February 2013 Downtown Dimension Highlights

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

• The San Jose/Evergreen Community College District bought and will populate the seven story, 41,500 sqft former American Bank and Trust building at 40 S. Market.
• A new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system is going to run down Santa Clara Street and will ultimately connect to Eastridge Mall, Palo Alto, and DeAnza College. They will provide a similar level of service to light rail and have better seating, stations, and travel times than normal buses.
• Umpqua Bank has started building out its ground-floor space at 225 W Santa Clara (next to Amici's), which will include a computer cafe and free WiFi.
• Vyne Bistro is now open and has specials like mushroom risotto and caviar. Visit the new wine bar and restaurant at 110 Paseo De San Antonio.
• Hibiscus Stodio is open where City Salon & Spa used to be at 136 E. Santa Clara.
• Curb cafes are coming to five locations in San Jose this year, including Chacho's.
• A 10ft-tall working model replica of "Organograph" is available for viewing at the City Hall lobby. Eventually this will be a 75ft-tall interactive work of art near Diridon.
• Zipcar is now available Downtown and in Midtown. 17 public spaces have been re-purposed for Zipcar.

To read the full newsletter, click here!

DOSE OF REALITY Premiering at Cinequest

Cinequest is well underway in San Jose with an insane array of movies to chose from. I tend to prioritize the premieres since you get the very rare opportunity of watching a film before anyone else. DOSE OF REALITY is one the films kicking off their world premiere at Cinequest, and the very first showing is tomorrow. More info below!

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Can you solve the mystery at  CINEQUEST film festival?

Get your tickets for DOSE OF REALITY the movie and give it a shot.

We're proud to World Premiere at Cinequest.

DOSE OF REALITY movie

Intriguing keeps you guessing mystery thriller with dramatic performances at:

CINEQUEST Film Festival

San Jose, CA

Camera 12  theaters
201 S 2nd St, San Jose, CA 95113

2-28-13 at 7:00 p.m
3-2-13 at 9:30 p.m.

3-5-13 at 4:00 p.m.

Read more about it

When the bar doors closed one evening, the night was far from over. After Matt, a handsome, young bartender, discovers an attractive, bloodied woman passed out on the bathroom floor, the descent into utter chaos begins. He and his arrogant manager, Tony, frantically argue about what to do when she wakes up and hysterically accuses them of attacking her. Taking matters into her own hands with irresistible charm and manipulative mind games, she discovers their deepest, innermost weaknesses. What started out as a quest to uncover the identity of her attacker quickly evolves into a scheme to reveal the secrets of everyone involved. But some secrets will remain hidden, others will identify a new victim, but one will turn everything you thought you knew upside down – Sharon Gonzales  - CINEQUEST

Film stars: Fairuza Balk award winning actress (Gas Food and lodging and The Craft), Rick Ravanello (The Cave), Ryan Merriman (Final Destination and soon to be released "42" starring Harrison Ford).

Order Tickets here:

http://payments.cinequest.org/WebSales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=6913~78899376-35a9-4153-8303-e1557be2dc32&epguid=70d8e056-fa45-4221-9cc7-b6dc88f62c98&

Girl Shaped Drug - US Premiere @ Cinequest

Today the floodgates are opening for hundreds of world-class screenings of independent and foreign movies in San Jose! Girl Shaped Love Drug is not only a film featured in Cinequest, it's having its US premiere right here. If you haven't been to a premiere screening yet, you definitely have to check it out. Immediately following the movie, you can participate in Q&A with the writer/director and several of the actors. Where else do you get an opportunity like that?

The trailer is below and for more information, just head on over here.

Cinequest Starts Today!

Get all of your Cinequest info and tickets right over here!

Japantown "Corp Yard" Project Moves Forward!

An epic $180 million project is moving forward in Japantown. The quick details: 600 residential apartments in six-story buildings with underground parking, ground floor retail and live/work units, a park with cherry orchards, a public stage/pavilion, and a creative center for the arts. You can check out the design for the creative center in the very last image... I hope that becomes the final design because it looks incredible! That building will house San Jose Taiko, CreaTV, Arts Council of Silicon Valley, and other San Jose nonprofits. I'm not sure what more you could possibly ask for in a Japantown project.

