Silicon Valley Photography in SPUR & ZERO1 Exhibit

When someone says "Silicon Valley", what images, concepts, or names come to mind? 

Many people immediately start to rattle off the tech giants; Google, Yahoo, Apple... well you know, all of them. Technology! Cell phones! Semiconductors! 

But to some of us - it means your favorite taqueria, downtown festivals, movies in the park, or some of the many people that make up the South Bay. 

In partnership with Hipstamatic and ZERO1, SPUR (San Francisco Planning and Urban Research) put together an exhibit of Bay Area photographer's interpretation of the theme:

 A Peek Behind Silicon Valley's Digital Veil

I want to share my excitement, that -- I was part of the exhibit! I saw the call for submissions on Facebook awhile back and thought I'd go for it. So I put together some of my favorite photos I've taken here in the San Jose area. In the shots below, you might spy the Silicon Valley Roller Girls, the Alviso Marina, a scene from SubZero, and the Valet building next to the San Jose Stage Company. I really wanted to represent as much as I could of the San Jose area.

Posing with my photos. First time on exhibit!

My work is nothing compared to the other photographers featured at the event. It was an honor to be included with them. 

The exhibition photographers (and the theme of their work) are:

• Michele Guieu - a "geek tour" of Silicon Valley, from the Hewlett Packard garage to the Google Campus to the Apple Store
• Daniel Garcia - "Behind Everything is a Person", the talented people of San Jose that are changing the culture of Silicon Valley in less traditional ways
• Thomas Rogers - glimpses and snippets of Menlo Park, a focus on things that people wouldn't normally see in passing
• Barbara Boissevain - My Backyard to highlight environmental issues, with aerial shots of ponds along the bay's edge and mining in the South Bay
• Michelle Oblena - "Valley of Stomach's Delight", shots of the diversity of restaurant owners in the Santa Clara Valley
• Alex Chan - shots of Japantown performers, local painters and Color Me Rad in San Jose
• Halie Kampman - video footage of the subtle connections between the areas of San Jose, Los Gatos, Sunnyvale and Palo Alto

Here are some photos from the opening night:

Daniel Garcia of CONTENT Magazine

The exhibit is currently running up in San Francisco at the SPUR Gallery until October 20th. There has been some talk that a photo from each of the photographers will be featured in the windows of the retail establishments under the SPUR San Jose office (on Santa Clara Street) but I haven't gotten confirmation just yet. (I also haven't been downtown in the last week to check it out first hand.)

So you have a couple of weeks to jump on BART and head up to the SPUR gallery and check out the exhibition! 

A Peek Behind Silicon Valley's Digital Veil

September 19 - October 19

SPUR Urban Center Gallery
654 Mission Street,
San Francisco, CA 94105-4015

San Jose Stage Company Opens Season 30 with David Mamet’s Race, America’s most controversial topic

San Jose, CA (September 25, 2012) – San Jose Stage Company opens its 30th season with Race by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer David Mamet. This crime mystery tackles America’s most controversial topic in a provocative tale of sex, guilt and bold accusations. Race opens at The Stage October 3, and runs through October 28.

Race is the central theme, but the issues are more than skin deep as the red-hot debate delves into questions of sex, gender equality and social class. This black-and-white courtroom drama never reaches the courtroom, and while not so black-and-white, it is a comic debate where the laughs may arrive well after the joke. 

Artistic Director, Randall King believes Race is perfect not only to open The Stage’s Season 30 but also for the election season. “In our lifetimes, the Civil Rights movement had led the Baby Boomers to believe that this social problem was addressed.  The appointment of Barack Obama to the White House as our 44th president has shown us that many are still uncomfortable with the subject of race, and it has polarized our society in a way that has been politely hidden for decades. David Mamet's Race will in this heated presidential election season create a fervent and important dialogue, because the answer to the racial problem is not something that a creed, law or affirmative action can readily resolve, instead it lies in the knowledge that our individual allegiances ‘lies only in the imperfect, and the mutually unacceptable result of their interaction’. “ *   (*Race, Mamet)

The significance of opening Season 30 with David Mamet’s Race not only exemplifies the company’s artistic mission but also represents The Stage’s roots in the early 1980s. The collective of artists who founded this company were premiering the work of new American playwrights. The Stage has produced Mamet’s American Buffalo (1985), Speed-the-Plow (1993), and Glengarry Glen Ross (1988 and 2008).

