SoFA Gets a $200k Grant for Pop-up Shops and Public Art!

Out of 254 applicants, the National Endowment for the Arts has awarded MACLA a $200,000 grant to support the SoFA Creates & Connects program. 59 cities nationwide were awarded these types of grants, but most were around $50,000. Only San Jose and Houston claimed the top prize of $200,000.

The program will feature new public art installations and events. Some of the cool things you can expect are illuminated directional signs by French artists at Zero1, a new shade structure in the park adjacent to MACLA, an arts event series, and "Pop-up Tiendas (Shops)."

In addition to the new mini-SPSM, Cafe Stritch, several hundred new apartments, and a convention center expansion nearby, and a new weekly food truck event... it seems like SoFA is about to explode into a thriving district. We're on the right track!

Source: SVBJ

Santana Row Nabs Fogo de Chao and Scotch & Soda

As if Santana Row needed any other good news, Fogo de Chao is opening up 9,000 SQFT Brazilian steakhouse in the former Chili's space in early 2014. This is a very highly-rated restaurant and will be only the second location in California, with the other being in Beverly Hills. I apologize in advance to Chili fans, but this is going to be one heck of an upgrade. It will also be the only Brazilian Churrascaria in San Jose.

Scotch & Soda is an Amsterdam-based fashion retailer that only has seven locations in the US: New York, Chicago, Washington DC, Miami, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Now you can add San Jose to that list. The 1,840 SQFT store will be next to Kate Spade New York and opens late Fall of this year.

For more info, check out the press release below.





Santana Row Welcomes Brazilian Steak House Fogo de Chao and Fashion Retailer Scotch & Soda

Exciting Additions Coming to Silicon Valley’s Premier Destination


San Jose, CA (July 18, 2013) – A Brazilian churrasco restaurant is opening early next year and a European-based fashion retailer is slated to open this fall at Santana Row.

Fogo de Chao, opening early 2014

The International Brazilian steakhouse opens its first Northern California restaurant at Santana Row, bringing the best of the centuries-old culinary tradition of churrasco to Silicon Valley.

The 8,978 square-foot restaurant is being constructed in the former Chili’s space on Winchester Boulevard and Olin Avenue. It will showcase a beautiful dining room with seating for 250 guests, several private and semi-private dining areas, outdoor seating and a lively bar. The interior of the restaurant will reflect a mixture of Northern California and Brazilian modern design.

The style of cooking goes back centuries and is known as, “The Gaucho Way of Preparing Meat.” An important element of the culture is churrasco: roasting meats over pits of open fire for delicious barbecues. Traditionally, it is served at every festive occasion, especially family gatherings. For more information about the restaurant, go to www.fogodechao.com.

Scotch & Soda, opening late fall, 2013

Amsterdam-based fashion brand Scotch & Soda is opening its first South Bay location at Santana Row in time for the holiday season.

The 1,840 square-foot store will be located on the corner of Tatum and Santana Row, next to kate spade new york.

Scotch & Soda at Santana Row will offer high-quality clothes and accessories for men and women. Rich in detail, they’re typically inspired by the best tried-and-tested classic and vintage styles and enriched with a wealth of inspiration from around the world. Though Scotch & Soda has been around since the ‘80s, the international fashion brand as we know it today originated in 2001 when the new owners combined their broad experience and shared love for making great garments. The women’s collection, Maison Scotch, entered the market with the Spring/Summer 2010 collection and accounts for a large part of the company’s continuous growth. For more information about the store, go to: www.scotch-soda.com.

About Santana Row

Santana Row a 1.5 million square foot mixed used development in the heart of San Jose, California, is Silicon Valley's premier destination for shopping,

dining, living and nightlife. Surrounded by landscaped gardens, parks and plazas, Santana Row features over 70 retail shops, more than 20 acclaimed restaurants, a 212-room boutique hotel and six-screen movie theatre. In addition to the dynamic retail collection, Santana Row offers 622 residential units featuring a fitness center, rooftop pool and resort-living accommodations, and 65,000 square feet of office space at 300 Santana Row, its newest office address. Santana Row is a property of www.federalrealty.com (NYSE:FRT), headquartered in Rockville, Maryland. For more information, please visit www.santanarow.com.

About Federal Realty

Federal Realty Investment Trust is an equity real estate investment trust specializing in the ownership, management, and redevelopment of high quality retail real estate in the country’s best markets.  As of September 30, 2012, Federal Realty's portfolio (excluding joint venture properties) contained approximately 19.1 million square feet located primarily in strategically selected metropolitan markets in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, and California. In addition, the Trust has an ownership interest in approximately 1.0 million square feet of retail space through a joint venture in which the Trust has a 30% interest. Our operating portfolio (excluding joint venture properties) was 95.1% leased to national, regional, and local retailers as of September 30, 2012, with no single tenant accounting for more than approximately 3.1% of annualized base rent. Federal Realty has paid quarterly dividends to its shareholders continuously since its founding in 1962, and has increased its dividend rate for 45 consecutive years, the longest record in the REIT industry. Federal Realty is an S&P MidCap 400 company and its shares are traded on the NYSE under the symbol FRT. For more information, please visit www.federalrealty.com.

CAFE STRITCH PRESENTS: “A Rahsaan Roland Kirk Tribute Week” Friday August 2--Sunday August 11, 2013

Cafe Stritch is about to host their largest Jazz event yet with a five-day tribute to Rahsaan Roland Kirk. If you ever wondered where Eulipia got it's name from (Cafe Stritch's predecessor), it came from Kirk's "Theme for the Eulipions." What about Cafe Stritch? Named after Kirk's iconic saxophone. For all those that enjoy live Jazz, you won't want to miss this! All of the relevant information is below and can also be found at the Cafe Stritch website over here.



