La Vic's Opening a Third Restaurant Downtown!

If you can't get enough orange sauce, you'll have one more La Victoria restaurant Downtown to help you get your fix. La Vic's is taking over the former Tico's Tacos site at 291 N. Fourth and Julian (this was the oldest Mexican restaurant in San Jose, established in 1957). As far as I know, La Vics will be the only homegrown San Jose restaurant to expand to three locations in Downtown San Jose. They have a total of five restaurants in the greater San Jose area.

Super Micro Planning a 1.6 Million SQFT Complex in North San Jose

Super Micro is a multi-billion dollar networking and communications company headquartered in San Jose with over 1,100 employees based here. They recently purchased the San Jose Mercury News headquarters in North San Jose--which is near their current headquarters--and have started revealing their intentions for the site.

Super Micro would like to build out a 1.6 Million SQFT project, comprising of both manufacturing space and offices. The plans also include 2,800 parking spaces, indicating that they plan on having at least as many employees. Phase 1 of the project would only include a 140,000 SQFT warehouse and 30,000 SQFT office building, with a whole lot more to come in future phases.

The net result will be more high-paying jobs in San Jose, always a good thing.

Source: The Merc, SVBJ

Community Towers Getting a $6M Upgrade

Swift Realty Partners purchased the Community Towers buildings near the San Pedro Square Market for $40M. The company is going to maximize their investment by spending an additional $6M to do substantial upgrades across the two buildings that comprise 309,235 SQFT of prime Downtown real estate.

The improvements will include redoing the lobbies, upgrading the outside areas, and enhancing the flow between the two buildings. A significant amount of money will also be used to improve the back-end infrastructure such as plumbing, electrical, and mechanical systems.

The San Pedro Area is really turning around nicely and these improvements will hopefully help drive office vacancy rates lower in the Downtown Area.

Source: SVBJ, Hat tip to William Burch

Japantown's 37th Annual Nikkei Matsuri Today, 9:30am-4pm

Japantown is considered one of San Jose's hippest neighborhoods, and today they are going to be extra hip with a massive event. The Nikkei Maturi is a festival that celebrates the community's appreciation for Japanese-American culture and heritage. The event was started in 1976 and includes variety of performances (marial arts, dance, music), cultural displays, a Japanese food court, and Japanese arts & crafts fair. Expect a solid day of Japanese culture immersion! The core of the event is at 5th and Jackson, but I'm sure all of Japantown will be partying today.

Free Admission to History Park Today + Yard Sale From 10am-2pm

History San José to Host Yard Sale in the Park

Free Admission to History Park

Sunday, April 27, 10 AM to 2 PM

 

San Jose, CA – April 23, 2014 --- Springtime is always yard sale season. History San José will host a Spring Yard Sale in the Park Sunday, April 27 from 10 AM to 2 PM.

Admission to History Park is free for the Yard Sale.

 

The Yard Sale in the Park at History Park, in Kelley Park, will feature individual booths of used lamps, grandma’s china, toys, and a lot of other people’s wares, all positioned throughout the park.

 

Even History San José’s Collection Center is getting in on the action. There will be an HSJ book booth, offering duplicate, unuseable, or deaccessioned books for sale. There is a fairly large collection of books on U. S. Naval history and seafaring.

 

There are also several boxes of player piano rolls, and wax cylinders, mainly Edison Company, for player pianos.

 

Food will be available for purchase, and O’Briens Café in the Pacific Hotel will feature San Jose own’s Treat ice cream. Live music by Fiddle Road and other food vendors will be a part of the Yard Sale event.

 

“The Yard Sale in the Park is better than a garage sale, a block sale, or sitting in your own driveway, added Alida Bray, President and CEO of HSJ. “It’s fun!”

 

For more information call 408 287-2290 or visit www.historysanjose.org

History Park is located at 1650 Senter Road, between Phelan and Keyes at the south end of Kelley Park in San José, CA  95112.  For GPS tracking, History Park is at 635 Phelan Road in San José, CA  95112.

 

# # # 

 

About History San José: 

History San José is a non-profit organization that collects, preserves and celebrates the stories of diversity and innovation in San José and the Santa Clara Valley. HSJ manages one of the largest and most comprehensive regional history collections in the State of California, from 1784 Spanish governmental records to twenty-first century Silicon Valley technology. 

