San Jose International Short Film Festival

The 16th Annual San Jose International Short Film Festival features over 140 films from around the globe accompanied by Q&A with filmmakers, parties, and events. The shorts are grouped together into themes and the full schedule is down below.

The film festival takes place at CineArts in Santana Row from October 24-27th. You can buy tickets and passes over here.

Inaugural Tully East Festival Sep 28-29

East San Jose is getting more and more attention these days. Earlier this year, the main San Jose fireworks show was in Lake Cunningham for the first time and the VTA Lightrail extension to Eastridge is a go. Now East San Jose is getting a new festival.

The Tully East Festival is on the weekend of September 28th-29th and will feature over 150 vendors, food trucks, and artists. There will even be a mini cat town with 30 adoptable kittens on site. The event also has live entertainment and activities for all ages. It runs from 11am-6pm in front of the Eastridge Center.

Busy weekend with theater openings and a food festival in San Jose

There is too much going on this weekend, but Sal Pizarro provides a nice summary. Click the source link for the details.

• MACLA is presenting an immersive theatrical concert called "Riding the Currents of the Wilding Wind"
• City Lights Theater has it's opening of "An Inspector Calls" tonight
• The San Jose stage Company is opening it's season today with "The Smuggler"
• The inaugural Tully East Festival takes place outside Eastridge with 150 makers, artists, and food trucks (not to mention an outdoor kitten lounge).

Source: The Mercury News

Paleta Planeta now open in Downtown San Jose

The highly anticipated Paleta Planet officially opened over the weekend. The new shop specializes in unique popsicles like the Astro (mix of guava, horchata, and watermelon), Aguacate Coco (Avocado Coconut), and the Cookie Monster which is pictured below with self-explanatory ingredients🍪. They also have ice cream, dips, toppings, and some specialy items that are not desserts. I'm also excited about the Mexican Street Corn which is white corn with sour cream, mayo, cotija cheese, chili power, and lime.

Paleta Planeta is located at 150 E. Santa Clara Street in the heard of Downtown San Jose. They are open from Monday through Thursday from 12pm to 7pm and Friday through Sunday from 12pm to 8pm. 

San Jose State University rockets towards the top of college rankings

The Wall Street Journal has dramatically boosted SJSU's ranking in their 2025 "best colleges" list. In fact, it rose a whopping 157 places from being in 173rd place last year to the 16th best college in the United States.

How is this possible? San Jose State had the highest average graduate salary of all public schools. That includes UC Berkeley, Cal Poly, and San Francisco State. Overall, SJSU ranked 4th in California for all public universities.

SJSU also has several new projects on the horizon to replace aging buildings, creative student housing, and a prime location in Downtown San Jose. This could just be the beginning. 

Source: SFGATE

San Jose's PayPal Park and Levi's Stadium will host yet another major soccer event

All the buzz might be around the World Cup coming here in 2026, but other major soccer events continue to be booked for Silicon Valley as well. 

Both PayPal Park and Levi's Stadium will host matches for the 2025 Gold Cup, which will be held between June 14th and July 6th. The exact dates of the games will be released at a later time.

The Gold Cup is played every two years and will include 16 teams from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. If you are lucky enough to have a season pass for the San Jose Earthquakes, you will have access to a presale for the matches that take place at PayPal Park.

Source: SVBJ

Italian Museum Grand Opening Dinner & Concert

San Jose is getting a new museum, something which hasn't happened for quite some time. The new Italian Museum will be located in the heart of Little Italy San Jose. They are kicking things off with a special event featuring live music, a 4-course Italian dinner with wine, and a special tour of the museum exhibits.

The VIP grand opening is Friday, October 4th and tickets are $95 per person. You can find more info and tickets over here.

Caltrain is officially running electric trains from San Jose to SF

Caltrain hosted a launch party at the Palo Alto station over the weekend for their new electrified trains. The trains are much fasters, allowing for more stops while still cutting travel times significantly. They are also much smoother and quieter and it seems like the interiors are quite a bit of an upgrade as well. You can experience this for yourself immediately on Caltrain stations between San Jose and San Francisco. Only South County stations (Morgan Hill and Gilroy) will stay on diesel.

Source: homebucket from Skyscraper City

New housing proposed on former golf course

A large block of land near Lake Cunningham Park that I think would be super ideal for a theme park now has an active proposal for a 1,716 home project. 

The project is being proposed by Terrascape Ventures LLC and would take approximately 114 acres that used to be a golf course until 2004.

Of the 1,716 homes, 1,374 would be market rate and 342 would be affordable housing. There is little other information beside the fact that the land is on the market for $125 million.

Source: SF YIMBY

New Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center

A greatly improved Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center is being proposed for 250 Hospital Parkway. The project would involve the demo of the existing 250,000 SQFT hospital and building a significantly larger 685,000 SQFT facility along with a 35,000 SQFT energy and service yard.

