Don't miss Mary Poppins!

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

As of this post (Saturday, June 9th.. 10ish-am), there are only four showings left of Mary Poppins at Broadway San Jose! So if you were on the fence about attending, now is the time to make up your mind!

If you are like the majority of us, your memory of Mary Poppins is the magical Disney musical movie staring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. Sometimes when you go to see a show and you already have an image of what you expect to see you can sometimes be disappointed if it doesn't live up to those memories.

Let me say, this production was RIGHT THERE with the movie, of course including a few of its own characteristics and moments, but I felt the movie come alive!

So I'm not a professional critic - I'm Jen. I like movies, and musicals, and a play here and there. Let me break this down in a few points:

Set design & technical bits:

WOW. Oh my wow. Right away my jaw kind of dropped at what we were treated with and within a few short minutes you are left thinking, "What are they going to do next?!" I want to list the specifics but I don't want to give them away because they're just such fun, it adds a whole layer to the show. They did a great job adding the "magic" to the show for sure.

Song & Dance numbers:

I'd say 90% of them had me smiling and singing along, tapping my toes along with the cast as they danced. The Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious number alone had me in awe of the awesome memory skills the cast possess. It's CRAZY. Let's just say, I can manage a good YMCA, but this is just nuts. ('Nuts' in a totally awesome fantastical way, that is.)

Characters:

While the whole cast was wonderful, the powers that be certainly picked awesome actors for Mary and Bert. The Mary felt very "Julie Andrews" to me, and that's meant as a compliment to the actor - I wanted my take-away to feel like I just watched the movie LIVE, I didn't want to walk away thinking they changed too much or went off character too much -- and they didn't. The Bert character, had his own approach to the character but totally nailed a lot of the Dick Van Dyke mannerisms from the movie too. 

Overall it was one of those really heart-warming, wholesome, good fun musicals. Right away you're transformed into the Mary Poppins world and from beginning to end there are technical treats, colorful numbers (they treated the 'cartoon' parts perfectly!) and so much more. I love it when the show is over and you hear everyone immediately singing their favorite part or mentioning how amazing another part was… 

Now it's your turn - go see it before it's gone!

Broadway San Jose [Website] [Facebook]

Showing:

Saturday June 9th: 2pm & 8pm

Sunday June 10th: 1pm & 6:30pm

San Pedro Square Farmer's Market Today

My favorite Farmer's Market is happening today, and every Saturday year-round. Everything is local and organic, plus you couldn't ask for a better venue. Check out the video below courtesy of WMS Media.

Evergreen Village Square Music Series

I think Evergreen Village is one of South San Jose's hidden gems. It's like a little oasis in the middle of the most suburban part of San Jose that resembles a mini Downtown wrapped around a beautiful fountain and park. At one point they were even planning a small movie theater and a restaurant on the lake, but unfortunately that never came to fruition.

If you've never been there before, the music series below is a great reason to come and enjoy the village. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will one day build out the rest of the site and have even more community-centric events like these. 

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This year’s free Evergreen Village Square Music Series kicks off Friday June 8th with the amazing California Cowboys. There will be a total of six free outdoor concerts taking place at the beautiful Evergreen Village Square in San Jose. Enjoy the music every other Friday throughout the summer, from 6:00pm to 8:00, followed by a family-friendly movie.

Here is a list of the great bands coming to Evergreen Village Square:

June 8th- The California Cowboys (country music at its best!)
June 22nd- Macy Blackman and the Mighty Fines (Rock the house with classic New Orleans R&B)
July 6th- The Fabulous Cruisetones (Classic oldies from the fifties to the eighties)
July 20th- Alvon Johnson (Award-winning blues and R&B)
August 10th- The Hum (Rock ‘n Roll and Blues)
August 24th- The Road Dogs (Classic Rock)

Evergreen Village Square is located on Ruby Avenue, off Aborn Road East, in San Jose. Sponsored by Involved Evergreen.

Like Evergreen Village Square on Facebook!
www.evergreenvillagesquare.com

Dia de Portugal 2012

This Saturday, History Park is hosting the annual Dia de Portugal festival. There is no better event to come an sample tons of amazing Portuguese foods! You can also enjoy multiple museums, World Cup qualifiers matches, and live entertainment.

Admission is free and the event goes from 10am-5:30pm!

Wednesday Wishlist: Virgin Airlines

In an article about Measure B in the latest issue of the San Jose Business Journal, I noticed an interesting tidbit. It was casually mentioned that the CEO of Virgin is trying to get flights at SJC next year. What a perfect match... they hippest, most tech forward US airline in the middle of Silicon Valley. Yes, please!  I think I would actually fly much more frequently if Virgin came to San Jose.

What do you guys think and which airlines do you want in San Jose?

The Tech Museum After Hours Today

6:00 p.m. – Midnight (new time!)   [Josh: the event now goes one hour later]

Celebrate your birthday at The Tech Museum's After Hours event! If your birthday occurs in the month of June, get in FREE to our June After Hours event! Just show your ID and YOU get in for FREE!

After Hours is the only monthly evening event, in downtown San Jose, where adults 21 and older enjoy science, technology, entertainment, and cocktails together with their friends.

Each month provides an exclusive and fun setting of music, games, hands-on exhibits, and more. Explore the entire museum with other adults under moody lighting and music as you play a bevy of giant games, discover more about science and technology, or just relax and have fun with friends! 

