Tonight officially kicks off ZER01 and you won't want to miss it! To see the full list of events, check out the events calendar over here. The largest event by far is going to be the street festival in SoFA tomorrow. It's going to be like a South First Friday injected with a steroid cannon and will no doubt be one of the best Downtown events of 2012!
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Review: The Death of the Novel @ The San Jose Rep
The 2012-2013 show season at the San Jose Repertory Theatre has begun! And what a great show to start it off with!
I attended opening night of The Death of the Novel by Jonathan Marc Feldman and directed by the Rep's Rick Lombardo and for me, it was quite the treat.
The play is about a young author who has experienced several heartbreaking losses throughout his life. Set shortly post-9/11 (with references within the play) New York, this man, Sebastian Justice, suffers from agoraphobia - he doesn't leave his New York apartment. Despite not leaving, thanks to his long time friend, he is able to meet an exotic and seemingly interesting woman, Sheba. Mixed in with words of sound logical advice (he chooses not to take, stubborn one that he is) from his psychologist, Samantha Cray, the story takes an interesting turn.
My husband and I talked more about this show than we have over the last handful we've seen together. We're in our thirties and can relate to some of the topics brought up. I for one, felt a strong connection to the feelings Justice discussed as he reflected on the losses he had, one after another. A quote stuck in my head… "a clown car of tragedies". I'm sure many can relate…
The Set:
I love the set; design was a sleek furnished New York apartment with stylish modern furniture. Technically speaking - once again the Rep added their flair - the set rotated! Perfect way to bring you into another room. One of the other technical aspects (perhaps more along the lines of the sound department) that stood out for me was when someone opened the sliding glass door to the balcony, you'd hear the sounds of the New York streets below. Light horns honking, people talking, a whispy breeze -- great touches, Rep. They didn't go unnoticed!
The Music:
The music?! Wait this wasn't a musical - however, in a surprising moment, it played a lot like a music video or a montage in the middle of a film or television show. I don't want to give it all way, but it was an interesting touch and got the message across perfectly.
The Actors:
Saving the best for last! The entire cast consisted of just five actors; and they were all captivating and moving in their own way. Vincent Kartheiser and Vaishnavi Sharma wowed the audience with their energy and outstanding ability to deliver lines upon lines of fast moving dialogue. There was a scene right after intermission that literally had me holding my breath because Sharma was talking so fast!
My husband and I lingered about during the Afters! party in hopes to meet some of the actors in the show. Fangirl confession: I'm a huge Buffy/Angel fan, and Vincent portrayed Angel's son in a couple of seasons. I was determined to meet him and hopefully get a photo. Another fangirl confession: Amy Pietz! I was so excited to find out she was going to be part of this production. Why? Because back in the day, I used to watch Caroline in the City. It was an adorable and hilarious little sitcom in the 90s. Anyway.. silliness aside, I really wanted to meet her too.
We chatted for a bit with an older couple about the show, about the topics of death and our shared enthusiasm for the powerful acting. They noted that often the audience is a little older group, but they've been seeing a change. I agree -- I think the topical shows that The San Jose Repertory are choosing have started to attract new, younger audiences.
I think the mix of the Hollywood ties (Kartheiser and Pietz) along with the topics explored in this show, a younger crowd would definitely find themselves being entertained. That of course, applies to those that don't normally attend this avenue of entertainment.
Well after a few minutes my inner fangirl was pleased! I got to meet Amy Pietz and Vincent Kartheiser, chat with them a smidge and get some photos.
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| Adam (hubby) and I with Amy Pietz |
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| Vincent Kartheiser and me |
Now it's your turn - go see the show!
Runs through September 22, 2012
Downtown San Jose Restaurant List Updates! (Q3 2012 Edition)
It has been a while since I updated the Downtown San Jose Restaurants database, but I now think everything is up to date (if not please let me know). We are now up to 227 eateries, which is Downtown's new record!
First off, some bad news. Morocco's--which used to be my favorite restaurant Downtown--is now only open in Mountain View. They are looking for a new location in the San Jose area but don't have any sort of timeline. Blendz is also closed.
Now the good news. 5 brand new eateries with 4.5 star yelp reviews!
Oh but there is more. Little Cheese Shop is now open in the San Pedro Square Market, offering the best cheeses you can find in the South Bay along with gourmet spreads, crackers, and exotic beverages. Whipps is now Cafe Bonne Terre, they still have frozen fruit desserts but have added crepes to the menu. Shellena's Cafe in SoFA is now Just Hot Dogs.