History San José     1650 Senter Road     San José, CA  95112      408.287.2290

 

Website:  historysanjose.org

Facebook: /historysanjose

Twitter: @historysanjose

Blog: historysanjose.blogspot.com/

Saturday Stats: San Jose is the #11 Top City for Millennials to Live, Work, and Play

Niche Data has ranked the top 25 cities for millennials to reside based on a variety of factors such as crime rates, college graduate surveys, rent costs, and median income. As expected, both New York City and San Francisco ranked well with the #1 and #5 spots respectively. However, San Jose which is often perceived as a place to "graduate to" after you have a family also fared well in 11th place.

A big myth is also expelled, which is the percentage of young people in each of these regions (the assumption is that San Jose has fewer). Both San Jose and San Francisco have 15% of their population between ages 25-35, while New York is slightly less at 14%. Also while San Jose and New York have "low" crime rates, San Francisco is ranked as "average." Check out the source link for the full list of cities!

Source: Huff Post Collect, Hat tip to our friend Dan De La O

Fahrenheit 9 Year Anniversary

Tomorrow Fahrenheit is celebrating nine years of being a part of the Downtown San Jose community. Their award winning cuisine features all organic and locally sourced meats, seafood, and veggies. To celebrate their anniversary they are offering complimentary hor d'oeuvres and champagne from 7pm to 10pm. Late night celebrations will run from 9pm to 1:30am and include 1/2 priced Craft Beers and Specialty Cocktails from 9pm to 10:30pm.

Music will be provided by various resident DJs and Yo Yolie. There will also be surprises and goodies throughout the event and entry will be free all night long.

Indian Motorcycle Opening Up Shop in San Jose

A new Indian Motorcycle dealership clocking in at 8,988 SQFT is schedule to open at 460 Meridian Avenue this summer in a space that used to host a Diddams party supply warehouse. The location will carry both new and used Indian and Victory brand bikes, parts, apparel, and will also have a service shop.

When it opens, it will be the only Indian Motorcycle franchise in San Jose and one of two in the Bay Area. The grand opening weekend is schedule for June 28-29 and they will be celebrating with food, music, prizes, and test-rides.

Source: SVBJ

Silicon Valley Restaurant Week ~ April 30 to May 7

The biannual Silicon Valley Restaurant Week is back starting one week from today! 50 restaurants will be offering 3-course fixed price meals at reasonable prices. San Jose is heavily represented with 11 Downtown restaurants and 8 others from across the city. Some of my favorites are on the list like Arcadia, The Table, Hay Market, LB Steak, and Fahrenheit. You can even get a free ride from uber to your dining establishment of choice. To see the full list of restaurants and book a table, just head over to the Silicon Valley Restaurant Week website.

April 2014 Downtown Dimension Highlights

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

• SPUR has generated six big ideas to help steer Downtown San Jose towards becoming a more vital and dynamic urban place:
• Welcome all kinds of uses Downtown, but hold out for jobs near regional transit (includes establishing minimum densities within a half mile of BART stations and eliminating minimum parking requirements for new developments).
• Make sure what gets built adheres to key urban design principals
• Promote a larger "Central San Jose" area with Downtown as its core
• Make it easier to get to and through Downtown without a car
• Retrofit Downtown to be more pedestrian-oriented
• Build on Downtown's strengths as the cultural and creative center of the South Bay
• KT Properties hopes to break ground this year for the largest residential high-rise project Downtown--Silvery Towers--involving two high-rises across from San Pedro Square Market and featuring 643 units.
• TONS of new Restaurants:
• Taurinus Brazilian Steakhouse is now open at 167 W. San Fernando.
• First to Market is open at 399 S. First.
• Seven Seas Sushi Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar is open at 130 E. Santa Clara St. (formerly Ninja Star).
• Da Kine Island Grill is now open at 23 N. Market St. (Hula dancing and reggae bands on Saturday, old-fashioned luaus on Sundays).
• Nick the Greek is open at 143 W. Santa Clara St.
• Cafe Eden is serving Mediterranean food at 2 N. First St.
• La Victoria is opening their 5th location this summer at the former Tico's Tacos site at 291 N. Fourth and Julian. This will be their 3rd Downtown location.
• ISO: Beers is now offering a huge selection of craft beers at 75 E. Santa Clara.
• Paper Plane at 72 S. First St. offers a craft cocktail bare experience and shareable food (same owners as Original Gravity)
• Fireworks are Back this Fourth of July!!! The rotary club is is celebrating its 100th anniversary and has agreed to donate $20,000 to bringing back the fireworks show. The last fireworks show we had Downtown was in 2009 (and these would attract as many as 100,000 people).
• Light Rail is now 25 years old.
• SoFA projects are well underway which will include:
• Illuminating SoFA way-finders to connect the district with the Convention Center
• Construction of a permanent shade structure for the new plaza at Gore Park
• A series of "pop-up tiendas" to support creative artists selling their work during events in SoFA.

