sac Sunday Streets and the Bikeramento gang would love to bend his ear on how to bring green economic development through health and fitness activity all by playing in the street.  Come play in the streets with us...and bend Mayor Johnson's ear on our behalf.

We wore our shirts last night to the 10th and K debate amidst the sea of yellow shirts sponsored by the Midtown and Downtown restaurants, like Zocalo's, Ernesto's, The Mix, and Mason's. 

For our first City Council Party with a stop at Parlare, we felt quite successful.  We've never seen more people at City Council below the age of 50.   We couldn't even fetch a seat. 

See you at the next gathering any Tuesday evening.

-The Grid Guru

Get a little more familiar with the proposal of Bikeramento through this video. If you missed the first annual Bikeramento Week leading up to the Amgen Tour, then take this opportunity to check out this shout out created during the first annual Sacramento GEW, Global Entrepreneurship Week, back in 2008.

Bikeramentans are about to launch a critical piece of their agenda, the Sac Sunday Streets, taking over Capitol Avenue from Downtown through Midtown on the First Sunday morning of each month.  This event will integrate bikeability, walkability, and over all fitness activity with economic development, health and environmentalism.

It seeks to launch in May.  If you would like to volunteer, please visit the Bikeramento site.

More later,

-The Grid Guru

Hope to find you out and about on this Monday holiday securing civil rights for other Gridsters at the Love and Marriage Protest.

Also, check out David Watts Barton's headline article on Sacramento Press covering the Amgen Tour on The Grid, sacramento.downtowngrid.com's raffle wheel, the Bikeramento Patio, and 2nd Saturday.

A few great minds in collaboration can change the rhythm of a city.

-The Grid Guru

Hey there Gridsters,

So David Barton of Sacramento Press and Bikeramento.org caught some face time with cycling reporter, David Aldersebaes.

Check this link to Sacramento Love during the Amgen Prologue yesterday on the Bikeramento Patio at the Buckhorn Grill on 18th and L. 

The prologue was the best way that the Central City and Sacramento as a whole have had to create a new and dynamic impression on the nation and the world. 

The people watching was the best part of this event.  See the creative use of the L Street Lofts, just one more reason to own one.

-The Grid Guru

How are you on this off-and-on rainy winter day?

Heck of a week, hail included. Tonight, we ride rain or shine. It's almost Amgen!  Lance Armstrong is back.  Follow him on Twitter while he's in Sacramento and for the rest of the race.

Meet at 5:30 p.m. for 1,000 Spokes of Light at Sutter's Fort on the K Street side between 26th and 28th Streets.  Our community ride is FREE!...And you get a free drawing ticket from sacramento.downtowngrid.com for going on the ride.

Fundraiser at the end at Capsity Offices on the alley of 24th and P Street.  The address is 2321 P Street.  The fundraiser is simple.  Buy a 1,000 Spokes t-shirt for $10 or crazy lights for your bicycle.  

sacramento.downtowngrid.com will have its brand new raffle wheel out tonight at Capsity and tomorrow at the Bikeramento Patio at Buckhorn Grill on the corner of 18th and L Streets.  Even if you don't win tickets to the patio, you can come say hello and take a spin on the wheel for local prizes.

Buckhorn is a great place to watch the race at the center of the action.

Sacramento Press will be out and about with Bikeramento Week tonight. 

Also, make sure to swing over from 1,000 Spokes over to Brickabracka's ARM Festival, Art Rhythm and Mathematics.  Tonight will be Black Magical!

Tomorrow is the trifecta, or Sacfecta, 2nd Saturday, Amgen, and Valentine's Day.  Keep your dollars local. 

Peace and see you tonight! 

-The Grid Guru

The torrential downpour begins...finally. Bikeramento swings in the rain toward Revolution Wines located behind Brickabracka for a wine tasting and teaching for its first attempt at a bicycle flash mob. Definitely, there are hiccups. Bikes arrive. Bikes leave. Bikes arrive. 

