Discounts for SJSU Students

Did you know that San Jose State University students have access to discounts at businesses throughout Downtown San Jose? Some examples are 25% off Nirvana Soul (one of the best coffee spots Downtown); 20% off Axe-Men Axe Throwing, Mezcal, Plantlush, and Sushi Confidential; or how about 15% off Hotel Clariana and WhyHotel. All you need to do is show your SJSU ID.

To see a full list of discounts, head to the San Jose Downtown Association SJSU page over here.

Viva CalleSJ Willow To Roses on April 23rd

Viva Calle SJ is one of San Jose's largest and most unique events. Miles of city streets will be completely shut down to let people walk, run, bike, unicycle, or skateboard down the streets of San Jose. 

Viva Calle Willow To Roses features multiple activity hubs which are basically festivals-within-a-festival that highlight the local area. This year the activity hubs will be at San Jose State University, Downtown Willow Glen, and the Municipal Rose Garden. You can expect live music, vendors, food, activities, bike parking, and good times at all four hubs. In between the activity hubs you will still find all sorts of interesting stops, hydration stations, and stores. Up to 100,000 people attend this event, but it never feels crowded given how spread out it is.

It's crazy to think that during this event it's feasible to walk from Downtown Willow Glen to Downtown San Jose, or vice versa since there is no beginning or end and the traffic flows in both directions. 

Viva CalleSJ 2022 takes place on Sunday, April 23rd from 10am to 3pm (streets are closed until 4pm). It is completely free and you can use the handy map below to locate the routes and festivities. For more info, head over here. Hope to see you there!

Bay Area's first Portugal Restaurant Week! April 17th - April 24th

As a Portuguese-American it used to be a huge challenge to even find Portuguese food at restaurants in the Bay Area. Once Sousa's Restaurant (Azorean Portuguese) on Santa Clara Street closed down, there wasn't a single proper sit-down Portuguese restaurant in San Jose.

Fast forward to today and it's a different story. The first and only Michelin Star restaurant in San Jose and the only Portuguese restaurant with a star in the United States is ADEGA--coincidentally in the same East San Jose retail spot as Sousa's used to be. One of the hottest Downtown San Jose restaurants is Petiscos. Then you have Uma Case in SF, LaSalette in Sonoma, and Tasca Tasca also in Sonoma. There are also outstanding Portuguese-influenced restaurants popping up like Broma in Mountain View (with a Michelin Star chef from Chez TJ).

A celebration of these restaurants kicks off today with the Bay Area's first-ever Portugal Restaurant Week. Special discounted multi-course menus will be available at Adega, Petiscos, Uma Casa, La Salete, and Tasca Tasca. Now's the time if you have yet to experience Portuguese food, which is best served family-style with wide varieties of things to try. You can't go wrong with any of the five options, but please support our San Jose restaurants so they stick around for a long, long time. 

For more info and menus, head over to the Portugal Week site over here! The event only runs until April 24th.

April 2023 Downtown Dimension Highlights

Read the APRIL 2023 Downtown Dimension
 
This month's highlights:

• SJDA's Street Life team plans to take strategic action that brightens downtown streets with enhanced lighting features meant to appeal to pedestrians, help them feel more comfortable and connect the more active parts of downtown that already exhibit nighttime vibrancy.
• Spirits are high as downtown's outdoor event season opens this month in San Jose with Viva Calle on April 23 and MACLA Family Art Day / SoFA Street Fair doubling up on April 30.
• Five ideas that would contribute to downtown's revitalization are winding their way through the City's budget process for Fiscal Year 2023-24, which begins in July.
• Brenda Zendejas assists with Business Resiliency in Downtown and Alum Rock areas.
• Javier Montoya becomes Groundwerx's first full-time painter.
• Hula Bar and Kitchen, which made its name with food trucks and as stadium food vendors, has opened its first full-time locations on East Santa Clara Street.

South FIRST FRIDAY - April 2023

South FIRST FRIDAYS is back this week with multiple galleries (both permanent and temporary) open from at least 5-9pm. Participating venues include ANNO DOMINI, the Institute of Contemporary Art, KALEID Gallery, Works San Jose, the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, the SoFA Market, MACLA, Art Ark Gallery, MACHU PICCHU, Natural Do Salon, 1Culture, and Chopsticks Alley Gallery.

One special stop on the art crawl I'd like to highlight this month is Opera San Jose. They are celebrating the launch of Puccini's Tosca and will have a rare sneak peek at rehearsals during South FIRST FRIDAYS! Performances will take place at 5:45pm, 6:45pm, and 7:45pm.

It all goes down this Friday, April 7th. Admission is free and all ages are welcome. Click here for a preview of featured art! Below is a map with all of the galleries to check out across three different districts.