All That Jazz with "Chicago" @ The San Jose Stage

They had it comin'
They had it comin'
They had it comin' all along
'Cause if they used us
And they abused us
How could you tell us that we were wrong?

Back in high school, I was wondering why so many people loved CHICAGO when it first came out in theaters in 2002. Before I knew I loved musicals, I found the songs "Cell Block Tango" and "We Both Reached for the Gun" to be sensational and fascinating. Of course, being quite an ignorant child believing that justice will always prevail, I had no idea that the outcome of this musical's riveting storyline and dazzling musical numbers would be a scandalous travesty of justice. It was so scandalous in storyline, outcome, costumes, and choreography, that the original 1975 Broadway production of CHICAGO only ran for 968 performances, which is a relatively short run for an open-ended broadway production. Thankfully, two decades later, a more accepting Broadway audience and significant production tweaks paved the way for the current revival of CHICAGO, which is now the longest-running musical revival and longest-running American musical in Broadway history.

"We Both Reached For The Gun" musical number
Center Stage: Monique Hafeb Adams (as Roxie Hart), Keith Pinto (as Billy Flynn), Kyle Bielfield (as Mary Sunshine)
Ensemble: Patrick Wayne, Jill Miller, Jacqueline Neeley, Zoey Lytle, Matthew Kropschot,
Tony Wooldridge, Tracey Freeman-Shaw, Monica Moe, Vinh G. Nguyen, Nick Rodrigues.
Photo By Dave Lepori

"Razzle Dazzle" musical number
Keith Pinto (foreground as "Billy Flynn") alongside Matthew Kropschot,
Monica Moe, Jacqueline Neeley, Jill Miller, Zoey Lytle,
Tracey Freeman-Shaw, Tony Wooldridge, Nick Rodrigues.
Photo by Dave Lepori

Since my high school years, I have seen the musical twice on Broadway and once as a touring production through Broadway San Jose. I had no idea that the theatrical production would be significantly better than the big screen version including its simple set design, kinky costumes, and "all that jazz" expected from this musical.

CHICAGO took the stand at The San Jose Stage Company with its official opening night on February 8, 2020. The production was mostly true to what I've seen on Broadway especially when it comes to the choreography, singing, and costumes. The company at The San Jose Stage Company hit top marks for producing a Broadway quality show in its intimate setting allowing Bay Area residents to fall in love with this classic!

Branden Noel Thomas 
as "Matron ‘Mama’ Morton"
Photo by Dave Lepori

Given that I've seen previous productions at The San Jose Stage Company, it was great seeing former cast members return to the show including Monique Hafen Adams as Roxie Hart, Allison F. Rich as Velma Kelly, Keith Pinto as Billy Flynn, Matthew Kropschot as Fred Casley, and ensemble members June Miller, Monica Moe, Vinh G. Nguyen, Tracey Freeman-Shaw.

The highlight of the show was the excellent performance of Branden Noel Thomas performing as Matron "Mama" Morton. Branden's singing, acting, makeup, and costume was impeccable. Branden knew how to pull in the audience and deliver musical notes and lines with gravity... and tenacity. Branden is a young person whom I will be paying attention in future productions.

One thing that didn't occur in the Broadway production, but which The San Jose Stage Company changed very well, was the different direction to their musical number, "Mister Cellophane." Performing as Amos Hart was Sean Doughty, who previously performed the same part at another theater. In addition to Sean applying the sad clown makeup from the movie version, it was comical and malevolent to see how the spotlight operator moved the spotlight away from Amos on stage several times. Plus, Amos never received his exit music, as other characters did. Little things like this is truly reminiscent of the character of Amos Hart who is so innocent yet easily mistreated throughout the story.