It's hard to see the path to the winery from the front of 21st and P Street.

Those who remain receive the knowledge of the winemakers, a little history, and some creative glasses of wine.

Who knew that all wine grapes in the world are French varietals with American root stocks?   Who knew that Sacramento might indeed be the birthplace of the California Zinfandel pre-Prohibition Era?

Did you know that you can make your own wine and label at Revolution Wines?  One of the presenters opens a bottle of grapefruit wine.   Under the tongue, it maintains its bitter overtones.   That's right, you two can bring in that extra fruit to create your own fruit wine.

In fact, that's possibly what led to winemaking across the Roman Empire, the desire to preserve large harvests, like turning meats into jerky.   Things need to last when you're unsure of the next harvest cycle.  

Some grapes left in a clay pot somewhere in the Middle East or along the Mediterranean, a little yeast left in accidentally, or on purpose.  

One returns a few months later surprised that it's not vinegar, and it gets you tipsy.  Voila!  It's the birth of winemaking. 

This adventure is followed by The Science Wizard inside of Brickabracka.  Ahhh...the wonders of dry ice and liquid nitrogen.   Crazy frozen fruit.  Firebreathing with flour.   The kids love it, and so do the big kids, we mean, adults.

It's late in the evening for a Wednesday worknight, but we all have a blast. 

Off to the races, so tune up your bikes at Bicycle Chef at 20% off and check for other deals.   At 6 p.m., Ed Cox shows the Return of the Scorcher at Bicycle Chef just off Folsom Boulevard at 3184 N Street.

Enjoy the rest of Bikeramento Week and the ARM Festival at Brickabracka in the run-up to Valentine's Day, 2nd Saturday, and the Amgen Tour of California.   One day at a time.  Remember to check out Sacramento Press for some great articles or to start your career as a local reporter.

-The Grid Guru

It's the last stop of the night. The Rubicon Brewing Co. You know it. 20th and Cap Ave. They make their own beer. A beautiful thing.

The Bikeramento banner hangs from the outdoor patio next door to The Waterboy. This watering hole has kept us afloat with stout and a meatloaf special in a mushroom sauce. You know The Grid Guru's belly. It must be full.  That's why Body Tribe sustains The Guru.

So many people have joined us from The Loft Gardener to Melissa Meng of Health Education Council, Brooke from the Governor's Office, and many more.

It was an incredible night as people selected their joining point whether Temple, Brew It Up, Butch N Nellies', DeVere's, or Rubicon.

Thanks for the blast and send us your cell phones to participate in the flash mob tomorrow, or get your discount bike tune-up.

Join us on Friday for the first annual 1,000 Spokes of Light at Capsity Offices, Bikeramento Headquarters at 24th and P Street, also sacramento.downtowngrid.com headquarters.

What a pleasure.  Rubicon is packed, literally chocked full of activists and friends and beer lovers on a Tuesday night in Sacramento.  DeVere's packed as well. 

Thank you and good night!

-The Grid Guru

Bikeramento Week is live. Twenty of us are drinking and eating at DeVere's Irish Pub in Midtown and now on our way (safely) to Rubicon Brewing Company. It's a beautiful night in light rain. We started at Temple Fine Coffee & Tea with extravagant cups of coffee and single origin cappuccinos.

Off we headed to Brew It Up where Sacramento Press bought a round for everyone who made it. 

...Then to Butch N Nellie's Coffee House where the owners just picked up there beer & wine license and several of us enjoyed Muddy Dublins and Dublin Floats - Guinness with chocolate gelato.  We picked up more Bikeramentans.

Now we're at DeVere's.  It's been outstanding and now we're heading with Aussies and Scotsmen to the Rubicon.  Get the lamb sliders.  They're superior.

Catch us at Rubicon on 20th and Capitol for the final rounds.  We're a little late.  It's 8 p.m. and we're rolling out.  $2 Tuesdays. 

-The Grid Guru