September 2012 Downtown Dimension Highlights

Here are my notes from the latest edition of Downtown Dimension:

• The SJDA is implying it is against Measure D (the minimum wage hike) since it will result in businesses reducing hours, cutting jobs, raising prices, and/or relocating outside of San Jose.
• Scott's Seafood, which is on the top floor a 6-story parking structure, now has an outdoor patio with fireplace offering views of the city. They also expanded their indoor bar and lounge.
• The Chevron on Fourth and Santa Clara has added an Extra Miles convenience store.
• Grocery Outlet and Bargain Market is now open at the former Albertsons space.
• Devine Grind Coffee Shop is open at 27 Devine St.
• The Little Cheese Shoppe at San Pedro Square Market is now open.
• Dark Hours Gym is open at 97 N. Almaden with classes for martial arts and fitness.
• Charles Le Photography has moved into 42A S. First St.
• Downtown's music scene has grown steadily: in June there were an average of 40 live music events per week, by July that number was over 50, and in August it exceeded 60.
• After 8 years without a medical center, the Gardner Downtown Health Care Center opened Aug 9th at 725 E. Santa Clara. A $50m three story building is also opening in 2015.
• Dec 16th will be the inaugural Santa Run Silicon Valley benefiting Downtown for the Holidays events like Christmas in the Park.

To read the full newsletter, click here!

The Fairmont Celebrates 25 Years

The flagship luxury hotel in Downtown San Jose is celebrating its 25th Anniversary this month. They took a huge gamble coming Downtown back in 1987 when it was a much different environment than it is today, but I think it paid off very well for them. The Fairmont consistently have some of the highest occupancy and average room rates Downtown and have even pulled off a substantial expansion. The relationship also works both ways as the hotel has brought thousands of events Downtown and has helped sponsor dozens of community endeavors like Christmas in the Park. Today, it is hard to imagine the San Jose skyline without the Fairmont Hotel.

To celebrate the Anniversary, they have a variety of promotions going on which you can read all about in the press release below.

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SAN JOSE, CA (October, 2012) Twenty-five years ago, the site of a prestigious hotel was proposed for construction to meet the demand of a quickly, developing city core.  Opening its doors in 1987, The Fairmont San Jose was the first luxury hotel of its kind in downtown San Jose. Serving as a hub of creativity, connection and discovery, the hotel has served as a backdrop for the brilliant inventions and events in Silicon Valley.

The hotel has also become a favorite venue for generations of families, from holiday celebrations to wedding receptions and special occasions. As a way to give back to the community and our loyal guests, The Fairmont San Jose is delighted to celebrate 25 wonderful years of hospitality and offer the community the following promotions:

Pizza and Pinot at The Lobby Lounge
Every day, Offered throughout the month of October 2012
The Fairmont San Jose’s Lobby Lounge will feature selections of Greg Norman Pinot Noir with a selection of freshly baked gourmet pizza. $25 for two glasses of wine and one pizza plus tax & service

Silver Afternoon Tea
Every day, Offered throughout the month of October 2012
Afternoon Tea includes assortment of finger sandwiches, freshly baked scones with Devonshire cream, lemon curd and fruit preserves, and a wonderful array of French pastries. The Fairmont San Jose’s famed afternoon tea service may be booked for $25 per person. $12 for children under 12 (All prices plus tax & service).

Please call 408-998-1900 or visit www.fairmont.com/sanjose for reservation details

$25 Local Wines
Every day, Offered throughout the month of October 2012
A selection of local favorite wines, offered at $25 per bottle.

About The Fairmont San Jose
The Fairmont San Jose located in the heart of Silicon Valley, combines high-tech excitement with the elegance of Fairmont style.  The hotel offers 805 deluxe guest rooms, including 77 luxurious suites, and 65,000 square feet of state-of-the-art meeting space, presented with the perfect balance of contemporary and traditional designs.  The 20th floor is devoted to a collection of grand penthouse suites, with its own private boardroom and spectacular city views. The 4th floor (Cabana Level) features lavish -style rooms framing a 58’ swimming pool, sun deck, men’s and women’s saunas, steam rooms, health club and spa.

