Tons of Downtown San Jose Restaurant List Updates!

It's been less than 2 months since the last update to the to the Downtown San Jose Restaurants doc, and there have already been a large number of updates and additions. First and foremost, we are now up to 215 eateries on the list!!! I'm also aware of 11 places that are under construction and should be ready by the end of Q1 2012.

As for my mission of going to every restaurant in Downtown San Jose... I'm currently at 194 / 215 (90%).

Below is the changelog from the Downtown San Jose Restaurants Doc:

• 11/6/2011 Added South First Billiards (they have a full menu)
• 11/6/2011 Added the new Subway on 2nd St. (used to be a Quizno's)
• 11/6/2011 Added Cafe 488, ground floor of the Sobrato Tower
• 11/6/2011 Added Cabritos, which is in the former Melting Pot / Maceo space
• 11/6/2011 Added Chacho's, which opens in 2012
• 11/23/2011 I added an asterisk (*) next to my favorite restaurants. These are all places that bring something unique and exceptional Downtown.
• 11/26/2011 Added Starbucks in the Coleman Target
• 11/26/2011 Added Miro's on 282 Almaden.
• 11/26/2011 Added Anzo's Cafe & Deli on 11 Fountain Alley
• 11/26/2011 Added 10 Almaden Cafe on 10 Almaden
• 11/26/2011 Added Riverpark Mart on 333 W San Carlos

If you haven't bookmarked it yet, here's the link to the spreadsheet! There is also a permanent link over to the right entitled Downtown San Jose Restaurants.

Saturday Stats: Silicon Valley Unemployment Drops Again

Here's a nice statistic for you. Unemployment for the San Jose Metropolitan Area dropped from 9.6% to 9.5% in October. This compares to a rate of 10.8% around the same time last year. The current unemployment rate for the state of California is 11.2%, which means we are well below the average. This is a good indicator that the local economy is starting to recover.

The Usuals All Black Friday Sales!

This Black Friday, why not support something local and awesome. The Usuals is the only clothing store I know that throws frequent parties for patrons with live music and features rotating local art on the walls. They are also one of two locations that sell I<3SJ shirts! Come get your local grove on at The Usuals then head over to the after party at Motif.

Happy Thanksgiving San Jose!

Intermolecular IPO

San Jose-based Intermolecular had a $96 million dollar IPO last week. They do research and development for the clean tech and semiconductor industries. Their headquarters is on North First Street near Montague Expressway.

For more info, click here.

Turkey Trot 2011

Looking for a healthy way to start your Thanksgiving before pummeling through thousands of calories? Look no further than the annual Turkey Trot in Downtown San Jose. It looks like they have something for everyone: 5K Run/Walk, 10K Run, Celebrity 10K, Wheelchair 10K, and more. The best part is that proceeds go to charity.

For more info and registration, just click here.

Race Info
When: November 24, 2011 Thanksgiving Morning

• 6:30am:       Bib Pick Up (Registration will close at 21,000.  There will not be onsite registration, but you canstill register at home or on your smart phone)
• 7:00am:       Costume Contest
• 7:45am:       Turkey Trot 10K Wheelchair
• 7:50am:       Turkey Trot 10K Run
• 8:15am:       Turkey Trot 5K Run/Walk
• 10am:          Elite Women’s & PA/USATF
• 10:30am:    Elite Men’s & PA/USATF Men
• 10:50am:    Kid’s Fun Run
• 11:30am:    Awards Ceremony

Where: Downtown San Jose, Guadalupe Park

Race Start

On W. Santa Clara Street, near the Hwy 87 overpass.  Please start by lining up at the correct starting time for your distance.  Then line up according to your mile pace with faster runners closer to the start line and those with strollers at the end.

Why:  In the past 6 years we have donated over $1.5 million to three local charities.  This year, our goal is to donate $500,000 to the 3 awesome charities!  Plus its a great way to start the day and get ready for a lot of eating at Thanksgiving dinner.

How: Participate by registering, volunteering or donating to the event.  If you are registering, remember there are many categories you may qualify for and would be fun for you to possible win a certain category.  Check out our timed and non-timed categories for more information.

Who:  You! Your family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors.  The more the merrier.

Over the Influence - Wadl Wadl

The Usuals (my favorite clothing store) is hosting another art show on Friday, Nov 25th. For a sneak preview, check out the video below:

Over the Influence - Wadl Wadl from Cinepixtor Media on Vimeo.

Shop San Jose

I am finally getting around to putting together a list of San Jose companies that are making CONSUMER products (not business products). This is easier said than done because most companies in San Jose are focused on making products for other businesses. For everything I buy these days I'll always look up where the company is headquartered and try to buy as close to San Jose as possible. This maximizes the amount of money that will feed back into our local economy.

The list includes companies like Adobe, Netgear, eBay, and Orchard Supply as well as a couple smaller companies that may one day change the world. A great example is Switch, whose product is pictured below. They created the most advanced light bulb in the world, a liquid-cooled LED bulb that produces the exact same type of light as an incandescent using a fraction of the electricity (even less than compact fluorescent bulbs).

I also created a tab called "Almost SJ Consumer Goods" for companies that are located in Santa Clara County, but not in San Jose. It's a short list because I haven't done as much research on these, but am expecting to add many more in the future.

To access the document click the "Shop San Jose" link on the right menu or click here. Also, if there are companies you would like to add to the list just post in the comments.