As for the latest status update on my mission to eat at every single restaurant in Downtown San Jose... I'm at 209 out of 227, or 92%. It is now becoming very difficult to try new places with so many amazing restaurants I want to go back to again and again.
Below is the changelog from the Downtown San Jose Restaurants Database:
First off, some bad news. Morocco's--which used to be my favorite restaurant Downtown--is now only open in Mountain View. They are looking for a new location in the San Jose area but don't have any sort of timeline. Blendz is also closed.
Now the good news. 5 brand new eateries with 4.5 star yelp reviews!
- Original Gravity House - OMG, epic new addition Downtown. 20 craft beers on tab that are constantly changing, home-made gourmet sausages, duck-fat fries, gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches... oh did I mention the 20 craft beers on tap?
- Back A Yard - Carribean restaurant where Gumbo Jumbo used to be, over 100 Yelp reviews already.
- Dosa & Curry - New Indian/Pakistani restaurant where Los Gallos De Villa used to be, right by SJSU.
- Zenon's Place - Reinvention of Nazca Peruvian on San Fernando
- Devine Grind - New Coffee Shop and breakfast place on Devine and 2nd Streets
Oh but there is more. Little Cheese Shop is now open in the San Pedro Square Market, offering the best cheeses you can find in the South Bay along with gourmet spreads, crackers, and exotic beverages. Whipps is now Cafe Bonne Terre, they still have frozen fruit desserts but have added crepes to the menu. Shellena's Cafe in SoFA is now Just Hot Dogs.
As for the latest status update on my mission to eat at every single restaurant in Downtown San Jose... I'm at 209 out of 227, or 92%. It is now becoming very difficult to try new places with so many amazing restaurants I want to go back to again and again.
Below is the changelog from the Downtown San Jose Restaurants Database:
- 2/26/2012 Added Sa-By Thai in SoFA
- 2/26/2012 Replaced Miro's with the Hyatt Place Bakery Cafe
- 4/7/2012 Added Cre-Paris and Blush to the list (new San Pedro Square Market restaurants)
- 9/9/2012 Added Morocco's to the Closed DTSJ Restaurants list (rent was too high).
- 9/9/2012 Added Blendz to the Closed DTSJ Restaurants list
- 9/9/2012 Added Back a Yard Restaurant
- 9/9/2012 Added Yelp information to Original Gravity Public House
- 9/9/2012 Added Devine Grind on Devine and 2nd Streets
- 9/9/2012 Added Little Cheese Shoppe in the San Pedro Square Market
- 9/9/2012 Replaced Nazca with Zenon's Place
- 9/9/2012 Replaced Whipps with Cafe Bonne Terre
- 9/9/2012 Replaced Los Gallos De Villa with Doza & Curry
- 9/9/2012 Replaced Shellena's Cafe with Just Hot Dogs
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.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
9/11 Memorial and Flame-Lighting Ceremony, 9am @ Memorial Park
Memorial and Flame-Lighting Ceremony
Tuesday, September 11 beginning at 9 a.m.
Oak Hill Funeral Home and Memorial Park
Oak Hill Memorial Park will host a memorial flame-lighting ceremony on Tuesday, September 11 at 9 a.m. and again at 6 p.m. at the 9/11 monument inside Oak Hill Memorial Park. The two ceremonies will signify the events of that day eleven years ago.
The memorial flame will be lighted for this day only at ceremonies close to the exact time of the fall of the twin towers on that day in New York City. The first tower was hit at exactly 8:46 a.m. and burned for 103 minutes, collapsing at 9:59 a.m. The second tower collapsed at 10:28 a.m. Almost simultaneously in Shanksville, PA, Flight 93 went down at 10:08 a.m. Within 30 minutes the Pentagon in Washington D.C. was hit by an aircraft.
“The defining moments of September 11 deserve to be honored and respected in perpetuity,” said Brian Kestenblatt, General Manager of Oak Hill Funeral Home and Memorial Park. “It is appropriate that the heroism from that day be forever remembered, and that we pause and reflect how people came together on that day eleven years ago.”
The 9/11 monument at Oak Hill Cemetery was designed in remembrance of loved ones lost during the 9/11 tragedy and includes a depiction of Flight 93 that went down in Pennsylvania, as well as a pentagon, depicting the damage done on that day in Washington D.C.
The public is invited to honor, support and love those who sacrificed their lives, who had the courage to help others and the strength to live on. Both ceremonies are free and open to the public, at 9 a.m. or 6 p.m.
The theme of coming together as a community will be reflected in this ceremony. The lighting of the ceremonial flame will occur at the 9/11 memorial at Oak Hill Cemetery for all to salute.