Cafe Stritch, formerly Eulipia Restaurant in San Jose, continues its heritage of presenting first-rate jazz by presenting a five-day tribute to the great Rahsaan Roland Kirk.  In addition to three nights of performances by trombonist Steve Turre, one of the world’s pre-eminent jazz innovators, the week’s activities include a number of diverse activities revolving around Rahsaan’s life and work.  Betty Neals will be performing her legendary ‘Theme for the Eulipions” poem with Steve Turre’s group.

Kirk’s “Theme for the Eulipions” gave Eulipia its name in 1977, and the restaurant’s owners, and now their children, who own Cafe Stritch, carry on the tradition of reverence for the jazz of Rahsaan Roland Kirk.

Trombonist Steve Turre, who played for many years with Kirk, will be playing as part of a septet at Cafe Stritch on August 8, 9, and 10 and Kirk’s widow Dorthaan will attend all of the activities during the five day tribute in honor of her late husband.  Many friends of the late great jazzman will participate in the festivities.  The first-rate band includes Matt Clark on piano, Howard Wiley on tenor sax, Charles McNeal on alto sax, Marcus Shelby on bass, Darrell Green on drums, and vocalist Terrie Odabi.

No Walls Between Us, an exhibit of Kathy Sloane’s powerful, atmospheric portraits of jazz greats will be presented throughout the cafe with an artist’s reception being held on Saturday August 10 from 3:00PM to 6:00PM.  Drawn in part from her acclaimed book Keystone Korner: Portrait of a Jazz Club, the exhibit also includes jazz photos from her 30-year career.

The schedule of activities appears below:

Friday August 2 – Sunday September 29:  No Walls Between Us: an exhibit of jazz photographs by Kathy Sloane. (No admission charge)

Wednesday August 7 at 6pm: Birthday Party for Rahsaan featuring live jazz, a panel discussion with Dorthaan Kirk, Steve Turre, Betty Neals, and others, along with a screening of Adam Kahan’s Rahsaan documentary “The Case of the Three Sided Dream”. (No admission will be charged for any activities on August 7)

Thursday August 8, Friday August 9, and Saturday August 10 at 8pm: Rahsaan Tribute Septet Featuring Steve Turre performing two sets each night with special guest Betty Neals performing her iconic “Theme for the Eulipions”.  Tickets available for $15 at www.brownpapertickets.com/venue/169573

Saturday August 10 from 3pm to 6pm: Artist’s reception for No Walls Between Us: an exhibit of jazz photographs by Kathy Sloane.   (No admission charge)

Sunday August 11 at 6pm:  The Eulipions, Cafe Stritch’s house jazz collective pays tribute to Rahsaan. (No admission charge)

About Café Stritch:
Opened in March, 2013, Cafe Stritch was named for an iconic saxophone used by Rahsaan Roland Kirk, the jazz great whose “Theme for the Eulipions,” gave rise to the name Eulipia, the white tablecloth restaurant and jazz club that preceded Cafe Stritch in the same location: 374 South First Street, San Jose, CA. (408) 280-6161.  Cafe Stritch features affordable food offerings such as fried chicken and waffles, hamburger sliders, jambalaya, salads, sandwiches and a variety of house-made soups. It offers a full bar including craft beers, Chromatic coffee and live music.

One South Market Construction Panorama

You guys have to check out this panoramic photo of the One South Market construction site. Click the photo to enlarge. As a bonus there is also a photo of things just getting started at the Family Justice Center.

Both are brought to you by Jeffrey Arko, who will be sending us more photo updates in the future as construction progresses. Thanks for your contributions!

The Colossal Show @ MACLA

On August 3rd, MACLA Art Gallery will be the host of the Colossal Show, a variety show featuring some of the funniest comedians and most talented musicians.

Having an art gallery as a venue allows comedians to practice an alternative brand of comedy and musicians a very intimate setting for a memorable performance. Audiences are also afforded the opportunity to support the local performing art scene away from cover charges and the two-item minimum.

It's also BYOB! Beer and Wine only, but bring as much as you'd like. Food is also welcomed.

Ben DelCastillo will be hosting a stellar line-up. The show features comedians: David Nguyen, Imran G-i, Clare O'Kane, and Nick Aragon! We're also excited to have musicians Shaanz and Brooke D share the stage!

$10 is all we ask. Most of the proceeds goes towards covering the cost of producing the show

RSVP online @ thecolossalshow.ticketleap.com or call (408) 256-2690

Doors open at 7:30pm and show starts at 8pm on Saturday, August 3rd, 2013.

The Mmoon Has Closed

Many of you know this already, but The Mmoon has officially closed their empanada shop and soccer lounge Downtown. Just like VeggieBox at the SPSM, I feel like the timing of the closure is not so great. Things are turning around Downtown and I hate to think that if they had just stuck around for just a few more months, they would have seen a huge improvement in business. With The Farmer's Union opening next door, San Pedro Square in general heating up, two new high-rises less than a block away, and the new Earthquakes Stadium... it seems they are leaving right before a key inflection point. Anyways, I am sad to see them go as I really enjoyed their empanadas and they were the first in a big wave of unique restaurants to come Downtown. I'm hoping they will have a worthy successor, as I'm sure that space will not be vacant for long.