To read the full newsletter, click here!

Help Launch Strike Brewing Company's Taproom

Strike Brewing Company's own production brewery is scheduled to open shortly, hopefully this June, at 2099 S. 10th St., but to make sure that their taproom -- where people can actually have a place to visit, taste, and hang out -- opens around the same time, they're calling on the community for assistance.

Strike has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $20,000 to help fund the taproom. The campaign is more than half funded, but there needs to be more backers as the campaign closes this Saturday, April 26.

Visit the Kickstarter page to read more about Strike and the taproom story. As both a San Jose enthusiast and South Bay beer fan, I'm excited that Strike chose to build their brewery in San Jose. It'll be great if we could help them get to the $20,000 mark and play a part in building their taproom.

I've written a bit more about the Strike campaign on Examiner.com.

Prost! Gun bae! Cheers!

~Andy

Strike Brewing's Jenny Lewis (c) and Drew Ehrlich (r) joined by Santa Clara Valley Brewing's Steve Donohue (l), Credits: Andy Lee

LINQ at Berryessa Station

A new transit-oriented development is set to break ground in Berryessa this August and be ready for occupancy well before BART's arrival in 2017. The developer is Republic Family of Companies and the project is called LINQ at Berryessa Station.

In the plans are 230 residences with a mix of studios, one- and two-bedroom units. Amenities include a pool, fitness center, skydeck (rooftop patio?), landscaped garden with BBQs and a gazebo. The ground floor will have 12,000 SQFT of retail space, and I'm really hoping they won't all be national chains. Also part of the project is a new one-acre park.

LINQ looks like it will be about five stories tall and will be an easy walk to the BART station. Light rail will be a one station hop away and several freeways are within two miles (101, 680, 880). I wish it was taller, but overall this looks like another interesting project that we have BART to thanks for.

Source: SVBJ

San Jose Stage Company Presents "An Iliad"

San Jose Stage Company Presents An Iliad

April 9 – May 4, 2014

 

San Jose, CA – April 07, 2014 — San Jose Stage Company presents the captivating epic tale, An Iliad, adapted by Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare, opening April 9 and running through May 4.

 

Based on Homer’s The Iliad and translated by Robert Fagles, An Iliad is a breathtaking and relevant, modern retelling of a timeless classic which unleashes the thrilling tales of the Trojan War and delves into the psychology of passion and rage, ancient and modern. In this tour-de-force, one actor plays the Greek classic's famous characters Achilles, Hector, Agamemnon, and ‘the face that launched a thousand ships’ Helen of Troy. From Mt. Olympus Gods such as Apollo, Athena and Hermes come and go.

 

"Every time I sing this song, I hope it's the last time." So says ‘The Poet’ as he digs deep to sing Homer's epic story of war, honor, violence and the Greek siege of the city of Troy.

 

He's told this story for centuries. It’s a good story,” says the lone figure, emerging from the darkness, as he launches into this modern, enthralling adaptation of Homer’s epic poem that relives the glory and brutality of the Trojan War. Now in the shadow of war in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, he unleashes the power of Homer’s classic poem for a modern audience.

 

Bay Area favorite, Jackson Davis, plays ‘The Poet’ in this lean, muscular, tour-de-force performance he combines the majestic language of Homer with the informal way we speak today.

 

As The Poet recites, comments and chats, he compels his audience to connect with his story, to feel what he feels, to believe in the importance of this story. Maybe if he tells the story one more time the violence will end. 