History San José Honors Filipino American History at History Park This Saturday, October 13

San José, California – October 9, 2012 --- The entire month of October celebrates Filipino American History Month (FAHM). This year History San José (HSJ) will hold a series of events with activities for both families as well as adult education. This Saturday, October 13 at History Park, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., in partnership with the Filipino American National Historical Society’s (FANHS) Santa Clara Valley Chapter, History Park will host a Filipino American History Day.

This family day celebrates the heritage, and features dance performances by the DS Players from Mission College in Santa Clara (12:30 – 12:50 p.m.), Ron Quesada and Kulintronica (1 – 1:20 p.m.) and live music by the Melecio Magdaluyo Quartet (3 – 3:30 p.m.), as well as a Filipino martial arts exhibition by Suro Jason Inay (3:40 -3:50 p.m.).

FANHS will award former NBA-great Raymond Townsend with the Santa Clara Chapter’s ‘Outstanding Filipino American Award’, between noon and 2 p.m. As a basketball stand-out at Archbishop Mitty High School, Townsend went on to play basketball for Coach John Wooden at UCLA, winning numerous awards, including MVP. He was in the first round draft by the Golden State Warriors, and later played for the Dallas Mavericks and Indiana Pacers.

Townsend has since founded the RT Basketball Development League in San José, created programming for youth with special needs, and is focused on development of youth of his culture and heritage.

Also at History Park will be Filipino food furnished by food trucks: Chutney Mary’s, Yumsilog, WOW!, The children’s crafts and activities will include story-telling by author Tony Robles, a Fil-Am history scavenger hunt,  wind-chime and bookmark-making activity.

Through My Father’s Eyes: The Filipino American Photographs of Ricardo Ocreto Alvarado (1914 – 1976) is a photographic exhibit documenting Filipino American life in San Francisco during the 1940’s and 1950’s, and is inside the Gallery in the Pacific Hotel at History Park.

Admission is free for History San José members, adults are $8 each, children five and under are free, and seniors and students are $5 with valid identification. The series of Family Days at History Park is supported, in part, by a Cultural Affairs grant from the City of San José.

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About History San José:
History San José is a non-profit organization that collects, preserves and celebrates the stories of diversity and innovation in San José and the Santa Clara Valley. HSJ manages one of the largest and most comprehensive regional history collections in the State of California, from 1784 Spanish governmental records to twenty-first century Silicon Valley technology.
History San José     1650 Senter Road     San José, CA  95112       408.287.2290
www.historysanjose.org

About The Alvarado Project:
The Alvarado Project is a non-profit founded in 1998 and is headed by Executive Director Janet Alvarado. The Alvarado Project has an advisory board. It is a community-based volunteer organization of artists, students, and educators. The project seeks to foster
multicultural understanding, strengthen the community through art, cultural programs, and collect historically significant artifacts and material about the Filipino American community.
www.thealvaradoproject.com

About Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS)
Founded in 1982, the Filipino American National Historical Society is a national organization with 28 chapters throughout the United States. The Society’s mission is to promote, preserve and document the contributions of Filipino Americans to the United States and to provide education on the significance of the Filipino American experience.  www.fanhs-santaclara.org

October 2012 Downtown Dimension Highlights

Here are my notes from the latest edition of Downtown Dimension:

• The Downtown Doors project was recognized by the International Downtown Association (IDA), where the president of the IDA even said that the program sets the standard for best practice in the industry.
• The next HER city event is Oct. 25 and features appetizers and drinks in the Hedley Club followed by the musical MEMPHIS (including a backstage tour). Tickets are available at sjdowntown.com/hercity.
• Hawaiian Airlines and KIristi Yamaguchi's Always Dream Foundation will be title sponsors for Downtown Ice, kicking off Nov 16th.
• The parking lot wall on Almaden and Woz has been adorned with new artwork, which extends across 33 sections of wall and 1,868 sqft. The project took 2 months to complete.
• The Poppy Farm at the San Pedro Square Market is now regularly open for buisiness, as is Loteria Taco Bar.
• AJ's Hot Dogs is now open in SoFA.
• The Earthquakes are breaking ground on their new soccer stadium with a public ceremony on Oct. 21. They are also trying to break the Guinness World Record for most people taking part in a ground-breaking ceremony.