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. Parking will be available throughout the park.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Santana Row - 10 Year Anniversary
November 7th, 2012 is going to be a major milestone for Santana Row as it will mark the project's 10th year of existence. I remember those early days leading up to the grand opening well. Much like the San Pedro Square Market has been my favorite project of 2011/2012, back in the early 2000s I was watching Santana Row like a hawk. Well before SR opened its doors I was taking hard-hat tours, researching Federal Realty, and hunting for any available news on what retail was coming.
On August 19th, 2002 I was in London and just as I was getting out of the shower I heard something on TV about a huge fire engulfing an under-construction project in Northern California. Sure enough, it was Santana Row. The news definitely put a crimp in my vacation.
In early November that year, I snuck into Federal Realty's investor preview party with a college friend. Despite the fire they were still opening, and the finished product looked phenomenal--truly unlike any Silicon Valley project I have ever seen before. While only a handful of retail shops and a single restaurant (!) were scheduled to be part of the grand opening, I got the overall vision of what Santana Row could become. I went home, and immediately made plans to move whatever little stock I had at the time to Federal Realty, which ended up becoming the best investment I ever made.
Over the next two years I was at Santana Row at least two or three times a week. Everyone at Blowfish knew me by name and I dragged all my friends there every weekend for drinks. Any out of town guest that came to visit me would get a thorough tour and history lesson of every block in the Row (...did you know that is a real church steeple imported from Italy serving as the entrance to the flower shop?).
Flash forward to 2012, and you have what is undoubtedly the most successful mixed-use project in the United States, with constant activity 7 days a week, flagship retailers, and restaurant revenue per sqft that rivals the busiest streets in New York. The scary thing is it will probably get even busier over the next 2-3 years.
Now it's time to take a look back at the history of Santana Row with the press release below. There will be some special events to commemorate the 10 year anniversary, so stay tuned closer to Nov 7th!
Silicon Valley’s, Mixed-Use Development Still Booms A Decade Later Santana Row plays its part in Silicon Valley’s current economic resurgence
San Jose, CA (July 5, 2012) - Federal Realty, which helped spearhead the interest among developers in urban Main Street mixed-use environments opened one of the most ambitious projects of its kind in the United States when it developed the $450 million, 42-acre mixed use village-within-a-city, Santana Row. Last year alone, this development contributed approximately $24 million in sales tax revenue for the city of San Jose and Federal Realty has paid $40 million in property taxes since purchasing the land in 1997. Santana Row is a residential, office, shopping, dining, and entertainment district built around a main street in San Jose, California. The size and scope of Santana Row make it Federal Realty's largest development to date and one of the nation's largest mixed-use projects constructed by a single developer.
A decade after opening, and celebrating its 10 year anniversary on November 7th 2012, Santana Row is firmly established as a thriving shopping and dining destination, combining office, residential and a 5-star hotel. The shopping center boasts a lofty 30,000 visitors a day, both local and global, and has created a sense of place in Silicon Valley. Santana Row ranked third among the top 10 local searches by San Francisco residents in 2011, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Santana Row's pedestrian-friendly sidewalks consistently draw a desirable demographic of shoppers and diners. The location on the corner of Winchester and Stevens Creek Boulevards in San Jose is what attracted Federal Realty to this project. It is one of the most affluent areas in the country with the average household income more than $94,000 and visitors from Asia and Europe are increasingly spending time and money at Santana Row.
With 70 shops and boutiques, average tenant sales since opening have increased 50% from $400 to $600 per sq ft, reaching levels comparable to the top fortress malls in the US. With over 20 restaurants, total food sales are approaching $100 million, with sit down restaurant sales over $900 per sq ft,, as, or more, productive than restaurants in the country’s top urban locations. As sales increase, so does the revenue generated for the city of San Jose. In step with Silicon Valley's current economic resurgence, Santana Row’s upscale, 403 residential units are highly sought after, and its office space is fully leased to a diverse mix of businesses that value the campus-like amenities the property offers. Federal Realty is underway with a multiphase, $300 million expansion.
“The combination of our close proximity to high‐quality Silicon Valley neighborhoods and the richly varied offerings of Santana Row make this an exciting place to live and work. As a result, our existing office and residential space is currently 100% leased and we continue to receive significant interest from the market says Jan Sweetnam, Vice President, West Coast Chief Operating Officer, Federal Realty Investment Trust.”
Santana Row’s amenities include 20 restaurants, a Club One Fitness Center, two parks, two plazas, Hotel Valencia, 403 luxury rental apartments, 219 residential condominiums, nine spas and salons, on-going events including high-profile fashion shows as well as a wide range of high quality retail shops.
