The 7 Wonders of the San Jose World

Searchlight San Jose has a great post about the most interesting "wonders" of San Jose. Number one is obvious and pictured below, I have yet to visit number two, there is a great movie about number three, number four is surrounded by delicious food stalls, number five is the only place in San Jose where you can find snow each year, number six is our most colorful park, number seven is a famous museum, and there is a bonus eight that will make you laugh (or cry).

Click here to find out what the 7 Wonders of the San Jose World are.

Atari-themed gaming hotel coming to San Jose

The hottest video game company of the 70s is coming to San Jose in an interesting way. A hotel developer is leasing the Atari brand to create eight video-game themed hotels in the United States and one will be in San Jose.

Each hotel will have an esports studio where pros compete, an Atari gaming playground, event rooms, co-working spaces, movie theaters, a gym, and probably a fun restaurant/bar area. This sounds like a very unique offering compared the the run-of-the-mill business hotels that mostly populate the South Bay. Details are still sparse, but hopefully we'll have more info soon.

Bonus fun fact, the founder of Atari--Nolan Bushnell--also founded the first Chuck E. Cheese in San Jose. Yes, it is the epic two-story one on Tully.  Turns out the first one was actually at 370 South Winchester Blvd in the old Town & Country shopping center, currently Santana Row.

Source: Engadget

San Jose Jazz Winter Fest: Feb 14-29

Winter Fest 2020 kicks off Valentine's Day and features jazz, blues, Latin jazz, New Orleans, and other genres in intimate venues across San Jose. Performances will take place at Cafe Stritch, the Hammer Theatre, Hedley Club, San Jose Museum of Art, the Poor House Bistro, and Art Boutiki.

For a full list of musicians and to get tickets, head over here.

Santana Row 2020 Openings and Events

The first big restaurant news for Santana Row in 2020 is Momosan, a Japanese yakitori spot owned by Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto is coming this summer. Think of it as grilled tapas and ramen along with a full bar. If you have been to Morimoto in Napa, you know the quality is bound to be quite high.

Hot 8 Yoga will bring another health and wellness option to Santana Row when it opens this Fall. It should complement SoulCycle and Barry's Bootcamp nicely.

As for events, the San Jose 408k 'Race to the Row' takes place on February 2nd and the Lunar New Year Celebration will be on February 8th. For all of the details, read on below for the full press release.

Santana Row - an Oasis for Delicious Food, Sought After Brands and Action-Packed Entertainment

SAN JOSE, Calif. – January 14, 2020 – Santana Row is kicking off 2020 with the announcement of incoming merchants and community celebrations! Upcoming dining and fitness additions will bring a number of new experiences to Santana Row in 2020. Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, a Japanese master chef known for his innovative and signature style of cuisine, will open his popular ramen and yakitori Izakaya concept, Momosan, at Santana Row. This energetic and casual dining experience will feature the Iron Chef’s signature take on Japanese ramen, grilled skewers and Izakaya dishes, plus a diverse selection of premium sake, beer and spirits.

“I am looking forward to opening Momosan in San Jose’s vibrant Santana Row district,” said Chef Morimoto. “Momosan is all about enjoying ramen, yakitori, beer and sake in a fun, casual environment.”

At Momosan Santana Row, noodles will be front and center, highlighting Chef Morimoto’s varieties of Japanese-style flavor-forward ramen.  The menu will also shine with a variety of grilled dishes and Japanese bar snacks, all with Chef Morimoto’s signature twist. Playful small Izakaya plates and appetizers will take guests on a comfort food journey.

“San Jose is a city with traditional culture, including traditions that are adapted from Japan, as well as the most advanced technology as the center of Silicon Valley,” added Chef Morimoto. “I am very excited to explore the challenges and opportunities such a unique place offers me.” For more information on Chef Morimoto, visit ironchefmorimoto.com.

Group fitness concepts’ SoulCycle and Barry’s Bootcamp have become ritual for many workout enthusiasts at Santana Row, and another is in the works! Hot 8 Yoga will bring a variety of hot yoga classes to The Row in Fall 2020 that are ideal for students of all levels, paired with luxury amenities in a spa-like setting. Santana Row is the ideal fit for Hot 8 Yoga: its offering of curated shops focused on delivering premium goods and services is directly in line with the studio’s careful cultivation of the best movement and wellness experience for its practitioners.