To read the full newsletter, click here!

San Jose Trail Count 2012

In mid September the San Jose Trail Program took an annual count of trail usage during peak travel periods. The results are looking pretty good for 2012.

At the Guadalupe River/Coleman, there was a 3.4% increase in usage over last year despite a partial closure for paving. Guadalupe River and San Fernando showed a huge 34.5% increase in usage. Los Gatos Creek at Hamilton was up 13.9%. Los Gatos Creek at Auzerais stayed the same while Los Alamitos Creek at Camden was up 6.4%. They also counted 82 people in what will become a new future trail in the Five Wounds neighborhood.

Here is the trend for the total number of trail users:

• 2007 - 243 users
• 2008 - 420 users
• 2009 - 531 users
• 2010 - 561 users
• 2011 - 593 users
• 2012 - 613 users

For more information click here, or expand the image below. A big thank you to Yves Zsutty for submitting this information.

Wednesday Wishlist: Halloween in the Park! (Part V)

This is one of my favorite Wednesday Wishlists every year. To sum it up, think Christmas in the Park for Halloween! San Jose is gaining traction as a go-to place for Halloween events with events like the Winchester Mystery House Fright Nights and Deadtime Dreams. A Halloween in the Park month-long event would be inclusive to all ages and make Downtown San Jose the epicenter of October Halloween experiences.

Below is a working concept and there have been several additions and revisions over the last three years, so please have a look and provide your feedback and suggestions in the comments. Thanks!

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The largest draw to downtown San Jose for many years now has been Christmas in the Park. It has continued to grow year after year and brings in visitors from all over the Bay. It's economic impact I'm sure is substantial and helps keep many downtown businesses afloat.

What would you think about a similar event for Halloween? Picture downtown lit up in orange add purple with elaborate Halloween displays assembled by talented local artists. Perhaps a infrastructure could even be shared with Christmas in the Park (e.g. retail booths). A strong event in October would help maintain traffic between the summer months and Christmas in the Park. Here are the ideas we have so far:

• Animated Halloween Displays
• Created by local artists
• Analogous to the Christmas displays that attract many families during Christmas in the Park (almost half a million visitors)
• Family friendly so that everyone can enjoy it (PG/PG13, perhaps around the same level as Great America Halloween Haunt)
• Halloween Lighting
• Orange, purple, and green LED lighting on trees
• May be possible to use new controllable lighting that can go from Halloween colors to Christmas colors with the push of a button, allowing the lights to stay up for Christmas in the Park as well and reducing setup/takedown effort.
• Halloween Food
• Booths with candied apples, chocolates, candy, pumpkin seeds, etc.
• Food trucks
• Retail Booths selling Halloween items, for example:
• Artwork (paintings, glass pumpkins, etc.)
• Home decor/crafts like candles
• Light-up hats/necklaces/bracelets
• Costumes
• Zombie/Halloween make-up station 
• Halloween-themed Carnival Games
• Pirates of Emerson does a good job at this.
• Interactive Art
• ZERO1-style, but with a Halloween spin.
• Pumpkins
• Instead of the sponsored Christmas trees in Christmas in the Park, how about decorated Pumpkins (can even be Styrofoam so there is no mess/decay)?
• Pumpkin carving station for families. 
• Pumpkin carving contest.
• Costumed Entertainers
• Walking around the area, not necessarily scaring people but adding to the ambiance and providing photo opportunities for families
• Haunts
• Would be ideal if these were nearby, perhaps in vacant retails spaces, surface parking lots, the convention center, or at SJSU.
• Could partners with one of the established San Jose haunt providers such as Deadtime Dreams or The World's Largest Haunted House.
• Potential Events
• Zombie-O-Rama can be used to kick off Halloween in the Park (late Sep. / early Oct. timeframe)
• Zombie Crawl
• Dia De Los Muertes Bike Party
• Horror Movie Trivia Contest
• Weekly horror movie screening (perhaps in the Circle of Palms area?)

As before, please post your suggestions below!

San Jose Halloween Attraction Guide 2012

Wondering which events to go to this Halloween season? The San Jose Blog has got you covered. This year we have more local haunt attractions then ever before, and the quality has also been taken to a new level. The full list is below, but I would like to highlight the Winchester Mystery House Fright Nights, Shadow Hills, and Pirates of Emerson for really being exceptional this year.