The new hospital would have 303 beds, up 56 from the current hospital, as well as multiple medical office buildings. The old hospital would only be demolished after the new one is complete.

Improved medical facilities would obviously be a big win for San Jose residents. Hopefully this can be completed as soon as possible.

Source: SF YIMBY

International video company opens first US office near Santana Row

Oslo-based Neat has nabbed a 10,887 SQFT space at 2880 Stevens Creek Boulevard, just beside the entrance to Santana Row and facing Valley Fair. 

The space will be used as both a worksite for 30 employees and a place where clients can try out Neat's products. The office will have conference rooms, huddle spaces, an R&D lab, and an open-seating theater space.

While most tech companies are pushing for employees to return to the office, Neat is taking a different approach where it does not have in-person requirements and the company believes employees should have a workday that suits their needs. If that sounds appealing, the company is hiring.

Source: SVBJ

860 West San Carlos Street in San Jose shifts from market-rate to affordable housing

A proposed 12-story apartment building in San Jose's Midtown is switching from market-rate to 100% affordable housing. It is also getting more units, going from 263 to 272 units. The project is backed by Swenson and Republic Urban Properties.

The main reason for the change seems to be financing. Affordable housing has more potential funding sources. Falling interest rates should also help move this project around.

There is still no ETA but updated permits is a good sign that the project is still alive and kicking.

Source: SF YIMBY

Symphony San Jose presents SYMPHONIC SPOOKTACULAR “Haunting Harmonies” October 26 and 27, 2024

Even Symphony San Jose is getting into the Halloween spirit this year. The program includes everything from J.S. Bach to John Williams. The shows are at the beautiful California Theatre and tickets are $35-$115. The full press release is below and you can buy tickets here.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

 

Just in time for Halloween, Symphony San Jose and Symphony San Jose Chorale conjure up some of classical music’s scariest hits.

Symphonic Spooktacular features “Haunting Harmonies” with music including J.S. Bach’s Toccata & Fugue, Saint-Saëns Danse Macabre, Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain, Bernard Herrmann’s Psycho Suite, and John Williams’ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

 

It’s the perfect Halloween concert for the entire family. A Costume Contest with Spooktacular prizes will be held for those who feel like dressing up. Don’t feel like dressing up? Come as you are and enjoy the costume parade.

 

Who: Symphony San Jose presents

 

What: SYMPHONIC SPOOKTACULAR “Haunting Harmonies”

 

When: Saturday, October 26, 2024 at 7:30pm and Sunday, October 27, 2024 at 2:30pm

Where: The California Theatre, 345 South First Street, downtown San Jose, 95113. Convenient, inexpensive parking is available at a city-owned garage one-and-a-half blocks from the theater at San Carlos Street with entrances on Second and Third streets. 

SINGLE TICKET PRICES: $35 - $115   (Additional $6.50 fee per ticket.)

TICKETS: Phone: 408.286.2600 

Website: www.symphonysanjose.org 

Email: jmeyers@symphonysanjose.org

Walk-Up Box Office: 325 South First Street, San Jose, 95113. Located between San Carlos and San Salvador Street next to the California Theatre. Ticket Office Hours: Monday through Friday, 10am to 5pm.

THE PROGRAM:

J.S. Bach: Toccata and Fugue, BWV 565 in D minor

Camille Saint-Saëns: Danse Macabre

Modest Mussorgsky: Night on Bald Mountain

John Williams: Devil’s Dance (from (The Witches of Eastwick”)

Andrew Lloyd Weber: Phantom of the Opera

Edvard Grieg: In the Hall of the Mountain King

Franz Schubert: Die Erlkönig

Bernard Herrman: Suite from Psycho

John Williams: Double Trouble (from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)

John Williams: Duel of the Fates (from Star Wars The Phantom Menace)

 

ARTISTS

Conductor: Peter Jaffe

Symphony San Jose

Symphony San Jose Chorale

 

FUN FACTS:

The violin solo in Danse Macabre represents Death playing the fiddle, while the xylophone imitates the sound of rattling bones.

The screeching violins and eerie melodies of the Psycho score have become synonymous with suspense and terror in cinema, influencing countless horror film composers in the years since its release.

 

ArtWork: Courtesy of Symphony San Jose.

Photos courtesy of Symphony San Jose.

Sharks first annual Neighborhood Game

The San Jose Sharks are hosting a special pre-season game on Sep 24th with unique programming and activation to encourage new attendees and fans. The game (against the Anaheim Ducks) will only cost $25. Community organizations, non-profits, and schools might even be able to score free tickets.

The game starts at 7pm, but the pregame activities go between 5:15 and 6:15pm. These include participation from current Sharks players as well as alumni. There will also be unique in-game content highlighting the greater Bay Areas communities.

