Winchester Mystery House - Spirit Of Christmas Tours

This year the Winchester Mystery House is getting into the holiday spirit with special Victorian-style "Spirit of Christmas" tours. The epic mansion will feature 100,000 Christmas lights, carolers, dozens of trees, and over a thousand feet of garland.

In addition to the regular 65-minute daytime tours of the mansion, they are adding new 50-minute evening tours that focus on the history of Christmas at the mansion and Mr.s Winchester's philanthropy. These tours start at 5:20pm and will only be available December 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, and 28.

Scroll down for more information and click here to book tickets.

SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS TOURS

Special Holiday Evening Tours are on sale now!

Come celebrate the Victorian “Spirit of Christmas” at Sarah Winchester’s glorious mansion, beautifully decorated for the holidays. Enjoy dozens of trees & wreaths and over a thousand feet of garland gracing the fireplaces and stairways. The festive glow of 100,000 sparkling lights and the sounds of Christmas Music and Carolers warmly welcome you and filling the air and your heart.

Our traditional year-round 65-minute daytime tours of Mrs. Winchester’s 160-room mansion are offered daily from 9am-5pm and will have a touch of Christmas Spirit throughout!

Don’t miss our special holiday evening tours! Join our guided 50-minute “Spirit of Christmas Tours” through the festive Mansion and learn about the history of a Victorian Christmas at the mysterious Mansion along with the more philanthropic side of Mrs. Winchester, while the festive sights and sounds set you in the mood for the season. This is the perfect place to start a wonderful holiday tradition for the whole family. Our special holiday tours start at 5:20pm and are offered on the following evenings in December: 12th-13th, 18th-21st, 26th-28th.

More Fun Activities:

• Santa Claus
• Christmas Carolers
• Victorian Characters
• Family Christmas Photos
• Hot Cider to warm you up

Don’t forget to stop in our Gift Shop for ornaments and gifts you won’t find anywhere else, such as vintage toys, Western items, jewelry and decorative glassware.

It’s the season to give!
Spread the joy and save! Bring at least 2 canned food items for Second Harvest Food Bank and save $3 off the day or evening admission! The Winchester Mystery House will also match whatever is brought in! Second Harvest Food Bank Drive: donate & save from 11/24 – 12/15/14.
(Limit one discount per person/ per item brought. Not good with any other offers. Valid for in-person purchases only.)

Federal Realty's Sequel to Santana Row Begins to Take Shape

Federal Realty has begun revealing conceptual plans for the site parallel to Santana Row where the domed Century Theaters currently sit. The biggest surprise for me is a 14-story office tower, since Federal Realty has seemed hesitant to utilize high-rises in any of their Silicon Valley projects. The tower (in purple below) would be right across the street from a Santana Row retail corner previously housing Eli Thomas and a kitty corner away from another 232,000 SQFT speculative office building that Federal Realty has just begun work on. The new tower would be 189 feet tall and have 126,000 SQFT of available office space.

Also part of the plan is nearly 1,000 apartments spread across multiple 6-7 story buildings. The project will only have 45,000 SQFT of retail, and that will likely be for a grocery story. So don't expect a true extension to Santana Row here, this will mostly be a residential and office development. To service all these new buildings will be 2,000 parking spaces, but none of it will be at-grade, All the parking will be in hidden structures above or below ground to really make it feel like a walkable, pedestrian-friendly neighborhood.

You also might notice one dome in the drawing below. The Century 21 dome will be saved, though what it will be used for is unclear. After the realignment of Olsen Drive it will become a dominant architectural feature in this new project. Also note the new public park next to the Winchester Mystery House.

The timeline is not clear, but this will be one project we should keep a close eye on!

Source: SVBJ

San Jose Pop-Up Project Map

Shop local this Holiday Season! There are 23 great shops in Downtown San Jose this holiday season, nine of which are pop-ups. Visit them all using the handy map below!

SantaRun Silicon Valley

Tomorrow there will be a 5k Run/Walk in Downtown San Jose that will benefit Christmas in the Park and Downtown Ice. Dressing up as your favorite holiday character is highly encouraged. The festivities begin at 1pm and the race itself starts at 3pm. For more info head to http://www.santarunsv.com.

