ZOMBIE-O-RAMA '09 - August 26th, Downtown San Jose

We have a pretty interesting event coming to Downtown San Jose next Wednesday, San Jose's first Zombie Crawl!  What better way to get ready for October?

This event is centered around a screening of Shaun of the Dead, one of the most entertaining zombie movies I've seen. However, the real fun  is going to be joining the zombie hoard and marching through downtown dressed up as a zombie. There is even a make up artist on hand to help give you that authentic "zombie look." I've never heard of anything like this before, but I already hope it becomes a San Jose tradition, sounds like a lot of fun!

There will also be a zombie themed art show at SLG Publishing Boutiki and Gallery, as well as specials for the undead at Cafe Trieste, The Blue Chip, Brix Nightclub, Agenda Lounge, and South First Billiards. Checkout the official Zombie-O-Rama map below!

August 2009 Downtown Dimension Highlights

The latest issue of Downtown Dimension has arived! Here are the highlights:

• The Market (Safeway) opens it's first Downtown San Jose store on August 28th!  There are some concerns that it might put Zanotto's out of business.
• SJSU will have to cut enrollment by about 10% due to budget cuts.
• Silk Road Cafe has opened at 185 Park Ave. (same owners as Silk Road Bistro on San Fernando).
• The Art Glass Center of San Jose has set up shop at 465 S. First. St.
• D'Town Express offers dry cleaning and alterations at 15 Fountain Alley.
• Headcase Salon is now providing hair and tanning services at 151 W. St. James St.
• Legacy Partner's Riverpark Tower 2 is now leasing 316,000 sqft of Class A office space.
• The Civic Auditorium was lit July 24rd with a new high-tech LED lighting system (as reported here earlier).
• Downtown hotel occupancy is down from 67.04% last year to 55.65% this year.

Adobe HQ Photos - Part 3 of 3 (Click to Enlarge)

Adobe HQ Photos - Part 2 of 3 (Click to Enlarge)

Adobe HQ Photos - Part 1 of 3 (Click to Enlarge)

Civic Center's New Exterior Lighting!

As promised yesterday, I have a couple photos of the new lighting system at the San Jose Civic Center. It looks like all of the lighting is using LED technology, meaning the color can be changed to almost anything with ease (as well as being the most energy efficient lighting available). In fact, it looks like different zones of lighting can be changed independently, as one side of the Civic was green and the other was pink. It definitely makes an impression when walking by the Marriott or convention center. I would mind seeing this exact same lighting system used in other buildings throughout downtown (I'm looking at you Tech).

Downtown San Jose "Beautification"

I think we're coming a long way in Downtown San Jose in terms of sprucing the place up. Over the last several weeks I have been noticing flowerpots all over 1st St., 2nd St., and the SoFA district. It's a nice Santana Row-ish element that makes the streets more walkable and aesthetically pleasing. On 1st there are also quite a few flowers handing from streetlights as well as some slick lighting. This is just one of many examples of low cost improvements that can have a high impact on the neighborhood. Well done!

While we're talking about aesthetic improvements... my wife and I walked by the Civic Center today and new lighting system looks incredible. We took some photos, so hopefully I'll get them up tomorrow. This is a good direction for downtown.

Spectacular Dynamic Art Coming to San Jose International Airport

Take a look at this incredibly dynamic artwork from Dan Goods that's set to grace San Jose International Airport in 2010. Called the eCloud, each panel can go from completely transparent based on the weather and wind conditions of airports across the US. I think it serves as an excellent metaphor to Silicon Valley itself, constantly changing and reacting to the various feeds of information culminating here. You can even see a conceptual video of this masterpiece in action.

In other airport news, the "Hands" artwork covering the monolithic parking structure serving The North Concourse and Terminal B is coming along nicely. A quick glance while you're driving down 87 will give you an idea of what's to come... and so far so good.

Even More Photo Walk Photos

Santana Row Parking Structure Now Fully Open

This past weekend I have been able to do something at Santana Row that I have not been able to do for quite some time... easily find parking on a Saturday. Over 800 new parking spaces have opened up in the Winchester Garage, along with 2 very fast new elevators and an express ramp from Winchester Blvd. directly up to the 3rd floor of the structure. They also made some improvements to the flow of traffic on the ground floor, essentially making most of it a one way street. Overall, I'm impressed with the upgrade but if the garage were completely full I can see a huge mess with traffic where the express ramp hits Winchester. I think that would be an ideal place to have a stoplight, making it easier to both get on the express ramp and exit towards Stevens Creek. At the very least, I don't think anyone will be having a hard time finding parking at the Row anytime soon!