Sean Doughty as Amos Hart
Photo By Dave Lepori

All in all, this is one of the few shows I would watch again and again. So make sure you catch a performance playing Wednesdays to Sundays now until March 15, 2020. You can purchase tickets online at The San Jose Stage Company website at www.thestage.org or at their box office at 490 South First Street, San Jose, CA 95113, (408) 283-7141. Discount tickets are available for students and seniors.

Written by John Huân Vu.

Downtown San Jose's epic development roadmap

I've been following Downtown San Jose development for the last 21 years, and I have never seen so many impressive projects in the pipeline--not even in the peak of the .com bubble in 1999 and 2000.

The Silicon Valley Business Journal has put together a list of the top 20 projects that are currently in the pipeline. Several are in the million+ SQFT category, which is equivalent to three or four typical high rise buildings. Even if half of these come to fruition, Downtown San Jose will never look the same.

As an added bonus, below is a recording of the "Future of San Jose" event, where you can hear several San Jose leaders share their thoughts on where San Jose is going.

Source: SVBJ

February 2020 Downtown Dimension Highlights

The latest addition of Downtown Dimension is now live. Below is a summary of the content this month.

The FEBRUARY 2020 Downtown Dimension is now available. In this edition: Downtown is expanding in all four directions.  Our lead story focuses on what's happening in SoDA, the South of Downtown Area. SJDA Board President Katia McClain's 2020 term started with a feature story in Silicon Valley Business Journal.  Her Letter to downtown businesses includes thoughts on what it will take to make downtown San Jose look as good as possible. CityView businesses are relocating as Jay Paul Co. prepares the block for demolition.  Dimension tracked down many of the new locations of former CityView tenants. New owner and plans for the former Camera Cinemas building. San Jose's $15.25 minimum wage is middle-of-the-pack of Bay Area cities. Coming up:  CINEQUEST March 3-15 and San Jose Jazz Winterfest Feb. 14-29. Councilmember Raul Peralez will be featured at SJDA's next public meeting -- on a special date -- Thursday, Feb. 20, 8-9:30, at Tabard Theatre, 29 N. San Pedro St.  The meeting is open to everyone. FYI: Live and Local SJ for live music Traffic alerts lane and road closures. Maps of downtown commercial property availability and development proposals. Downtown Dimension is a leading source for information about downtown San Jose news, events and businesses. Subscribe with a simple email to sjda@sjdowntown.com, subject line:  Subscribe

Le Meridien San Jose Hotel Tower approved

Last week, one of the most ambitious hotel projects in San Jose history received approval by the San Jose City Council. The 24-story Le Meridien hotel will cantilever over the historic Hotel Montgomery, which is currently branded as a Four Points Hotel. The juxtaposition of old and new culminates in a stunning project as you can see below.

A five-story atrium will connect the two hotels together, which are both part of the Marriott portfolio. The new tower will have 274 rooms and one of, if not the best, hotel amenity in San Jose... a rooftop swimming pool.

I can't wait to see this come together and will definitely be planning some stay-cations after this is built!

Source: SVBJ

San Jose is one of the top cities for millennials

COMMERCIALCafé has put together a study on the top 10 metros for millennials to live and work in. They ranked each metro based on seven indicators: millennial population, growth, regional price parity, millennial unemployment rate, percentage of millennials with employer-based health insurance, and commuting time.

San Jose came in 10th place and came in 1st place in terms of health insurance. Our millennial unemployment rate was also the fourth lowest in the study and we had the second best education metric. To find out more, hit the link below.

Source: COMMERCIALCafé

The 7 Wonders of the San Jose World

Searchlight San Jose has a great post about the most interesting "wonders" of San Jose. Number one is obvious and pictured below, I have yet to visit number two, there is a great movie about number three, number four is surrounded by delicious food stalls, number five is the only place in San Jose where you can find snow each year, number six is our most colorful park, number seven is a famous museum, and there is a bonus eight that will make you laugh (or cry).

Click here to find out what the 7 Wonders of the San Jose World are.