• GIANT GAMES like 4 Foot Tall Jenga-Style Blocks, Over-Sized Chess, and Giant Four in a Row.
• Live music and dancing.
• Sip on a glow-in-the-dark Tech-tini from our no-host bar.
• Limited cafe menu available for purchase.

In June, DJ Komodo is back in the house and will be joining The Tech Museum After Hours to give us some beats to jam to! So bring your friends for an exciting evening of fun, games and music!

Don't forget to go over to After Hours Photo Booth and share smiles with your friends. We'll post your photos on our After Hours Facebook page and share your pictures! Enjoy our new bar menu with tasty appetizers now for only $5 per item!

Admission Prices:
General: $10
Member: $8
Group of 10 or more: $8

For more information or to buy tickets please call (408) 294-8324. Or buy online now. (Service charges may apply. Members service charges waived.)

Get directions and parking tips.

Like our After Hours Facebook page!

New Retail Coming to Santana Row

It looks like many new additions are coming to Santana Row this year. Two new retailers have just been announced. Lavazza Espression is a high-end espresso shop that will be added near the office lobby in the 300 building (same building with The Yard House). Drybar will setup shop across from Hotel Valencia and offer women a shampoo and hair styling for $35. A press release with more information for both is below.

Also slated for Santana Row this year: H&M expansion into the former Border's Store, Kate Spade New York, Icebreaker TouchLab, Clary Sage Organics and The Veggie Grill (a very highly-rated vegetarian restaurant replacing Wahoo's).

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Coming to Santana Row:
Drybar, a Blowouts Only Salon, and Lavazza
Espression, an Italian Coffee Shop

San Jose, CA (May 30, 2012) - Drybar, a buzzed about shampoo and blow dry-only salon and
Lavazza Espression, an Italy-based coffee shop, are the newest additions opening at Santana
Row. They're the most recent tenants to sign on at the Bay Area's most dynamic shopping and
dining destination.

Drybar is slated to open this summer at 377 Santana Row, across the street from Park
Valencia. The salon started a revolutionary concept by offering women a shampoo and blow-dry
styling for a flat rate of $35 and the motto, "No cuts. No color. Just blowouts."
The founder, Alli Webb, opened the first salon in Brentwood (in L.A.) and  Drybar has since
grown to 14 locations across the country. Celebrity regulars include Jennifer Love Hewitt,
Amanda Bynes, Mary Steenburgen, Maria Shriver and Rose McGowan, who liked the concept
so much that she became an investor.

Company CEO is Webb's brother, Michael Landau, a former brand marketing manager for
Yahoo!

The 1,499 square foot location at Santana Row features all the whimsical components that
make Drybar such a hit: bright yellow ionic hair dryers that hang from ceiling fixtures and a
menu of blowout styles named after cocktails. Ask for a Mai Tai and you'll get a sexy beach look.
The Manhattan is a sleek city blowout. They're served with complimentary wine, champagne,
coffee or tea.

Lavazza Espression is scheduled to open this fall at 300 Santana Row next to Hastens at the
entrance of the office lobby. Lavazza's history started more than 110 years ago when founder
Luigi Lavazza opened a small grocery store in Turin. He is credited with inventing the concept of
the blend, the art of mixing coffee of different origins to obtain a flavorful brew.

Lavazza, known as Italy's favorite coffee since 2007, is expanding its presence around the world
with a contemporary and innovative approach to coffee with Espression cafes, a place where
consumers can experience an extraordinary blend of coffee creations and fresh food in an
atmosphere of award-winning design. Innovation and research are two essential ingredients for
Espression. The menu ranges from the very best of Italian traditional coffee drinks coffee and a
rich menu offering featuring fresh bakery goods, panini sandwiches, chocolate drinks and
gelato. The chain's signature atmosphere is the embodiment of eclectic creativity, characterized
by a sophisticated ambience of the best in Italian design.

Drybar and Lavazza join kate spade New York, Icebreaker TouchLab, Clary Sage Organics and
The Veggie Grill as the newest additions to Santana Row. Meanwhile, retailer H&M is tripling its
space by moving to the 26,000 square-foot location formerly occupied by Borders Books. The
move to the corner spot on Olin Avenue and Santana Row is expected in the fall and means the
store will be large enough to also carry apparel and accessories for men and children.

New San Jose Band: Light the Rocket!

San Jose has been getting a lot of great music news in 2012. New venues for live music have been popping up all over the place (especially Downtown), it is now possible to catch great performances 7 days a week, and many new artists from all over the South Bay have joined the local music scene. Just when I thought things couldn't get better, they just did...

Light the Rocket is a new band where pretty much every single member was born and raised in San Jose, all of their music is recorded in San Jose, and their first music video was entirely shot at the Music Go Round in San Jose. If you had any doubts of their local ties, see how many Sharks shirts and jerseys you can find by the end of the music video below (there is even a "hella" variant from Bay Area Diehards).

Alright, so they're local and they're representing, but are they any good? Nope... they are friggin phenomenal. I think I've listened to all of their songs 7 or 8 times already. I love their sound--reminds me a bit of Dashboard Confessional. It's a long road, but I wouldn't be surprised if these guys one day surpass Smashmouth as San Jose's claim to musical fame for the newer generations.

Check out their Facebook page over here, listen to their songs here, and of course don't forget to watch their first music video below for their debut song, "Carefully"!