Wednesday Wishlist: SkyTran Hover-Monorail PRT

High-speed Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) is getting closer to reality. SkyTran is company operating out of the NASA campus in Mountain View that is building the future of transportation. Each autonomous pod accommodates up to two people and hangs on an inverted monorail using magnetic levitation (maglev). The first test loop will be built at the Aerospace Industry Campus in Lod, Israel and will initially operate oaf 45 MPH. Future systems could hit well over 100 MPH.

The first commercial system will be built in Tel Aviv for only $80 million. Imagine what a system like this could do for San Jose.

Source: Engadget

skyTran Animated Infographic from The Collaborative on Vimeo.

AC Hotel Coming to Downtown San Jose

Yesterday, I posted about the hotel explosion happening in North San Jose. Fortunately Downtown is getting some love as well. Remember the mediocre-looking Hampton Inn project on Santa Clara Street and Highway 87? There is a photo below to refresh your memory. This was a 6-story, 162-room wood construction, limited service hotel.

Instead of Hampton Inn, a much nicer AC Hotel is being built in its place. This will be a 7-story, 210-room hotel, built from concrete and steel and featuring an AC Lounge. AC Hotels is a hip, modern brand somewhat similar to Aloft or W Hotels. I think you'll agree with me after see the photos below that this is a significant improvement over what was planned before.

Yet Another Hotel Coming to North San Jose

North San Jose has been adding new hotels left and right. A combo 175-room Residence Inn and 146-room SpringHill Suites (both owned by Marriott) is just about ready near the airport. A new Aloft near Alviso has broken ground. Hyatt is moving forward with 330 rooms across two of their brands (Hampton Inn and Home2 Suites) that would both be on the same parcel. Lastly, part of Bay 101's redevelopment will likely include two hotels, and Phase 2 of M8trix includes a hotel tower.

If that wasn't enough for you, there is one more project to add to the mix. A 1.9-acre site at 1610 N. 4th Street is being considered for a 120-room hotel with 6,500 SQFT of banquet space. Currently this space is a private parking lot for airport travelers.

The developer is known for building hotels that are part of the InterContinental chain, such as Candlewood Suites and Holiday Inn. $25 million is being budgeted for this particular project. For more info check out the source link below.

Source: SVBJ

ShakesBEERience San Jose Presents Taming of the Shrew at Cafe Stritch

Cafe Stritch hosts the latest installment of Buck Hill Production's ShakesBEERience tomorrow night, Mon., June 30 starting at 7 p.m.

Billed as a "pub, a pint and a play," Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew will be presented in a playful and accessible way, and folks are invited to check out one scene or stay for the entire reading over food and drinks.

As space is limited, be sure to get there early to get your seats. As many are already aware, Cafe Stritch has a good beer lineup, and recent beers on tap have included Drake’s Hefeweizen, Lagunitas IPA, Lost Coast Downtown Brown, Firestone Walker Double Jack (Double IPA), Stone Arrogant Bastard (a hoppy American Strong Ale) and Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout, among others. There are also plenty cocktail and some wine options.

Tomorrow's presentation is the third play this 2014 year. The fourth and final play this season will be in October; expect an announcement for the 2015 season around that time.

I've written a lot more about this ShakesBEERience event for SanJose.com.

Photo from Buck Hill Productions Facebook page.

Saturday Stats: San Jose is the #3 Most "Upward Mobile" City

Where are the best places to realize the American dream? Check out the list below. San Jose comes in as the 3rd most upwardly mobile region in the US. Absolute Upward Mobility tells us how children are able to stack up compared to their parents. Relative Mobility measures an employee's odds of moving up or down the income ladder. Note that while San Jose had the 3rd best Absolute Upward Mobility score, we were #1 in Relative Mobility.

San Francisco came in 5th place and New York rounded out the top 10.

Source: The Atlantic, Hat tip to Dan De La O.

2014 Downtown Doors Expands to 91 Locations!

Downtown Doors is a fantastic program that allows student art to be featured throughout Downtown San Jose by turning a typically boring object--doors--into thought provoking art. For 2014 the program is undergoing a substantial expansion, both in the number of locations and the scope of the art.

21 additional San Jose high school students are now featured Downtown across 11 brand new locations and 15 sites that have been refreshed. 5 of the locations feature art from students at our sister cities of Dublin (Ireland), Okayama (Japan), Pune (India), San Jose (Costa Rica), and Tainan (Taiwan).

11 of the students have even posted YouTube videos that explain the inspiration for their piece and how they feel about being selected. You can find these videos along with more information about the program at the Downtown Doors website over here.

Below is a handy map that shows where the art is located, which you can click to enlarge and print it out.

Two New San Pedro Square Market Eateries!

Arepa Swing (Venezuelan Cuisine) is now open in the Market Hall right next to Treatbot. They feature crispy maize-based flatbreads (gluten free) filled with a variety of meats and cheeses. As for the second eatery, Spuds is a loaded backed potato bar with organic topping options. They plan to open a bit later this year and will be the first "Potato Bar" in San Jose. For more details on both Arepa Swing and Spuds, just scroll down.

Arepa is a flatbread made of ground maize dough and is a Venezuelan delicacy! It's a daily tradition that can be served with various items such as cheese, avocado, jam, or split and used to make sandwiches.  Arepa Swing, located in the Market Hall at San Pedro Square Market will offer the best and most traditional Venezuelan Arepas, all glutten-free! Stop on by and grab a bite!

Two crazy dreamers from the Americas' met in Australia in 2009 and  merging both their dreams, passions and skills, they began to develop the concept of SPUDS USA.  They dreamt of real food that can be different, fast and healthy so, here they are in 2014 opening their prototype and first loaded baked potato shop for you to enjoy in the Heart of the Silicon Valley.

Spuds USA is the best way to enjoy real food served to you promptly. The base of our meal is a delicious and soft, Baked potato. Added that we offer you less carbs and calories than average sub sandwich bread, plus a huge variety of delicious organic toppings, your meal will be as healthy as you decide.

Diridon Station Plan Moves Forward

The master plan for the Diridon area was approved by the San Jose City Council last week. The vision includes up to 5 million SQFT of office/R&D--which is not far away from what all of Downtown San Jose has today (8 million SQFT)--as well as 2,600 residential units, 900 hotel rooms, and 424,000 SQFT of retail.

It is ambitious, but after BART, Bus Rapid Transit, and High Speed Rail connect to Diridon it will be far and away the best connected station in the Bay Area. For more info or to get involved in the planning from the community side, head over to the Diridon Station Area Plan website.

Source: SVBJ