Dia de Los Muertos in San Jose

What better place to celebrate Dia de Los Muertos than in California's oldest secular cemetery? Full details below:

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All Saints Day/Day of the Dead/ Dìa de Los Muertos

At Oak Hill Funeral Home and Memorial Park

Sunday, November 6 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

San José, CA – October 19, 2011 --- It has become a tradition on All Saints Day to celebrate our ancestry, our forebearers who have passed on before us.  This year to commemorate Dìa de Los Muertos/Day of the Dead the festivities will again be held at Oak Hill Memorial Park with an outdoor mass on Sunday, November 6.

Oak Hill Funeral Home and Memorial Park is Celebrating their 165th anniversary as California’s oldest secular cemetery. Oak Hill welcomes friends, family, neighbors and beyond to commemorate their 6th annual Dìa de Los Muertos, also known as All Souls’ Day or Day of the Dead, on Sunday, November 6 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The ceremony is dedicated to honor those friends and relatives that have passed away. An outdoor mass will be held at 10:30 AM. 

“It is an honor to invite everyone,” said Brian Kestenblatt, General Manager of Oak Hill Funeral Home and Memorial Park “as we welcome, honor and celebrate the memories of our beloved souls. Join us for Mass as we rejoice and observe the mystical beauty and wonder of this ancient spiritual celebration.”

The Mass Service will be held at Our Lady of Guadalupe section of Oak Hill Memorial Park, and will include the traditional sweet bread, coffee, champurrado, live music and ceremonial dances.

The custom of All Saints’ Day and Day of the Dead dates back to 600AD and is a custom that is preceded by Halloween or All Hallow’s Eve.  It has evolved into a ceremonial commemoration.

Oak Hill Funeral Home and Memorial Park is located at 300 Curtner Avenue at Monterey Highway in San José.  For more information call 408.297. 2447.

Silicon Valley Unemployment Rate is Dropping

Here's a great stat to start the weekend off with... the local unemployment rate is dropping. Last year the San Jose metropolitan area had an 11% unemployment around this time, in August 2011 it was 10%, and the latest figures have unemployment pegged at 9.6%.  This is compared to a state unemployment rate that currently stands at 11.4%. So in other words, unemployment is dropping in San Jose and our job market is outperforming the California average by almost 2%.

For more info, you know the drill.

SJC - Your high speed gateway to Silicon Valley Video

Brand new video from WMSMedia about SJC:

Oracle is Coming to Downtown San Jose

Oracle has decided to partially occupy the the 380,000sqft Sobrato Tower, which they own thanks to their BEA acquisition. They are currently building out 65,000sqft split between the 3rd, 8th, and 9th floors. This will help decrease Downtown's office vacancy rate and put more feet on the ground in front of San Jose businesses and restaurants.

As a side note, 488 Cafe is a new restaurant on the ground floor of the Sobrato Tower.

For more information on the Oracle move, click here.

San Jose Halloween Attractions 2011

Wondering what to do Halloween weekend? This year we are fortunate to have more Halloween attractions than ever before in the area. Below is a summary of all your major options (click the names to go to the website):

Winchester Mystery House: Curse of Sarah Winchester - San Jose

Easily the most impressive haunted attraction that I have every been to in the Bay Area. It is the only haunt in a location that is creepy in and of itself. Not only does the maze wrap around the world famous Winchester Mystery House, but it incorporates a real pet cemetery as well as various authentic buildings on the property. The props seem like they are straight out of a Hollywood movie and the scares are impressive and unpredictable. The finale in the seance room will blow you away! It may be worth getting the VIP pass because you'll want to do this one more than once. The cost is $20 per person ($30 per person for VIP with multiple entries).

World's Largest Haunted House - San Jose

A massive haunted maze that is actually 2 haunts back to back. The first one is a little bit tame but has great ambiance. The second seems to go on forever and is downright terrifying. Everything is pitch black in the second maze, which gives the staged scenes a lot of extra pop. The cost is $20 per person for both mazes.