An Iliad premiered in 2010 and has been lauded by critics across the country, including The New York Times: "Mr. O'Hare and Ms. Peterson have telescoped the mighty expanses of Homer's great poem into an evening that scales the conflict of the Trojan War down to an intimate solo show illuminating both the heroism and the horror of warfare." 

Kenneth Kelleher directs the 100-minute performance. Mr. Kelleher has directed over twenty performances for The Stage, including The Threepenny Opera, the World Premiere of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, Red, Reckless, Buried Child, On The Waterfrontand Rock ‘n’ Roll. He is currently the Artistic Director of Pacific Repertory Theatre and Resident Director of The San Francisco Shakespeare Festival. He has also directed for San Jose Repertory Theatre, TheatreWorks, California Shakespeare Festival, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Sacramento Theatre Company and B Street Theatre.

 

THE CAST:

 

Jackson Davis * (The Poet) returns to San Jose Stage Company, where he first performed in the Bay Area nearly 30 years ago inMixed Doubles, a trio of one act plays. He returns to perform in An Iliad, a piece he first performed last year at Pacific Repertory Theatre. His other theatre credits include The Fourth Messengerat The Ashby Stage, Happy End at American Conservatory Theater, Mizlansky/Zilinsky or Schmucks at San Jose Repertory Theatre, The Best Man at Aurora Theatre Company, The God of Hell at Magic Theatre, MacBeth at The San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Dead Man’s Cell Phone at SF Playhouse, Lovers and Executioners at Marin Theatre Company, Ben Franklin in Paris at 42nd Street, She Loves Me at Center REPertory Company and The Merry Wives of Windsor at Livermore Shakespeare Festival. He has also performed extensively with TheatreWorks in a variety of comedies, dramas, classics and musicals.

 

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association

 

Run Dates:     April 9 – May 4, 2014

 

Previews:       April 9, 10 and 11, 2014

 

Opening:        April 12, 2014

 

Shows:            Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 pm

Friday and Saturday at 8:00 pm

Sunday at 2:00 pm

 

Location:         The Stage, 490 South First Street, San Jose, CA

 

Tickets:           $25 - $50 with discounts for seniors, students and groups

 

Box Office:      408.283.7142 or www.thestage.org

 

Author:           Adapted by Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare

                        Based on Homer’s The Iliad, Translated by Robert Fagles

 

Director:         Kenneth Kelleher

 

Featuring:      Jackson Davis*

 

   # # # 

 

About San Jose Stage Company:

 

Now in its 31st Season, San Jose Stage Company is recognized as the San Francisco Bay Area's Premiere Off-Broadway Theatre. The Stage is known for its devotion to new and cutting-edge work and for its commitment to showcasing high-quality local talent.

 

Ranked the 3rd largest professional theatre in Silicon Valley by the Silicon Valley Business Journal, San Jose Stage Company is a vital force in the community. The Stage has earned a reputation for artistic excellence by providing high quality, edgy theatrical experiences that engage, educate and provoke audiences. That includes 148 productions, 45 new works and 13 world premieres.

 

The Stage offers five core education and outreach programs and has housed over 250 independent performance groups. Located at the Gateway to the City's Arts and Entertainment District, San Jose Stage Company, the SoFA District's first arts anchor organization, continues to promote San Jose's stature as a burgeoning regional arts center by providing live theatre experiences that enrich the quality of life in the community.

 

  # # # 

Saturday Stats: San Jose has the #3 Lowest Obesity Rate in US (For Large Cities)

We all know that obesity is a growing problem in the US, but the good news is that it is much less of a problem here than it is in other places. In a recent Gallup Well-Being survey, the San Jose area ranked as having the 3rd lowest obesity rate for any metro with a population of more than one million people. If you look at the largest 189 US Metros, we still fared quite well in 8th pace.

The most obese community in the US was Huntington-Ashland, where every two out of five people is considered obese. San Jose has half that rate with one one out of every five people being statistically obese.

Source: Gallup, Hatip to Filipe Medeiros

Great Forbes Article on Anno Domini

Silicon Valley's secret subculture is becoming less of a secret with each passing year. Forbes has just put out a great interview with Cherri Lakey and Brian Eder, the two founders of Anno Domini in SoFA. Their gallery is often ranked one of the best in the US and is a key anchor for the arts movement in Downtown San Jose. Not only did they start and continue to participate in South FIRST FRIDAYS, but they also throw the awesome SubZERO Festival each year.

