Orchestria Palm Court

This is one of my favorite new restaurants in Downtown this year, and one of the most unique restaurants I have ever been to period. Walking through the door, you feel like you are going back in time to the early 1900s. Everything from the telephone (which only accepts inbound calls) to the toilets is era-appropriate.

The most interesting feature is of course the impressive collection of Orchestrion music machines from the 1920s. These were some of the highest-tech gadgets available from their era. Think sheet pianos that also can play percussion, pipe, and even string instruments like the violin below. Every 5 minutes or so, a different Orchestrion is triggered to play a song, and it's pretty impressive to see what these machines built so long ago are capable of.

The food is also fantastic. They use top-quality ingredients and prepare everything the old fashioned way. A neat feature is a soda bar where they make traditional fountain drinks using fresh-squeezed fruit juices and classic recipes. These sodas alone make the trip worthwhile. If you feel like something stronger, you can add Orchestria Palm Court to the long list of Downtown San Jose restaurants where you can enjoy unique and hard-to-find craft beers. Also, the tax and tip is already factored into all of their prices.

This place pushes the bar for providing a unique dining experience, not just Downtown but anywhere. Please go and check them out, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Orchestria Palm Court is located at 27 E. William Street (behind the Stage theater) and is open:

• Thursday 6pm-11pm
• Friday 6pm-11:30pm
• Saturday 6pm-11:30pm
• Sunday 4:30-10pm

Welcome, October - the Sharks Are Back! (A Sharks Update)

Welcome to the 2013-14 NHL season!  The Sharks are back for another exciting season, starting this Thursday, October 3^rd, at the Shark Tank.  In an electrifying regular season matchup, the Sharks face their rivals, the Vancouver Canucks (a team all fans have loved to hate, especially after their responsibility for the Sharks’ third round exit during the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs).

This year beings new hope and new updates to the Sharks team fans have grown to love and support.  With the pre-season over and the regular season starting today, it is time for fans to dust off their Sharks paraphernalia from their storage bins, time to renew their memberships to hockeystreams.com (as opposed to the highly restrictive and overpriced NHL GameCenter Live, and here is why), and time to add game times to their calendars (it is easy to do with Google Calendar by first going to ‘Other Calendar’ then browsing ‘Interesting Calendars’).

In addition to bringing on the new season, here are some newsworthy updates for all Sharks fans alike.

New Players
While the Sharks tried out a multitude of new players and line combinations during the pre-season, most notable is the off-season acquisition of Tyler Kennedy, previously of the Pittsburgh Penguins (from the Eastern Conference).  In Pittsburgh, Kennedy was known for this hard-nosed style, working hard for goals, battling in the corners, and dishing out hits.  For a Sharks team known to have a tough forechecking style, a player like Kennedy is a good fit for the team.

With the exception of obtaining Tyler Kennedy, not much activity occurred (as far as trades) in the off-season.  Besides the acquisition of Tyler Kennedy, the Sharks made no significant moves.  The last time Sharks management made any big moves was during the trade deadline, when the Sharks offloaded defenseman Douglas Murray and gritty journeyman Ryane Clowe in favor of veteran Scott Hannan and, quite infamously, Raffi Torres.  (Torres, as expected, was able to shake off being ‘Enemy #1’ by demonstrating to fans his ability to show that his ‘on edge’ play is what makes fans of the team he plays on love him.)

New Jerseys
Before pre-season began, the Sharks released the following new jerseys:

This is a change from the previous versions in order to aim for a more cleaner, simpler look, by removing the black color from the shoulder area and the stripes from around the waist.  Essentially, the jerseys are exactly the same as they were before.  Unlike the new white and teal versions, the black colored "sweater style" third jerseys have not changed.  The third jerseys originally lacked similar stripes as well, and it is possible the slight changing of the white and teal jerseys may have been done so all have a similar look to them.


Pre-season Results
The pre-season is by no means a measure of a team’s success in the regular season, since games and points do not count, and the time spent during pre-season is primarily used to try out new combinations and players opting to make the regular roster for the season.  It is commonplace to see the Sharks swap players to and from their American Hockey League affiliate, the Worcester Sharks, regarding players who must prove themselves worthy of playing at the NHL level – the highest level in the world.

During this year’s pre-season, the Sharks played the Canucks, Coyotes, and the Ducks  - each twice.  While the Sharks won once and lost once to both the Coyotes and the Ducks, the Sharks bested the Canucks both times.

