55/110 x MACBBQ Blantons & BBQ

MACBBQ is an award-winning competition BBQ team based in the South Bay that travels all over the US for events. Tonight they are hosting a special BBQ event at 55 South to celebrate a their new hand-selected private barrel of Blanton's whiskey.

The event includes all-you-can-eat BBQ beef ribs, brisket sandwiches, pulled pork, pork ribs, chicken, and sides along with drink specials, give aways, and live DJs. You might also get an opportunity to sample their special bourbon.

For more info, head over here.

MACLA Presents: Esto No Tiene Nombre Performed by Denice Frohman

San José, CA – January 15, 2025 – MACLA/Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana is proud to present the West Coast debut of the full-length version of Esto No Tiene Nombre, a one-woman show written and performed by the acclaimed poet and performer Denice Frohman. The performances will take place from March 21–23, 2025, at MACLA’s Castellano Playhouse in downtown San José.

Esto No Tiene Nombre is a powerful tribute to the oral histories of Latina lesbian elders, brought to life through a series of poignant, vivid vignettes. Denice Frohman, known for her electrifying storytelling and lyrical depth, brings to life voices gathered as part of I See My Light Shining: Oral Histories of Our Elders, a project curated by MacArthur Fellow Jacqueline Woodson.

These narratives, curated under Woodson’s visionary guidance, serve as the foundation for Frohman’s powerful exploration of identity, love, and survival. The show spans stories of resilience, connection, and joy, from pre-Stonewall police raids in Philadelphia to the intimate moments of first kisses. Frohman intertwines her own personal journey with the voices of Latina lesbian elders, including activists, barbers, lovers, and chefs, to offer a moving and multidimensional portrait of their lives and legacies.

About Denice Frohman

Denice Frohman is an award-winning poet, performer, and writer from New York City whose groundbreaking work explores culture, identity, queerness, and social justice. As a queer Nuyorican and the daughter of Puerto Rican and Jewish parents, Frohman uses her craft to challenge power structures and preserve cultural heritage. A former Women of the World Poetry Slam Champion, she has performed on iconic stages like The Apollo, MoMA PS1, and The White House during the Obama Administration.

Her poetry has been featured in The New York Times, Poem-A-Day by the Academy of American Poets, and anthologies like Nepantla: An Anthology for Queer Poets of Color and The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNext. Supported by organizations such as The Pew Center for the Arts and Baldwin for the Arts, Frohman’s work continues to captivate audiences worldwide.

Website: www.denicefrohman.com

Instagram: @denicefrohman

About MACLA/Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana

MACLA is an inclusive contemporary arts space grounded in the Chicano/Latino experience that incubates new visual, literary and performance art in order to engage people in civic dialogue and community transformation.

Founded in 1989, MACLA emerged from a broad community mobilization in San José and across the nation advocating for multicultural arts. Since its inception, MACLA has envisioned arts programming as a powerful vehicle for civic dialogue and social equity serving over 38,000 people annually and produces 50 programs each year in three core program tracts: visual arts; performance and literary arts; and youth arts education.

MACLA is located at 510 South First Street, San José, CA 95113

For tickets, additional photos, media opportunties or more details about Esto No Tiene Nombre and other MACLA events, visit www.maclaarte.org, email info@maclaarte.org, or call (408) 998-ARTE.

Don’t miss this unforgettable performance that celebrates Latina lesbian history, love, and resilience. Join us for Esto No Tiene Nombre, March 21–23, 2025, at MACLA’s Castellano Playhouse!

Performance Dates:

Friday, March, 21, 2025 – Doors: 7:30 PM | Show: 8:00 PM

Saturday, March, 22, 2025 – Doors: 7:30 PM | Show: 8:00 PM

Sunday, March, 23, 2025 (Matinée) – Doors: 1:30 PM | Show: 2:00 PM

Tickets available at macla.eventbrite.com

$45 Reserved Seating

$30 General Admission

$10 Students

Run time: Approximately 75 minutes

February cultural events in San Jose

The Silicon Valley Business Journal has a list of notable cultural events in San Jose this month.  MACLA gallery is hosting a figure drawing on Feb 12th starting at 6:45pm. Opera San Jose is kicking off their season with "Bluebeard's Castle" on Feb 15. Works/San Jose has a new exhibit. The San Jose Improve is hosting open mic nights on Feb 12th at 8pm. A lot's going on! Check out the source link below for all of the details.