Atari-themed gaming hotel coming to San Jose

The hottest video game company of the 70s is coming to San Jose in an interesting way. A hotel developer is leasing the Atari brand to create eight video-game themed hotels in the United States and one will be in San Jose.

Each hotel will have an esports studio where pros compete, an Atari gaming playground, event rooms, co-working spaces, movie theaters, a gym, and probably a fun restaurant/bar area. This sounds like a very unique offering compared the the run-of-the-mill business hotels that mostly populate the South Bay. Details are still sparse, but hopefully we'll have more info soon.

Bonus fun fact, the founder of Atari--Nolan Bushnell--also founded the first Chuck E. Cheese in San Jose. Yes, it is the epic two-story one on Tully.  Turns out the first one was actually at 370 South Winchester Blvd in the old Town & Country shopping center, currently Santana Row.

Source: Engadget

San Jose Jazz Winter Fest: Feb 14-29

Winter Fest 2020 kicks off Valentine's Day and features jazz, blues, Latin jazz, New Orleans, and other genres in intimate venues across San Jose. Performances will take place at Cafe Stritch, the Hammer Theatre, Hedley Club, San Jose Museum of Art, the Poor House Bistro, and Art Boutiki.

For a full list of musicians and to get tickets, head over here.

Santana Row 2020 Openings and Events

The first big restaurant news for Santana Row in 2020 is Momosan, a Japanese yakitori spot owned by Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto is coming this summer. Think of it as grilled tapas and ramen along with a full bar. If you have been to Morimoto in Napa, you know the quality is bound to be quite high.

Hot 8 Yoga will bring another health and wellness option to Santana Row when it opens this Fall. It should complement SoulCycle and Barry's Bootcamp nicely.

As for events, the San Jose 408k 'Race to the Row' takes place on February 2nd and the Lunar New Year Celebration will be on February 8th. For all of the details, read on below for the full press release.

Santana Row - an Oasis for Delicious Food, Sought After Brands and Action-Packed Entertainment

SAN JOSE, Calif. – January 14, 2020 – Santana Row is kicking off 2020 with the announcement of incoming merchants and community celebrations! Upcoming dining and fitness additions will bring a number of new experiences to Santana Row in 2020. Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, a Japanese master chef known for his innovative and signature style of cuisine, will open his popular ramen and yakitori Izakaya concept, Momosan, at Santana Row. This energetic and casual dining experience will feature the Iron Chef’s signature take on Japanese ramen, grilled skewers and Izakaya dishes, plus a diverse selection of premium sake, beer and spirits.

“I am looking forward to opening Momosan in San Jose’s vibrant Santana Row district,” said Chef Morimoto. “Momosan is all about enjoying ramen, yakitori, beer and sake in a fun, casual environment.”

At Momosan Santana Row, noodles will be front and center, highlighting Chef Morimoto’s varieties of Japanese-style flavor-forward ramen.  The menu will also shine with a variety of grilled dishes and Japanese bar snacks, all with Chef Morimoto’s signature twist. Playful small Izakaya plates and appetizers will take guests on a comfort food journey.

“San Jose is a city with traditional culture, including traditions that are adapted from Japan, as well as the most advanced technology as the center of Silicon Valley,” added Chef Morimoto. “I am very excited to explore the challenges and opportunities such a unique place offers me.” For more information on Chef Morimoto, visit ironchefmorimoto.com.

Group fitness concepts’ SoulCycle and Barry’s Bootcamp have become ritual for many workout enthusiasts at Santana Row, and another is in the works! Hot 8 Yoga will bring a variety of hot yoga classes to The Row in Fall 2020 that are ideal for students of all levels, paired with luxury amenities in a spa-like setting. Santana Row is the ideal fit for Hot 8 Yoga: its offering of curated shops focused on delivering premium goods and services is directly in line with the studio’s careful cultivation of the best movement and wellness experience for its practitioners.