Check out the interview over here. It's well worth your time, especially since you don't see an article on the San Jose art scene on a national publication like Forbes very frequently.

Source: Forbes, Hat tip to our friend Dan De La O

100% Pure Expansion

Not every company in North San Jose is tech oriented. 100% Pure is a vegan cosmetics company that sold 7 million products in 2013 through online sales, wholesale, and brick-and-mortar stores. Currently they have six boutiques in the Bay Area, including one in Santana Row.

The company is planning a huge expansion with 16 new stores across Southern California, Seattle, Portland, Chicago, and the East Coast. Instead of going with VC money, they are utilizing their own funds and loans from banks they have pre-existing relationships with.

Oh, and about that first comment: "Not every company in North San Jose is tech oriented"... I lied. 100% Pure also developed a freemium enterprise collaboration and task management tool called Incville. They are planning to spin this off into its own company with separate staff later this year. For more details, just head over to the source link below.

Source: SVBJ

Die Hards Co. Kickstarter!

San Jose natives Adam and Ben Mayberry launched the Die Hards Co. four years ago with the mission of creating unique gear for die hard Bay Area sports fans. Now they are ready to take their company to the next level with higher-quality apparel made locally in the Bay Area that will perfectly match the official colors of all seven Bay Area teams. The team launched a Kickstarter to turn their entrepreneurial dreams into a reality. Combined with a Creative Industries Incentive Fund grant that they received from the City of San Jose, this campaign will have a huge impact on helping a local San Jose business achieve success.

The best part is that they already hit their goal, meaning any pledges $5 or more will receive a guaranteed reward. To find out more, watch the video below and then head over to the Kickstarter page to contribute!

Bay Area Sports Apparel From  The DIE HARDS COMPANY Announces Launch Of A KICKSTARTER To Manucature Made In The Bay Area Apparel

SAN JOSE, Calif.,—Since 2010, local clothing company, The Die Hards Company. has been providing Bay Area sports fans apparel, including t-shirts, sweaters and hats, to wear proudly when cheering on their favorite team.  Their tagline “Sport Your Colors” is the foundation for their brand as they strictly cater to the loyal fans of the seven professional sports teams in the San Francisco Bay Area.

With innovative designs—including their best-selling “Hella,” “Fin City” and “I Survived the Stick” t-shirts—The Die Hards Co. has continued to grow, mostly from their strong social media presence. With their 4th Anniversary closing in, they intend to take their company to the next level.

The Die Hards Co. is pleased to announce the launch of a Kickstarter campaign to crowd source the funds needed to manufacture their tshirts using factories in the Bay Area.  Previously they have purchased shirts from companys that sew they blank shirt options over seash.

Through the City of San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs and the Center for Cultural Innovation, they were selected to receive the Creative Industries Incentive Fund grant. Using Kickstarter to match the funds provided in the grant, we can produce high quality, Made in the Bay Area shirts matching official colors of all seven Bay Area teams.  Without these funds they would not be able to meet the minimums needed for manufacturing

Wednesday Wishlist: More Innovation with High-Rise Designs

I recently ran across the below renders for the Hualien Wellness & Residential development over in Taiwan. Several aspects of this project stood out to me. The most obvious is the stunning and unique design which also happens to be eco-friendly. What may be less obvious is that these are actually homes for seniors and the project is no taller than 18-stories.

There is absolutely no reason why we couldn't have buildings like this in San Jose, especially since they are well within our height limit. Not only are we the Capital of Silicon Valley, but we are at the center of the Green-tech industry. We should have buildings like this that could demonstrate innovation in the housing sector in addition to traditional green industries like solar energy.

I would even go so far as to call the designs below "suburban-friendly." I could see these types of buildings replacing strip malls near transit for traditionally suburban areas without causing much of a visual disturbance to nearby neighbors. Of course, I would love to see some of these Downtown... but at some point we will have to start thinking about urbanizing other parts of San Jose while minimizing impact to surrounding areas.

Source: Inhabitat

Content Magazine Issue 6.1 Pickup Party Today

It's that time again! Content Magazine is having a pick up party at MACLA in San Jose's SoFA Disctirct. The theme of the new issue is "Sight & Sound." Subscribers will get appetizers from the awesome First to Market as well as a free drink for themselves and their +1. There will even be a Fashion Show.

