Dane Cook @ HP Pavilion, Sun 5/31

Here's the news release:

Fresh on the heels of the announcement of his Comedy Central special and comedy album, ISolated INcident, comedian Dane Cook has now announced plans to take his material on the road with the ISolated INcident - Global Thermo Comedy Tour. Touted as the largest comedy tour in history, Cook will travel within the US, Canada, Africa, Brazil, Australia, UK and Germany.

Tickets range from $30 to $100 and can be purchased here!

Hungry? San Jose Restaurant Lists

There are hundreds of great restaurants in San Jose representing every category and ethnicity possible. So how do you pick where to go? Personally, I first pick a type of food I'm in the mood for and then refer to this handy list put together at sanjose.org.

If you would like to limit your selections to Downtown San Jose, then the Downtown San Jose Association also has their own list. I've been to at least 90% of the restaurants downtown, and try to hit up a new one each week. There is also a great promotion coming soon to downtown restaurants allowing you to get a 3-4 course meal for a reasonable fixed price. I'll post more info about that right before the promotion goes into effect!

Latest San Jose Airport Construction Photos

Taken from the SJC Website.

San Jose Airport - Potential People Mover Route?

There have been talks for quite sometime of building a people mover or personal rapid transit system (PRT) connecting San Jose International Airport to existing and future transportation systems. These would include Light Rail, Caltrain, and even BART.

Today I stumbled upon an image of a potential route around SJC from the smart growth/planning site Cities21. Click on the image to see the full map. This might be a wild dream, but I'll be the first to celebrate if anything close to this actually comes to fruition!

Below is an example of what a PRT system "car" could look like. There are already some PRT systems in place around the world (West Virginia University, London Heathrow Airport, etc.).

The 88 - Observation Terrace (Open to all 88 Residents)

Okay, so maybe you can't afford the $2.75 million penthouse that I posted photos of yesterday. If you want to sit outside and bask in the Silicon Valley skyline while sipping on a glass of wine, you still have a couple of options. Option #1 is above. The 88 is the only residential high-rise to offer ALL residents a shared penthouse-level terrace. Condo owners can go up to the 21st floor and enjoy the view (and possibly that bar in the 3rd photo). Right now they have a bench, but I'm sure they'll be adding some patio furniture as more residents move in.

Oh, I mentioned a couple of options. Option #2 is to join or become friends with a member of the Capital Club (top floor of the Knight Ridder Builder next to the Fairmont). There are 2 massive balconies, a private restaurant, and a bar up there. As far as I know, these are the only two places in downtown San Jose where you can enjoy the view outdoors without purchasing a penthouse.

The 88 - Flagship Penthouse (Oh Baby)

The photos don't do this one justice. This is the largest penthouse unit on the 21st floor and has not one but two balconies, one of which is at least 700sqft.  Inside, you're looking at 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bath, around 2400sqft, and spectacular views from every window.  

The 88 - Corner Studio

The 88 - Podium, Pool, and Lobby

Views from The 88 - Coming Soon

Last Saturday, I had to chance to explore The 88 (that sexy residential high rise on Market and 2nd St.). Between City Heights, Axis, and The 88, I would have to say the The 88 has the most luxurious feel to it as well as the best location. 360 isn't showing off units in the actual building yet, so it is too early to judge. The soundproofing was impressive. You couldn't hear a single airplane from inside the units (can't say the same about Axis or City Heights). The downside to The 88 is that the condos are on average a bit smaller than the other residential developments downtown. Only 2 out of the nearly 200 condos are 3 bedroom units, and none of them really have a dedicate den area like 360. Most of the units seem to be studios and 1 bedrooms. That being said, one of the model units is a corner studio with a view that will blow you away.

I will be posting photos from my visit to The 88 over the next couple of days. The view from the terrace and penthouses on the 21st floor is priceless. Well, I take that back... the price is around $2.75 million (they do have some penthouses at $1.5, but those are without the balconies).

Downtown San Jose at Night (Click to Enlarge)

Fun In The Park! (Click to Enlarge)

A Day in Downtown San Jose

How many times have you heard the question: "What's there to do in San Jose?" It's a question that I heard constantly during my upbringing here. As we continue to grow as a city and culture... it's also becoming an easier one to answer. Fortunately, we also have a place that is becoming a magnet for "things to do" and that's downtown.

Saturday, I wanted to get some new photos for this blog, so my wife and I decided to head over to Plaza de Cesar Chavez Park and start there. We were planning to swing downtown just for a few hours, but ended up spending all day there. We just kept getting sucked into doing more and more. He's a rundown of our day:

3:00pm - Grabbed a late lunch and smoothies at WOW Noodle House, which just opened up last Friday. The weather was amazing, so we decided to eat outside. The Chow Fun and Pad Thai we got were delicious and inexpensive. The restaurant was elaborately decorated in the inside and the servers were extremely friendly. From where we sat, you can start to see the transformation on First St., people walking on the streets, planters and flowers everywhere, retail holes starting to be filled.