  

 

Dear Loyal Mmoon Customers,

Our Downtown San Jose location (Soccer Lounge) will be
closing permanently effective Tuesday, July 16. 

 

We are consolidating our operations to our Los Gatos store (only 5 miles from San Jose). We will continue to provide all catering and online delivery services and will expand our delivery zone to accommodate customers that have ordered from our San Jose location. 

Thank you for your patronage, we look forward to seeing you in Los Gatos.

FOCUS: STREET ART Premiers Today at the MLK Library Downtown

Don't miss "FOCUS: STREET ART". A photo exhibit by Randy O. that will be featured at the Dr Martin Luther King Jr Library, 150 E San Fernando St, in San Jose from the 27th of July until the 26th of August 2013.

Fascinated by contemporary spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle's, take on "Chaos and the Higher Order", Randy's work is inspired by simple, common everyday objects and images that form part of our lives like graffiti, rusting pipes or peeling paint, which are insignificant yet he sees them as art forms by focusing from a different perspective.

 His  work is characterized by vibrant, highly induced colors, rich textures, asymmetrical lines, a play of lights and shadows and dramatic contrasts that is designed to stimulate the mind.

Prior to venturing into fine art, he spent the last 30 years as a graphic designer, photographer, color separation specialist and commercial printer. With so many years dealing with a discerning clientele in the advertising industry, his work has now come full circle.

What many people don't know is  that it takes a whole team to create the perfect images that are exhibited by top photographers in high end galleries. What Randy O. hopes to achieve through 4 Archival Print is to level the playing field by helping aspiring photographers and artists reproduce limited and open edition prints with the same artistic feel and high quality to increase the marketability of their work.

He has developed a special discounted program for students to reproduce their work and encourages them to register at www.4archivalprint.com to avail of these discounted prices.

Here is a sample of his work printed on Archival Monet Canvas by Hahnemuehle.
43" x 33" in size using Ultra Krome 3 ink which will be on exhibit.
Title: The Chameleon

San Jose's Hermitage Brewing Company Now Has a Tap Room!

San Jose seems to be turning a brisk walk towards becoming a beer destination into a full-out run. Hermitage, an award-wining local craft beer company, has recently announced that they opened a tap room at their brewery on 1627 South 7th Street. They are located really close to Downtown, parking is free, and they are open Thursday and Friday from 4-7pm and Saturday from 12-5pm. I can't wait to check these guys out! For more information on their beers, head over to the Hermitage website over here.






Hermitage Brewery
1627 S 7th Street
San Jose, CA 95112

Phone Number:
(408) 291-0966

Tasting Room Hours
Thu: 4pm - 7pm
Fri: 4pm - 7pm
Sat: 12pm - 5pm

Moveable Feast Expands to SoFA and Valley Fair!

More great new for SoFA. Moveable Feast has started a new food truck event that will happen every Thursday night at Parque de los Pobladores! There will also be multiple trucks at Valley Fair throughout the week to help feed people during the food court remodel and an expanded North Park food truck event. For more info, just check out the newsletter below or head over to the Moveable Feast website.

Your Weekend Guide to Moveable Feast July 18, 2013 Food. Live music. Art. Moveable Feast: SoFA The best in street food returns to it's original stomping grounds of downtown San Jose EVERY Thursday night at the newly renovated Parque de los Pobladores on the corner of Market and Williams in the SoFA District. Moveable Feast will be working with several galleries, museums  and institutes of the South First Area for this unique dinner event held from 5 pm to 9 pm with Gold Rush Eatery, Hill Country BBQ, Treatbot, and more. Live performances will be part of the programing as well. Check out our Facebook event page for more details! Grand Opening Weekend kicks off for the San Jose Night Market!  After two fun filled soft launch weekends we are proud to present the official opening of the San Jose Night Market! We have been listening to all the suggestions and feedback and we will continue to grow this new San Jose tradition to where it needs to be. So you will be seeing in the weeks ahead new vendors, games, and entertainment filling up the corners. With many more surprises to come too! So personally invite your friends and family to start your weekend with us. Hope to see you soon! NOTE: Parking is now FREE! There is a small admission fee of $2 per person (children 6 and under free). Check out our Facebook event pages for THIS Friday and Saturday. Sunday North Park Picnic We have moved our Sunday lunch event from Garden City to North Park for EVERY Sunday. Moved from 350 Saratoga Avenue to 70 Descanso Drive in San Jose, we are able to give you a large park to spread out a blanket and create a spontaneous picnic all summer long. Enjoy the sun, fun, and grub!  See our Facebook event page for more. For Garden City locals, keep an eye out for new event announcement for that location.

San Jose 2030 Video Showing Centara and One South Market Updates

David Manzo from San Jose 2030 was able to get rooftop access to two Downtown high-rises: 225 W Santa Clara and 55 South Market. He shot the following video showcasing the current Downtown skyline and construction progress on both Centara and One South Market. I'm so happy seeing major projects like this moving forward. David was also able to talk the guys at 55 South Market into installing a webcam, so we may soon be able to see updates in real-time. Check out the video at the San Jose 2030 Facebook page over here!

First Annual Silicon Valley Beer Week

The beer scene in San Jose has exploded this year. Downtown in particular is well poised to become a beer destination with establishments like Original Gravity, Good Karma, O'Flaherty's, The Market Beer Co., ISO: Beers, Santa Clara Valley Brewing, Gordon Biersch, The Farmer's Union, and many others to come.