You have to click the images below to really see the detail from the scans. The architecture is "modern Japan" with elegant simplicity, wood elements, shifted forms, and framed views. Needless to say, this will be one of the most unique and visually striking developments in the Bay Area. I really hope this comes to fruition and encourages even more projects of this caliber in San Jose.

Sources: Jonathan Bush (thanks for the scans!), SVBJ

Dig Into the Past at History San José’s Archaeology Days at Peralta Adobe at San Pedro Square Market

San José, CA – February 12, 2013

On Sunday, February 24, from 11 AM to 3 PM --- Archaeology Day at the Peralta Adobe at San Pedro Square Market will offer children an opportunity to be junior archaeologists.

Stanford Archaeology Center students will be at the Peralta Adobe historic site conducting a mock excavation, screening,  artifact identification and artifact reconstruction. 

This free family educational program will allow individuals to collect stickers for each activity to place in Archaeology Passports and become ‘certified’ as a Junior Archaeologist.  Children will also have the opportunity to learn more about the Mission and Rancho historic periods of California history with various hands-on activities.

The oldest home in San Jose, the Peralta Adobe, serves as a perfect archaeological location. It is the centerpiece for San Pedro Square Market at 175 West Saint John Street in downtown San Jose.  It is just across the street from the Fallon House, a mid-19th century Victorian home.

The public archaeology activities are free. While at the Peralta Adobe, visitors can also take tours of the Peralta Adobe and the Fallon House, which are $8 for adults, $5 for seniors (62 and older) and students with a valid school identification card; and $5 for children who are accompanied by an adult. As usual, members of History San José receive free admission.

Adult tours, and tours for children ages seven and older, will be held through the Peralta Adobe and the Fallon House, at 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.  

Hands-on tours of the Peralta Adobe, especially designed for children ages 4 through 9 accompanied by an adult, will be  at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. These historic buildings are not wheel-chair accessible.

For more information or to make reservations for a tour, call 408 918-1047 or visit www.historysanjose.org

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The Fallon House was built in 1855 by one of San José’s earliest mayors. The Victorian mansion showcases 15 fully-furnished rooms typical of the Victorian period. Thomas Fallon was a frontiersman in the John C. Fremont expedition, and Carmel Fallon was the daughter of one of the most prominent Mexican landowners in California.

The Peralta Adobe is San José’s oldest address. Built in 1797, the Peralta Adobe is the last remaining structure from El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe. See the Adobe’s horno, an outside working oven or venture inside the home and see two rooms furnished as they might have been when they were occupied by the Gonzales and Peralta families. It is now surrounded by the new San Pedro Square Market.

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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

Website:  historysanjose.org

Blog: historysanjose.org/blog

Facebook: /historysanjose

Twitter: @historysanjose

San Jose #2 for Solar "Leases" in 2012

A business model for the solar energy industry that is gaining in popularity is to lease solar to people that are interested in a photo-voltaic system for their homes, but do not want to pay upfront to buy the whole system. The buyers recognizes instant savings on their electric bill and often times does not have to pay anything out of pocket.

Well it turns out that San Jose has made it to number 2 on the list of cities in California with the largest number of leased solar roofs. I hope to see even more adoption of green technology in the future as the city strives to maintain its pole position in green-tech.

MOST SOLAR LEASES IN 2012

1.) San Diego
2.) San Jose
3.) Bakersfield
4.) Los Angeles
5.) Fresno
6.) San Francisco
7.) Corona
8.) Murrieta
9.) Clovis
10.) Temecula

Source: SVBJ

Sharks Update 2/22 (and Preparing for Blackhawks!)

“Where is the chemistry? “
“Where is the dominant puck control?”
“Where is the confidence?”

I often pondered such questions during every Sharks game over the last couple weeks, each one streaming live to my computer, while pulling post-midnight working excursions for the last month.  During my last update to The San Jose Blog, I finished updating the San Jose faithful on the wonderful, excellent chemistry the team has had during the month of January.  Evidently, my increased workload translated to the subsequent seven game long losing streak – right?

Actually, no.  My fiancé kindly pointed out my “lucky” black and teal colored toe nails she painted for me while I was in my hospital bed had the polish wear off, effectively washing away the “luck.”  I allowed her to re-paint them Monday night when I returned home super late from work, and sure enough, in the Sharks’ follow-up battle against the St. Louis Blues (a good team, I might add) – the Sharks won.