3:30pm - Started walking around to take photos. Hundreds of people were in Plaza de Cesar Chavez Park sitting out on the grass, their kids playing in the fountains. I'll be posting these photos throughout the week.

5:00pm - Got a snack at Penguin Froyo. This has become my new favorite yogurt shop. They had the best tart yogurt I've ever had, the seating was comfortable and inviting, and if yogurt isn't your thing they also have gelato, crepes, and cake.

5:30pm - Took a detour to The 88, one of the 4 new high-rise residential buildings downtown.  Finally got to see the models and check out one of the penthouses on the 21st floor. The penthouse views were amazing (photos later this week), but tragically the $2.75 million price tag was a tad bit outside of our budget.

7:30pm - Swung by the rep and made an impulse decision to see The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The show was hilarious and interactive. I would highly recommend checking it out soon, since it only runs until June 7th.

10:00pm - Since we did so much already, we couldn't stop now! We ended up at Tanq, the new Michael Mena bar next to Arcadia in the Marriott Hotel. We ordered some appetizers and their specialty drink called "Kiss the Fish." When they told me the drink came in a giant glass fish, I had to try it out. 

11:30pm - Nights not over yet, we jumped on the back of one of the downtown pedicabs. Terra, our chauffeur, quickly took us all over downtown so we could get some nightlife shots.  We also got to hear some interesting stories about people downtown. Very cool mode of transportation and I hope the redevelopment agency adds more bikes.

Please check back frequently throughout the week as I'll be posting lots of photos from Saturday!

Amazing Berryessa BART Renders! (Courtesy of SJTommy from the SJ Development News Forum)

Sharks Store Summer Clearance: June 16-21

If you're a Sharks fan, you'll be happy to know that the Sharks store sale is right around the corner. Season Ticket Holders, Suite Holders, and Sponsor will be able to get in on the action starting June 16 and 17th from 11am to 7pm. The rest of us will have to wait until June 18th to get our swag at up to 75% off.  Oh, and you can also find SaberCats and Stealth merchandise in there as well.

Photos Around (and Inside) Camera 12 Cinemas

This is by far my favorite movie theater. 3 stories with views of downtown, comfortable seats, things to actually do around the theater before and after your flick. To top it off, you can get a discount movie card that gives you $6 movies any day except for Saturday night.

I even remember coming here for a few premiers where they actually hired actors to entertain moviegoers... the Borat impersonator was priceless!

New Retail Coming Downtown in 2009! (Updated)

Revised list of new retail you can expect downtown by the end of the year (taken from Downtown Dimension and the San Jose Redevelopment Agency Monthly Report, thanks for the tip Mark):

• Safeway (Tower 88)
• Ross (First St.)
• Maceo Brazilian Steakhouse (72 S. First St.)
• Loves Cupcakes (85 E. San Fernando St.)
• WOW Noodle House (78 S. First St.)
• Philz Coffee (118 Paseo de San Antonio)
• U Food Grill (143 W. Santa Clara St.)
• Silk Indian Road Restaurant - 2nd location (185 Park Ave.)
• La Victoria Expansion (131 W. Santa Clara St.)
• The Cheesesteak Shop (76 E. Santa Clara St.)
• Carl's Jr. (15 S. First St.)
• Plan B Hair Salon
• Ink Revelations Tattoo Shop

If anything's missing, please let me know!

Left Coast Live Kicks Off May 11-15

Left Coast Live launched yesterday in downtown San Jose and includes a multitude of bands, outdoor cinema, and a speaker series. The main event will be May 15th in the SoFA area, with tickets going for $17 online and $20 at the door. The list of headliners so far:

• Lyrics Born
• Booker T
• Miggs
• The Mumlers
• Good Hustle
• Maxx Cabello Jr.
• La Colectiva
• Safety Suit
• Ambience

10,000 music lovers are expected to attend. You can get more information, buy tickets, and even preview some of the music at: http://www.leftcoastlive.com/

New Retail Coming to Downtown SJ in 2009

List of new retail you can expect downtown by the end of the year (taken from Downtown Dimension):

• Safeway
• Ross
• Maceo Brazilian Steakhouse
• Loves Cupcakes
• Plan B Hair Salon
• Ink Revelations Tattoo Shop

If anyone knows of other retail openings this year, please send me over an email!

First Round of Downtown SJ Photos