Tomas Hertl, a 2012 first round draft pick for the Sharks, was able to make his name more well known during the second game against the Canucks, scoring two in a Sharks 5-0 rout.  Contributions from the usual goal scoring threats, including Logan Couture, Joe Thornton, and Dan Boyle, rounded out much of the pre-season’s success.  Joe Pavelski and Tommy Wingels returned with strong showings as well, reminding fans that the team is ready to do battle this season.

Based on what I have seen so far, the Sharks look like a team that has made an effort to even out their strengths, as in having an offense, defense, and special teams (i.e. power play, penalty kill, and other special situation groups) that are all strong, but no better than one another.  This style is opposed to teams (typically in the Eastern Conference) with high powered offenses (but without defense), and other such uneven combinations.

Let us have a strong season this year!  It all begins Thursday.  Go Sharks!

Substantial SJSU Projects Coming Down the Line

The revised master plan for San Jose State University's Southeast Quadrant could pave the way for another tall student building on campus. Compared to the existing buildings, it looks like it may hit up to 15 stories at it's highest point and would wrap around a new recreation area, aquatic center, and dining commons. Once the general plan is approved, the real design work will begin.

Source: Franco Rancadore, SJSU Newsletter

Southeast Quadrant Master Plan Update

Ten months ago, FD&O began working on a project to develop a Facilities Master Plan for the southeast quadrant (SEQMP) of the campus. The SEQMP encompasses the area of campus south of Paseo de San Carlos, between 7th Street and 10th Street. Once the plan is approved by the campus, specific project design will begin.

The purpose of the SEQMP project is to ensure a well considered road map for facility development in that part of campus. Given that we will be developing a new aquatic center, recreation center, additional student housing and expanded dining facilities on this portion of campus, planning is critical to ensure the best final development. Through the assessment of current facility conditions, proximity relationships, and long range construction and demolition plans, the SEQMP project will ensure that we build the best possible facilities to serve our campus. 

Ultimately, this project will be recommended for review and consideration by the Campus Planning Board, Campus Leadership and the Chancellor's Office. 

In the rendering above, the "Bricks" student housing will be removed. New housing is indicated in red, an aquatic center in teal, a recreation center in purple, and a new dining commons in yellow. Once the overall plan is approved by the campus, specific project design will begin.

Da Kine Island Grill Coming to Market Street

Da Kine Cafe is moving their Hawaiian restaurant from Sunnyvale to 23 N. Market Street. The space has been vacant for quite some time and was last occupied by Thepthai. It sits right between 19 Market and Sonoma Chicken Coop.

Their new home will come in at an impressive 4,000 SQFT and feature an expanded menu from what they previously offered. My favorite part is 20 craft beer taps, further cementing Downtown as a haven for craft beer lovers. The extra bonus is Da Kine will have a stave for live music (and perhaps some cultural events). Can't wait!

Source: DTSJNews

Saturday Stats: San Jose is Ranked the Happiest, Healthiest City in America!

We nailed another great stat. Prevention magazine named San Jose the happiest, healthiest city in the US! The evaluated the 100 largest metros in the US and looked at 48 different measures of health, happiness, and well-being. These include metrics such as access to green space, number of farmer's markets, disease incidence, depression, unemployment, and FBI crime stats.

San Jose scored high for people eating a ton of organic produce, 18 community gardens, easy access to healthy food, and great climate. I'm sure the employment and crime stats helped as well. San Francisco was a few steps behind us in 7th place.

Source: Prevention, Huffington Post, Hat tip to Christina Barrie and Alex Shoor

Japantown Farmers' Market

KARAOKE CLUB by Treatbot | Tuesdays 7:30 - 9:30pm

Finally the food truck from the future made famous for both quality ice cream and karaoke is bringing the party to it's stationary location inside of the San Pedro Square Market. Every Tuesday you will be able to sing some karaoke beside the truck, and if you do well enough who knows... maybe you'll get some free ice cream ;).

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San Pedro Square Market Special Events: Join us on Tuesday nights for Karaoke Club at Treatbot. From 7:30 - 9:30pm, bring your friends and your vocal chords for a singin' good time in the market hall.  Sing some songs and enjoy awesome ice cream delectables at this weekly tradition at the market.