Source: SVBJ

Comedians and Empanadas

A new comedy series called "Comedians and Empanadas" is coming to San Jose on the first Wednesday of every month (that's today). Casa Guzmania is restaurant that specializes in delicious empanadas.

Each month they are going to bring a lineup of talented comedians from all over the Bay that have performed at comedy clubs such as San Jose's own Improv, Cobb's Comedy Club, and Rooster T Feathers. The event is free and goes from 6-8pm. If you'd like to reserve a spot, head over here.

You can find Casa Guzmania at 350 South Market Street in Downtown San Jose's SoFA District.

Source: Eventbrite

South FIRST FRIDAYS Art Walk February 2025

South FIRST FRIDAYS is back this week 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.

The most unique part of the event this month is an interactive activity at the California Theatre hosted by Opera San Jose. You can watch a captivating performance from Bluebeard's Castle followed by a scavenger hunt through the theater and lobbies filled with hidden surprises. They will also have temporary tattoos, popcorn, and a tarot card reader. Very cool, and all free to the public. I'll also have to mention the free live jazz music at the SJZ Break Room throughout the event starting at 4:50pm.

It all goes down on Friday, February 7th. 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.

San Jose State University planning to add ~3 million SQFT

San Jose State University has been on a winning streak lately, greatly increase it's rankings and national visibility. Now they are planning a large number of upgrades to both their main campus in Downtown San Jose as well as the South Campus a few blocks away with their sporting facilities. Future projects will increase the capacity for school facilities, student housing, and faculty housing.

The master plan will expand the current campus from 7.86 million SQFT to a whopping 10.55 million SQFT. About a million SQFT of existing space would be demolished to make way for nearly 5 million SQFT in new construction. A significant amount of space in existing facilities would also be renovated.

Despite the large increase in overall space, parking capacity will remain at 8,400 cars. With expected improvements in public transit and self-driving vehicles, that should be completely fine. I'm sure most urbanists will be happy with capped parking at SJSU.

1.9 million SQFT of the projects will be for residential space. A total of 2,100 new beds would be created for students. SJSU's projected enrollment for 2045 is 44,000 students, up quite a bit from today's enrollment of 36,000.

In the South Campus, there will be improvements to athletic facilities and a new paseo connecting 7th Street to the Spartans stadium. Chain link fencing will also be replaced with decorative fences, structures, and landscaping.

Construction is expected to be done in four phases over the next 20 years.

Source: SF YIMBY

Eos & Nyx - the new king of Downtown San Jose restaurants

The bar has just been raised for fine dining in Downtown San Jose. Eos & Nyx is an upscale Mediterranean restaurant in the Paseo building at 201 S. Second Street. The restaurant spans two stunning floors in a 4,000 SQFT space filled with unique furniture, Instagram-worthy decorations, and an open kitchen. There is also a large outdoor dining area on the paseo itself.

This restaurant is brought to you by the same team as Miniboss, Paper Plane, Still OG, and Alter Ego. However, it is less bar and more restaurant than their previous ventures. Don't worry though, it still has all of the amazing craft cocktails you would expect from this team and they are severed across two different bars connected with a pully system. It's really cool to see the bottles move from bar to bar, which you can even see outside from the street.

This was the restaurant I was most eagerly anticipating throughout 2024. I wanted to visit earlier, but couldn't get a reservation =). I booked way in advance to visit on my birthday in mid January, with a nearly two-year old toddler in tow. The only time slot I was able to get on a cold Wednesday was late in the evening. It's a very popular restaurant.

