Merry Christmas!

Everyone at The San Jose Blog warmly wishes you and your family a great Holiday Season! Don't forget to check out our tree at Christmas in the Park =)

The VTA Holly Trolly is Back!

From the VTA Website

Feel it all over again on VTA's Holly Trolley! VTA will roll-out its Holly Trolley uniting the nostalgia of the past with the young and young at heart! Whether your plan is to visit Christmas in the Park, ice skate under the palms or dine in downtown San Jose's many restaurants, the Trolley will get you there and...the ride is FREE!

Operating between the Civic Center and San Jose Diridon light rail stations, the Trolley will surely get you and your family into the spirit of the season. The Holly Trolley will make its magical journey only during the holiday season, so be sure to Hop Onboard Today!

You can catch VTA's Free Holly Trolley every weekend*, from November 30 through December 30; Fridays from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. and weekends from 2:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

To get on board, stop by a Holly Trolley light rail station nearest you!  The Holly Trolley will travel through downtown San Jose with stops at the Civic Center Station through the San Jose Dirdon Transit Center. For a complete schedule, click on Schedule Information or call 408-321-2300.

VTA Holly Trolley Service Hours*

Fridays                             6:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Saturdays & Sundays       2:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Look for more details on VTA's Facebook page and celebrate the season with VTA!

*Weather permitting.

Top San Jose Christmas Decorations 2012

This holiday season, be sure to check out Lights of the Valley to see the most decked out homes in San Jose. These are really something to visit in person and many even have light shows synchronized to music. The website has a handy map that lets you check which ones you want to see and prints out directions hitting all of those spots. Again, the Lights of the Valley website is right over here.

Happy Holidays!

Adobe Codebreaking Contest v2.0

Do you enjoy cryptography as a pastime? If so, this is the contest for you. Adobe has reset their "San Jose Semaphore" art project with a brand new contest. There are 4 rotating discs with LEDs on top of one of the Adobe towers. Every 7.2 seconds they spin to a specific orientation representing a piece of the code. In the 2006 contest, each rotation was a letter from the 1966 novel: "The Crying of Lot 49." For 2012, I imagine this may be an even greater challenge. They also have an online version of what is being displayed on the tower over here.

The winner gets a one-year subscription to the Adobe Creative Cloud. However, after seeing what was involved in cracking the 2006 code, I think a lifetime subscription and a job offer at Adobe would be more appropriate.

Source: Adobe

Saturday Stats: 2012 Meta Edition

I recently started a new Google doc to track Saturday Stats posts. I did not get all of them in there yet, but will be using this spreadsheet going forward. I thought it might be nice at the end of each year to look back and see what has been achieved. For 2012, I can tell you that reading all of the stats below back to back sounds pretty darn impressive.

You can either click on the image below to enlarge or access the Google doc directly over here.

The Civic Gets Branded

Remember when sports stadiums started selling naming rights? That same revenue stream is coming to an entertainment venue near you. City National Bank (CNB) is offering $1.2 million to add their name to the historic Civic auditorium across the street from the convention center. Most of this money would be used to continue to develop San Jose's key entertainment venues, which also include the Performing Arts Center.

A new name and logo will have to be crafted, and there are even plans to put that logo on the roof of the building for the overhead planes and Google Maps satellites. The names of the California Theater, the Montgomery Theater, and the Center for the Performing Arts may also be up for sale.

Source: SJBJ

Santana Row December 2012 Happenings And A Look Ahead to Early 2013

 

San Jose, CA – Holiday happiness and the spirit of giving can be found at Santana Row in December with events and celebrations that include the Menorah lighting ceremony and shopping specials that benefit local charities. 49ers star Vernon Davis opens Gallery 85, an art gallery, with a fundraising event on Dec. 10.

 

Shop, Enjoy and Give: Holiday Wine & Dine Around

A Benefit for Second Harvest Food Bank, Dec. 4, 11 and 18

Help those in need while you complete your holiday shopping during Santana Row’s “Shop, Enjoy & Give” event that benefits Second Harvest Food Bank. Purchase a $10 ticket on SantanaRow.com or at the Concierge center and receive complimentary food and wine tastings in Santana Row shops and restaurants between 6 and 8 p.m. Also included: a signature Santana Row wine glass and exclusive holiday shopping discounts. Bring a donation of canned food when you purchase your ticket and receive $2 off the ticket. (Customers must be 21 years or older.)