Expansion plans include a resort-style residential community of 212 rental homes, expected to be completed fall 2013. The addition of this residential community will bring the total number of rental homes at Santana Row to 615 which, along with 219 privately owned condos that Federal Realty sold in 2005-6, bring the total number of on-site residents to approximately 1,500. Plans are also being finalized for a Class-A Technology Office Building, to be built on at the corner of Winchester Boulevard and Olsen Avenue. The six‐story tower will house approximately 220,000 square feet of office area along with over 600 parking spaces. The office space is designed with large, open 36,000 square foot floor plates and ceiling heights over 13’ tall to provide superior natural light and is expected to receive LEED Gold certification. The building’s location on Winchester Boulevard in Santana Row provides easy access to and from Highways I‐280, I‐880 and 17. Plans are also being formulated for a “capstone building” at the end of Santana Row which will include a signature plaza, office and retail space, and below-grade parking.
History
Santana Row's history is as spectacular as its Mediterranean-influenced architectural design, lushly landscaped parks and array of shopping, dining and living choices.
Exactly a month before it was slated to open, an 11-alarm fire raged through the largest structure, destroying 538,000 square feet of retail space and housing units. The Aug. 19, 2002 fire was the largest in San Jose history and cast doubt on the development, conceived during the era of the Internet bubble when Silicon Valley's rising income, influx of new residents and tech dominance seemed endless.
Santana Row was envisioned during those boom years as an upscale neighborhood of shopping and living, with a charming main street and central courtyard, restaurants, theaters and a hotel. It was deemed a "smart growth" strategy for the city and then-Mayor Ron Gonzales was confident in its future.
Construction began in the summer of 2000 at the tired and dated shopping center formerly known as Town & Country Village. Despite the growing shadow of an economic downturn, the project continued, buoyed by statistics that showed the San Jose metropolitan area was still spending above the national average and ranked second in the U.S. in median household income, according to Claritas/Market Statistics. At the same time, the area's large concentration of Asian and Asian Americans and their well-known penchant for designer goods made Santana Row a desirable draw for high-end retailers. “An obsession with quality, aesthetics and brand loyalty seems to define many Asian customers and that should bode well for certain Santana Row shops”, said C. Britt Beemer, founder and senior retail analyst at America's Research Group.
80 days after the Aug. 19th fire, Santana Row opened on Nov. 7 in the midst of the 2002 holiday season with a mix of 35 local retailers and luxury brand stores that included BCBG Max Azria, Gucci, Sur La table, Diesel and Anne Fontaine. Also on The Row: art galleries, salons and restaurants such Left Bank Brasserie and Straits, which had other popular Bay Area locations and saw growth opportunity at this new location. In a short time, it was compared to Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills by The Robb Report, the global luxury lifestyle magazine.
Shortly after opening in January of 2003, the boutique, 212-room Hotel Valencia opened. Hotel Valencia now attracts nearly 80,000 business, group and leisure travelers annually. Momentum continued to thrive and regional and national coverage of Santana Row attracted additional tenants including big box retailer, The Container Store in fall of 2003 and a six-screen CineArts Cinema in 2004. By the end of September 2004, 92 percent of Santana Row’s retail space was leased to 115 tenants with 101 stores open and operating.
Santana Row began the sale of their 219 residential condos in late 2005. The total gross sales proceeds were approximately $153 million with sell-out completed in 2006.
In 2007, H&M opened their first south bay location at Santana Row.
In April of 2008, Santana Row broke ground on 300 Santana Row, 65,000 sq ft of Class A office space and 15,000 sq ft of ground floor retail. The building received LEED gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council and is 100% occupied, providing over 250 on-site employees daily to Santana Row. In 2010, Santana Row was awarded the Project of the Decade by the Silicon Valley Business Journal and was given a new media maxi award by the International Council of Shopping Centers for its iPhone application. In April of 2010, Santana Row began construction on 108 luxury rental homes. Within 6 months after completion in October of 2011, the community was 100 percent leased.
Today, Santana Row is a 1.5 million square foot mixed use community that houses 622 residential homes, over 350 office employees, 70 shops and boutiques, 20 restaurants, 9 spas and salons, CineArts movie theatre and the Hotel Valencia. Federal Realty has developed the ultimate neighborhood to live, work and play and the community has embraced this concept for both economic and social reasons. Tenants include a Tesla Motors showroom; Eyeona, a tech start-up; and soon to open a new, two-story 27,570 square foot H&M store reflects its firm place in Silicon Valley as a must-visit destination for locals and visitors in the San Francisco Bay Area.