As a testament to our progress, next week we will be celebrating the First Annual Silicon Valley Beer Week. Between July 28th and August 3rd, you will be able to participate in craft beer-focused events throughout Silicon Valley (and especially in Downtown San Jose). For more information you can read the press release below or check out the Silicon Valley Beer Week website over here.

July 2013 Downtown Dimension Highlights

Here are my notes from the latest edition of Downtown Dimension:

• 1,400 Downtown San Jose apartments are now in the planning stages. Less than 4% of the remaining condos from the 2007-08 high-rise boom remain for sale. New projects include:
• Centerra - 21 stories, 327 units
• One South Market - 23 stories, 312 units
• The Pierce - 7 stories, 235 units
• North San Pedro Townhomes - 6 stories, 408 units
• Symphony Development - 7 stories, 129 units
• Some interesting stats on who is moving Downtown:
• 26% are 26-35 years old, 33% are 36-45 years old, 21% are 46-55
• 57% have master's degrees
• 72% have owned a home before
• 95% wanted to live Downtown
• 40% of recent homebuyers at The 88 make over $300,000/year (!)
• Half of the recent homebuyers at Axis make between $150,000-$250,000/year
• On Aug 2nd there will be a huge South First Friday and Street Market.
• ArtPlace America funded Downtown's growing arts scene for the third consecutive year, giving MACLA $750,000 to transform its interior space into an imaginative urban art center.
• Eight new start-ups have moved to Downtown San Jose from Ireland: 45Sound, Cleverbug, Connected Trips, Fanton, Pubble, Synergy Suite, Viddyad, WholeWorldBrand
• The Discover San Jose store opened at 150 S. First St.
• Amor Cafe and Tea opened at 110 E. San Fernando.
• Seeing Things Gallery is open at 30 N. Third St., and features unique art shows, books, and self-published magazines.
• Ana's Libreria Bookstore at 20 N. First has spiritual and therapy books in both Spanish and English as well as jewelry.
• The $320 million Santa Clara County Courthouse broke ground on July 16th.
• Downtown Hotel Occupancy has gone from 50.16% in 2009 to 69.92% in 2012.

To read the full newsletter, click here!

San Jose's Joey Chestnut Breaks World Record for Eating Hot Dogs

It is not every day that you see a San Josean featured in Sports Illustrated. What was Joey Chestnut's athletic feat? He ate an amazing 69 hot dogs in 10 minutes, breaking his own previous record of 68 Hot Dogs last year. This is his seventh consecutive title!

69 hot dogs contain about 8 days worth of calories for an average man, and 1,173 grams of fat (a normal American has 40-50 grams of fat per day). Even Ronald McDonald is impressed.

Source: Sports Illustrated

San Jose is Named the Best Metro for STEM Grads

San Jose claims yet another national title, and this one is substantial. San Jose ranked as the top market in the country for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) jobs. Based on metrics such as percentage of total jobs that require STEM Bachelor degrees or higher, average salary, and overall salary, each market was given a particular score.

With 24% of San Jose jobs requiring a STEM degree, an average STEM job salary of $115,744, and a $69,794 average salary for all jobs... San Jose utterly destroyed the competition with an aggregate score of 97.5.  Washington came in second place with a score of 78.6. San Francisco took 4th place with 15% of jobs needing a STEM degree and a $104,041 average STEM salary... meaning if you are looking for a STEM career you will make almost $12,000 less in San Francisco (without including the additional 2% in taxes you will pay for city-wide health insurance).

The full top 10 list is below.

Source: SVBJ, Nerd Wallet

Top Ten Metro Areas for STEM Graduates

 1.    San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

The San Jose – Sunnyvale – Santa Clara metro area is a hub for STEM jobs in a variety of industries. As a major section of the Silicon Valley, the metro area is the headquarters for large technology employers like Intel, NetApp and Adobe Systems. The area also has high volumes of jobs in the manufacturing, healthcare and information industries. Santa Clara University’s School of Engineering offers high school students the chance to develop engineering knowledge with their SEED (Spring Engineering Education Days) and One Step Ahead programs. One Step Ahead is specifically designed to support female students in the GAINS (Girls Achieving in Non-Traditional Subjects)program.

2.    Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

Despite being located in the political and governmental center of the US, the Washington – Arlington – Alexandria metro area is not just home to politicians and lobbyists. Plentiful and high value jobs in biotechnology, healthcare, computer systems design, software publishing, and science and technical consulting make it one of the best high-tech areas in the country. Large employers include Micron Technology Virginia, Computer Sciences Corporation, George Mason University and the Marine Corps Base Quantico. George Mason University’s STEM Accelerator program is dedicated to attracting and graduating more STEM majors in addition to helping them find employment in the STEM fields.

3.    Huntsville, AL

Huntsville receives a significant amount of economic support from the presence of Redstone Arsenal, the Army missile program facility and the home of the Marshall Space Flight Center. Huntsville has strong science, technology, architecture, engineering, and computer and math sciences industries.

4.    San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA

Known for its growing tech industry, San Francisco is a hotbed of STEM jobs.  The local universities emphasize STEM as well, and UC Berkeley has clubs devoted to LGBT STEM communities and mentorship of women in STEM.  With Silicon Valley nearby and SOMA just downtown, STEM grads will find plenty of tech companies to work with, including tech giants such as Google, Facebook, Dropbox and Twitter.

