Cocoabella Chocolates Valentine's Day Collections

Valentine's Day is almost here and my favorite chocolate shop is featuring several collections to celebrate the occasion. Cocoabella is a curator of the best artisan chocolates from all over the world. The quality and uniqueness of each piece blows away the cookie-cutter stores. It has gotten to the point where my wife can't go to Valley Fair without picking up one of their boxes along with a chocolate drink.

The Valentine's Day Collections include chocolates from France, Italy, Switzerland, Canada, and across the US, all handmade and flown in last week. If your significant other hasn't tried these out yet, then you have the opportunity to score some big points this year.

Check out Cocoabella at Valley Fair on the first floor near the center court or online right over here.

Sat, Feb 15th: Cupid's Undie Run in Downtown San Jose

Admit it, you've dreamed of running around downtown San Jose in your unmentionables, haven't you?

Well it's not too late to let your dreams come true - and in a totally legal manner as well. This Saturday (February 15th) join the Cupid's Undie Run! It's a mile(ish) jaunt from Britannia Arms and down and around Plaza de César Chávez. Since we have fabulous weather (compared to everywhere else), you probably won't even feel the chill! (No guarantees, though.)

So what is the Cupid's Undie Run? Yes, it's another novelty-themed run, but for a fabulous cause. Funds raised will go to The Children's Tumor Foundation. Last year they raised $1.3 million for the cause. The run happens on the same day around the country; there's one in San Francisco, but this year they added San Jose to the mix. 

The Children's Tumor Foundation is the world's largest non-government organization dedicated to ending neurofibromatosis. From the website, a quick description is this:

There are children out there suffering from a debilitating genetic disorder called neurofibromatosis (NF). NF causes tumor to grow all over the nervous system and can cause blindness, deafness, learning disabilities and severe chronic pain. 

So, prepare your accessories to wear with your undies and register today before all the spots are taken up. This morning on Alice 97.3 (a sponsor of the run) they mentioned there was only 100 or so spots left; so you better hurry! Get your friends together and run!

Click here for the Cupid's Undie Run: Silicon Valley page
Registration cost: $50
Time: "The party starts at 12:00pm , run time is 2:00pm , then back for more fun until 4:00pm . Arrive early and stay late... and feel free to remain pants-less the entire time!"
Start location:
The Britannia Arms Downtown San Jose 
173 W. Santa Clara Street, San Jose, CA 95113

**Photo above is from the Cupid's Undie Run in Denver, Colorado.

Two New Hyatts Coming to North San Jose

Yet another duo of hotels is coming to the North First area. It seems like every hotel announced in this general area is coming in pairs. First we had SpringHill Suites (146 rooms) and Residence Inn (175 rooms) at Airport and North First which will share the same physical building and back of house operations. Then earlier this year we found out about Hampton Inn and Suites (145 rooms) and Home2 Suites (140 rooms), which will be housed in separate buildings at the old Piercey Toyota lot, but likely share operations and resources.

Now we have two Hyatts being announced: a Hyatt Place clocking in a 164 rooms and seven-stories, and an extended stay Hyatt House with 140 rooms (five-story building). This will all be located on six acres at North First and East Brokaw Road, very close to both the airport, the casinos, and a massive 2 million SQFT office project proposed for the area. I also have to mention that there is easy access to light rail here, making these hotels great options for people flying into town to catch an event at the new 49ers Stadium.

The project will cost $65 million and construction will begin in Q2 2015 with completion expected in late 2016.

Hyatt House: https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/california/hyatt-house-san-jose-airport/sjcxa
Hyatt Place: https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/california/hyatt-place-san-jose-airport/sjcza

Source: SVBJ, Hat tip to Joseph Meduri

Sourisseau News 2014-02 Video

In the latest installment of the Sourisseau News, see what the Alameda Blvd looked like in 1880! Question for the historians out there...what happened to the electric railway on the Alameda?


Sourisseau News 2014-02 from WMS media Inc. on Vimeo.

Saturday Stats: Car Ownership Highest in San Jose

This week's stat is kind of a two-parter. The Wall Street Journal posted an article stating that a larger share of US households do not own a car than in 2007. This is entirely true, but the change in American car ownership over those five years amounted to a measly half of a percentage point (0.5%). Some cities like San Diego, Austin, Ft. Worth, and Denver actually saw car ownership rise. San Jose takes the cake for the highest percentage of car ownership, with 94.2% of households owning a car. Over those five years, households with cars dropped in San Jose by 0.4%, close to the drop for the US Average.

Now part two is an article that bothers me by The Atlantic. They took the same data the Wall Street Journal used and asked the question, "why do the smartest cities have the smallest share of cars?" Let me remind everyone that San Jose was named the Smartest City in America by the TODAY Show a couple weeks ago, and we were at the very bottom of the data set for car ownership (lower means more households with cars in this case) along with cities like Austin and San Diego. Not only do I find this argument very weak, but the writer of this article completely corrupted his points by conveniently removing San Jose from his data set for "Cars and College" showing the correlation between education and car ownership (arguing that people with more education are less likely to own car). Check out the articles and lets us know what you think.