Pirates of Emerson - Pleasanton 

The preeminent Bay Area Halloween event for almost 2 decades is returning this year with an another great event. There are 5 haunted mazes this year, a Halloween Carnival (perfect idea for Halloween in the Park), and several other attractions such as a mini-maze and a substantial cornfield maze. This is MUCH MORE intense than Great America, so don't bring your young children to this one. You'll get scares from every angle, including above and below you. The haunts are extraordinarily well done, and they only let in small groups... you'll get what you pay for. The cost is $20 per person, but they are also selling "Monions" which let you access the carnival games and some of the special attractions. Expect to drop $30-35 for a full experience. If anyone from Pirates is reading this, please have a look at the SJ Convention Center or one of the many empty parking lots in Downtown San Jose next year ;)

Halloween Haunt @ California's Great America - Santa Clara

The largest Halloween event in Northern California by a mile. This is the fourth annual Halloween Haunt and maybe the last given the sale of the theme park. There are 6 haunted mazes (only one is new) a single haunted ride, 3 scare zones (one less than last year), and various shows. Most rides worth going on are still open and the roller coasters are being run with all the lights turned off. I hate to say it but this was a huge disappointment this year. Even on opening weekend it was completely packed, they were not spacing out entrances properly so none of the attractions were able to provide good scares, and they really didn't even try to make it bigger or better than last year. The cost is between $25-40 per person.

Swank Farms - Hollister

I didn't do this one this year, but I heard it was great. Instead of doing 2 haunts they have one very large maze (seems to be becoming a trend). The haunt should take 15+ min and incorporates part of their cornfield maze.  The cost is $25 per person.

The Scotts Valley High Haunted House - Scotts Valley

A high school production may seem out of place on this list, but I assure you that this one is 100% worthwhile. As opposed to your typical maze where you have people randomly popping out at you, each year there is a unique story with hundreds of actors, making you truly feel like you're immersed in a horror movie. You can also forget the saying "don't touch the actors and they won't touch you." Past events have included surprises like receiving fake shots, being completely separated from your party, and even wet hands touching the back of your neck while you are in pitch darkness. Insanely scary and much more interactive than any of the major venues. Plus the money connected is donated to charity. One caveat, due to how awesome this haunt is there may be a 2-3 hour wait. At least you'll have the high school dance team dressed up as zombies entertaining you while you wait (and performing Thriller in its entirety every 15min).  The cost is ~$10 per person. Oct 27-29 only, starting at 7pm. 555 Glenwood Dr., Scotts Valley.

A's Buying Parcels in Downtown San Jose

We're still waiting on a decision from Major League Baseball as to whether the A's can move to San Jose, but that isn't stopping Lew Wolf from acquiring all but 2 parcels required to build the 14 acre stadium. Having ownership of the land will give the commission one less reason to prevent the A's from calling San Jose their home.

Fore more info click here.

Google Offers Launches in San Jose

Google Offers has finally launched in San Jose! Their first deal is $15 for $30 worth of food at Sonoma Chicken. The deal is on for another 12 hours or so. If you're interested, just click here.

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Google Offers Beta Launches in Baltimore, Minneapolis, San Diego, and San Jose

We’re on a roll! Today we’re launching Google Offers in four new cities including Baltimore, Minneapolis, San Diego and San Jose. Here’s more on today’s offers in our newest locations:

• In Baltimore the first Google Offer is for Blue Hill Tavern -- “one of Baltimore’s most impressive dining spaces” according to Baltimore Magazine. The artfully designed dishes are as eye-catching as they are palate-pleasing. Enjoy delicious comfort foods and views from the rooftop patio with today’s offer: $15 for $30 worth of food and drinks.
• Visit the acclaimed cultural mecca of the Twin Cities with today’s offer for the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. For $1 you’ll get admission to the MIA’s special exhibition: “Edo Pop: The Graphic Impact of Japanese Prints” (up to $8 value), where you can enjoy the finest of rendered color and texture from the Far East and beyond. The Edo Pop exhibit runs Oct. 30, 2011- Jan. 8, 2012.
• Burgers are on the menu in Sunny San Diego. Our day-one offer is for the famous local eatery, Crazee Burger. Choose from more than 25 creative burger types (including wild boar, ostrich, alligator and more!), fresh salad and savory sweet potato fries. Today’s offer is $10 for $20 toward delicious grub at this favorite local spot.
Enjoy the “best of Silicon Valley” at Sonoma Chicken Coop, which serves up an award-winning combo of fresh fare, fast service, and friendly prices to all corners of Silicon Valley. Grab today’s Google Offer for San Jose and get $30 toward food and drinks for just $15 at participating locations. 

