"Fountain Gallery Alley" 2-Day Pop-Up Art Gallery in Downtown San Jose

 
SAN JOSE - Local artists, residents, and nonprofits come together to host a 2-day pop-up art gallery, “Fountain Gallery Alley” at Fountain Alley, a neglected alleyway in downtown San Jose. On Friday November 11 (12pm-8pm) and Saturday November 12 (2pm-8pm), Fountain Alley will be filled with live painting, community mural, music, performances, games, artwork, and interactive installations for a whimsical experience day to night. The goal off the event is to harness the power of local art, talent, and energy to re-envision the alley as a downtown gem and beautiful public space.

Fountain Alley lies between 1st and 2nd Street, just south of Santa Clara Street in downtown San Jose. It is the alley that connects the downtown Santa Clara VTA station/Transit Mall.

Fountain Alley lies in the heart of the historic district of downtown San Jose, California. While next to downtown's most iconic building - the Bank of America tower, and surrounded by popular restaurants and nightlife destinations, the alleyway mostly sits empty and is plagued with poor public perception.

"I live near Fountain Alley and walk through it every day. I believe the space can do so much more for the community than what it is right now," said Rosalyn Lum, downtown resident and member of the Fountain Gallery Alley team.

Local artists and community members have yearned for change for many years and wish to see the space be an open, safe, and welcoming space for everyone.

The objective of "Fountain Gallery Alley" is to turn Fountain Alley to a greater community asset through a pop-up gallery showcasing local artists.  By making incremental yet impactful changes, and creating an environment that is open, inviting, and beautiful, the community aims to change the perception and connection people of the alley. "There is so much creative and dedicated talent in San Jose and when pulled together we can accomplish so much" says Erin Salazar, Director of the Exhibition District.

This project is supported by the Knight Foundation and 8 80 Cities through the Emerging City Champions Fellowship, and the San Jose Downtown Association.  For more information please visit www.opengalleryalley.com.

Wednesday Wishlist: Michelin Star Restaurants (2017 Edition)

Welcome to the 8th annual Wednesday Wishlist post where the topic is getting restaurants in San Jose worthy of Michelin starts. The Michelin guide is the most renowned rubric in the world for measuring culinary success. This is where I typically say something like: "I'm optimistic it will only be a matter of time until our food scene gets the recognition it deserves." Well guess what--not this year! San Jose finally has a restaurant with a Michelin Star, and the honor goes to Adega in Little Portugal. I could not think of a more worthy restaurant to be San Jose's first recipient of a star.

Michelin has three different star categories:

• One Star - A very good restaurant in its category with cuisine prepared to a consistently high standard. A good place to stop on your journey.
• Two Stars - Excellent cuisine, skillfully and carefully crafted dishes of outstanding quality. Worth a detour.
• Three Stars - Exceptional cuisine with distinctive dishes and superlative ingredients. Worth a special journey.

There are also restaurants in the Michelin guide that do not get a star, but are considered "Michelin Recommended." This is already a significant honor that a very small percentage of restaurants achieve. Within this category San Jose scored a total of 12 restaurants.

I created a Google doc listing all of the star recipients for 2017, along with tabs for all previous years and some general statistics. Below is an image capture from the doc. This year there were a total of 54 restaurants that were awarded Michelin stars, which is up 4 from last year and an all-time high for the Bay Area. 61% of the restaurants are locating in SF, 19% in Wine Country, 19% in Silicon Valley (split evenly between the South Bay and the Peninsula), and 2% in the East Bay. This is the first year in which Silicon Valley tied with Wine Country when it comes to star distribution--thanks to Adega in San Jose and Madera in Menlo Park (which was added back this year). There are 7 new restaurants on the list for 2017 and only three from 2016 did not make the cut: All Spice, Ame, and Kusakabe (all located in SF).


San Jose Michelin Starred Restaurants:

• East San Jose
• Adega (* 1 STAR *)

San Jose Michelin Recommended Restaurants:

• Downtown
• Vung Tau
• Back A Yard
• Swaad
• The Alameda
• Zona Rosa
• Midtown
• Walia
• Din Tai Fung (New)
• North San Jose
• Smoking Pig BBQ
• South San Jose
• Bun Bo Hue An Nam
• Thien Long
• Lau Hai San
• Willow Glen
• The Table
• Camden
• Zeni

In addition to Adega, Din Thai Fung (Chinese) is the latest newcomer to San Jose's "Michelin Recommended" list for San Jose. We did lose two that were recommended last year, Fratello and Rangoli. Overall, this is far and away San Jose's strongest showing in the Michelin guide to date. I'm hoping the trend continues and Adega inspires other San Jose restaurants to shoot for the moon! 