And the excitement doesn’t stop here! 2020 kicks off with celebrations and community events for the entire family.  Here’s what’s coming up this February for all to enjoy.

San Jose 408k ‘Race to The Row’

Sunday, February 2^nd, starting 8 am

Join us for the 9^th annual Race to The Row, brought to you by Amazon and benefitting Pat Tillman Foundation. Featuring the famous “Mariachi Mile” and “Memorial Mile,” this fun point-to-point course will take you through some of San Jose’s most charming neighborhoods. As you cross the finish line, Santana Row shops & restaurants will be waiting for you with free yoga classes, mimosas and more. Stay tuned for the official offers!

Click here to Register for this event. For registered runners, the Packet Pick Up will be held in Santana Row Park (across from Left Bank) on January 1^st from 2 pm – 7 pm, and February 3^rd from 10 am – 5 pm.

For more information, visit santanarow.com/events/408k-race-to-the-row.

Santana Row Lunar New Year Celebration

Saturday, February 8^th, 1 pm – 3 pm

Santana Row welcomes the Year of The Rat with an afternoon of Lunar New Year festivities, presented by NTD Television and The Epoch Times. Enjoy the drumbeats and crashing cymbals of the Dragon and Lion dances, plus other fascinating cultural performances on a large stage in Santana Row Park (across from Left Bank).

Every hour, on the hour from 1 pm – 3 pm, red envelopes will be distributed in the park filled with Santana Row shop & restaurant gifts and offers! *Available while supplies last. Also enjoy in-store events, discounts, arts & crafts and more on The Row in honor of Lunar New Year.

This event is free and open to the public. Bring the family and celebrate the start of 2020 coordinated by the cycles of the moon! For more information, visit santanarow.com/events/santana-row-lunar-new-year-celebration.

January 2020 Downtown Dimension Highlights

The latest addition of Downtown Dimension is now live. Below is a summary of the content this month.

The JANUARY 2020 Downtown Dimension is now available at:

 

https://sjdowntown.com/wp_2016/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/143959-1-DTDJAN2020.pdf

In this edition:

• Downtown Dimension reviews some of th accomplishments of the next two dec ages and ponders the questions: Will these be the Roaring '20s?
• San Jose State earned its second Golden Nail Award for the new Recreation and Aquatics Center.
• DASH comes to an end after serving the downtown area with free shuttle service from the train station for more than two decades.
• Have you gone skating at Downtown Ice yet?  Open through Jan. 12.

HAVE A HAPPY, HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS 2020!

FYI:

• Live and Local SJ for live music
• Traffic alerts lane and road closures.
• Maps of downtown commercial property availability and development proposals.

Downtown Dimension is a leading source for information about downtown San Jose news, events and businesses.  Subscribe with a simple email to sjda@sjdowntown.com, subject line:  Subscribe

San Jose Restaurant Week - Jan 16 to 26

Restaurant week is back and it features 33 restaurants all around San Jose. Each will feature a multi-course tasting menu at a discounted price. You can see all of the deals over here.

The one I really would like to highlight is Adega, San Jose's first and only restaurant ever to get a Michelin star. They have a three-course restaurant week menu for $50 when one of their entrees alone costs $51. They added an intimate bar a while back and you might be able to stroll in there Tuesday through Thursday without a reservation to enjoy some of the best food San Jose has to offer.

The Adega owners also opened Pastelaria in Downtown San Jose, which is a must visit. They also have a $10 prix fix menu with a drink, grilled cheese sandwich, and a pastel de nata (best dessert you can find Downtown).

I'm also a big fan of 3rd & Bourbon, LB Steak, Meso, Luna, Oveja Negra, Park Station Hashery, Super Good Kitchen, Umi Handroll Bar, and Zona Rosa.

SJC Terminal C

The San Jose Airport expansion is starting to get more interesting. Instead of just extending Terminal B, it sounds like the current idea floating around is an entire terminal with 14 permanent gates. That would mean additional check-in counters, baggage claim facilities, and security lanes. A "Terminal C" plan could help expedite getting in and out of the airport and balance congested areas.