5.    Trenton-Ewing, NJ

Trenton was a major manufacturing center, and the city is now home to many government jobs.  Trenton’s biggest employer is the State of New Jersey.  The Center for Excellence in STEM Education has brought together a multidisciplinary team of educators, researchers and practitioners to determine STEM curriculum and learning techniques for pre-kindergarten through grade 20.

6.    Boulder, CO

Almost 17% of Boulder’s jobs require a STEM bachelor’s degree or higher.  Boulder is one of themost educated places in the United States, and the Colorado Collaborative for Girls in STEM, funded by the National Science Foundation, encourages girls to pursue STEM careers.  CU-Boulder has done groundbreaking research in student learning and curricular assessment through their Center for STEM Learning as well.

7.    Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

Seattle is known for its clean technology, life sciences and healthcare industries, all of which attract STEM workers.  The city educates its youth in STEM as well—the University of Washington runs Green Energy, a STEM camp for middle schoolers.  For networking and coordination between STEM groups, Washington STEM is a great resource for holistic STEM education, both in the classroom and outside.

8.    Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH

Boston’s healthcare and research industries create a high demand for STEM expertise in the city. Massachusetts General Hospital is a top employer in the city, and the city is home to more than fifty colleges and universities, earning it the nickname “America’s College Town.”  Boston’s colleges offer plenty of programs that enrich the STEM knowledge of local kids as well.  Northeastern University runs a summer STEM program for middle school students, and MIT offers an innovative Women’s Technology Program that enrolls high school girls in a rigorous STEM summer camp.

9.    Ann Arbor, MI

With the University of Michigan as Ann Arbor’s largest employer, it’s no wonder the city has plenty to offer STEM graduates.  Ann Arbor also has thriving manufacturing, healthcare, automotive and biomedical research industries.  This high-tech area also holds programs to enrich youth growing up in Ann Arbor—the M-STEM Academy at the University of Michigan allows outstanding K-12 students to take summer classes and offers stipends, research experience and internships.

10. Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, WA

The Tri-Cities economy is largely based on farming, wine, healthcare and the automotive industry.  The agriculture and healthcare industries require plenty of STEM knowledge, and the Washington State STEM Education Foundation has played a large role in emphasizing STEM education for publicly educated students.

Original Gravity Public House Celebrates One Year Anniversary

Original Gravity Public House opened a year ago and has certainly helped to add further legitimacy to the burgeoning San Jose craft beer scene. Tomorrow starting at 12:30 p.m., they're throwing a party in honor of their one-year anniversary. Among the festivities is an impressive tap lineup. Co-owner Dan Phan recently told me that he is particularly excited about the very limited West Ashley ale from Capitola's Sainte Adairius Rustic Ales, which is scheduled to be tapped at 2 p.m.

And for those that sometimes wished that Original Gravity had more space, your wish will come true as the owners have told me that they are working on expanding by a thousand square feet. Very cool news!

You can check out the details of the one-year celebration event on their website or their Facebook event page.

Original Gravity 1 year anniversary. Credits: Andy Lee

Die Hard Company Now Featuring Earthquakes Shirts!

Last time I plugged Die Hard Company, people asked where the Quakes gear was. Well, they are finally here! Die Hard Company is releasing their very first shirt design honoring the San Jose Earthquakes and they are on sale for 20% off until July 20th. For more information click here.

Valley Fair's New Dining Terrace

I could have sworn that Valley Fair remodeled their food court not long ago. Either way, they are stepping it up again with a 23,000 SQFT dining terrace that will ad 10 new food choices into the mix. The aesthetic seems very modern and high-end and is said to feel much more open than the current food court.

They are also beefing up their luxury collection of stores with 14 new retailers and announcements for a dozen more in the next few months. I'm still waiting for that 650,000 SQFT expansion with Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdales to kick off.

Source: SVBJ

Photos of One South Market Barricades

The One South Market residential high-rise continues to move forward! There are now perimeter barricades all the way around the development site and they created a staging area on northbound San Pedro Street between Santa Clara and Post. I can't wait to see this building start to rise later this year.

Hat tip to Jeffrey Arko for sending in the photos!

Meridian Mixed-Use Retail Tenants

It looks like some of the retail for the Meridian Mixed-Use project in Midtown San Jose is already spoken for. Based on the image below the project will have:

• Chase Bank
• Chipotle
• Five Guys
• Subway
• A Yogurt Shop
• A Day Spa

Not too shabby for a five story apartment building. In the past a project like this would have likely not received any retail at all.

Source: credit goes to an anonymous poster, speak up in the comments if you want the credit =)

Bike Sharing is Coming Soon to Downtown San Jose!

About 15 bike-sharing stations are coming to Downtown San Jose in August. The program will be available 24 hours per day, 7 days a week. The bikes themselves seem a lot better than other bike-sharing programs around the world with LED lights, a 7-speed grip shift, and drum brakes. In fact, they cost over $1,000 per bike.

The pricing for membership in the program is only $88/year. You can also get a 24 hour membership for $9 or pay $22 for a 3 day membership. Membership give you unlimited rentals up to 30 minutes, and you can pay more if you need extra time. Whenever you go to a station, it resets the 30 minutes timer, allowing you to use the same bike for a longer period of time without have to pay any extra fees.

You can click on the images below to learn more about the bike and see the exact locations of the Downtown stations (there will also be a Japantown station). For more information and to register for membership, head over to the Bay Area BikeShare website over here. They are accepting memberships starting today!

San Jose Bacon Festival!