The event runs from 6-8pm today and MACLA is located at 510 S. 1st Street. For more info on this great publication, visit Content Magazine.

US Chamber of Commerce Coming to Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley is grabbing more national political attention lately and one of the most powerful lobbying groups is seeking to open a satellite office in the area. The goal is to lure VCs and startup companies to join the organization, which already has over 300,000 members. A few large tech companies in the area such as Apple and Yahoo are no longer members, likely because they are large enough to operate their independent lobbying group in Washington DC.

While a location has not been decided yet for their outpost, I have to say they could not pick a better place than Downtown San Jose. They would have easy access to both San Jose and Santa Clara County political operations, the Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce, the new Patent Office, and thousands of companies within a 10 mile radius. It is also the only location that is easily accessed by multiple freeways, Light Rail, Caltrain, Amtrack, and soon Bus Rapid Transit. The last part of my pitch is the hundreds of restaurants, cultural and entertainment venues, convention center, and Arena within walking distance. I hope they take a very serious look Downtown and honestly would be surprised if they picked any other location.

Source: SVBJ

VTA Light Rail Turns 25!

Last Friday, VTA celebrated 25 years of Light Rail service in Silicon Valley. Each morning during my commute, I am seeing more and more people hopping on Light Rail along Tasman. I think with the 49ers Stadium, BART, and the upcoming efficiency improvements... the system is finally going to get the traction it deserves.

Check out the map below to see what the system will look like in 2017. There will be a new Red Line from Mountain View to Alum rock, which will include express service during peak hours. Mountain View will get double tracked, Santa Clara will get pocket tracks near the Stadium for peak transit during games and events, and Almaden will get a direct connection to Downtown San Jose and Mountain View. There are also talks of expanding the system from Alum Rock to Eastridge Mall and from Winchester to Los Gatos.

Saturday Stats: San Jose is the #8 Most Compact/Connected Large Metro in the US

San Jose gets a lot of flack for being sprawled out; however, based on two large scale studies of urban sprawl in the US it turns out we are not doing too shabby. In the Smart Growth America study, we were the 8th most compact and connect metro in the US with a population greater than 1 million people. In fact, we got higher index scores than Oakland and Chicago metros.

In another study entitled Urban Sprawl in the United States: 1970-2010, San Jose had a "sprawl score" of 21.04 in 1970, 16.5 in 1980, 16.33 in 1990, 15.25 in 2000, and 14.13 in 2010. Without really going into how the numbers were calculated, the conclusion is that sprawl decreased by a third over the past 40 years in San Jose. So the reality is that like LA, we are a lot more dense than the general perception.

Source: Smart Growth America, Hat tip to Russ Lopez fro sending this in!

Fantasy Faire This Weekend at Guadalupe River Park

Renaissance Productions is hosting the Fantasy Faire San Jose next to the SAP Center. The event will feature hundreds of costumed performers across multiple fantasy genres (ogres, pirates, sci-fi, steampunk, etc.) as well as shopping, arts & crafts, and various performances. The Fantasy Faire runs from April 12-13th and guests of all ages are welcome (but not pets). For more info, just head over here.

Empire Seven Studios Anniversary Show

The San Jose arts scene is not just expanding in Downtown San Jose, but in other parts of the city as well. Empire Seven Studios is the anchor studio in Japantown and they are gearing up to celebrate their Sixth Anniversary. Tomorrow between 7-11pm they are doing an open reception for their latest exhibit featuring tons of artists, live music, and a taco truck.

The coolest part of the anniversary event will likely be the live murals at AEF Grocery, Santo Market, The Esplanade, and Towing Services. These will nicely compliment the three existing murals at 10th & Empire, 8th & Empire, and 7th & Empire. Check out the great map below with the locations of all the murals. For more info, check out the Empire Seven Studios website.

Inaugural Silicon Valley Contemporary Show Starts Tomorrow

In a major win for the San Jose art scene, a new event called Silicon Valley Contemporary (SVC) is premiering tomorrow at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. As you can tell by the map below, this is going to be a huge event featuring hundreds of artists and 52 galleries across 10 different countries. There will even be video art and digital installations from around the world, which I think is the genre of art that will play a significant role in defining a strong brand image for San Jose in the near future. Traditional art such as paintings, photography, prints, and sculpture will also be featured.