After I got over the wow-factor of the space, my first impression was not great. Despite having a reservation (and it being a birthday), we still had to wait 30 minutes and we were getting dangerously close to our daughter's bedtime. There is not an ideal waiting area for the restaurant if it's cold outside. Usually it would be the bar, but that's a challenge with a kid. Speaking of which, the vibe did not seem ideal for kids, especially for dinner. I was getting a little apprehensive. Did we make a mistake?

No, we didn't. After being seated we were able to get the food expedited and everyone was extremely friendly and apologetic for the wait. There was a high-chair for our daughter, and despite it being a little loud she loved hanging out and munching on multiple courses as much as we did. Also, there was a beautiful birthday card on the table with a drawing of the restaurant and it was signed by the staff.

The food was exceptional from start to finish. It started with an amuse bouche of beef tartar and caviar in a mini waffle cone. My mom who doesn't eat any raw fish or meat loved it (we didn't have the heart to tell her what it was).

For appetizers we had the "everything" carrots (carrots many different ways, including fennel, truffle, and hazelnuts), raw seafood (hamachi for the night and it was spectacular), bruschetta, and the dip trio (cacik, baba ghanoush, ataramas, and pita). I would recommend all of it. Next time we'll try the octopus which looked really good.

We tried a variety of cocktails. I wanted to go for items that we could not easily get anywhere else. So we tried "Licensed to Dill" which featured Greek yogurt, apricot eau de vie, aquavit, dill, and lime. It was really interesting and was perfect for Mediterranean appetizers. We also tried a "Crimson & Clover" with gin, strawberry, lychee, basil, lemon, and honey as well as a "Smooth Operator" with rye, blackberry, vanilla, and bitters. Honestly you can't go wrong with anything on their bar menu, that is their wheelhouse.

After the apps came a palate cleanser, a thoughtful second comp that everyone eating dinner gets to enjoy. Then were all the main courses. We got pappardelle duck pasta, tagliatelle lobster pasta with beurre blanc sauce, the house burger (with harissa, eggplant, and piquillo), and a half chicken. Again, everything was excellent. The biggest surprise was that the burger was my favorite course. I love a good burger and this might have been my favorite of all time Downtown.

Dessert was Loukoumades, followed by bite-sized chocolates that came with the artfully presented bill. We were also delighted that the appetizers were comped to apologize for the wait. Great customer service and that gesture ensured we will be back many times in the future.

In conclusion, it was worth the wait... both for the restaurant to open in San Jose and on the day of my birthday meal. It's the new ultimate date-night restaurant for Downtown San Jose and has Michelin Guide written all over it. Just make a reservation way in advance and give yourself plenty of time to enjoy this amazing restaurant!

Thursdays are Free Play days at Miniboss

Did you love playing arcades but hated spending buckets of quarters? Now you can play all the way through 6-player X-men or challenge a team to Killer Queen for free. Thursdays are arcade free play days at Miniboss in Downtown San Jose (corner of Santa Clara Street and 2nd Street).

Next week I'll also have a full post on the latest project from the same team that brough you Miniboss, Paper Plane, Still OG, and Alter Ego. It's called Eos & Nyx and it truly sets a new benchmark for Downtown San Jose.

Source: Instagram

Downtown San Jose Falcon

Today I just have a great photo of a peregrine falcon sitting on top of San Jose's City Hall. It's a unique angle of Downtown San Jose that I have never seen before. In fact, I had to check Google maps to even see if this shot was technically possible or fabricated. Good news, it's legit!

Source: Chris Roth on X

Downtown San Jose office building may convert to housing

We're in a precarious situation right now with office space. Many employees simply do not want to return to the office and companies are looking to downsize their footprint because of it. At the same time, population is not growing quickly and we do not have a rush of companies across the world looking to relocate staff to the most expensive region of the United States. What are we to do with all the empty space?

A nine-story office tower at 152 North Third Street is considering a conversion to 133 residential units. This is a very smart move that would reduce the amount of empty office space and replace it with much needed housing.