The new terminal would also get the SJC's first onsite hotel and a 5,000 space parking structure. The cost could run as high as $1.1 billion, but would be self-funded by additional flights.

I think an interesting idea would be to move international flights to Terminal C and really make a world class facility. Those are lucrative flights that greatly benefit the business community and overall economy.

As a little bonus, SJC also ranked the 11th best large airport in the world for on-time flight performance. Way to overachieve!

Source: SVBJ

Inside Samsung's HQ in San Jose

The Wall Street Journal recorded a brief tour of one of San Jose's most unique buildings.The Samsung North American HQ is actually two towers connected by bridges, with tons of open spaces and hanging gardens. At any location in the HQ, you are never more than one floor away from outdoor spaces. The building may look nondescript on the outside, but the tour shows how interesting and well-designed the structure actually is.

As an added bonus, their cafeteria is open to the public so you can go check out the architecture for yourself. You can find the Wall Street Journal video tour.

Source: jawz from the San Jose Development Forum

Bill.com is moving from Palo Alto to San Jose

Bill.com was the 2nd largest Bay Area tech IPO last year and they have decided to make San Jose their new home. They are moving from Palo Alto to 132,000 SQFT at 6220 America Center Drive. This is an office complex in Alviso that also features three Marriott Hotels (including an Aloft) and HP Enterprise's Headquarters.

They are nearly tripling their space from only 48,200 SQFT at 1810 Embarcadero. That means more jobs for San Jose at a fast-growing tech company whose shares are now public. Bill.com is currently worth just shy of $3 billion and employs over 500 people.

Source: SVBJ

Iconic Boeing 747s are coming to SJC

SJC has been able to handle the famous double-decker 747 for quite some time and has even accepted and handful of emergency landings when the weather has been bad at SFO. The reason why we haven't had regular service using double-decker 747 planes isn't because of the size of our runways or noise (common myths), it's simply because of demand.

Thanks to the astronomical passenger growth at SJC, we are getting our first route using a 747!  British Airways is swapping out the Boeing 787-9 for it's nonstop flight to London with a Boeing 747-400. This will add 60 additional seats to the flight. Generally the 2nd floor is business class seats in a 2+2 configuration.

Even though the flight will revert back to the 787 in late October, this is a great sign that our carriers feel confident enough that they can start expanding service and use the largest class of planes available (only the Airbus A380 is larger).

Source: SVBJ, SBJV (2)

Modera San Pedro Square Retail

The Modera apartment project in the middle of San Pedro Square is nearly complete, and it appears that they have announced their first two retail stores. Carbon Health and AT&T will take the two retail spots along North Almaden Avenue near The Brit.

This still leaves five spaces open, two directly on North San Pedro Street and three in a new Paseo that will connect San Pedro to Almaden Ave in the middle of the block. As this is one of our busiest districts, hopefully they will fill up quickly.

Source: Robertee from the San Jose Development Form

Santana Row future plans

A new Silicon Valley Business Journal interview with a Federal Realty executive reveals ambitious plans for new eateries and development at the Row. Over the next few years, 13 new restaurants are planned! In 2020, we'll see Momosan Ramen & Sake and a new Hot Yoga studio.

Some of the current retail spaces will be converted for other uses. For example, the two-story Urban Outfitters will be broken up into smaller spaces for new retail and restaurants.

Federal Realty also plans to break ground on a five-story building this year with 258 residential units at 358 Hatton Street. Across the street, they are gearing up for Two Santana West, an office building with 375,000 SQFT of office space.

It sounds like Federal Realty still has their foot on the gas even though the original development plan has been completed. The area is going to look quite different with these changes and the Valley Fair Expansion having their grand opening this year.

Source: SVBJ

Happy 2020 Everyone!!!