The Garlic Festival in Gilroy is one of the largest food festivals in California and is a huge draw for from all around the Bay Area. What could possibly be better than Garlic? BACON. Lots and lots of bacon! I'm all over this. Hopefully this will one day grow to the same scale as the Garlic Festival. They are off to a good start with food trucks all offering bacon dishes, a bacon cooking competition, a bacon beauty pageant (???), a bacon parade, bacon games, and even a bacon square dance. 

Right now they are looking for vendors (more info below), but I'm sure more info will be revealed closer to the event on Saturday, August 31st.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

San Jose Bacon Festival

 

Saturday, August 31st
11:00 am to 10:00 pm

 

San Jose Flea Market
1411 Mabury Road
San Jose, California 95133

What's more All-American than the SJ Bacon Festival on Labor Day weekend?!

During the day, the festival runs alongside the bustling SJ Flea Market at Berryessa. And at night, the festival runs alongside the popular  The Night Market.

At the festival, there are lots of food trucks--all offering special bacon dishes for $5 or less! There is a Bacon Cooking Competition, a Bacon Beauty Pageant, a Bacon Parade, a Bacon Square Dance, bacon games and more!

  Learn about vending at the Bacon Festival > 

 Vendor Submissions are open until Tuesday, August 13th.

  

If you have a questions regarding this application process, contact Stephanie at sanjosemade.steph@gmail.com.

Saturday Stats: San Jose Ranks as the #10 Best City of Same-Sex Weddings

With the demise of the Defense of Marriage Act, California cities can now be included as the best places for gay weddings. Those cities will benefit from increased dollars being pumped into the economy for ceremonies and receptions, as well as happier residents that are no longer discriminated against.

San Jose ranked #10 on the list of best cities for same-sex weddings in the country. San Francisco ranked #1, and I will say that is well deserved (there, I paid a rare compliment to SF =).

The rankings are based on 12 different pieces of criteria including the HRC Equality Index, % of gay population, gay bars per capita, florists per capita, bridal shops per capita, hotels per capita, wedding planners per capita (SJ ranked #3), DJs per capita (SJ ranked #4), catering companies per capita, bakeries per capita, and photographers per capita (SJ ranked #3). See the full top 10 list below:

Top 10 List

1.) San Francisco, CA
2.) Seattle, WA
3.) Boston, MA
4.) Minneapolis, MN
5.) Riverside, CA
6.) Washington, D.C.
7.) San D9iego, CA
8.) Rochester, NY
9.) Los Angeles, CA
10.) San Jose, CA



Source: Movoto Blog

The 8th Annual Frida Kahlo Fundraiser

The 8th Annual Frida Kahlo Fundraiser

Frida & Diego look alike contests, silent art auction, music, performances, food & drinks.

Friday, July 12th, 6–9pm

Mexican Heritage Plaza
1700 Alum Rock Ave.
San Jose, CA

Barracuda Networks Expands to South San Jose

One area of San Jose that has been very slow to benefit from the economic recovery is Edenvale. This South San Jose tech cluster was booming in the .COM days, but has been plagued with high vacancy rates for years now. However, it looks like things are starting to turn around.

Campbell-based Barracuda Networks has decided to move their manufacturing, customer support, hardware, and design teams to a 50,000 SQFT building in Edenvale (5710 Fontanso Way). A total of 100 jobs will be moving to San Jose. All it takes is a few high-profile deals like this to spark interest from other companies.

Edenvale is not close to mass transit, but does have a lot going for it. For starters it is close to the bulk of San Jose's current residential neighborhoods. Second, for those that don't live in the immediate area, it is a super-convenient reverse commute. Lastly, companies get a ton of bang for their buck. The price per square foot for the large amounts of space available is among the lowest in Silicon Valley. Hopefully more companies will follow in Barracuda Networks' footsteps.

Source: SVBJ

Berryessa Walmart?

Well, I have some bad news today. It looks like SyWest Development wants to build a Walmart where the Century Berryessa 10 movie theaters used to be. SyWest has recently razed a beloved theater in Pleasant Hill to build several cookie-cutter big box stores, despite protest from thousands of residents. It looks like they want to do something similar in San Jose. While there is little reason to preserve the Berryessa theater, putting another generic Walmart there seems like a poor use of the space, which will only be minutes away from the new San Jose BART station in 2017.

The person to complain to is Bill Vierra, the SyWest president and COO (bill_vierra@sywest.com). More information on the flyer below.

Thanks Andrew for sending this in!

Dome Theater in Pleasant Hill that was Razed by SyWest

DRUM! Night 2013 Lineup Announced

On Friday, August 9th, a stellar group of drummers across multiple genres will be performing in Downtown San Jose (including Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chili Peppers). For all the info, check out the press release below or head over to the event website over here!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Chad Smith, Cindy Blackman-Santana & Jason Bittner will dazzle West Coast drummers in August!

San Jose, Calif. – The editors of DRUM! Magazine have announced the all-star line-up of drumming clinicians that will appear at DRUM! Night 2013. Expect lots of chops to fly when Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers/Chickenfoot), Cindy Blackman-Santana (Lenny Kravitz/Santana),Jason Bittner (Shadows Fall/Anthrax), and Street Drum Corps take the stage at the San Jose Repertory Theatre on Friday, August 9.

“We work hard to present a diverse lineup of drummers every year,” says DRUM! Magazine editorial director Andy Doerschuk. “Music media tends to pigeonhole artists into categories like ‘metal’ and ‘jazz’ — we’re just as guilty as any other music magazine. But our objective is for DRUM! Night attendees to walk away from our festival with a new appreciation for the similarities that exist between drummers like Chad, Cindy, and Jason, and be exposed to styles of music they might not otherwise hear.”