About Federal Realty
In 2012, Federal Realty celebrates 50 years of being a proven leader in the ownership, operation, and redevelopment of high quality retail real estate in the country’s best markets. Federal Realty's portfolio (excluding joint venture properties) contains approximately 19.2 million square feet located primarily in strategically selected metropolitan markets in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, as well as in California. In addition, the Trust has an ownership interest in approximately 1.0 million square feet of retail space through a joint venture in which the Trust has a 30% interest. Our operating portfolio (excluding joint venture properties) was 93.8% leased to national, regional, and local retailers as of March 31, 2012, with no single tenant accounting for more than approximately 2.5% of annualized base rent. Federal Realty has paid quarterly dividends to its shareholders continuously since its founding in 1962, and has increased its dividend rate for 44 consecutive years, the longest record in the REIT industry. Federal Realty is an S&P MidCap 400 company and its shares are traded on the NYSE under the symbol FRT. For more information, please visit www.federalrealty.com.
On August 19th, 2002 I was in London and just as I was getting out of the shower I heard something on TV about a huge fire engulfing an under-construction project in Northern California. Sure enough, it was Santana Row. The news definitely put a crimp in my vacation.
In early November that year, I snuck into Federal Realty's investor preview party with a college friend. Despite the fire they were still opening, and the finished product looked phenomenal--truly unlike any Silicon Valley project I have ever seen before. While only a handful of retail shops and a single restaurant (!) were scheduled to be part of the grand opening, I got the overall vision of what Santana Row could become. I went home, and immediately made plans to move whatever little stock I had at the time to Federal Realty, which ended up becoming the best investment I ever made.
Over the next two years I was at Santana Row at least two or three times a week. Everyone at Blowfish knew me by name and I dragged all my friends there every weekend for drinks. Any out of town guest that came to visit me would get a thorough tour and history lesson of every block in the Row (...did you know that is a real church steeple imported from Italy serving as the entrance to the flower shop?).
Flash forward to 2012, and you have what is undoubtedly the most successful mixed-use project in the United States, with constant activity 7 days a week, flagship retailers, and restaurant revenue per sqft that rivals the busiest streets in New York. The scary thing is it will probably get even busier over the next 2-3 years.
Now it's time to take a look back at the history of Santana Row with the press release below. There will be some special events to commemorate the 10 year anniversary, so stay tuned closer to Nov 7th!
Silicon Valley’s, Mixed-Use Development Still Booms A Decade Later Santana Row plays its part in Silicon Valley’s current economic resurgence
San Jose, CA (July 5, 2012) - Federal Realty, which helped spearhead the interest among developers in urban Main Street mixed-use environments opened one of the most ambitious projects of its kind in the United States when it developed the $450 million, 42-acre mixed use village-within-a-city, Santana Row. Last year alone, this development contributed approximately $24 million in sales tax revenue for the city of San Jose and Federal Realty has paid $40 million in property taxes since purchasing the land in 1997. Santana Row is a residential, office, shopping, dining, and entertainment district built around a main street in San Jose, California. The size and scope of Santana Row make it Federal Realty's largest development to date and one of the nation's largest mixed-use projects constructed by a single developer.
A decade after opening, and celebrating its 10 year anniversary on November 7th 2012, Santana Row is firmly established as a thriving shopping and dining destination, combining office, residential and a 5-star hotel. The shopping center boasts a lofty 30,000 visitors a day, both local and global, and has created a sense of place in Silicon Valley. Santana Row ranked third among the top 10 local searches by San Francisco residents in 2011, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Santana Row's pedestrian-friendly sidewalks consistently draw a desirable demographic of shoppers and diners. The location on the corner of Winchester and Stevens Creek Boulevards in San Jose is what attracted Federal Realty to this project. It is one of the most affluent areas in the country with the average household income more than $94,000 and visitors from Asia and Europe are increasingly spending time and money at Santana Row.
With 70 shops and boutiques, average tenant sales since opening have increased 50% from $400 to $600 per sq ft, reaching levels comparable to the top fortress malls in the US. With over 20 restaurants, total food sales are approaching $100 million, with sit down restaurant sales over $900 per sq ft,, as, or more, productive than restaurants in the country’s top urban locations. As sales increase, so does the revenue generated for the city of San Jose. In step with Silicon Valley's current economic resurgence, Santana Row’s upscale, 403 residential units are highly sought after, and its office space is fully leased to a diverse mix of businesses that value the campus-like amenities the property offers. Federal Realty is underway with a multiphase, $300 million expansion.