Superstitions aside, a die-hard fan like myself usually has to wonder what had happened to our Sharks, who has possessed the NHL leads in many statistical categories, including the team to be the last to record their first loss.  After that magical seven game run, all seemed lost.  It didn’t matter who the Sharks played, even the Columbus Blue Jackets.  Their luck was out, and they were going to lose.  (That analysis, however, is for the superstitious type.)

It helps to listen to what some of the players have to say about their playing.  Quite interestingly, it is fun to hear the players dispel what critics and commentators say.  In particular, many commentators have noted the Sharks’ lack of speed, especially against the Chicago Blackhawks, as a particular hindrance to their playing abilities.

Ryane Clowe, during one of his intermission interviews, hinted that the “appearance” of a faster speed is due to more efficient puck movement.  When the Sharks do not have the chemistry together, they do look slower.  Remember when the Sharks had their seven game winning streak?  (I bet they looked exceedingly fast!)

What some have mentioned – and have been RIGHT about – is the lack of effort (i.e. work ethic) and getting quality shots to the net.  While I can almost guarantee that any puck on Joe Thornton’s stick cannot be whisked away, unless it’s to a teammate’s stick, the important factor is to whom Thornton is passing the puck, and more importantly, where the puck recipient is standing.  All too often, a puck getting shot from a Sharks stick is from a bad angle, and unless everyone on the team can snipe as proficiently as Logan Couture, goals are a rarity.

The NHL has evolved to a much different level, with teams finally understanding that putting up a strong fortification is often times the formula for winning championships.  As I’ve mentioned before, look at many of the past Stanley Cup winners.  Have any of them been known as offensive teams?  I’m betting none were.  Look at the new, more widespread statistics, such as blocked shots and takeaways.  In addition, look at the new defensive strategies of giving players no way to get a clean shot on net.  Such strategies were integral in some of the rule changes (e.g. eliminating the play stoppage due to a two-line pass), giving teams a more difficult time to defend.

The team that seems to have the defensive strategy down to a true art is the Nashville Predators.  Granted, the Sharks had a terrible beginning to February, including dropping two games to the Predators, but the lack of the Sharks’ scoring production can be put squarely on the shoulders of some of the best defensemen in the league, and who many say is currently the best goaltender in the league (Pekka Rinne).  Historically, the Sharks have struggled to put up points against the Predators for those reasons alone.  In recent years, the Predators have been dark horse playoff contenders, and based on their style of play, there is no question how they made it.  It is only their lack of significant offense that have kept them from making it far.

Fortunately, the Sharks have true ice sense and skill in their corner.  The debate about how younger, fresher players make better teams and/or that having superstars on a team makes them better has swiftly been disproven multiple times, season after season.  Two teams – the Edmonton Oilers and the New York Rangers – while fine teams on their own, are the epitome of teams with young, fast players, and loaded with superstars.  Based on these factors, one may expect these teams to be at the very top of the league’s standings.  It is however, evident that is not the case.  The teams with the best ice sense and the teams with the best defense typically fare the best.  This is what the Sharks need to capitalize on – their veteran leadership and ice sense.

Tonight, the Chicago Blackhawks hope to make history by not having a regulation loss after tonight’s performance.  Their opponent?  The Sharks.

The Blackhawks are a very beatable team.  They have simply made it this far due to hard work and determination.  It’s evident when watching them play, they have the ability to never give up, and can put massive pressure in the offensive zone.

It is up to the Sharks to keep the puck out of their defensive zone and to maintain offensive pressure – something time and time again they have proven to be good at.  Niemi needs to be on top of his game.  Sure, there are some shots that cannot be stopped, but all other shots need to be kept from going in (especially no weak shots that can sneak by).  The forwards need to get, and stay, open.  Lastly, the Blackhawks defense needs to be intimidated quite a bit, something executed primarily through massive offensive pressure.  Unlike the Predators, the Blackhawks rely primarily on their offense (e.g. Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa), so we must exploit their defensive line!

We cannot afford to get caught with our heads down.  With our last win, let us use that momentum.  The Sharks are known to perform well when the momentum is going.  We can not, and must not, let the Blackhawks win.

The game tonight starts at 5:30pm Pacific time, and will be live from Chicago’s United Center.  Tune (or stream) in for some action.  We need this win – big time!

(Could we also possibly hope for another Thornton-Toews one-sided fight?)