Join us on Sunday, December 14, 2014 at 3:00 PM for the TiVo “Santa Run Silicon Valley”, a new tradition in San Jose benefiting our favorite holiday traditions; Christmas in the Park and Downtown Ice. Festivities kick off at 1:00 PM on race day with the race starting at 3:00 pm. The TiVo “Santa Run Silicon Valley” is a 5K Run/Walk that is fun for the whole family. We encourage you to dress up as your favorite holiday character or tradition; Santa, Mrs. Claus, the Grinch, reindeer, elves, dreidel, menorah, ornaments, tree, candlestick. The ideas are limitless. You can do it as a group too! Bring the whole family for a day of fun; looking at festive displays, community trees and watching live entertainment at Christmas in the Park. Or, warm up those legs before the run and skate at Downtown Ice under the lighted palm trees or warm up with some hot chocolate. Either way, grandparents, parents and kids alike will all enjoy the timeless memories these great activities have to offer.

Content Pick-Up Party + 3rd Anniversary Celebration!

My favorite local magazine is celebrating 3 years in print today! Subscribers can come to the former Rep at 101 Paseo de San Antonio between 7-10pm tonight to pick up the latest issues called "Dine." Of course, Content isn't your ordinary magazine, so they are also throwing in a free drink from local breweries (Hermitage, Laguintas, or Gordon Biersch) and music by Cado and Tim Atlas whom are featured in the issue.

While you are there, check out the pop up shops spread across the ground floor of the Rep lobby. These include The Usuals, The Die Hard Co, Curate Good, Empire Seven Studios, Jen's Cakes, and Liquid Bread!

Holiday SJMade @ San Pedro Square Market This Weekend!

If you want to shop local this holiday season, you have to check out the special Holiday version of SJMADE at the San Pedro Square Market this weekend. You will be able to find all sorts of goodies from San Jose labels, brands, entrepreneurs, and artists. The event will run from 11am-6am both Saturday and Sunday.

Holiday SJMADE is back!!!

December 13th-14th, 2014
11am-6pm
Saturday-Sunday

San Pedro Square Market
87 N. San Pedro Street,
Downtown San Jose

Yes we know, it's been a couple of years since the last Holiday SJMADE but it's back and better than ever!

Are you on the hunt for those unique, fun, one-of-a-kind gifts?  Whether it's for your Mom, your BFF, or your cousin's best friend's brother's great aunt who you've never met, you'll find the most awesome gifts for everyone!

So pack your holiday spirit in your reusable bag and get to the Holiday SJMADE on December 13th & 14th from 11am to 6pm at San Pedro Square Market.

Attending SJMADE is the best way to shop local this holiday season!
San Jose Made (SJMADE) is a vendor fair for local San Jose makers, labels, brands, small businesses, and artists showcasing and selling current projects and goods.

December 2014 Downtown Dimension Highlights

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

• Several formerly homeless people are getting to celebrate the holidays in their own homes thanks to the cleaning ambassador program at Groundwerx, which recruits homeless individuals to volunteer in exchange for food and housing assistance. Out of the 19 volunteers, 8 have found permanent employment.
• Nine Pop-up store are joining established small businesses to take the Downtown San Jose retail scene to the next level. Most are clustered around The Rep and you can find a map over at http://www.sjdowntown.com/popup
• Downtown residential high-rises are exempted from a new $17-per-SQFT housing impact fee for five years.
• An 8-story, 194-unit residential building ha been proposed for the San Pedro Square parking lot next to the Old Spaghetti Factory. It may have retail on up to three sides and will create a new paseo. Unfortunately the buildings housing Satori, Los Cubanos, and the San Pedro Bistro will have to be torn down to make way for the project. All three are great places that I hope will relocate Downtown.

To read the full newsletter, click here!