In total SVC will have around $100 million in contemporary art available for acquisition, which is the largest selection of important art work for acquisition ever assembled in Silicon Valley. The event also includes an assortment of speakers, meet & greets with the artists, and side-events like a contemporary home tour.

The main exhibition runs from 11am-8pm on Friday and Saturday, and 11am-6pm on Sunday. There is also a VIP preview event tomorrow. Tickets start at $25. For more information and tickets, visit the SVC website over here.

 

Santana Row April Events

Below is a look at events happening at Santana Row for April and May. You have everything from celebrity chef book signing at Sur la Table, Easter Bunny photos, dancing in Park Valencia, various charity events, and a fashion show with Vernon Davis from the 49ers.

Santana Row April 2014 Happenings

And a Look Ahead to May and Beyond

Events, Promotions, New Openings at Silicon Valley’s Premier Destination


 

San Jose, CA – Sunshine and warm nights brings a busy beehive of activities to Santana Row. Spring events include a personal appearance by author/celebrity chef Carla Hall, a day of dance in Park Valencia and an evening of glamour at the second annual Beauty Bash. May welcomes the return of Mommy & Me and Daddies, Too and a new weekly yoga series presented by Lululemon.

 

Personal Appearance by Carla Hall, Co-Host of ABC’s The Chew

and “Fan Favorite” on Bravo’s Top Chef All-Stars

Saturday, April 12, 5 p.m., Sur la Table

Celebrity chef Carla Hall will be doing a cooking demo at Santana Row Park and signing copies of her new book at Sur la Table.

Carla’s Comfort Foods: Favorite Dishes from Around the World (on-sale April 1, 2014, Atria Books, $29.99) offers a delicious collection of imaginative new variations on soulful favorites from one of America’s favorite food personalities. Hall was a finalist in the fifth and eighth seasons of Top Chef and Top Chef All-Stars, Bravo’s competition show. She is one of five cohosts of The Chew, a talk show centered on food.

Her new book was Inspired by her love of family suppers and international flavors and offers a mouthwatering variety of foods from around the world along with heartfelt stories of connecting with people through food.

 

Photos with the Easter Bunny

A Benefit for the Autism Diagnostics & Consulting Center

Sunday, April 13, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Hippity-hop on over and have your picture taken with the Easter Bunny at Santana Row!

The holiday rabbit will be ready to strike a pose at Park Valencia for $10, with proceeds going to the Autism Diagnostics & Consulting Center.

Plus, enjoy face painting, cookie decorating for $1 and Easter egg decorating for $3.

 

Dancin’ Downtown Festival

Sunday April 27, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Santana Row and sjDANCEco has partnered again this year to bring local and regional dance artists together to celebrate National Dance Week in a free outdoor festival that features the diversity and the wealth of our dance community. 
Join us at Park Valencia for a day of dance.

 

 

A look ahead to May and beyond…

 

Second Annual Beauty Bash: A Benefit for Dress for Success

Wednesday, May 7, 6 to 9 p.m.

Join some of Silicon Valley’s best known fashion bloggers and editors and fresh style and beauty voices at the second annual Beauty Bash!

For the second year, Santana Row brings together pampering and primping for a good cause. Beauty Bash is an evening of style and beauty tips with makeup, hair and fashion experts, retailers and salons.

This year, an after-party at Hotel Valencia caps the evening of fashionable fun.

It’s all to raise funds for Dress for Success, a non-profit organization that provides interview suits, confidence boosts and career development to low-income women.

The public is invited to shop, nibble and enjoy cocktails while talking to the style experts who will be stationed at more than a dozen stops, including C. Wonder, Calypso St. Barth, Jest Jewels, Scotch & Soda, Diesel and Brooks Brothers. Guests are invited try the latest hair and make-up trends from professionals and receive personalized consultations from the experts and a mini-magazine with a collection of tips and inspirations from them. An after-party ends the night at Hotel Valencia.

Tickets are $20, or $15 with the donation of a gently used accessory (jewelry, bags, scarves) and available at SantanaRow.com beginning April 14. Guests receive a "passport” for in-store events, a wine glass (wine will be poured in the stores) and a gift bag.