 

Santa Paws, a Benefit for Humane Society Silicon Valley, Dec. 9

Bring your canine and feline friends to Santana Row's Park Valencia for a keepsake photo with Santa Claus. Photos are $20 and a portion of the proceeds will benefit Humane Society Silicon Valley. Registration begins at 10:30 a.m. in Park Valencia. Photos are taken from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

 

Menorah Lighting at Santana Row Park, Dec. 9

Santana Row celebrates the first night of the Jewish Festival of Lights with Kosher treats, entertainment and activities that include decorating dreidels, Jewish story time, arts & crafts, giveaways and the lighting of the Menorah. The evening is co-hosted with the Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley and The PJ Library. The celebration will take place from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at Santana Row Park.

Musical performances by Congregation Shir Hadash's Cantor Felder Levy and youth, Temple Emanu-El's children with Rabbi Magat and Cantor Simerley, Yavneh Day School choir, Congregation Beth David Religious School and Rabbi Ohriner, Congregation Sinai's children and Rabbi Berkenwald.

Grand opening of Gallery 85, 49ers Vernon Davis’ art gallery, Dec. 10

Top-ranked 49ers football player Vernon Davis introduces his new gallery with a private, grand opening event on Dec. 10. Gallery 85 will feature work by Davis as well as work by emerging visual artists. The grand opening party is a benefit for The Vernon Davis Foundation for the Arts (http://www.vernondavis.com/foundation/) which promotes arts education and art appreciation for at-risk youth and awards college art school scholarships to inner-city youth.

Best known as one of the NFLʼs elite pass-catching tight ends, Davis is also a talented, trained visual artist who majored in studio art at the University of Maryland.

Gallery 85 is located at 377 Santana Row, Suite 1180, San Jose.

 

Mommy & Me invite children to “Celebrate the Season,” Dec. 11

The last Mommy & Me for the season includes live entertainment from Andy Z, story time with Mrs. Claus, sampling from Happy Baby Brands, mini manicures from Lavande nail salon, a raffle from The Container Store, arts and crafts with Action Day Primary Plus, Balloon Animals and Face Painting and more!

When: 10 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Dec. 11 in the lobby of CineArts Theatre. Mommy & Me is a free kids’ club held on the second Tuesday of every month from May through December. For more information, call 408.551.4611 or visit www.SantanaRow.com.

 

Rainy Day Rewards, now through March 31, 2013

When there’s a 70 percent or greater chance for rain, shoppers and diners braving bad weather will be rewarded with discounts that include 15 percent off purchases at participating shops and restaurants, a free signature Santana Row golf umbrella for customers who spend $150 anywhere on The Row and a $20 gift certificate to a participating shop or restaurant for customers who spend $300 on a designated Rainy Day.

No need to get wet: On all rainy days, customers can pick up a complimentary umbrella to use while shopping and dining and then return it before leaving. The yellow umbrellas are conveniently located throughout The Row - outside Concierge, Via between Village California Bistro and Lark Creek Blue and the valet parking lot in the Winchester Parking

Garage.  

 

“One Warm Coat” Drop-off at Santana Row Continues Through Dec. 31

Donate a new or gently used coat and it will be given to a needy family this winter.  Drop-off locations include CineArts Theatre, Crate & Barrel, Sur La Table and the Santana Row Concierge. The charity coat drive continues through Dec. 31.

For more information: call 408.551.4611 or visit www.santanarow.com.

 

Santana Row holiday hours:

Christmas Eve: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Christmas: Closed

New Year’s Eve: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

New Year’s Day: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

 

New Year’s Eve Overnight Package at Hotel Valencia, Dec. 31

Ring in the new year with elegance and style at Hotel Valencia with a package for two that includes Piper Heidsieck champagne upon arrival, the Valencia Gala party with a live band, DJ and party favors, champagne toast and dessert at midnight, a deluxe breakfast on the first day of 2013 and a late 2 p.m. checkout. Rates begin at $350. Call 408.423.5405 for more information. The New Year’s Eve package requires advance reservations, pre-payment and is non-refundable after December 28, 2012.