And the excitement doesn’t stop here! 2020 kicks off with celebrations and community events for the entire family.  Here’s what’s coming up this February for all to enjoy.

San Jose 408k ‘Race to The Row’

Sunday, February 2^nd, starting 8 am

Join us for the 9^th annual Race to The Row, brought to you by Amazon and benefitting Pat Tillman Foundation. Featuring the famous “Mariachi Mile” and “Memorial Mile,” this fun point-to-point course will take you through some of San Jose’s most charming neighborhoods. As you cross the finish line, Santana Row shops & restaurants will be waiting for you with free yoga classes, mimosas and more. Stay tuned for the official offers!

Click here to Register for this event. For registered runners, the Packet Pick Up will be held in Santana Row Park (across from Left Bank) on January 1^st from 2 pm – 7 pm, and February 3^rd from 10 am – 5 pm.

For more information, visit santanarow.com/events/408k-race-to-the-row.

Santana Row Lunar New Year Celebration

Saturday, February 8^th, 1 pm – 3 pm

Santana Row welcomes the Year of The Rat with an afternoon of Lunar New Year festivities, presented by NTD Television and The Epoch Times. Enjoy the drumbeats and crashing cymbals of the Dragon and Lion dances, plus other fascinating cultural performances on a large stage in Santana Row Park (across from Left Bank).

Every hour, on the hour from 1 pm – 3 pm, red envelopes will be distributed in the park filled with Santana Row shop & restaurant gifts and offers! *Available while supplies last. Also enjoy in-store events, discounts, arts & crafts and more on The Row in honor of Lunar New Year.

This event is free and open to the public. Bring the family and celebrate the start of 2020 coordinated by the cycles of the moon! For more information, visit santanarow.com/events/santana-row-lunar-new-year-celebration.

January 2020 Downtown Dimension Highlights

The latest addition of Downtown Dimension is now live. Below is a summary of the content this month.

The JANUARY 2020 Downtown Dimension is now available at:

 

https://sjdowntown.com/wp_2016/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/143959-1-DTDJAN2020.pdf

In this edition:

• Downtown Dimension reviews some of th accomplishments of the next two dec ages and ponders the questions: Will these be the Roaring '20s?
• San Jose State earned its second Golden Nail Award for the new Recreation and Aquatics Center.
• DASH comes to an end after serving the downtown area with free shuttle service from the train station for more than two decades.
• Have you gone skating at Downtown Ice yet?  Open through Jan. 12.

HAVE A HAPPY, HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS 2020!

FYI:

• Live and Local SJ for live music
• Traffic alerts lane and road closures.
• Maps of downtown commercial property availability and development proposals.

Downtown Dimension is a leading source for information about downtown San Jose news, events and businesses.  Subscribe with a simple email to sjda@sjdowntown.com, subject line:  Subscribe

San Jose Restaurant Week - Jan 16 to 26

Restaurant week is back and it features 33 restaurants all around San Jose. Each will feature a multi-course tasting menu at a discounted price. You can see all of the deals over here.

The one I really would like to highlight is Adega, San Jose's first and only restaurant ever to get a Michelin star. They have a three-course restaurant week menu for $50 when one of their entrees alone costs $51. They added an intimate bar a while back and you might be able to stroll in there Tuesday through Thursday without a reservation to enjoy some of the best food San Jose has to offer.

The Adega owners also opened Pastelaria in Downtown San Jose, which is a must visit. They also have a $10 prix fix menu with a drink, grilled cheese sandwich, and a pastel de nata (best dessert you can find Downtown).

I'm also a big fan of 3rd & Bourbon, LB Steak, Meso, Luna, Oveja Negra, Park Station Hashery, Super Good Kitchen, Umi Handroll Bar, and Zona Rosa.