As a bonus, the building was constructed in 1985 and a conversion would bring it up to modern standards. It would also keep the "Eagles Hall" facade that was built in 1909 in the photo below.

If it goes through, the project would also include a lounge, game room, two music studios, a gym, yoga studio, cinema room, coworking space, two meeting rooms, a cafe, kitchen, club room, and amenity terrace.

Hopefully they keep Freshly Baked Eatery on the ground floor, which is the best sandwich shop in Downtown San Jose.

Source: The Mercury News

FC2025 discounts in Downtown San Jose

If you have seen people walking around Downtown San Jose looking like Disney characters, that's because Furcon is in town this weekend and runs until January 20th. Downtown Ice might be extra entertaining to watch on these last couple days as fursuits are welcome on the ice. 

For anyone attending the convention, below are a list of discounts for things to do in Downtown San Jose. I have never seen a discount for Haberdasher before (one of the best bars in all of Silicon Valley). The Foxtail Fermentation promo is on-brand, well done!

Dual high-rise project Icon/Echo requests an extension

One of the most anticipated development projects in San Jose is Icon/Echo at 147 East Santa Clara street. It's being developed by the San Jose superfans at Urban Catalyst. This firm has just completed it's Paseo project at the former Camera 12, now featuring Urban Putt and Eos & Nyx. They are also wrapping up a new Marriott Hotel with 176 rooms near the SAP Center.

Icon/Echo is one of Urban Catalyst's most ambitious projects. It'll have two towers, one 265 feet tall and the other 263 feet. Combined they will have 1,039 apartments.

Urban Catalyst has just requested an extension request to extend entitlement approvals by another two years. The financing market is challenging right now, and they need to shore up enough capital before starting construction. They have been successful with other projects in the past, and Downtown San Jose is only expected to get hotter when it comes to residential development in the future. I'm very optimistic we'll get to see this project move forward.

Source: SF YIMBY

New coworking space opening in Downtown San Jose

Pacific Workplaces is a flexible workspace solution for individuals and teams. It's a modern take on coworking. They are doing a grand opening for their newest space in Downtown San Jose on February 19th from 3-5pm.

The party will have food, music, and a raffle for a $1,000 Vari.com shopping spree. The new digs are at 84 W. Santa Clara Street, 7th Floor. It's a great central location in Downtown San Jose, walking distance to everything.

Source: Pacific Workplaces

Symphony San Jose presents THE FIREBIRD SUITE January 25 and 26, 2025

With music as enchanting and lavishly colorful as the title character, The Firebird is the perfect way to celebrate the new year. This suite comes from the 1910 ballet that launched Stravinsky’s international career. Opening the program is Sibelius’ most-famous composition, Finlandia, evoking the struggles of his native homeland with equal parts ominousness, pride, and festivity. Brahms’ Variations on a Theme by Haydn is one of the famed Romantic composer’s most popular works. Argentinian conductor Carlos Vieu brings Sonia Possetti’s spirited Bullanguera from his homeland to complete this program.

 

Who: Symphony San Jose presents

 

What: The Firebird

When: Saturday, January 25, 2025 at 7:30pm and Sunday, January 26, 2025 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: $24 to $121.50 (Ticket prices include $2.50 City Fee and Order Fee of $4.00.)

Special Youth Ticket price: A ticket for concert goers, age 17 and under, can be discounted up to 50% when purchased along with a full-price 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:

Jean Sibelius: Finlandia

Johannes Brahms: Variations on a Theme by Haydn

Sonia Possetti: Bullanguera

Igor Stravinsky: The Firebird Suite

 

ARTISTS

Conductor: Carlos Vieu

Biography: http://www.lombardoassociates.org/carlos-vieu

 

Symphony San Jose

www.symphonysanjose.org/

 

ArtWork: Courtesy of Symphony San Jose.

Photos of the artist courtesy of Symphony San Jose.

Google is giving San Jose $5 million for community benefits

Even thought Google's multi-million SQFT megaproject is still on hold, they are holding true to several of the commitments they made to the city of San Jose. 