The star-studded roster of past DRUM! Night performers is proof of this proposition. Previous DRUM! Night festivals have featured living legends like Terry Bozzio, David Garibaldi, Kenny Aronoff, and Thomas Lang, as well as emerging hotshots like Thomas Pridgen, Queen Cora Dunham, Marco Minnemann, and Tim Yeung.

In addition to this year’s incredible array of talent, DRUM! Night 2013 will feature a gear expo, raffle, silent auction, and presentation of the 2013 BADAAS (Bay Area Drummers Achievement Awards) trophy to a local drumming legend whose name will remain a secret until the onstage presentation of the award. Paul Bostaph of Slayer and Mike Bordin of Faith No More were the first two annual honorees.

For more information and tickets, go to drumnight2013.com. And be sure to pick up a copy of the August issue of DRUM! to read our cover story featuring the stars of DRUM! Night.

About Chad Smith

Chad Smith has played drums with The Red Hot Chili Peppers since 1988, appearing on every Chili Peppers album since the band’s 1989 breakthrough, Mother’s Milk. When not working with the Chili Peppers, Smith has remained busy with such side projects as the all-star band Chickenfoot and instrumental fusion outfit Chad Smith’s Bombastic Meatbats, as well as a long list of studio sessions with such diverse artists as Kid Rock, Glenn Hughes, Brandi Carlile, Johnny Cash, and The Dixie Chicks. Over the years, Smith has also contributed time to charitable causes including MusiCares, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Children’s Hospitals, among others.

About Cindy Blackman-Santana

One of the few drummers who is equally compelling in jazz or rock settings, Cindy Blackman-Santana began to turn heads after moving to New York City in the early ’80s, and within a short time started racking up credits with such jazz luminaries as Freddie Hubbard, Sam Rivers, and Jackie McLean. She released her first solo album, Arcane, in 1987, and has continued to enjoy a prolific solo career. Blackman-Santana elevated her profile considerably when she began playing with Lenny Kravitz in 1993, and continued to play with him until 2004, when she decided to focus on solo jazz projects like her recent Spectrum Road super-group with bassist Jack Bruce, guitarist Vernon Reid, and organist John Medeski.

About Jason Bittner

Best known as the hard-hitting drummer with Shadows Fall, Jason Bittner gained prominence in the early 2000s during the New Wave Of American Heavy Metal movement. He has won multiple drumming awards, been featured on the cover of drumming magazines, and became a popular clinician at international drumming festivals. Bittner has twice toured with Anthrax, filling in for founding drummer Charlie Benante, and has developed a reputation as an educator through his work as a faculty member for the 2007 Drum Fantasy Camp, and with the release of his method book Drumming Out Of The Shadows and instructional DVD What Drives The Beat.

About Street Drum Corps

Since their formation, Street Drum Corps has blown away audiences at nearly every major U.S. festival with their combination of thunderous percussion and visual stimuli. SDC’s shows are a primordial, stomping blast of energy, theatricality, and passion. There’s a reason why members of No Doubt, Bad Religion, and Projeckt Revolution tour mates Atreyu all want to play with them. Why Conan O’Brien invited them to perform on his show. And why The Used’s Bert McCracken has practically adopted them as his pet band. SDC are more concerned with rhythm than genre. In their performances, one hears tribal, rock, punk, dance, and industrial.

About Enter Music Publishing

Founded in San Jose, California, in 1992, Enter Music Publishing, Inc. is a leading publisher of cutting-edge drum and percussion magazines, with distribution in 40 countries. DRUM! is the flagship publication of Enter Music Publishing, Inc. and continues to set the industry standard for editorial quality and innovation. Enter Music Publishing, Inc. also publishes great content on its website, drummagazine.com. Over the company’s history, Enter Music Publishing has spearheaded other well-respected publications, such as How To Play Drums and TRAPS magazines. The company’s mission is to be the best source of drumming news and info on this planet. The company’s founders, Phil Hood and Andy Doerschuk, are well-respected drum industry veterans with more than 50 years of experience in the field.

For more information:

Andy Doerschuk

Editorial Director, DRUM! Magazine

408-971-9794, ex. 215

andy@drumlink.com

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Andy Doerschuk
Editorial Director, Enter Music Publishing
95 South Market St., Suite 430
San Jose, CA 95113
408-971-9794, ex. 215
andy@drumlink.com

The San Jose Night Market is Back!

Now in its second year, the San Jose Night Market is back in full swing at 1411 Mabury Road. Inspired by similar outdoor events in Asia, you will be able to find all sorts of vendors, street food tents, gourmet food trucks, and even farmer's market booths at the Night Market. Come check it out any Friday or Saturday night from 6pm-11pm!

Fore more information, visit the Night Market website here or their Facebook page here.

O'Flaherty's "54 Launch Tap Party"

I never used to think of O'Flaherty's as the go-to destination for craft beer, but they have truly become an anchor for the Downtown beer scene. This Tuesday at 8pm, they are celebrating their new taps--all 54 of them--by selling all their draft beers for $1! Let me say that one more time... they are selling all 54 of their beers for $1 each! If that wasn't good enough, they are sweetening the deal with free hor'dourves.

This event is a no-brainer if you even remotely enjoy beer. Don't miss out on this very rare opportunity, it may never come again! For more information check out their website over here.