“The combination of our close proximity to high‐quality Silicon Valley neighborhoods and the richly varied offerings of Santana Row make this an exciting place to live and work. As a result, our existing office and residential space is currently 100% leased and we continue to receive significant interest from the market says Jan Sweetnam, Vice President, West Coast Chief Operating Officer, Federal Realty Investment Trust.”
Santana Row’s amenities include 20 restaurants, a Club One Fitness Center, two parks, two plazas, Hotel Valencia, 403 luxury rental apartments, 219 residential condominiums, nine spas and salons, on-going events including high-profile fashion shows as well as a wide range of high quality retail shops.
Expansion plans include a resort-style residential community of 212 rental homes, expected to be completed fall 2013. The addition of this residential community will bring the total number of rental homes at Santana Row to 615 which, along with 219 privately owned condos that Federal Realty sold in 2005-6, bring the total number of on-site residents to approximately 1,500. Plans are also being finalized for a Class-A Technology Office Building, to be built on at the corner of Winchester Boulevard and Olsen Avenue. The six‐story tower will house approximately 220,000 square feet of office area along with over 600 parking spaces. The office space is designed with large, open 36,000 square foot floor plates and ceiling heights over 13’ tall to provide superior natural light and is expected to receive LEED Gold certification. The building’s location on Winchester Boulevard in Santana Row provides easy access to and from Highways I‐280, I‐880 and 17. Plans are also being formulated for a “capstone building” at the end of Santana Row which will include a signature plaza, office and retail space, and below-grade parking.
History
Santana Row's history is as spectacular as its Mediterranean-influenced architectural design, lushly landscaped parks and array of shopping, dining and living choices.
Exactly a month before it was slated to open, an 11-alarm fire raged through the largest structure, destroying 538,000 square feet of retail space and housing units. The Aug. 19, 2002 fire was the largest in San Jose history and cast doubt on the development, conceived during the era of the Internet bubble when Silicon Valley's rising income, influx of new residents and tech dominance seemed endless.
Santana Row was envisioned during those boom years as an upscale neighborhood of shopping and living, with a charming main street and central courtyard, restaurants, theaters and a hotel. It was deemed a "smart growth" strategy for the city and then-Mayor Ron Gonzales was confident in its future.
Construction began in the summer of 2000 at the tired and dated shopping center formerly known as Town & Country Village. Despite the growing shadow of an economic downturn, the project continued, buoyed by statistics that showed the San Jose metropolitan area was still spending above the national average and ranked second in the U.S. in median household income, according to Claritas/Market Statistics. At the same time, the area's large concentration of Asian and Asian Americans and their well-known penchant for designer goods made Santana Row a desirable draw for high-end retailers. “An obsession with quality, aesthetics and brand loyalty seems to define many Asian customers and that should bode well for certain Santana Row shops”, said C. Britt Beemer, founder and senior retail analyst at America's Research Group.
80 days after the Aug. 19th fire, Santana Row opened on Nov. 7 in the midst of the 2002 holiday season with a mix of 35 local retailers and luxury brand stores that included BCBG Max Azria, Gucci, Sur La table, Diesel and Anne Fontaine. Also on The Row: art galleries, salons and restaurants such Left Bank Brasserie and Straits, which had other popular Bay Area locations and saw growth opportunity at this new location. In a short time, it was compared to Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills by The Robb Report, the global luxury lifestyle magazine.
Shortly after opening in January of 2003, the boutique, 212-room Hotel Valencia opened. Hotel Valencia now attracts nearly 80,000 business, group and leisure travelers annually. Momentum continued to thrive and regional and national coverage of Santana Row attracted additional tenants including big box retailer, The Container Store in fall of 2003 and a six-screen CineArts Cinema in 2004. By the end of September 2004, 92 percent of Santana Row’s retail space was leased to 115 tenants with 101 stores open and operating.
Santana Row began the sale of their 219 residential condos in late 2005. The total gross sales proceeds were approximately $153 million with sell-out completed in 2006.
In 2007, H&M opened their first south bay location at Santana Row.
In April of 2008, Santana Row broke ground on 300 Santana Row, 65,000 sq ft of Class A office space and 15,000 sq ft of ground floor retail. The building received LEED gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council and is 100% occupied, providing over 250 on-site employees daily to Santana Row. In 2010, Santana Row was awarded the Project of the Decade by the Silicon Valley Business Journal and was given a new media maxi award by the International Council of Shopping Centers for its iPhone application. In April of 2010, Santana Row began construction on 108 luxury rental homes. Within 6 months after completion in October of 2011, the community was 100 percent leased.