We wish all of the San Joseans and friends from neighboring cities out there a wonderful and prosperous 2020! We're officially in the future. Hopefully we will see our city grow in every way possible this year!

SJDA Year in Review 2019 + Flashback to 1989

We're closing out a strong year for Downtown San Jose filled with a multitude of new project announcements across every sector: residential, commercial, hotel, entertainment, and transportation. No one summarizes it better than Scott Knies from the San Jose Downtown Association. Below is his full presentation that highlights the most significant events of 2019 and touches on where we are going in 2020.

As an added bonus, you can also watch a SJDA video from 1989 to see how far we've come in the past 30 years.

Last Days for Santa Clara Valley Brewing

Farewell to venerable Santa Clara Valley Brewing. They're open today, but their last day will be tomorrow, Saturday, December 28.

Santa Clara Valley Brewing contributed much to the local beer scene, helping to elevate its status with recent medals at the prestigious Great American Beer Festival the last couple of years. Many of their beers were also named after local historic landmarks.

After announcing their closure last week, many local beer fans have been visiting the brewery and taproom to pay their final respects.

They are open today, 12-8pm, and their final day is tomorrow from 12-10pm.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

We hope that you and your family have a wonderful holiday season.

If you have already done the standard San Jose holiday traditions at Christmas in the Park and Santana Row, you can go on an adventure through our neighborhoods. You can find the addresses of the most decorated homes in San Jose over here. Some even have light shows synced to music--it's worth the drive.

Happy Holidays!

Museum Place tower moves forward

A 20-story mixed-use tower next to the Tech Interactive museum has been unanimously approved. "Museum Place" will replace Parkside Hall behind the Tech with 928,000 SQFT of new office space, 8,400 SQFT of retail, and a 60,000 SQFT expansion of the museum.

This was originally going to be a hotel and residential tower, but given the state of the market the project was converted to commercial users instead. As San Jose is the only large city in the country whose daytime population decreases, this seems like a fair change to help correct our jobs/housing imbalance (San Jose needs more jobs, other Silicon Valley cities need to step up for housing).

If all goes well, Museum Place will break ground in 2020.

Source: SVBJ

Modular hotel coming soon to North San Jose

There hasn't been the same level of innovation in construction over the past several decades as other industries such as computers and health care. One of the major innovations that will greatly reduce construction timeliness and bring down costs is modular construction. Most of the project is built off-site in a factory and the pieces are then assembled like Legos on site.

A new Hilton Garden Inn in San Jose is being built in this fashion by stacking 88 modular units on top of a podium near the airport at 101 east Gish Road. The units even came fully furnished. When complete the five-story hotel will have 150 room spread across 95,000 SQFT. The grand opening is currently slated for Spring 2020.

Source: SVBJ

Great America WinterFest 2019

Now that the rain has stopped, it's the perfect time to go out and enjoy the holiday amenities around San Jose. Great America's WinterFest has a strong showing this year with almost all of the rides open, including the two newest roller coasters RailBlazer and Gold Striker. There are 10 different holiday-themed shows, ice skating, interactive cookie decorating, arts & crafts, and festive food throughout the park. If you're with small children, I'd recommend heading over to Camp Snoopy for a dozen toddler-friendly rides.

Every corner of the park was decked out and I had a great time just walking through each themed area and seeing the decorations. There's even a section with fire pits this year.

WinterFest runs until December 31st and is open every day except for the 21st, 24th, and 25th. Tickets start at $27 a person ($19 if you know someone with a season pass) and are available over here.