Source: Michelin Guide

Bowlero opens its first Northern California location in San Jose

The old Bowlmor San Jose near Westfield Oakridge has been converted into a Bowlero, which is far cry from your traditional bowling alley. Bowlero features wall-to-wall screens playing movies and sporting events, hip music, arcades, a high-end bar with fancy cocktails, and a solid food menu. The ambiance and amenities align well with what is now expected in Silicon Valley.

Bowlero has 59 lanes across the 50,000 SQFT building. There is even a sectioned-off VIP room with 9 lanes and its own bar, ideal for parties and private events. The entire space is well appointed and has a chic luxury feel throughout.

The food menu also has several entertaining options designed for sharing--and photographing. The most interesting one was a 5-lb "Behemoth Burger" with a 14-inch patty (photo down below). They also have super-sized Party Pretzels and a S'Mores Skillet. On the bar side you have the Dunk Tank, which comes in a Fishbowl and is designed to share with 2-3 other people.

Bowlero San Jose is the 12th location to open in the US and the only location in Northern California. The address is 5420 Thornwood Drive and hours are Mon 4pm-1am, Tues-Thur 4pm-12am, Fri 12pm-2am, Sat 11am-2am, and Sunday 10am-12am.

For more info, head over to the Bowlero website.

November 2016 Downtown Dimension Highlights

Here are my notes from the latest edition of Downtown Dimension:

• Two finalist designs emerge from the St. James Park design competition, CMG and !melk fre-ee. Both feature a Levitt Pavilion for live music, add new water features, and maintain the current historical features.
• Downtown Ice opens November 18th through January 16th at the Circle of Palms (120 S. Market St.). The rink will be generally be open from 5pm-9pm Mon-Thursday, 5pm-midnight on Friday, noon-midnight on Saturday, and noon-9pm on Sunday. Hours are longer during the Holiday break. Check downtownicesj.com for more specifics.
• The TiVo Santa Run 5k run/walk takes place on Dec 18th at 1pm. Register at santarunsv.com. 
• Hart's Dog Park is now open at 194 W. Santa Clara Street. The 2,000 SQFT parcel has been vacant for a decade and now includes artificial turf, benches, planters, toys, and a mural.
• The SJDA came in with a balanced budget for the third year in a row. 81% of the budget is used for events, marketing, promotions, and beautification of Downtown San Jose.

To read the newsletter, click here!

November is National Adoption Month

Guest post by: Phillip Bergman

November is National Adoption Month, an initiative spearheaded by the Children's Bureau, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The goal of National Adoption Month is to increase awareness and bring attention to the need for permanent families for children and youth in the U.S. foster care system.

San Jose is home to an office of Seneca Family of Agencies - www.senecafoa.org - founded more than 30 years ago to help children and families through life's toughest challenges. There are about 100,000 kids available for adoption nationally, including thousands in the region. Seneca provides adoption and other important services for children and families in the area and statewide, and it is a great source of information for those considering adoption.

Call 877-380-5300 to reach Seneca Family of Agencies during National Adoption Month or throughout the year for more information.

Dandelion Chocolate pop-up shop at Santana Row from Nov9-Dec24

Dandelion Chocolate is a popular Bay Area artisan chocolatier that makes all of their chocolate in house (you can even tour their factory in SF). They are bringing a pop-up store to San Jose featuring their signature hot and cold chocolate drinks, Four Barrel coffee and espresso, and of course chocolate bars and gift boxes.

Fun fact--the very first batches of Dandelion Chocolate were made at Santana Row in a loft above Pizza Antica in 2010.

You can check them out starting November 9th next to Z Gallerie. The shop will be open 7 days a week from 10am to 9pm.

For more details, head over to the Dandelion Chocolate website.

ThreatMetrix raises $30M in financing

ThreatMetrix is a San Jose-based fraud prevention startup located in Downtown San Jose at 160 W. Santa Clara Street. The company was founded in 2005 and helps authenticate consumer transactions to minimize online fraud.

So far, they have raised a respectable $84 million from investors. This latest $30 million financing round will be used to expand its data center and expand sales and marketing teams.