Winchester Mystery House Fright Nights  - San Jose
The single most impressive haunt attraction in the Bay Area, and it happens to take place in and around what may actually be a real haunted house. There are two components of this event, a self-guided flashlight tour of the mansion itself and an epic 40 minute haunt with props and design elements straight out of a Hollywood movie. If you just plan on doing just a single event this year, you can stop reading and buy your tickets for this one.

Dead Time Dreams - San Jose
New for 2012. Last year they were a part of the World's Largest Haunted House below, but this year they have created their own event just down the street from their former partners (next to a giant pumpkin patch). There are two really well done mazes here along with a midway containing props, a tarot card reader, some scare actors, and Halloween items for sale.

World's Largest Haunted House - San Jose
This one is another really long maze with seemingly never-ending black corridors that break up the scares. This year they also added a short haunt right before you get to the line of the maze, a pretty neat idea.

Shadow Hills - Los Gatos
This was the biggest surprise of the year and one of the best haunts I have ever done. The groups are limited to only 2 people, there is quite a bit of acting and storytelling, you have interactive elements like hidden doors, and finally there is one scare prop (think chain saws and air guns) that will blow you away.

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, and several micro-attractions. 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. 

Halloween Haunt @ California's Great America - Santa Clara
Still the largest Halloween event in Northern California. Now in its fifth year, the word has gotten out on Halloween Haunt and the park is packed even on day 1. There are now 7 haunted mazes, a single haunted ride, 3 scare zones, and various shows. Most rides worth going on are still open for this event and the roller coasters are being run with all the lights turned off. Only one of the mazes was new this year, Madam Marie's Massacre Manor, and it also happened to be the best one. The quality of the actors did not seem as good as in previous years with the exception of this new maze where they really excelled. I would say overall this is now the least scary of all the events and I'm hoping they can pick things up next year with a few new mazes. 

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. The haunt should take 15+ min and incorporates part of their cornfield maze.  

Scotts Valley 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 the script. 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 other events. 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 (and performing Thriller in its entirety every 15min). The cost is $8 per person. Oct 25-27 only, starting at 7pm. 555 Glenwood Dr., Scotts Valley.

TechXploration Meetup

TechXploration is continuing their speaker series tomorrow (October 9th) with the topic "Why Computers Will [Not] Take Over the World." While many people believe that computers with artificial intelligence will one day outperform people with real-world problems, the speaker in this event is taking the opposite stance. To boot there will be craft beer tasting and from now on TechXploration is going to support a local San Jose restaurant with each event. To sign up and for location information, just click here.

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Come Xplore the fundamental insight powering "Silicon Valley's Next Billion-Dollar Company" (TechCrunch) and "The War on Terror's Secret Weapon" (BusinessWeek): 

Computers Will [Not] Take Over the World: but will help us save it.

According to Palantir senior engineer & big data expert, Ari Gesher, the most powerful systems will be those that augment human intelligence, not attempt to recreate it.

Join us for a talk about:

1. How humans and computers working in collaboration can outperform any computer in existence
2. How artificial intelligence wrongfully hijacked the technology world for almost 15 years
3. A number of complex real-world problems where the only solution is human-computer symbiosis, because automation fails
4. How Peter Thiel-backed Palantir Technologies built a Java-based human-computer collaboration system that is being used by government agencies, large financial institutions and police departments around the globe

RSVP now to reserve your spot.

Craft beer by the cup + beer tasting + local cuisine* starting @ 7:08 PM

Presentation + Q&A @ 7:39 PM

About Palantir:

Palantir builds software that helps save lives, solve crimes, protect civil liberties, prevent disease and curb fraud by allowing organizations to make sense of massive amounts of disparate data.

* Now featuring Free local cuisine: supporting San Jose local restaurants!

At every TechXploration, we will support a San Jose-based restaurant (recommended by you!) for delicious event eats. What is your favorite local restaurant? Post it to the wall!

About Ari Gesher:

• Senior Engineer, responsible for developing Palantir's platform/operating system
• Currently working on: Palantir's developer APIs for backend services and the systems engineering that goes into Palantir's servers