Today, Santana Row is a 1.5 million square foot mixed use community that houses 622 residential homes, over 350 office employees, 70 shops and boutiques, 20 restaurants, 9 spas and salons, CineArts movie theatre and the Hotel Valencia. Federal Realty has developed the ultimate neighborhood to live, work and play and the community has embraced this concept for both economic and social reasons. Tenants include a Tesla Motors showroom; Eyeona, a tech start-up; and soon to open a new, two-story 27,570 square foot H&M store reflects its firm place in Silicon Valley as a must-visit destination for locals and visitors in the San Francisco Bay Area.
About Federal Realty
In 2012, Federal Realty celebrates 50 years of being a proven leader in the ownership, operation, and redevelopment of high quality retail real estate in the country’s best markets. Federal Realty's portfolio (excluding joint venture properties) contains approximately 19.2 million square feet located primarily in strategically selected metropolitan markets in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, as well as in California. In addition, the Trust has an ownership interest in approximately 1.0 million square feet of retail space through a joint venture in which the Trust has a 30% interest. Our operating portfolio (excluding joint venture properties) was 93.8% leased to national, regional, and local retailers as of March 31, 2012, with no single tenant accounting for more than approximately 2.5% of annualized base rent. Federal Realty has paid quarterly dividends to its shareholders continuously since its founding in 1962, and has increased its dividend rate for 44 consecutive years, the longest record in the REIT industry. Federal Realty is an S&P MidCap 400 company and its shares are traded on the NYSE under the symbol FRT. For more information, please visit www.federalrealty.com.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
New Interactive Art at The Tech!
The Tech is about to get a new interactive exhibit courtesy of Zero1 and they are doing a special opening with the artists. To learn more, just keep reading or click here.
Be part of our opening of the new art installation Resolution
A newly commissioned work by Zigelbaum + Coelho
Part of the Zero1 2012 Biennial Program
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
General Reception, beverages and hors d'oeuvres: 7:00 - 7:30 p.m.
No host bar
Artists' Talk: 7:30 - 8:30 p.m.
$10.00 / $5.00 for members.
Buy tickets now.
Join contemporary art duo Zigelbaum + Coelho for the opening of Resolution, their newly commissioned work at The Tech Museum. The artists will introduce this new highly interactive and social piece with a talk describing the state of the art in materials and practices in tangible media. Learn how emerging forms of "computational materials" will allow visitors to explore, play, and create dynamic light compositions from the piece's 200 magnetic, physical pixels.
Artists' Talk:
Zigelbaum + Coelho
"Computational Materials"
A new class of objects has emerged — viscerally interactive and embedded with computational tools. As computers permeate whole new ecologies of connected physical objects, the language of interaction now finds itself entirely intertwined with tangible things.
In this presentation, polymath art duo Zigelbaum + Coelho will describe their approach to the physicality of computation. Discover how new modes of interaction are enabling the human body to become an integral part of the computation and communication process. Learn how materials with embedded computing are permeating human interaction — at micro and macro levels — and how this is reshaping the art, design, and technology trichotomy.
From the Artists:
In this world one can program computers to display patterns of light by using a series of tools to modify the electrical flow across doped silicon and one can program copper to display a green patina by applying acetic acid and a healthy dose of waiting around. Both of these programmatic behaviors have components that could be considered digital or analog. The polarized light seeping through the liquid crystal gateways enabling our ubiquitous display surfaces is as analog as any glimmer of sun off a car hood and the chemical mechanism of verdigris, some discrete changes of electron configuration across orbitals during oxidization, is as digital as the pits and valleys encoding music on the active surface of the 1986 compact disc pressing of Kraftwerk’s Computerwelt.
We look forward to discussing our practice and the debut of our new permanent piece for The Tech Museum and Zero1: Resolution.
For more event information please email info@thetech.org or call (408) 294-8324.
The Tech Silicon Valley Innovation Gallery
The Tech Museum
201 South Market Street
San Jose, CA 95113
Be part of our opening of the new art installation Resolution
A newly commissioned work by Zigelbaum + Coelho
Part of the Zero1 2012 Biennial Program
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
General Reception, beverages and hors d'oeuvres: 7:00 - 7:30 p.m.
No host bar
Artists' Talk: 7:30 - 8:30 p.m.
$10.00 / $5.00 for members.
Buy tickets now.
Join contemporary art duo Zigelbaum + Coelho for the opening of Resolution, their newly commissioned work at The Tech Museum. The artists will introduce this new highly interactive and social piece with a talk describing the state of the art in materials and practices in tangible media. Learn how emerging forms of "computational materials" will allow visitors to explore, play, and create dynamic light compositions from the piece's 200 magnetic, physical pixels.