For more info head over here.

Couchbase takes the ground-floor at Santana West

Santana West has just leased another tenant across from Santana Row. Couchbase has leased 23,680 SQFT on the ground floor and plans to move in Q1 2025. There will also be a fitness center, golf simulator, and cafe on that floor.

Couchbase will join PWC and Acrisure as major tenants of the building, which is an easy walk to Silicon Valley's top shopping and dining destinations.

Source: SVBJ

Cultura in the Park 2024

Today the celebration for Mexican Independence Day takes place in Downtown San Jose at Plaza de Cesar Chavez from noon to 4pm. The party includes live music, food, low riders, vendors, art, and cultural performances. 

San Jose Downtown Association TownHall at the SAP Center

The SJDA hosted a TownHall meeting focused on professional sports and arts in Downtown San Jose last month. It's worth watching the whole 60min session below, but there were three tidbits that were news to me:

• There is interest in doing another "fiberglass shark" artist collaboration. This was a very successful program years ago where 100 shark statues were decorated by local artists and then auctioned for charity. Many you can still find throughout San Jose today.
• There was a push to have a restaurant week coincide with the Super Bowl. Thousands of people will be staying in the South Bay, not SF during that week. We need to make sure they patronize local restaurants and this would be great timing for a foodie event.
• Postgame concerts after the World Cup. There will be six World Cup games at Levi's and plans are forming to have a major concert/party after each one in Downtown San Jose.

You can watch the full recording below.

Unhinged Hotel at the Winchester Mystery House

The Winchester Mystery House always puts out an impressive show every year around Halloween. Their season officially starts today on Friday the 13th, and it appears to be their most immersive Halloween event yet. 

Their Unhinged Hotel event has a 45 minute long maze that goes through all four floors of the mansion, an outdoor scare zone, Halloween museum, interactive activities, themed food and drinks, and plenty of photo ops.

Ticket prices vary by day but start at $69 per person. You can learn more and buy tickets here.

11 murals around Downtown San Jose

It's great to see some occasional new posts from SJ Today. Their latest features 11 murals from around Downtown San Jose. Most are within easy walking of biking distance from one another. I highly recommend checking them out.

Pobladores Night Market this Thursdays in SoFA

This week the Pobladores night market has been extended from 5:30-9pm to 10pm in Downtown San Jose's artsy SoFA District. There will be music, vendors, food trucks, a beer garden, and live performances. It's a great option for a Thursday night to get ready for an action-packed weekend.

Sorry for the delays in posts the past week, had some personal issues and am working on getting back on a regular schedule.

View from the Downtown San Jose Marriott

This is a perspective you don't often see of Downtown San Jose from the top of the Marriott. It's really the only way to get the long view of Plaza de Cesar Chavez without being in an office building.

Suspiro Paella Party

Paella is a delicious Spanish rice dish that you almost always have to order for two people or more. Suspiro at Santana Row is doing Paella Parties where you can commit to a smaller portion for $16 a plate along with discounted Sangrias. 

You can find Suspiro all the way at the end of the Row next to Meso and Barry's Bootcamp. (Shh, it also has a hidden Speakeasy in the back).

Little Italy San Jose has a Speakeasy

There is a brand new Italian Museum in Little Italy San Jose, and it has a secret. The basement was converted to a members-only Speakeasy. Memberships are only $50/year (open to anyone over 21) and the drinks are all reasonably priced. Plus all the proceeds from both memberships and drinks go to the museum. For more info, click here.

Hours

Wednesday: 5pm - 10pm

Thursday 5pm - 10pm

Friday 5pm - 10:30pm

Saturday 5pm - 10:30pm

Sunday - 2pm - 7pm

South FIRST FRIDAYS Art Walk + STREET MRKT - September 2024

South FIRST FRIDAYS is back with exhibits across multiple galleries in three different districts. Everything is 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, San Jose Jazz, and Chopsticks Alley Gallery.

It all goes down on Friday, September 6th. As usual 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 all three different districts.

This month is also a STREET MRKT indie urban art faire which overlaps with the art walk and runs from 5pm to 10pm. This bonus event features dozens of vendors and artists, turning the streets of SoFA into an outdoor art gallery. It also includes live music, food trucks, and a beer garden with local breweries (more details below).

South FIRST FRIDAYS presents: STREET MRKT indie urban art faire 

FIRST FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 6th 5pm–10pm
Free admission (spend it with the Artists!).
Out on S. 1st St. (between San Carlos & William streets) in SoFA District

Join us out on So. 1st St. as artists transform the SoFA District into a unique and bustling outdoor gallery with their creative energy! Imaginative paintings & sculptures, glass art demos, fascinating bone jewelry, classic tattoo art, counterculture zines, and chic fashion are just some of the rare works you’ll find when you come out and support our amazing arts community. 