Google will give $5 million to San Jose as part of its community benefits agreement for the Downtown West Project. $4.25 million will be put into the Community Stabilization and Opportunity Pathways Fund.  This aims to support under-resourced communities in San Jose due to rising costs and increase job opportunities.

If the project comes to fruition, then Google will invest a total of $155 million into public benefits for the San Jose community. However, that will be a rounding error compared to value of having 10,000 or so high-paying tech jobs that would be added to Downtown San Jose along with the ecosystem to support those workers.

Source: San Jose Spotlight

Data center would be used to warm and cool proposed Downtown San Jose high-rises

Westbank and PG&E are forming an unconventional partnership. Westbank wants to build a project that would include 4,000 total residential units and three data centers. 

Data centers use very large amounts of energy and require vast heating and cooling systems for those stacks of computers. The idea would be to use an underground system that could recycle excess energy from the data centers to provide heat and hot water to neighboring buildings. A similar thing can be done for cooling. PG&E believes that three data centers could potentially fuel 200,000 homes.

The three data centers would need about 200 MW of energy, and are expected to be used for AI. PG&E believes that new approaches like this could could help trim monthly expenses and lead to more affordable energy systems.

If this moves forward, construction for the first data center will begin within 12 months with the goal being completion in 2027. The second would be targeted for completion in 2028 and the third in 2029.

Source: SVBJ

New Downtown San Jose Artwork

Our friends at West Coast Artworks have several new canvas prints available featuring Downtown San Jose. I especially like the two new ones below. 

One highlights the MIRO towers, San Jose City Hall, and the Bank of Italy building. The other is a unique shot of the SoFA district starting with The Pierce and Sparq. In fact, that is probably the view that many will get from San Jose's newest luxury apartment building, The Fay.

I have purchased several of these prints and love them. They are always conversation starters for guests.

To see all of the new artwork, including those that ship in time for Christmas, head over here.

Keystone Marriott construction update

San Jose is in need of more hotel rooms, especially with the former Fairmont Annex tower now being used as SJSU housing and both the World Cup and Supper Bowl coming to the San Jose Metro in 2026. One of the few active hotel projects currently underway is a new Keystone Marriott near Diridon Station at 495 West San Carlos Street in San Jose

The project is close to both Downtown San Jose and Midtown. The hotel is eight stories and will have 176 rooms, each with a full kitchenette. Two cool features are a courtyard in the middle of the hotel on the fourth floor and a penthouse-level indoor-outdoor lounge with a bar and BBQ pit.

It'll be branded as a Townplace Suites hotel (part of the Marriott family) and is expected to be complete in early 2025. Below the render you can see a recent construction photo with the scaffolding starting to come down.

Source: SJNewKid from Skyscraper City, SFYIMBY

Hobee's Restaurant and Beer Garden is now open in Downtown San Jose

San Jose's newest Hobee's sits in a blue Victorian that used to be Ludwig's German Table. It also has one feature that no other Hobee's has, a beer garden. This element of the menu will open in 2025, but diners can already enjoy the breakfasts and coffeecakes that Hobee's is known for.

The current seating capacity is 65 on the inside and up to 140 outdoors. The new location is planning to play a strong role in the community and is already getting repeat customers and regulars.

Hobee's Restaurant and Beer Garden is located at 261 N. Second Street and is currently open from 8am to 2pm, Tuesday through Sunday. Those hours should expand in 2025. 

Source: The Mercury News

The most Christmassy bars in Downtown San Jose

Miracle is a Christmas-themed pop-up that transforms popular bars into kitschy holiday taverns with seasonal cocktails. This year both Paper Plane and Miniboss in Downtown San Jose are getting the full miracle treatment. 

If you are itching to get into the holiday spirit or happen to be exploring Christmas in the Park, swing by for an infusion of cheer and merriment. Many of the creative cocktail glasses you will find here are also available for sale. For more info, head over here.

Craving a more traditional bar experience? The owners of Paper Plane and Miniboss also have Still OG, Alter Ego, and Eos & Nyx within two blocks.