SJC Terminal C

The San Jose Airport expansion is starting to get more interesting. Instead of just extending Terminal B, it sounds like the current idea floating around is an entire terminal with 14 permanent gates. That would mean additional check-in counters, baggage claim facilities, and security lanes. A "Terminal C" plan could help expedite getting in and out of the airport and balance congested areas.

The new terminal would also get the SJC's first onsite hotel and a 5,000 space parking structure. The cost could run as high as $1.1 billion, but would be self-funded by additional flights.

I think an interesting idea would be to move international flights to Terminal C and really make a world class facility. Those are lucrative flights that greatly benefit the business community and overall economy.

As a little bonus, SJC also ranked the 11th best large airport in the world for on-time flight performance. Way to overachieve!

Source: SVBJ

Inside Samsung's HQ in San Jose

The Wall Street Journal recorded a brief tour of one of San Jose's most unique buildings.The Samsung North American HQ is actually two towers connected by bridges, with tons of open spaces and hanging gardens. At any location in the HQ, you are never more than one floor away from outdoor spaces. The building may look nondescript on the outside, but the tour shows how interesting and well-designed the structure actually is.

As an added bonus, their cafeteria is open to the public so you can go check out the architecture for yourself. You can find the Wall Street Journal video tour.

Source: jawz from the San Jose Development Forum

Bill.com is moving from Palo Alto to San Jose

Bill.com was the 2nd largest Bay Area tech IPO last year and they have decided to make San Jose their new home. They are moving from Palo Alto to 132,000 SQFT at 6220 America Center Drive. This is an office complex in Alviso that also features three Marriott Hotels (including an Aloft) and HP Enterprise's Headquarters.

They are nearly tripling their space from only 48,200 SQFT at 1810 Embarcadero. That means more jobs for San Jose at a fast-growing tech company whose shares are now public. Bill.com is currently worth just shy of $3 billion and employs over 500 people.

Source: SVBJ

Iconic Boeing 747s are coming to SJC

SJC has been able to handle the famous double-decker 747 for quite some time and has even accepted and handful of emergency landings when the weather has been bad at SFO. The reason why we haven't had regular service using double-decker 747 planes isn't because of the size of our runways or noise (common myths), it's simply because of demand.

Thanks to the astronomical passenger growth at SJC, we are getting our first route using a 747!  British Airways is swapping out the Boeing 787-9 for it's nonstop flight to London with a Boeing 747-400. This will add 60 additional seats to the flight. Generally the 2nd floor is business class seats in a 2+2 configuration.

Even though the flight will revert back to the 787 in late October, this is a great sign that our carriers feel confident enough that they can start expanding service and use the largest class of planes available (only the Airbus A380 is larger).

Source: SVBJ, SBJV (2)

Modera San Pedro Square Retail

The Modera apartment project in the middle of San Pedro Square is nearly complete, and it appears that they have announced their first two retail stores. Carbon Health and AT&T will take the two retail spots along North Almaden Avenue near The Brit.

This still leaves five spaces open, two directly on North San Pedro Street and three in a new Paseo that will connect San Pedro to Almaden Ave in the middle of the block. As this is one of our busiest districts, hopefully they will fill up quickly.

Source: Robertee from the San Jose Development Form

Santana Row future plans

A new Silicon Valley Business Journal interview with a Federal Realty executive reveals ambitious plans for new eateries and development at the Row. Over the next few years, 13 new restaurants are planned! In 2020, we'll see Momosan Ramen & Sake and a new Hot Yoga studio.

Some of the current retail spaces will be converted for other uses. For example, the two-story Urban Outfitters will be broken up into smaller spaces for new retail and restaurants.

Federal Realty also plans to break ground on a five-story building this year with 258 residential units at 358 Hatton Street. Across the street, they are gearing up for Two Santana West, an office building with 375,000 SQFT of office space.

It sounds like Federal Realty still has their foot on the gas even though the original development plan has been completed. The area is going to look quite different with these changes and the Valley Fair Expansion having their grand opening this year.

Source: SVBJ

Happy 2020 Everyone!!!

We wish all of the San Joseans and friends from neighboring cities out there a wonderful and prosperous 2020! We're officially in the future. Hopefully we will see our city grow in every way possible this year!