Tony Kelly returns to direct Race for The Stage, where he helmed the productions of Oliver Mayer’s Blade to the Heat, Octavio Solis’ Gibraltar, Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts and David Mamet’s adaptation of Anton Chekov’s Uncle Vanya.

“The politics of Race weigh heavily on its characters, making them speak and act with sharp, barbed edges. Race is perhaps not about race, or sex, or power, or justice, but the sheer impossibility of humans living together without suspicion, mistrust, and shame,” states Director Tony Kelly. “That’s a truth both comic and dark, and it makes this particular play cut deeper, more often, than almost anything this legendary contemporary playwright has written.”

Performances are on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 PM, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM. Race runs through October 28, 2012.

Tickets range from $20 - $45 and are available at www.thestage.org or by calling the box office at 408.283.7142. Visa and MasterCard are accepted, and discounts are available for groups, students and seniors. The theatre is handicapped accessible.

The Stage is located at 490 South First Street at William Street in downtown San Jose’s South First (SoFA) area.

# # # 

The Cast of Race: 

David Arrow* (Charles Strickland) returns to The Stage, having appeared in last season’s World Premiere of Buffalo’ed and On The Waterfront. His other Bay Area appearances include American Conservatory Theater, Magic Theatre, Aurora Theatre and Shakespeare Santa Cruz.

L. Peter Callender* (Henry Brown) returns to The Stage, where he was last seen in Blade to the Heat. Most recent appearances include at James in Circle Mirror Transformations at Marin Theatre Company and Skyes in Spunk at California Shakespeare Theatre. He is the artistic director of African-American Shakespeare Company in San Francisco and has appeared in all major theatres in the Bay Area.

Randall King* (Jack Lawson) is the co-founder and Artistic Director of San Jose Stage Company. He was most recently seen as Dodge in Buried Child, Johnny Friendly in On The Waterfront, The Waiter in Rock ‘n’ Roll, Sharky in The Seafarer, Ariel in The Pillowman and Richard Roma in Glengarry Glen Ross.

ZZ Moor (Susan) is making her Bay Area debut at The Stage. She has worked at the Denver Center and recently played Lady Anne in Richard III at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. She was the winner of the Denver Post Ovation Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama for her role in For Colored Girls… in 2010.
* Member of Actors’ Equity Association

Tony Kelly (Director) most recently directed the New York premiere of Colman Domingo's A Boy and His Soul at the Vineyard Theatre, where it won the 2010 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Solo Show in New York City and a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Broadway/Off-Broadway production. He is a founding member of Thick Description in San Francisco, where he directed 43 productions over 21 years.

The show’s designers include Michael Palumbo (set and lighting), Jean Cardinale (costumes) and John Koss (sound).

   # # # 

About San Jose Stage Company:

Now in its 30th season, San Jose Stage Company is recognized as The Bay Area's Premiere Off-Broadway Theatre. The Stage is known for its devotion to new and cutting-edge work and for its commitment to showcasing high-quality local talent.

Ranked 3rd largest theatre and 9th largest performance arts organization in Silicon Valley by the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal Survey (May 2012), San Jose Stage Company is a vital force in the community. The Stage has earned a reputation for artistic excellence by providing high-quality, edgy theatrical experiences that engage, educate and provoke audiences. The Stage has produced 143 productions, 44 new works and 11 world premieres.

The Stage also offers five core educational and outreach programs, including National High School Top Honors Awards and has housed over 200 independent performance groups in its theatre. The Stage is located at 490 South First Street, San Jose, CA 95113.

For more information www.thestage.org            Box Office: 408.283.7142

Winchester Mystery House Fright Nights

It's finally October, one of my favorite times of the year. This year's Halloween season has more South Bay attractions than at any point in the past. Next week I'll have a full list of events along with feedback and recommendations. So far I have already attended one event which takes it to a whole new level, and that's Winchester Mystery House Fright Nights.

As I mentioned in a previous post, for their sophomore year Fright Nights has invested a considerable amount of time and money into expanding the original maze (already the best from 2011) and doing a new self-guided flashlight tour in the mansion itself. Here is feedback on both attractions:

Walk with the Spirits Flashlight Tour (35min)

This is a spin on the original flashlight tour. Instead of having a tour guide walking you through the mansion, it is entirely self-guided with an audio headset telling you history about each room along with stories about various encounters. They did a good job setting the ambiance by turning off all the lights and letting you explore on your own. There may not be any actors that will jump out in your face, but there is definitely a subtle psychological effect that I don't want to spoil. I would recommend looking through every nook and cranny, and definitely peering into all the windows. This sets the tone for the main event...

