Archive for August, 2009
Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival in San Francisco
Posted by: | CommentsFor those of you who don’t know about Outside Lands Music Festival, it’s a huge concert that takes place over 3 days in Golden Gate Park (August 28-30). There are a ton of bands that play all day and night, and there’s also a wine garden featuring many great Northern California Wineries. It’s called Winehaven, and this is a video that talks a little bit about it:
SF Outside Lands – Winehaven from Outside Lands on Vimeo.
Another fun thing about Outside Lands is the great choices that are available when it comes to food. With restaurants like Pica Pica, a Venezuelan restaurant from Napa that has these unbelievable tostones (fried plantains), and many other great Bay Area restaurants, you will definitely be able to find something that will satisfy your appetite. I’m just excited since the Bay Area favorite dessert will be there…the It’s It of course!
Although most of the bands appeal to the younger crowd in our office (especially Marilyn, my director of operations), There are still a few bands I’m still interested in seeing like Pearl Jam and Dave Matthews Band.
Marilyn and some of the other staff and residents from OakWalk will probably be more excited to see groups like Incubus, Jason Mraz, and the Black Eyed Peas. Those are just a few of the headliners playing throughout the weekend. There are supposedly more than 70 bands playing over the course of the weekend, which will provide more than ample entertainment for those attending.
One thing that I think is pretty cool is that they just announced that Jack Black’s band Tenacious D is going to be playing. I’m not a huge fan of their music, but Jack Black is pretty entertaining, so I’d say it’s worth the trip to see that set.
The concert is coming up pretty quick here, so it’s time to get yourself tickets. Visit the Outside Lands Website for more information. See you there.
Article by Stuart Gruendl. Stuart is the developer of OakWalk, and an Oakland native.
Cal Picked To Finish Second In 2009 Pac-10 Preseason Media Poll
Posted by: | CommentsFootball season is upon us! Thank goodness.
Here at OakWalk, we can look over to the Cal campus, so it’s cool to know they have a chance of taking the Pac 10 this year. But there is just one small problem. Guess who is ranked #1? Yes indeed, my loyal alma mater, USC, which will most likely be dominating the league again this year.
But nevertheless, Cal has an exciting year of football lined up, and I look forward to heading over to the stadium. I’ll be happy to root for them on every game except for one, on October 3rd, which sadly is Cal’s homecoming against USC. So who planned that one? Aren’t the home teams supposed to win on their homecoming?
Here are the entire Pac-10 rankings from the 2009 Media Poll:
1) USC
2) California
3) Oregon
4) Oregon State
5) Arizona State
6) Stanford
7) UCLA
8) Arizona
9) Washington
10) Washington State
Cal opens its 2009 season against Maryland at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept.5 (7 p.m. PT). For 2009 Cal football tickets, visit the ticket page at CalBears.com or call (800) GO BEARS.
Here is the complete 2009 Cal Football schedule. Be sure to catch that game on October 3rd.
Would anyone like to comment on Media Poll? It seems accurate to me of course. Stanford fans may disagree because of that one minor incident two years ago. So feel free to comment, but remember that we’ll put it to the test on Nov 14th with USC vs. Stanford, so don’t go printing millions of t-shirts again. Interestingly from a planning perspective, that’s USC’s homecoming game too.
Article by Stuart Gruendl. Stuart is the developer of OakWalk, and an Oakland native (but USC alumni).
Clif Bar Headquarters Coming to Emeryville
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The hip Emeryville employer scene just keeps growing! Clif Bar & Co. just announced this past week that they are moving their headquarters from Berkeley to Emeryville in the coming year. Clif Bar is known well for their popular energy and nutrition bars, even my kids seem to know all of the varieties.
I’m especially excited since I’ve known Gary Erickson, the Owner and Founder of Clif Bar, and his wife Kit for many years now. They are big on the environment and have been stakeholders in the area for over 20 years. This is a big homecoming of sorts for them. They started Clif Bar in Emeryville and are now returning!
I think having the headquarters back here in Emeryville will be a nice addition to the already impressive list of employers in the area.
The EmeryTech building (not too far from Oakwalk) is where Clif Bar has rented out over 115,000 square feet, and signed a contract saying they will be there until at least 2024. This building actually just went through a renovation adding some fresh architecture to the city. The property owners are also pursuing a LEED Gold certification from the United States Green Building Council, which is part of the reason Clif Bar & Co decided to move.
With all this new space, Clif Bar is adding everything from a brand new gym, daycare, kitchen, theater, bike garage, and even a hair salon. If they are hiring, it would make for a pretty 
cool place to work.
And by the way, if any of my readers happen to work at Clif Bar, I really love the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut (just in case you see a few lying around or something).
Article by Stuart Gruendl. Stuart is the developer of OakWalk, and an Oakland native.
More to the Townhouse Bar & Grill Than You Might Think
Posted by: | CommentsAs I mentioned in one of my previous articles, one of my favorite restaurants in Emeryville is the Townhouse Bar & Grill. Since that article was posted, I’ve learned a whole lot more about the long and colorful history of the restaurant. I think it’s worth sharing for a whole new perspective when you go.
The building has actually been around since 1926 when the first owner, Frank Mesnickow, built the western themed hangout. He managed to make it through the prohibition era (not 
sure how he did that), but then rented it out to a guy named Joe Vernetti in 1936. Vernetti kept the place for about forty years and maintained its reputation as a popular neighborhood hangout.
At that point it was sold to Tom Wenaas and Jim Carnitato, who started hiring live musicians to come entertain at The Townhouse. I hear there was even a CD made of some of the performances called “Townhouse Live”. The building just got better with time.
Then in 1989, the current owner of the restaurant, Chef Ellen Hope Rosenberg, bought the Townhouse and decided to change things up a bit, all in the name of keeping with the times. She decided to get rid of the dark hangout vibe and added some elegance and warmth to the place. The Townhouse now has a new bar, lots of light and lots of flowers. The menu also went through a change (for the better I think), and it gets rave reviews across the board from both new visitors and the “regulars”.
It’s also worth mentioning that the Townhouse is a great choice for a party venue. There’s a dining area that seats over 100 people (a few less if you want to add a band and dancing), and the party can move outside too with the new patio.
On top of all that, if you enjoy jazz, they even have live Jazz on Wednesdays and Thursdays. All this, and it’s just a stone’s throw away from Oakwalk.
Article by Stuart Gruendl. Stuart is the developer of OakWalk, and an Oakland native.