 

New Year's Eve: Savor the Night Dinner Package, Dec. 31

Celebrate New Year’s Eve at Citrus restaurant with a five-course experience created by Executive Chef Robert Sapirman.

Dinner package also includes admission to the New Year’s Eve Valencia party, which features a live band, DJ, party favors, champagne toast & midnight dessert. 

Price is $125 per person and non-refundable after Dec 21, 2012. Reservations required, call 408.423.5405.

 

Wine & Dine Around Benefit for the American Heart Association, Feb. 16

More than a dozen Santana Row shops and restaurants host exclusive in-store events with complimentary wine and food pairings and incredible one-time discounts available only to ticketholders, all to benefit the American Heart Association.  From 2-3 p.m. the Wine Stroll will begin on Olin Avenue Drive.  Tickets are $30 and include access to all in-store events, Heart Card shopping pass, wine bottle tote bag and a signature Santana Row wine glass.  Tickets available in person at the Santana Row Concierge or online at santanarow.com.

 

Chinese New Year Celebration, March 2

Santana Row welcomes the Year of the Snake with an afternoon of Chinese New Year festivities, including the exciting drumbeats and crashing cymbals of the Dragon and Lion dances, other traditional Chinese performances, Korean dance, martial arts, fashion shows and more. 

 

408K Race to the Row, a Benefit for the Pat Tillman Foundation,-- March 10 

The eight-kilometer road race that benefits the Pat Tillman Foundation and its Team Tillman initiative is winding through the streets of San Jose for the second year. It starts at HP Pavilion and ends at Santana Row. The inaugural event last year sold out with more than 3,000 runners, the country’s largest 8K run.

For information: www.run408k.com. Sponsors and volunteer groups can make inquiries at sponsors@the408k.com.

 

On The Horizon at The Row

Madewell, an iconic American retailer as well as a brand coveted by fashion conscious women and men, is scheduled to open in Spring, 2013. The 3,500 square-foot shop will occupy a portion of the space that was the former H&M store before its recent move to a larger building. Madewell, established in 1937 as a dry goods emporium, will offer a wide range of effortlessly cool pieces. Chic yet comfy apparel includes soft chambray shirts, broken-in tees, leather boots, accessories and bags..

Splendid, another label noted for its informal stylishness, is slated to open a 2,000 square-foot boutique next to Madewell in late spring. Known for its luxuriously soft tops and T-shirts, the offerings for men, women and children are a perfect fit for Silicon Valley: richly casual.

 

Renovations Coming to The Row

Gucci, the luxury brand which recently marked a decade at Santana Row, will undergo a complete interior remodel along with façade enhancement beginning in the summer 2013. The work will be completed in time for the 2013 holiday season.

 

Also undergoing a renovation next year is Tommy Bahama, purveyor of island lifestyles and maker of clothing and accessories that reflect island ambiance.

10 Almaden Pulls a Hat Trick

After PriceWaterhouseCoopers moved to the shiny blue Sobrato tower, it left a 160,000 sqft vacancy in the 10 Almaden building. While it was good news that the Sobrato tower finally got a tenant, I remember a few people commenting that they would rather have kept foot traffic in the central part of Downtown instead of having it relocate to the outskirts. Well, it looks like 10 Almaden is quickly filling back up again.

Over the last few weeks Equity Office signed 3 major tenants which will gobble up 70,000 sqft in the high-rise:

• Move Inc. (32,405 sqft) - operates Realtor.com and other real estate sites
• Malewarebytes (21,924 sqft) - anti-malware solutions provider for both businesses and consumers
• Rosetta (11,640 sqft) - a brand within the global ad group Publicis

With these leases, Downtown San Jose will likely close out 2012 with office vacancies below 20% (in 2011 they were 27%). If we can get down to about 10%, we may start seeing some speculative building of office space Downtown.

Source: SJBJ