Artists' Talk:
Zigelbaum + Coelho
"Computational Materials"
A new class of objects has emerged — viscerally interactive and embedded with computational tools. As computers permeate whole new ecologies of connected physical objects, the language of interaction now finds itself entirely intertwined with tangible things.
In this presentation, polymath art duo Zigelbaum + Coelho will describe their approach to the physicality of computation. Discover how new modes of interaction are enabling the human body to become an integral part of the computation and communication process. Learn how materials with embedded computing are permeating human interaction — at micro and macro levels — and how this is reshaping the art, design, and technology trichotomy.
From the Artists:
In this world one can program computers to display patterns of light by using a series of tools to modify the electrical flow across doped silicon and one can program copper to display a green patina by applying acetic acid and a healthy dose of waiting around. Both of these programmatic behaviors have components that could be considered digital or analog. The polarized light seeping through the liquid crystal gateways enabling our ubiquitous display surfaces is as analog as any glimmer of sun off a car hood and the chemical mechanism of verdigris, some discrete changes of electron configuration across orbitals during oxidization, is as digital as the pits and valleys encoding music on the active surface of the 1986 compact disc pressing of Kraftwerk’s Computerwelt.
We look forward to discussing our practice and the debut of our new permanent piece for The Tech Museum and Zero1: Resolution.
For more event information please email info@thetech.org or call (408) 294-8324.
The Tech Silicon Valley Innovation Gallery
The Tech Museum
201 South Market Street
San Jose, CA 95113
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Saturday Stats: San Jose Leads in Professional Services Pay
San Jose achieves yet another 1st place on a salary comparison, this time for best paying regions for professional services. By professional services we are talking law firms, advertising agencies, accounting firms, scientific research, and most forms of consulting. The numbers weren't even close... San Jose came in at a staggering $115,500 average salary, $15k higher than silver medalist Oxnard, almost $20k higher than our neighbors in the north, and $25k higher than the New York metro. Now the goal is figuring out how to keep as much of that income in the South Bay instead of having it travel elsewhere.
Source: SJBJ
- San Jose Metro - $111,500
- Oxnard Metro - $96,000
- Boston Metro - $95,700
- Washington Metro - $93,600
- San Francisco Metro - $92,800
- Bridgeport Metro - $92,800
- New York Metro - $86,800
- Boulder - $84,500
- Houston Metro - $82,300
- Durham - $82,100
Source: SJBJ
Friday, September 7, 2012
South FIRST FRIDAYS Art Walk + STREET MRKT Tonight!
from Phantom Galleries
South FIRST FRIDAYS Art Walk + STREET MRKT
Friday, SEPT 7th, 7pm–11pm!
Free & open to the public.
A self-guided evening tour through galleries, museums, and independent creative businesses featuring 18 venues that participate by presenting exciting art exhibitions and / or special performances. In addition to the monthly art walk, September 7th is the nighttime urban faire STREET MRKT that brings together over 40 local artists, creative indie vendors, a special performance by Cielo Vertical Arts and a live music stage with performances by the Ferocious Few, Drop Dead Sixty and Dirty Pillows out on South First Street (between San Carlos and San Salvador streets.)
Street Mrkt participating artists / creatives:
17jewels, 57-33 Clothing, Anointed Apparel, Becca’s Studio, Betwixt, Sandi Billingsley, Blue Dream Project, Boombotix, Mchael Borja, Bugs & Monsters, Keith Bunnell, Buttons by Maria, David Canavese, Cielo Vertical Arts, Crossroads Trading, Death Before Dishonor, Devil Rose Vintage, Francisco Franco, Galactic Romance Clothing, Emo Gonzales, GoodLifeRoots, Ike Greca, Cynthia Gonzales, Andre Hart, Jumbo Jibbles, Matt Lopez, Luna Chalk Arts Fest, Frances Marin, Mejia Arts, LAuruS Myth, Jose Nunez, Old Souls Clothing, Out of Print Vintage, Poetry Center San Jose, Al Preciado, Steven Reece, Rock N The Trend, Matthew Bailey Seigel SLG/Art Boutiki, Social Villains, Tacti Design, TechShop SJ, Visual Confections, Wadl and Zatoon Clothing
In addition to wonderful restaurants and cafés in the SoFA district, the Grilled Cheese Bandits, MoGo BBQ, O Mi Ninja, Quick Dog, Scoopy SJ and the WoW Truck will be on site in the parking lot next to Anno Domini Gallery.
For full listing of events and more information: please visit http://www.SouthFirstFridays.com/ or call 408-271-5155
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