December 2019 Downtown Dimension Highlights

The latest addition of Downtown Dimension is now live. Below is a summary of the content this month: The DECEMBER 2019 Downtown Dimension is now available at:   https://sjdowntown.com/wp_2016/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/DTDDEC2019.pdf In this edition: For more than a decade, Veronica Moya has delivered the Downtown Dimension to downtown businesses.  This month, she will deliver the newsletter to her customers, who will get to read a profile all about her.  Moya is definitely a Downtown Gem, downtown ambassador and one of USPS's best. Be sure to tell her so when you see her on our streets. SJDA put together a program to provide tenants of the brand-new and now-open Villas on the Park with day-to-day necessities, helping to "turn apartments into homes" for the previously homeless. New schematics show what Diridon Station may look like in the near future. Meet Katia McClain, SJDA's new President of its Board of Directors. For 2020, developers will get a break on high-rise residential fees, in hopes that construction of a few entitled buildings actually begin. Urban Catalyst continues to make moves to change downtown. What do you think of the new barriers on Second Street? Can trains get through downtown faster? Will the barriers help with safety? As a pedestrian, are they helpful or a hindrance? The Improv gets a beauty makeover and Adega Pastelaria brings tasty pastries to East Santa Clara Street. December hours extended for Downtown Ice - time to take a few spins around this signature holiday activity. You are invited to SJDA's annual Year-End meeting:  Dec. 13, 8 a.m. at the Hammer Theatre.  RSVP to attend at sjdarsvp@sjdowntown.com. FYI: Live and Local SJ for live music Traffic alerts lane and road closures. Maps of downtown commercial property availability and development proposals. Downtown Dimension is a leading source for information about downtown San Jose news, events and businesses.  Subscribe with a simple email to sjda@sjdowntown.com, subject line:  Subscribe Copyright © 2019 San Jose Downtown Association, All rights reserved.

27-story Garden Gate Tower moves forward

A shiny residential tower proposed for SoFA recently received City Council approval to move forward. The 27-story tower at 600 South 1st Street would have 290 apartments, 4,840 SQFT of retail across five commercial condos (for-sale retail spaces), and 232 parking spaces. 28 of the 290 residential units would be categorized as affordable.

KT Urban presented two different options to the City Council. The other was to build a 850-bedroom co-living building that would be about the same size.

Hopefully this moves forward, we need more housing Downtown ASAP to keep the momentum going.

Source: SVBJ

SJC gets their first daytime nonstop to Boston

Next summer, you won't need to take a redeye if you're travelling to Boston. JetBlue is adding a daytime nonstop starting June 11, 2020. If you don't mind the redeye, don't worry that is sticking around.

JetBlue will also start flying to London from Boston in a couple years, so this will likely provide a nice alternative to British Airways from San Jose when those flights kick off in 2021. I've taken the British Airways SJC flight and it's fantastic, but can be expensive.

Speaking of cost, it looks like San Jose International is now the fourth most affordable airport in the country. This is based on average airfare and food costs. Our neighbor up north, SFO, is the 4th most expensive in the country. Something to keep in mind next time you fly.

Source: SVBJ

Latest concept plans for Diridon Station

In order to mitigate the traffic nightmare in the Bay Area, we have to locate jobs and homes close to transit. There is no better transit location in the South Bay than Diridon Station. Millions of square feet of office space, residential units, retail, and hotels are destined to be built near or next to the station. Needless to say, there is a lot of pressure to make the station live up to the attention it is getting. The centerpiece of Downtown San Jose's next phase of urbanization needs to be world class.

Below are some of the latest drawings from Dutch planning firms that are working on the next big redesign of the station. These need to incorporate BART and potentially High Speed Rail, as well as easier access from every direction.

Part of the concept is elevating the tracks for all lines except for Light Rail and BART, which will both meet the station underground. There will also be two main concourses beneath the rail lines with multiple entrances on both Santa Clara Street and San Fernando Street.

The drawings are quite impressive compared to the current layout of the station. I'm optimistic the final product will do the Capital of Silicon Valley justice.

Source: SVBJ

Happy Thanksgiving 2019!

Hope you all have a wonderful time and lots of delicious eats today. Warm wishes to you and your family from your friends at The San Jose Blog!