 

Cielo at Hotel Valencia Grand Opening for the Season

Thursday, May 15, 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Enjoy breathtaking sunset views overlooking the Santa Cruz Mountains at Cielo, Hotel Valencia’s seventh floor rooftop terrace, open during the warm months of the year. Sample paella, sangria and an assortment of passed tapas for $20 while listening to live flamenco-style music.
Reservations required. Call 408.423.5405.
Must be 21 years of age or older.

 

Lunch on The Row + A Matinee Show!

May 1 through 31

Enjoy a two-course $20 lunch special at a participating restaurant on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday and receive a free ticket to the movie of your choice at CineArts Santana Row.

Present your itemized same-day receipt to the Santana Row concierge from the participating restaurant and you’ll receive a voucher for a complimentary movie ticket that can be used for a matinee that day or at a later date.

Limit: one ticket per person, per day, while supplies last.

Restaurant choices include LB Steak, Left Bank, Rosie McCann’s, El Jardin, Consuelo’s, Thea and Lisa’s Tea Treasures.

 

Free Yoga on Saturdays, presented by Lululemon Athletica

Begins May 3 and held every Saturday through September

Practice your sun salutations under the sunshine at Park Valencia every Saturday morning at 9 a.m. The complimentary classes are held outdoors, with registration opening at 8:30 a.m. each week. For more information, contact Lululemon, 408.557.8721.

 

Mommy & Me and Daddies, Too

Tuesday, May 13

The popular kids’ club returns for the season with free entertainment, interactive games, crafts and educational activities designed for parents and their pre-school aged children. Meet “Super Why” at a meet and greet, courtesy of KQED. Families will also enjoy arts and crafts, face painting, music, balloon art, story time and more.

Details: 10 a.m. to noon at Park Valencia. Mommy & Me is a free kids’ club held on the second Tuesday of every month from May through December. For more information, call 408.551.4611 or visitwww.SantanaRow.com.

 

Save-the-Date: Santana Row’s Annual Summer Fashion Shows, featuring Vernon Davis of the San Francisco 49ers

Saturday, June 7, two shows at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

This popular summer event returns for the sixth year with two poolside runway shows at Santana Heights and a catwalk appearance by the popular 49er.

A portion of the sales will benefit the Vernon Davis Foundation for the Arts, created by the athlete/artist/philanthropist to promote art education and art appreciation among youth from disadvantaged backgrounds.

 As always, the shows will feature the season’s best fashions for women and men as well as style surprises and special guests.

Runway shows are scheduled for 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Included in the price of the $50 ticket is poolside seating to view the fashion show, access to the Beauty Lounge, pre-event champagne, wine and light hors d’oeuvres, a Passion for Fashion shopping card that entitles guests to discounts around Santana Row, prize drawings and in-store events. Tickets go on sale in April at the concierge office and online at www.SantanaRow.com.

 

Twitter Promotion @SantanaRow Invites Tweets #LifeOnTheRow

For a Chance to Win Gift Cards to Restaurants at The Row

Santana Row’s Twitter campaign and photo contest continues through the @SantanaRow Twitter handle. The contest invites anyone at Santana Row to Tweet photos of a new outfit, haircut, meal, event or artsy shots and then Tweet it to Santana Row with the hash tag #LifeonTheRow. Every month, Santana Row will post an album on Facebook with all of the photos with the #LifeonTheRow hash tag. The person who took the best or most original photo will win a gift card to a Santana Row restaurant.

 

 

About Santana Row

 

Santana Row, a 647,000 square foot mixed-use development in San Jose, CA, is Silicon Valley’s premier destination for shopping, dining, living and working. Santana Row features over 70 shops, 20 restaurants, a boutique hotel and movie theatre. In addition to the dynamic retail & restaurant collection, Santana Row offers 615 luxury rental homes, 219 privately owned condos and 65,000 square feet of Class A office space. Santana Row is a property ofwww.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, development, and redevelopment of high quality retail assets. Federal Realty's portfolio (excluding joint venture properties) contains approximately 20 million square feet located primarily in strategically selected metropolitan markets in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, 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 95.8% leased to national, regional, and local retailers as of December 31, 2013, with no single tenant accounting for more than approximately 3.5% 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 46 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.