Sweet Tomatoes Grand Opening and Charity Fundraiser

Sweet Tomatoes will be the 5th restaurant to open up at the new @First project bordering 237 and North First Street (Five Guys, Chipotle, Panda Express, and Panera are already open). On November 1st they will  have their official grand opening; however, they have a great concept for a "soft opening" this weekend. On Oct 28th, 29th, and 30th they will be charging only $5 for the buffet. The best part is 100% of that money will go to the American Red Cross Silicon Valley Chapter. It's a promotion where everybody wins! Diners get a substantial discount, money goes to a great cause, and new employees get trained before the grand opening.

I have always been a fan of Sweet Tomatoes. There are on my very short list of favorite chain restaurants and the only buffet I'll eat at outside of Vegas. The @First location is the most upscale I've seen (like most other things in @First... I thought the Panera was going to be a high-end restaurant before the sign went up). Even if you are closer to the Coleman, South San Jose, or Sunnyvale locations, this one is worth checking out. Full details on the fundraiser below:

Sweet Tomatoes Offers Sweet Deal:  $5 All-You-Care-To-Eat at New

North San Jose Location on October 28 – 30

Pre-opening “fun-raiser” to benefit American Red Cross Silicon Valley Chapter

(SAN JOSE) October 21, 2011 – The newest Sweet Tomatoes, located at 4180 N. First St. in the @First Shopping Center is scheduled to open on Tuesday, November 1. To celebrate the grand opening, Sweet Tomatoes has partnered with American Red Cross Silicon Valley Chapter to host a preview fundraiser event on the following dates:

• Friday, October 28, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• Saturday, October 29, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• Sunday, October 30 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

For only $5.00 (five dollars), guests can enjoy Sweet Tomatoes’ 45-foot salad bar full of fresh, seasonal vegetables and tossed salads, made-from-scratch soups and hand-crafted muffins, focaccia, breads and desserts. Sweet Tomatoes will donate 100 percent of the proceeds to the American Red Cross Silicon Valley Chapter, a non-profit, humanitarian organization that depends on the generous contributions of time and money from local Santa Clara County residents and companies to provide services and programs that help our community prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.

Sweet Tomatoes seeks to be a vital and contributing part of each community in which it operates. To reach this goal, restaurants offer a “Fun-Raiser” program through which charities, churches, schools, athletic teams, scout troops and other non-profit organizations may raise funds by hosting in-store events. The restaurants assist in marketing the non-profit’s event by creating master flyers for distribution and promotion.

Sweet Tomatoes, named one of America’s “Best Chain Restaurants” byParents Magazine, offers a rotating menu of more than 100 original, made fresh dailyrecipes featuring signature salads, soups, bakery goods and hot pasta sauces, at an all-you-care-to-eat price.  All food is prepared without the use of artificial flavors, colors, additives or artificial trans fats. 

Sweet Tomatoes in North San Jose will be open daily from 11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. on weekdays, 11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. on Sundays beginning on November 1.  For more information visitwww.sweettomatoes.com or call (408) 526-0200. For more information on American Red Cross visit www.siliconvalley-redcross.org.       

About Sweet Tomatoes

Sweet Tomatoes was founded in 1978 in San Diego and currently operates 121 salad buffet-style restaurants across the western, southern and eastern portions of the United States. Sweet Tomatoes cares about what comes out of guests’ wallets and into their bodies by creating an exceptional, all-you-care-to-eat dining experience with a daily selection of made-from-scratch soups and salads and hand-crafted muffins, focaccia, breads and tasty desserts. By combining high-quality, farm-fresh and scratch-made foods for a fixed price, the restaurants provide guests with the freedom to create their own wholesome meals. The restaurant concept is built around fresh prepared, great-tasting recipes with a salad bar full of seasonal vegetables and tossed salads prepared exhibition-style every 20 minutes. Sweet Tomatoes restaurants are open daily for lunch and dinner. For more information, visitwww.sweettomatoes.com.

About American Red Cross Silicon Valley Chapter :

Founded in January 2009 with the merger of the Palo Alto Area and Santa Clara Valley chapters, the American Red Cross Silicon Valley Chapter is a non-profit, humanitarian organization that depends on the generous contributions of time and money from local Santa Clara County residents and companies to provide services and programs that help our community prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Led by volunteers and supported by community donations, your American Red Cross Silicon Valley Chapter is part of a nationwide network of approximately 710 locally supported chapters dedicated to saving lives and helping people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.