We’ll also have a great variety of delicious food trucks and a lively beer garden sponsored by & featuring: Clandestine Brewing Co., Fox Tale Fermentation, and Strike Brewing Co.

FEATURED ARTISTS:
Anthony Alva 
Rebecca Anguiano
BAGI / Bay Area Glass Institute 
Delilah Bender
The Blunt Letters
Julianne Bonnet
Emmanuel Cervantes Mejia 
Crossroads Trading Co.
Dario Cruz
Current Tattooing
Christina Del Alto
Jennifer DeChenne
Joseph Demaree
Mario Dimas
Lorenz Dumuk
Mahsa Emoventur
Force129
Cynthia Gonzalez
Jared Gochuico
Hand in Hand Henna
Higher Fire Clayspace
Maureen Holcomb
Jodi408
Sarah Loyola
Valentino Loyola
Joe Mandrick
Martha Gardens Arts
David Mejia
MEMBIT Inc.
Gianfranco Paolozzi 
Leslie Perez 
Betty Proper
Ragavon
Francisco Ramirez
Steven Regalado 
Marilyn Roaf aka Purl Bailey
Jacob Sandoval
Ricardo Sandoval 
Rene Schilling-Sears
South Bay Ceramics
Suha Suha
Sundry 3D Treasures
Nikkea Takagi
Heylu Wheat
plus great music provided by
UNGRAMR SND SYSTEM out on S 1st Street

–>  BEER GARDEN 
5:00 – 10:00pm Great music provided by BIG LEE & Guiña
from On the Corner Music

Beer Garden sponsored by & featuring local & regional breweries: Clandestine Brewing Co., Fox Tale Fermentation, and Strike Brewing Co.

All ages welcome, must be 21+ w/ valid ID to drink beer.

STREET MRKT is supported in part by a Cultural Affairs grant from the City of San Jose.

New restaurant taking shape near Levi's Stadium

Levi's Stadium is going to attract tons of attention to Silicon Valley over the next couple years with events like the Super Bowl and World Cup. Unfortunately, there are very few food and hang out options walking distance to the stadium, which also creates a traffic nightmare as people have little reason to stick around after games and events. Clara's Junction appears to be the first compelling option, at least until Related's multi-billion dollar mixed used projects across the street gets going.

What used to be a Carl's Jr. will become a 18,000 SQFT indoor/outdoor social space complete with a restaurant and over 20 beers on tap. Clara's Junction will also have craft cocktails, lawn games, fire pits, a pit BBQ and a taco truck.

The project couldn't come a moment too soon. In addition to games and events, 4,500 residential units are being built in the immediate area. There is tremendous opportunity to build some great restaurants both here and in North San Jose a couple blocks away.

Source: SFGATE

Sneak peek at San Jose's newest bar: Pressroom

In the San Pedro Square area, my two favorite cocktail bars right now are Dr. Funk and Five Points. David Mulvehill is behind both along with O'Flaherty's Irish Pub and Hella Good Burger in the San Pedro Square Market. Now he's opening another upscale bar and restaurant in a space used to print newspapers, so it's appropriately being called "Pressroom."

The location is at the corner of W. Santa Clara Street and Almaden Avenue, right next to The Brit. The menu at Pressroom will be farm-to-table American fare and they are planning to be open for breakfast/brunch. The space will have two bars and space for a late-night DJ. It'll help activate a key corner, both during the workweek and after dinner.

The current ETA is early 2025.

Source: SVBJ

More details on greatly enhanced electrified Caltrain schedules

Electrified trains have already been added to the Caltrain network, but they have been hamstrung by the old Diesel schedule. On September 21st, the system will change over to the fully electrified schedule and it is nothing but good news. Not only are the trains quieter and cleaner, but they are also much faster.

The slowest option from San Jose to San Francisco with 23 stops will go from 115 minutes to 83 minutes, shaving more than half an hour off the route. The 401 train goes from Diridon to SF and the route will go from 14 stops to 16 stops and STILL reduce the time from 76 minutes to 69 minutes. That Express (Baby Bullet) route from San Jose Diridon to SF will go from just 7 stops to 10 stops and reduce the time from 66 minutes to 59 minutes.

It's good news all around for transit enthusiasts, as well as traditional commuters along 101 and 280. More people taking Caltrain equals fewer cars clogging up roads and freeways. Caltrain is also the nicest transit options we have in the Bay Area outside of a few limited-stop AMTRAK routes.

Source: Trains.com

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day everyone. Please enjoy this depiction of what AI think Labor Day looks like in San Jose.

San Jose Lowrider Day

Today enjoy a free event highlighting Lowriders at San Jose City Hall from 12pm to 6pm. The plaza will be filled with Lowriders from car clubs, while street parking in front of City Hall will be open to all low riders first come, first serve.

There will also be food trucks parked along 4th Street.