Friday Flowers - Part 1

In honor of Spring, I thought I would do a weekly post about flowers during the month of April. Why flowers you may ask? Recently my wife was contracted to photograph Kathy Finley's work at Santana Row. Kathy is the person responsible for just about all of the phenomenal floral landscaping at SR and has even begun doing work in Downtown San Jose (good choice Groundwerx, very good choice). If you know anyone that needs a floral architect, her contact information is below. Now sit back, relax, and enjoy the flowers.

Kathy Finley
Finley Landscape Design
(925) 785-5501
kathy@finleylandscape.com

BREAKING: San Jose changes it's name BACK to El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe

Today a shocking announcement was made that will forever change the face (and name) of our city. To honor our heritage, city hall has decided to change the official name of the city back to what it was in 1777 when we were first founded: El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe.

In light of today's news, we will be changing the name of this Blog to the El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe Blog.

New Eclectic Restaurant Near Santana Row

Looks like a new restaurant called Kãama is coming to the former site of Fuel at 385 S. Winchester, right across the street from Santana Row. Below is a brief from Kãama's website. I'm definitely looking forward to trying it out, especially given the Chef's track record (Bleaux Magnolia in Napa).

Thanks to Tweservation for the tip!

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The Kãama Lounge
San Jose is about to discover a tasty treat, Kãama Lounge and Supper Club. This intimate setting is dedicated to the Goddess of Pleasure, Pleasure in Food, Pleasure in Drink and most importantly the Pleasure of good times and great company.

Kãama’s award winning Chef from Napa Valley “Matt Mermod” has transplanted to Kãama and his set sights on the Reinvention of “The Menu” it is not often you can truly say you are creating something “New” but that is exactly what Matt has accomplished.

Kãama’s menu is a recreation of comfort foods from around the world. Every plate has a tasting of the original and Chef Matt’s masterful reincarnation.

Kãama offers an intimate and playful setting of eastern elegance and design, with layers of comfortable seating that encourages a relaxed atmosphere.

Kãama is a versatile venue across from Santana Row, able to accommodate large private events to romantic parties of two. Let Kãama cater to your personal special event for any occasion.

Cheers
Kãama Lounge

Great Earth Day Idea from San Mateo

Those that work in San Mateo and pledge to take public transportation during "Earth Day week" (April 19th-23rd) will be eligible to get a free $10 TransLink card. This card is essentially a unified transit ticket that works on Caltrain, BART, Muni, AC Transit, Golden Gate Transit / Ferry, and eventually buses. Hopefully VTA will take note and join the club--especially with Grand Central Station San Jose coming soon to Diridon Station (VTA Lightrail, VTA Buses, BART, Caltrain, ACE, Amtrack, and Hight Speed Rail all in a single location). 

As population and commute times continue to rise, we really need to encourage better usage of public transit. This initiative from San Mateo is exactly what we should do here to continue to get better utilization and grow our transit system. Many people don't realize that our Light Rail system is actually pretty nice. It's far from perfect, but definitely usable... especially if someone is giving you free money to ride it. For more information on what our neighbor up north is doing, click here. Also if you happen to work in San Mateo, you might as well go for your free TransLink card as well!

New Nightclub Coming to Downtown San Jose

An anonymous poster tipped us off on a new nightclub/bar opening soon in Downtown San Jose. They are looking for feedback on what Downtown patrons would like to see as part of this new club. So, if you'd like to influence the future of Downtown nightlife, just complete this short survey!  There are only 12 questions, so it shouldn't take more than 2 minutes to fill out.

Rendering of Potential San Jose HSR Station

Proposed 49er Stadium Project Overview

While not technically San Jose, I think it's worth mentioning this highly controversial project... probably even more so than SJC =)

Here's an overview of just the stadium itself without too much propaganda:

Future Site of Little Italy San Jose!

I finally got to walk the Little Italy site for the first time and there is some real potential here. While not a large area, the site opens up to the Guadalupe River Park and has a spectacular courtyard in the middle. If successful, it will also push downtown past the 87 underpass and be a short walk away from Axis, San Pedro Square, and several proposed towers. I also have to say that I'm really looking forward to Paesano Ristorante Italiano, the first Italian Restaurant to open its doors in Little Italy!