Saturday Stats: San Jose Ranked as #1 Most Innovative City

Newsweek has named the San Jose area as the #1 most innovative metro based on number of patents created. Another interesting stat is that 63% of all the patents in the US are submitted by people living in the top 20 metros. Those people only make up 34% of the US's population.

Thanks Dan for the link!

Source: Newsweek

MOST PATENT-INTENSIVE METRO AREAS

San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara, CA
Avg. Patents*: 9,237
Patent Intensity**: 10.29

Burlington–South Burlington, VT
Avg. Patents: 826
Patent Intensity: 6.86

Rochester, MN
Avg. Patents: 606
Patent Intensity: 5.70

Corvallis, OR
Avg. Patents: 194
Patent Intensity: 4.83

Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, N.Y.
Avg. Patents: 1,226
Patent Intensity: 4.70

Boulder, CO
Avg. Patents: 666
Patent Intensity: 4.04

San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont, CA
Avg. Patents: 7,003
Patent Intensity: 3.59

Santa Cruz–Watsonville, CA
Avg. Patents: 310
Patent Intensity: 3.20

Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos, TX
Avg. Patents: 2,497
Patent Intensity: 3.09

Ann Arbor, MI
Avg. Patents: 590
Patent Intensity: 2.93

*Averaged over 2007 to 2011.
**Patents per thousand workers, annual average between 2007 and 2011.

55 Market Facelift Looking Good

If you have driven by Market Street lately, you may have noticed the shiny new facade of 55 Market (aka, the gold building). I think it looks pretty sleek, but with so much empty space in the lobby I wish they added a new retail sport or two. Regardless, this is a huge improvement over what was there before and will compliment One South nicely.

Source: Team San Jose

Happy 4th of July Everyone!

Hope you all have a fun and safe Fourth! Don't forget to check out the 2013 Rose, White & Blue Parade today on the Alameda.

Buena Vista Midtown Senior Apartments

Construction is now well underway for the Buena Vista apartment project in midtown. I don't believe that I have mentioned this project before. Buena Vista will have 95 units available for those that are 55-years-old and and meet income qualifications. The community will have several amenities and activity programs to serve residents, and the locations is right between Downtown and Santana Row. The project should be ready by next summer and you can see the full construction schedule below.

Thanks Mark for sending this in!

Hours of Construction

The City of San Jose has issued permit approvals for this development requiring that construction activity and deliveries occur Monday - Friday,  7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Additional notification and City approvals may be provided, for specific activities to be conducted outside of these hours such as on Saturdays.

Project Schedule & Sequencing

Construction will begin Thursday, May 9, 2013 and complete in approximately September of 2014.

Dates are approximate. For more detailed notifications and updates, sign up for Email Updates.
1.  May 9-17, 2013: Demolition
2.  May-June 2013: Mass Excavation (The process of digging the subterranean garage), with approximately 1-2 weeks of compaction, subject to change.
3.  Summer 2013: Concrete Pumps and Pouring
4.  Fall 2013: 1st Phase of Underground Utilities- Equipment in the streets and compaction
5.  September 2013 - January 2014: Framing the Building, cranes and manpower, delivery of prefabricated framing
6.  December 2013-June 2014: Finishes - Building in full swing with various trades (plumbers, electricians, drywallers, etc.)
7.  Summer 2014: 2nd Phase of Underground Utilities
8.  Summer 2014: Final touches, paving, landscaping, cleaning 

Truck Routes (Deliveries & Hauling)

All large equipment and trucks will be directed to enter from the southeast corner of the site and exit by continuing west on West San Carlos Street; they will be directed through signage not to turn north on either Buena Vista or Willard Avenues. The northern-most lane of W San Carlos Street will be closed during construction and pedestrian detours will be posted.

Closing the traffic lane adjacent to the site maximizes the "buffer" of distance between construction activity and the residences to the northwest, north, and northeast.

A roadway easement has been issued during construction allowing Fiesta Lane, adjacent to the Senior Apartment Site, to be used during construction for staging or equipment, as long as access is afforded to Townhome residents and visitors at all times.

Parking

Core Builders will instruct subcontractors arriving on site to park throughout public streets in a 2 block radius around the site in order to avoid parking inundation to any single area. The subterranean garage will be available to accommodate some construction parking when it is completed by late 2013.

Construction Informational Meeting

This meeting was held on May 2, 2013 at 6:00 p.m., and 17 attendees signed the sign-in sheet at the meeting. Download the
Agenda/Handout from the May 2 meeting below.

construction_meeting_handout_5-2-13.pdf

Download File

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Contact Information

The Site Superintendent is Joel Hannagan of Core Builders. If you have questions or concerns regarding the construction of Buena Vista Midtown Senior Apartments on West San Carlos Street, please contact Joel at 408-373-0444 orjhannagan@thecorecompanies.com.

Main Point of Contact for Neighbors
Joel Hannagan, Site Superintendent: jhannagan@thecorecompanies.com, Cell: 408-373-0444 
Pieter Joosen – Project Manager, pjoosen@thecorecompanies.com Office Ph: (408) 293-9728 x36
Crystal Madeiros – Project Administrator, cmadeiros@thecorecompanies.com, Office Ph: (408) 293-9728 x17
Jim Feeley – Vice President of Construction, jfeeley@thecorecompanies.com, Office Phone: (408) 293-9728 x38

Mailing Address: Core General Contractor Inc.
dba CORE Builders
470 South Market Street
San Jose, CA  95113-2819