South FIRST FRIDAY Art Walk Tonight!

It's that time again, and for March there are a couple new places on the roster. First to Market (awesome restaurant) will be activating a key corner at San Salvador Street and South First Street. The Silicon Valley Music Festival will also be hosting an event at the Sliding Door Co. at 355 South Market. A total of 19 venues are participating in the art walk. To get a preview of the art on display, head over to the South FIRST FRIDAYS website.

Light The Rocket Going to SXSW

Local San Jose rock band Light the Rocket will be playing at Music Gorilla Live 2014, which is happening during the massive SXSW festival in Austin. When I say this is a local band, I mean it.  Most of the members were born and raised in San Jose, their music is recorded in San Jose, their first music video was shot at Music Go Round in San Jose, and they are not afraid to sport some teal to represent their city.

If you happen to go to SXSW this year, go check them out at Burnside's Tavern at 413 E. 6th Street on Wednesday, March 12th at 1am (okay technically Thursday, March 13th). They will also be giving out some free swag. For more info, check out the Light the Rocket Facebook Page or the Music Gorilla Live 2014 Facebook Page.

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"We can't wait for our annual Live Showcase Series during the biggest MUSIC FESTIVAL/CONFERENCE in the world. This is held in Austin, TX from March 11-16, 2014. Music Gorilla will be showcasing 50 artists and bands at this free showcase series that is open to the industry and the public.

The Artists performing will receive massive exposure. The venue is right in the middle of everything on 6th Street in Austin, TX. Artists will not receive compensation or travel expenses to play at the showcase.

Past showcases have been attended by Major and Indie Label A&R reps, Managers, Agents, Entertainment Attorneys and other industry pros as well as celebrities including, Adam Duritz of the Counting Crows and Rachel Ray."

San Jose Spiders - New Ultimate Frisbee Pro Team!

The newest pro sport to find its way to San Jose isn't Baseball or Basketball... it's Ultimate Frisbee. The league is owned by Cisco executive Rob Lloyd (potentially the next Cisco CEO) and the team is backed by Lightspeed Venture Partners. Apparently Silicon Valley is ground zero for Ultimate Frisbee, which has become the preferred sport for techies (perhaps one day we'll see pro Quidditch as well). Even the name San Jose Spiders is a tech reference--search engines send spiders to crawl the Internet for data.

The Spiders will have their inaugural season in April. Home games will be played at Foothill College for now, and hopefully they will move to the city they're named after at some point in the future.

For more information and tickets, head over to the San Jose Spiders website over here.

Source: SVBJ

Think Bigger San Jose Moved + Mixed-Use Hotel Condo Proposal

One of my favorite blogs is getting a face-lift and a new URL. Think Bigger San Jose is moving from http://thinkbiggersanjose.blog.com to http://thinkbiggersanjose.com.

The first post on the new site is a suggestion for Sobrato to build a mixed-use hotel condo on the giant parking lot he owns at the corner of Market and San Carlos. This is a high-potential Downtown development space across the street from the Convention Center, Plaza de Cesar Chavez, and the burgeoning SoFA district.

A hotel condo allows people to purchase rooms and suites, and rent them out as hotel rooms when not in use. It's an ownership models that simply does not exist in Silicon Valley, but is popular in tourist destinations such as Las Vegas. These are often used as vacation homes or secondary homes, which would make a lot of sense for business travelers that live in tech centers around the globe but have to spend quite a bit of time in Silicon Valley each year. Typically these are built by luxury hotel operators--and having another Fairmont-caliber hotel would go a long way Downtown.

Anyway, its a great blog post and you should check it out right over here.

SPUR Presents: The Future of Downtown San Jose

After a year's worth of meetings with developers, business owners, and city government, SPUR (an urban planning nonprofit) has prepared a report detailing how Downtown can leverage its potential and bring more jobs and residents to the area.

The meeting to review the report will take place today at the SPUR San Jose office located at 76 S. 1st Street from 12:30pm-1:30pm. The cost for attendance is $10 (free for SPUR members). More info here.

The Cinequest Film Festival Starts Today!

One of the largest and most prominent film festivals in the world is kicking off in San Jose today, and it will bring over 100,000 people Downtown over the next two weeks. The 24th Cinequest Film Festival will run from March 4th through March 16th and feature 84 World and US premiers, daily soirees and parties, and the Maverick Awards. Films will be screened at Camera 12, the California Theater, and The Rep.

For info and to buy tickets or passes, visit the Cinequest portal over here.

Westgate Expansion Has Broken Ground

Federal Realty (which also owns Santana Row) recently wrapped up a $15 million renovation at Westgate Center. Those upgrades were focused around improving existing space. However, they have just broken ground on another renovation project that will result in a new 14,400 SQFT retail building at the corner of Saratoga and West Campbell Avenue. This is where the RetroDome used to sit.

The new structure will have a Corner Bakery Cafe, Veggie Grill, Vitamin Shoppe, and Verizon Wireless. There is also room for a fifth tenant in the building. The Corner Bakery Cafe will be the first in San Jose. The only other Santa Clara County location is in Palo Alto. As for Veggie Grill, this is one of the hottest vegetarian restaurants on the West Coast. This will be their second Northern California location and the only other one is at Santana Row. I'm a complete carnivore and even I love this restaurant.