Curse of Sarah Winchester Resurrection (40min)

I have done just about every single haunt attraction within 50 miles for the past several years, and this is the single best maze I have ever been to, period. I would be surprised if there is another one in California at this caliber.

The maze is really designed for you to take your time and absorb the atmosphere. In fact, there are some areas that have no actors at all and are purely designed for ambiance, telling a story, and building suspense. The quality of the props and atmospheric design is beyond any other attraction I have ever been to. I would recommend taking your time, looking at all the intricate details.

As for scares, there really is no shortage here. I don't want to ruin anything, but I will say that there is a huge variety in what you will experience and a ton of surprises. I am glad that the seance room is back (where writing starts appearing on the walls) but the overwhelming majority of the maze is brand new. We're talking double the length of the previous year, double the number of actors, and giant new props.

Conclusion

Fright Nights is the new benchmark to which all other haunt events will be compared. I would be shocked if anything else in 2012 comes close to this, so if you have to pick just a single "haunt" event to go to this year, this is it. I would try to go early to avoid long lines, but to help with the wait they do have food trucks, snack shops, live music, and a bar this year.

Again, incredible event and congratulations to everyone involved for putting this together. The anticipation is already building for 2013, where Fright Nights will coincide with the release of a Hollywood movie about (and filmed in) the Winchester Mystery House. 

Leigh Weimers Memorial

Today is the memorial for Leigh Weimers, a long-time San Jose Mercury News columnist that retired in 2005 and was succeeded by Sal Pizarro. In his final column, he has a great quote that I really love and wanted to share:

"As I've said before, I'm convinced that when historians come to write about what has happened here over the past four decades, they'll compare Silicon Valley to Florence at the start of the Renaissance. After all, what took place in Italy back then was the development of new ways of looking at art, music, commerce, the world. And the technological developments here during the past 40 years have been no less global. Information now is available everywhere. Societies that experience this information explosion can never go back to the closed-off life they once led. The world has shrunk. And it's because of the people around us here in Silicon Valley and the wonders they've wrought. Is this all good? Nothing is. But on balance, we're tremendously empowered." (Source)

The memorial service is at St. Joseph's Basilica (Downtown) at 3:30pm.

Saturday Stats: San Jose Tops The List of Richest Cities

Among the 25 largest cities in the United States, San Jose ranks as having the highest median household income by far. Even our neighbors up north were 10% behind. The national median income is $51,000, in California it is about $60,000, and it San Jose it is a whopping $77,000. I'm surprised New York was not in the top 5, but it is easy to forget that most of New York's 8 million residents live and work outside Manhattan. The full list is below:

1.) San Jose - $77,000
2.) San Francisco - $70,000
3.) Washington, D.C. - $63,000
4.) Seattle - $61,000
5.) San Diego - $61,000

Source: Huffington Post

Impact of Redevelopment on Downtown San Jose

Interesting 6 minute discussion about redevelopment Downtown with Bert Robinson, managing director for Bay Area News Group:

Earthquakes Stadium Groundbreaking Ceremony is on October 21!

Well, it looks like there is one San Jose stadium that is in the bag. The groundbreaking ceremony for the $60M Earthquakes stadium is taking place Sunday, October 21st at 1125 Coleman Avenue. So far multiple Fortune 100 companies have shown interest in naming rights and 7UP Bottling has already become a founding partner and sponsor.

The team is even shooting for the Guiness World Record for largest groundbreaking ceremony. 4,533 people will have to dig with commemorative shovels for 2 minutes in order to break the current record which was set in India. If you want to participate in the record breaking, sign up right over here!

Source: SJBJ

Little Chef Encounter

San Jose just pops up in the most unexpected places...

A few weeks ago my husband and I were on a trip in Oahu, Hawaii and we decided to hit up the North Shore for all the delicious shrimp (and other) food trucks in the area. So of course, we go to the famous Giovanni's Shrimp Truck for some good eats.

So there we are... standing in line, and what do I see, at eye level as we are waiting for the delicious shrimp we just ordered?

WAIT. I know that logo!!

You Lil stinker -- the Little Chef Counter has made it's way out to Oahu! How fun to spot a local logo in a far away spot. Rumor has it, there are some stickers floating around in New York too. Have you seen them? Share them here in the comments!