Whole Foods San Jose Grand Opening Today

The other day I had the opportunity to eat dinner at one of the most anticipated new spots in Downtown San Jose. This place, known for its food, also has a microbrewery and tap-room on site. Today, December 9th, is the official GRAND OPENING!

Of course, I'm talking about the new Whole Foods on the Alameda!

As part of a media tour, they served us several delicious courses of food that you can easily find within the store itself. But I'm jumping ahead.

Here's a rundown of what I saw, heard, etc.. 

Parking:

It's been awhile since I've driven past Stockton/The Alameda area. I was driving down Stockton and completely passed up the parking lot entrance (oops) - so a quick u-turn later, I was back in business.

Decor:

The place is huge and it's quite pretty from the outside. It's not a stuffy looking grocery store. Colorful and modern design elements are everywhere. They used a lot of locally manufactured, reclaimed, and recycled materials to decorate the store. I loved it! 

Meat Department:

We learned about their rating system (displayed above the counter) -- the higher the number, the better that the animal was treated. Nice to know. 

Also, they have a big ole container full of bacon. 

Cheese Department:

They have many different kinds to choose from, and it is nice to know that if you are curious they'll bust one open for you on the spot and give you a taste. I picked up one package of a cranberry-orange cheese. I neglected to ask what the heck do I eat with that? Or what do I prepare it with? Next time I will ask.. and someone will tell me. Because that's how it works. ;)

The Berliners:

Custom-filled donuts made on the spot. Just for you. Maybe for your friends, if they're lucky.

Pizza:

Their official pizza dude (Matthew Driscoll) is on the U.S. Pizza Team. Look at him go!

Then I tasted their pizza - super yum. Did you see that fancy shmancy brick pizza oven too? Game nights are going to be filled with people buying some pizza or a hockey-themed (cute) sandwich and heading up the patio for a beer. (WHAT? Beer you say?! Keep reading...)

Microbrewery:

San Jose is home to the company's first on-site microbrewery and tap room in California called Mission Creek Brewing Company. 

"Mission Creek Brewing Company is located in a two story, 5,600 square-foot 'outbuilding' separate from the main store itself. The ground floor houses coffee and fresh juice bars, along with some seating. The second floor is home to the tap room, with eight bar seats, a birds-eye view of the brewery, and access to outdoor seating for around 75. A retractable roof and outdoor heating protect guests in inclement weather."

Neato, right? Here's the view from the patio.

As part of the tour/media day, we were treated to a three-course dinner (or .. is it five when you count the starter and dessert? I clearly don't have to many "course" meals…) The spread of tasty nibbles were delicious and the decor on the tables quite nice!

I have to say, everything was delicious. Not twisting my arm to say it at all. That's one of the things I really like about Whole Foods. If I was out running errands at one of my old jobs, I might find myself near the Hamilton location. I'd run in to their prepared foods section and try not to go too crazy buying things. They have a TON of delicious things to try. So I knew going in I was going to be enjoying my meal.

And lastly, we got a little sweet goodie bag with various products they carry in the store:

Now, some people flat out won't go to Whole Foods because products are not the cheapest in the land. No, they're not. You will be paying a decent amount for some products. But, don't let that stop you from ever going there. Buy some treats, try something new that nobody else carries. Want to make a nice gift basket for someone? This is a perfect place for that. Do you work downtown and want to grab a bite to eat - like I mentioned above, their prepared foods department (bakery, pizza and sandwiches, etc) have a ton of delicious options. Treat yourself! Or maybe you run a business nearby and you need to get some food for a client coming in for a lunch meeting? Swing by there and pick up a spread. If it's not your go-to grocery store, it certainly can be a place to stop by occasionally. Don't rule it out!

I'm hungry now just thinking about all the goodies.. so I'm gonna munch on some of my lemon pistachios.. or maybe a carrot cake cupcake.. 

Website: www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/sanjose

Facebook: facebook.com/WFMSanJose.    

Instagram: @WholeFoodsMarketSanJose

ALSO!

From Dec. 11-24, the store is hosting “The Great Holiday Giveaway,” offering one gift with a value up to $200, via its Facebook page and http://thegreatholidaygiveaway.com.