The project should be completed by fall. You can find the full release below.

Westgate Center Has Broken Ground Again

Offering New Retailers in Coveted Corner Spot

Four tenants signed: Corner Bakery Café, The Veggie Grill, Vitamin Shoppe and Verizon Wireless

San Jose, CA (Feb. 25, 2014) – Federal Realty Investment Trust, owners of Westgate Center, recently completed a $15 million major renovation transforming the 52-year-old mall into a one-stop destination offering family-friendly amenities and high quality retailers.

In an effort to continually improve and enhance the experience at Westgate Center, Federal Realty has announced that construction has begun on the center’s retail pad site located on the heavily traveled corner of Saratoga Avenue and West Campbell Avenue.  The ideal corner site will include the addition of four new tenants, including San Jose’s first Corner Bakery Café.

The new 14,400 sq.-foot retail building, in a highly visible spot near a popular shopping area, will also include The Veggie Grill, Vitamin Shoppe and Verizon Wireless, with space for a fifth yet-to-be-named tenant. Construction should to be completed in the fall.

Corner Bakery Café, known for its delectable Cinnamon Crème Coffee Cake and tasty meals, is opening this fall at Westgate Center.

The fast-casual restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and offers baked goods in a bright, family-friendly atmosphere. Prices range from 99 cents to $9.99 and choices include sandwiches, soups, pastas and breakfast specials. The menu also features kids’ selections, seasonal items, healthy fare and treats such as cookies, cakes and pies. The Westgate Center location will seat about 100 diners inside and 40 diners in an outdoor area. It is open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Established in 1991, Corner Bakery Cafe was founded on a philosophy of creating a place for people to relax and gather with family and friends. For more information, go towww.cornerbakerycafe.com.

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The Veggie Grill, home of the popular “All Hail Kale” salad, serves healthy, light, vegetarian fare as well as gluten-free and soy-free items. Classic American favorites like soups, salads, burgers and sandwiches as well as creative dishes such as burritos, bowls and “Buffalo wings” are made with wholesome, plant-based ingredients.

Named one of L.A.’s “can’t miss” cheap-eats by Los Angeles magazine and best vegetarian/vegan restaurant by the Orange County Register, The Veggie Grill is scheduled to open in the fall.

For more information, go to www.veggiegrill.com.

The Vitamin Shoppe, dedicated to helping people fulfill their health and wellness needs, is a specialty retailer and direct marketer of nutritional products ranging from vitamins and minerals to nutritional supplements, herbs, sports nutrition formulas, homeopathic remedies, and health and beauty aids. The store offers more than 18,000 items from 400-plus brands. The Vitamin Shoppe at Westgate is scheduled to open this fall. For more information, go to www.vitaminshoppe.com.

Verizon Wireless, the largest mobile network operator in the U.S., is opening a retail store at Westgate where customers can shop for wireless services as well as mobile phones and accessories. Verizon will open this fall. For more information, go to www.verizonwireless.com.

About Westgate Center
Westgate Center, located in San Jose, California is a 645,000 square-foot community center offering a one-stop family destination for shopping, dining and entertainment. Westgate Center features over 50 shops and restaurants and is anchored by Target, Walmart Neighborhood Market, Old Navy, Burlington Coat Factory, Nordstrom Rack, Michaels, Any Mountain and Ross. Westgate Center is a property of Federal Realty Investment Trust www.federalrealty.com (NYSE:FRT), headquartered in Rockville, Maryland. For more information, please visit shopwestgatecenter.com.

About Federal Realty

Federal Realty Investment Trust is an equity real estate investment trust specializing in the ownership, management, development, and redevelopment of high quality retail assets. Federal Realty's portfolio (excluding joint venture properties) contains approximately 20 million square feet located primarily in strategically selected metropolitan markets in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and California. In addition, the Trust has an ownership interest in approximately 1.0 million square feet of retail space through a joint venture in which the Trust has a 30% interest. Our operating portfolio (excluding joint venture properties) was 95.8% leased to national, regional, and local retailers as of December 31, 2013, with no single tenant accounting for more than approximately 3.5% of annualized base rent. Federal Realty has paid quarterly dividends to its shareholders continuously since its founding in 1962, and has increased its dividend rate for 46 consecutive years, the longest record in the REIT industry. Federal Realty is an S&P MidCap 400 company and its shares are traded on the NYSE under the symbol FRT.

Try Whiskey Barrel-Aged Sriracha @ Konjoe Tomorrow

Sosu Sauces--maker of artisan sauces and condiments--is bringing their new Kickstarter-backed Whiskey Barrel-Aged Sriracha to Konjoe Burger at the San Pedro Square Market tomorrow (March 4th). For one night only, Konjoe's Cheeseburger will be made using the new sauce. I love Sriracha in pretty much everything (especially Pho), but I think it will go great with Konjoe's offerings.

The event runs from 5pm to 9pm and Sosu Sauces will be there doing Sriracha tastings. For more info check out the Sosu website.