Sources: WSJ, The Atlantic, Hat tip to Tim Reed!

Rey Giese Tribute Exhibition @ Kaleid

A new exhibition honoring the late Rey Giese (1919-2013) is premiering today as part of the South FIRST FRIDAYS Art Walk . Rey was the premier sign-painter of Silicon Valley and his work can still be seen throughout the area. He painted thousands and thousands of signs throughout the course of his life and worked all the way up into is his 90s.

The exhibition will showcase 75 years of his work. In addition to Rey Giese originals, a dozen contemporary sign painters will also be doing recreations of Giese designs. I would highly recommend making this your first stop on the art walk... this is pure Bay Area history and Rey Giese's work is well worth celebrating.

The exhibit and artist' reception runs from 7-11pm today at Kalied. You can RSVP (not required) right over here. His works will also be on display until the end of the month at the gallery.

SF Beer Week is Here! Check it out With the "Japantown Beer Walk"

                                                       JAPANTOWN BEER WALK-

                            LOCATION: SAN JOSE'S JAPANTOWN NEIGHBORHOOD

                                                             FEBRUARY 8TH, 2014

                                                                 TIME: 2PM - 6PM

SF Beer Week is here yet again, starting off its opening Gala on February 7^th 2014, at the Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco. The San Francisco Brewers Guild and associates sponsor this week-long event as a collaborative effort between local breweries and participating cities throughout the Bay Area. As it states on their website, “Our purpose is to restore and preserve San Francisco’s brewing heritage, and unite those who make local beer with those who love it”; it couldn't be done in a better fashion than its week’s worth of events and activities dedicated to the craft of brewing. The contagious spirit of this eventful week and its rising fame--putting together as many as 500 events--has reached into neighboring cities, and has made its way into San Jose’s Japantown. Participants in association with the festivities have made this ongoing tradition hit its 6^th year in the Bay Area, and for San Jose’s Japantown Beer Walk it marks its 3rd year with beer tasting sweetness at every unique destination.

As it grows in popularity there is an ongoing effort between organizations to bring awareness to this cool tradition located near the heart of Downtown San Jose. I had the pleasure of participating last year for the first time. Joining me was a good friend and we had an inebriating experience walking from establishment to establishment, tasting what seemed like a good amount of quality beer. Which now reminds me; it might be his turn to buy the tickets this time around, and I should recommend dinner a little closer to the event than his house down the street. Not that the Bar-B-Q was bad (the slow cooked ribs were delicious), but I’m definitely looking forward to some sushi, or a teriyaki chicken bowl between destinations. There are a variety of great restaurants, and parlors in the neighborhood in which to dine and snack at, and it’s a good idea to take a little extra cash for any on the spot purchases you might have an itch for.

There are plenty of attractions that bring this beer walk together and if the weather permits, it should be a great one to join in on this weekend. You can take a nice long stroll with your dog to visit the many Art Galleries in the neighborhood, and if your sitter isn’t available to watch the kids; than at least one parent can enjoy the beer while the other shops at one of the many establishments and boutiques that will be open that day catering to the event between 2-6pm. Registration starts at Jack’s Bar at 12pm.

Between the many breweries that participated last year and will be participating this year, I would have to say it will be hard to predict what will grab my attention. Many will be participating and there are vast choices at the local liquor store now; all with different names, different alcohol content, and cool looking labels. So, what I will do this time around is write down on a Jacks Bar napkin my favorite brewery and the reasons why. I will challenge you all to do the same, and if you can, send it out that day on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook with the hashtag #beerlist, to see if we all can maybe agree on a favorite to remember for next time we’re at Bevmo. For the sake of the companies and destinations participating in the Japantown Beer Walk be sure to hashtag their names on your pictures and posts, and don’t forget to include cool hashtags like #japantownbeerwalk #sfbeerweek #SJcheckthisout #thisbeerisawesome….A few hours later… #ilostmyphone #waitimonmyphone #takingacab

But please people, drink responsibly. There is a need for this city’s citizens to take matters into the hands of sober good friends, family members, or at the very least cab drivers willing to drive you and your party around. Also, enjoy the many festivities presented throughout the Bay Area running until February 16^th, 2014. For more information with locations, events, and activities running throughout the Bay Area go to http://www.sfbeerweek.org/schedule/. You can find a list of breweries, locations, and buy your tickets in advance for the Japan Town Beer Walk at www.thebeerwalk.com, or at Jack’s Bar located at 167 E. Taylor St., San Jose CA for $30 ($35 the day of). Check out http://sfbrewersguild.org for a more in depth look at what’s brewing around Northern California, and be sure to remember not to drink and drive.

Lunar New Year Event @ Valley Fair this Saturday

Westfield Valley Fair is hosting a cultural event on February 8th in celebration of the lunar new year. The agenda includes Shanxi drummers, martial arts demonstrations, a traditional lion dance, and calligraphy. The kids will also be well served with craft tables, photo booths, and student art.

The event runs from 11am to 2pm at J. Crew Court and you can RSVP at their Facebook event page right over here.