Petition for Police to Enforce St. James Park Rules and Ordinances

A group of Downtown residents are fed up with the "quality-of-life" issues that are happening in St. James Park and have created a petition to SJPD Police Chief Larry Esquivel to actively enforce the park's rules and ordinances. It will take 2 minutes to sign the petition, but may have a lasting impact on improving the safety of this historic park. More info and link below:

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Greetings all,

 

Daily we see what goes on in St. James Park. We are all aware of the homeless feedings, sleeping, littering, pan-handling, drinking, drug usage and dealing, violence, etc. We are also aware that the police are not actively enforcing the existing park rules and ordinances that prohibit this activity. This situation makes our park unsafe and unattractive for the family-friendly events, activities, and programs we want to see.

 

We want this to change. Toward this end, Jill and I have used https://www.causes.com to create a petition that will be sent to the SJPD Police Chief, Larry Esquivel, to direct his officers to actively enforce the park's rules and ordinances. 

 

Please join with us in signing this petition by going to: https://www.causes.com/campaigns/34380-make-st-james-park-safer-by-enforcing-existing-laws-and-ordinances?utm_campaign=search_widget and signing up with either your Facebook or email address and then adding your name to the petition. Once you sign, please ask your friends and neighbors to also sign. 

 

St. James Park is both a neighborhood and city park. Its historical position within the city justifies that it should be a destination for those who live, work, and play downtown. With your help and support, we can make this happen.

 

Sincerely,

 

Jack Sardegna

EV Week 2013 Kicks Off Today!

Electric vehicles are getting more mainstream everyday, and Silicon Valley is leading the charge (pun intended). Come check out the launch of EV Week 2013 today at Santana Row's Chess Plaza! All of the details are below. Also, don't forget to swing by Tesla's flagship US store while you're there. 

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San Jose Drivers Invited to Get Behind the Wheel of an Electric Vehicle  

San Jose, CA – Charge Across Town (www.chargeacrosstown.com) is driving forward the adoption of electric vehicles in the Bay Area with “EV Week 2013: San Francisco to Silicon Valley” – a three-city, five-day series of events and activities designed to engage, educate and excite Bay Area drivers about the benefits, ease and accessibility of driving all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Driving towards California Governor Jerry Brown’s goal of getting 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on California’s roadways by 2025, EV Week 2013 is inviting Bay Area drivers – from commuters to car sharers – to get behind the wheel of an EV and become part of the solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by driving greener, cleaner vehicles.

San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, San Jose City Councilmembersand Bay Area electric vehicle, technology, civic and environmental leaders, will kick-off EV Week 2013 with a launch event at Santana Row Chess Plaza, featuring free EV test drives around Chess Plaza and an Electric Vehicle Exposition showcasing the largest selection of new plug-in and all-electric vehicles, EV charging technologies, mobile applications, and car and scooter-sharing services.  

What

San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed launches EV Week 2013 in San Jose

When

Thursday, September 26.  San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and San Jose City Councilmembers will speak from 12pm to 12:30pm.

Where

San Jose’s Santana Row Chess Plaza

Santana Row between Olin Avenue & Olsen Drive

More at:  www.chargeacrosstown.com/ev-week-silicon-valley

Interview, Photo & Video Opportunities:

Thursday, September 26 – San Jose’s Santana Row Chess Plaza

Santana Row between Olin Avenue & Olsen Drive

12pm – 12:30pm – Launch event featuring San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and San Jose City Councilmembers, together with Bay Area electric vehicle, technology, civic and environmental leaders

12pm – 7pm – San Jose drivers enjoy free Electric Vehicle Ride & Drives around Santana Row Chess Plaza.

12pm – 7pm – Electric Vehicle EXPO at Santana Row’s Chess Plaza featuring:

The largest selection of state-of-the art plug-in and all-electric vehicles, including the new BMW i3, Ford Fusion Energi, Ford Focus, Ford C-Max Energi, Toyota Plug-in Prius and RAV 4 EV, Honda Fit, Honda Accord, Mitusbishi MiEV and Nissan Leaf.

Demos of the first-ever ALL electric scooter and one of the nation’s first mobile solar charging stations.

Interactive exhibits from: Tesla, Honda, Toyota, Ford, Nissan, PG&E, Schneider-Electric,Pandora, Zipcar, City CarShare, Scoot Networks, Chargepoint, DriveNow, Envision Solar, SAP, SunPower and the Center for Sustainable Energy California (CCSE).

Friday, September 27 – San Jose – Santana Row Chess Plaza

12pm – 7pm – San Jose drivers enjoy free Electric Vehicle Ride & Drives around Santana Row Chess Plaza.

12pm – 4pm – Electric Vehicle EXPO at Santana Row’s Chess Plaza.