Source: SVBJ

Selma Olinder Dog Park will get a $20k makeover -- volunteers needed

SAN JOSE DOG PARK’S DREAMS COME TRUE WITH $20,000 MAKEOVER AND HELPING HAND FROM BENEFUL®

Beneful Dream Dog Park Project Team, Dog Lovers and City of San Jose Revamp Selma Olinder Dog Park During Volunteer Day

WHAT: On Friday, November 4, the Beneful Dream Dog Park Project team will join forces with the City of San Jose’s Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services to spruce up Selma Olinder Park Dog Park for its dog loving community. Interested volunteers are welcome to work alongside City and Beneful teams in exchange for a morning of tail-wagging fun, doggie swag and a sample of the new Beneful Originals with Real Beef recipe. Volunteer check-in will begin at 8:30 a.m. the day of the event, at the park entrance.

The $20,000 donation will be accompanied by a new piece of dog park equipment, a Beneful Doxie Tunnel – the only one of its kind in the area. The donation and volunteer day to Selma Olinder Park Dog Park come as part of the Beneful Dream Dog Park Project, a year-long program to support more than a dozen community dog parks across the country.

For more information about the Beneful Dream Dog Park Project, please visit DreamDogPark.com and follow on social media with #DreamDogPark

WHEN: Friday, November 4, 2016 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
o    Volunteer and media check-in at 8:30 a.m.
o    Check presentation at 9 a.m.
                                                                                                                                               
WHERE: Selma Olinder Park Dog Park
848 E. William St., San José, CA 95116

Wednesday Wishlist: Rebuild the Electric Light Tower! (Updated)

Few people realize just how incredible and innovative our Electric Light Tower was. Built in 1881, it was one of the 50 tallest man-made structures on earth. It stood nearly as tall as the Fairmont Hotel over 120 years ago when San Jose had a population of 12,567. It was the brightest and most technologically advanced light tower to be built and required design innovations that had never been attempted before (much like what Silicon Valley does on a daily basis today).

There is also a very exciting documentary in the works right now entitled "The Light between Two Towers" which is being driven by Tom Wohlmut from WMS Media.  I had the privilege of attending a presentation about the movie and have to say it provides compelling evidence of a connection between the San Jose Tower and the Eiffel Tower. I was certainly surprised at what was uncovered by the end of the presentation and think most people will be as well when this film is released. We'll have a lot more information on that documentary as details are released (I'll post whatever I'm allowed to), but I can already say that the Electric Light Tower could very well be far more significant than originally thought.

While the idea of rebuilding the tower has been tossed around for decades, now is the time to build a landmark that truly represents San Jose's history and culture of innovation, diversity, entrepreneurship, and sharing ideas. The Electric Light Tower is the perfect physical manifestation of those ideas.

Now for some exciting news. There is a group of people with the right experience to actually make this a reality. What I need help from everyone reading this is ideas that can be incorporated into a modern version of an Electric light tower. Here are some quick thoughts to get things started:

• Lighting
• Multi-color LED Lighting (this is a must)
• Imaging the tower turning teal and showing the score during Sharks games, or blue for Quakes games.
• Lasers
• Can be used for optical effects. Due to our height restrictions, lasers can be a way to make the tower look taller than it actually is or can even be used for concerts and events near the tower.
• Holograms / projections
• Few things look as futuristic as a hologram. A holographic showcase near the base could be an amazing display of technology by local companies such as LG as well as potentially providing advertising opportunities to help fund the tower.

• Interactivity
• Much like the lights on The 88, a new Light Tower could be dynamic allow people to interact with it. This could mean changing color based on interacting with nearby objects or by using an app on your phone.
• Ability to communicate with sister cities via the Tower, perhaps using cameras and screens along the base.

• Holiday Ideas
• It can be used as a Christmas tree during December
• Red, White, & Blue during the 4th of July
• Rainbow during Pride San Jose

Please submit your ideas in the comments and I will gladly add them to the list above. Let's make this a reality!

PAC*SJ Throw Back Thursday Movie Night

The big PAC*SJ fall event this year is going to be a movie night with a vintage bar featuring "fruit cocktails," rock tunes, and a mid-century-themed potluck. There will also be prizes for best costumes and recipes.

Steven Yvaska, Mercury News columnist and antiques expert, will be the Master of Ceremonies. Joe Melehan and Jim Zetterquist, members of the Fruit Cocktail Club, will narrate the movies. The theme will be "Lost and Found", focusing on places, practices, industries, and technology that were once a part of everyday life and now exist only on film. Throughout the evening there will be classic items for sale and auction.

The event takes place on Thursday, November 17th from 6:30 PM to 10 PM at the San Jose Woman's Club (75 South 11th Street, San Jose, CA). Parking is free on nearby city streets or $5 in the SJSU North Garage.

Tickets are only $5 per person and you can reserve your spot right over here. You can also get more details at the PAC*SJ Facebook Page.