April 2015 Downtown Dimension Highlights

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

• The SJDA has compiled a list of Downtown Gems (along with maps and photos) over at http://sjdowntown.com/live-here/downtown-gems. Below are some from the list:
• Anno Domini
• Back-A-Yard
• Cafe Stritch
• California Theater
• City Lights Theatre Company
• Diaz Menswear
• Guadalupe River Park and Gardens
• Henry's Hi-File
• MACLA
• Pizza Bocca Lupo
• Poor House Bistro
• Psycho Donuts
• St. Joseph's Basilica
• San Jose Museum of Art
• San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles
• San Jose Stage
• TreatBot Factory
• Vero's Coffee
• The SJDA is using a $139,000 grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to build four 400 SQFT retail outlets on the ground floor of the San Pedro Square Garage.
• Uber has acquired long-time Downtown San Jose company--deCarta. Most of the company's 40 employees will be continuing with Uber.
• The city's Street Pavement Maintenance Audit of 2015 shows that most Downtown streets are in decent shape. The areas most in need of repaving are around Post St., San Pedro St. and Almaden Avenue.
• The Downtown Farmer's Market opens on May 1st and will continue to operate each Friday between 10am-2pm throughout the Summer.
• The next HER city event includes pre-show food Orchestria Palm Court, a performance of "M Butterfly" at City Lights, and a Q&A with City Lights' Executive Artistic Director. The social hour also includes San Jose-based J. Lohr Wines. For more info go to www.sjdowntown.com/hercity.

To read the full newsletter, click here!

The Sharks' New Minor League Hockey Team will be Named the San Jose Barracuda

Now that the Sharks' minor league AHL farming team--named the Worcester Sharks--is moving in with their parents at the SAP Center, they can't exactly keep the same name. After the move they will become the San Jose Barracuda. Conveniently, there is also a tech company in Silicon Valley called Barracuda Networks... guess who the team's chief sponsor is going to be ;).

The new team will be a huge benefit to San Joseans. Dozens of games will be added to the roster at the SAP Center, and the prices will be substantially more affordable than Sharks games (which quickly get into triple digits for good seats).

Check out the new logo and jerseys below. What do you think? My favorite is the orange one.

Source: SVBJ

New Retail Pads Coming to the San Pedro Garage!

Let's start the week off right with some news that will add even more traction to the booming San Pedro Square area! Before the San Pedro Square Market, San Pedro was already one of the few areas Downtown with substantial contiguous retail (almost exclusively devoted to restaurants). The only problem was that all of the retail was on a single side of the street with the exception of the intersection of Santa Clara and San Pedro.

Now that the a proposal by the San Jose Downtown Association won a $139,000 grant from the Knight Foundation via the Knight Cities Challenge, a project called San Pedro Squared is moving forward that will forever change the street. The ground floor of the drab San Pedro Garage closest to the San Pedro Square Market is going to get four retail pads, each taking up two parking spaces in the garage and creating 400 SQFT of new retail. These could be used for micro-restaurants, pop-up shops, or retail. See the conceptual artwork by our friend Adam Mayberry below.

Not only will this add more retail to Downtown's hottest district, but it will make the street much more pedestrian friendly. If things go well, more of the garage may be converted to retail in the future.

It's amazing how the San Pedro Square Market has transformed this whole area. Think back to what this district was like before the Market... now imagine a near future where we have San Pedro Squared, retail on the ground floor of Centerra, 20,000 SQFT of retail at Silvery Towers, and an official San Pedro Square Market expansion on St. John. Downtown Boosters has a lot to look forward to!

Oh, and another San Jose project was one of the 36 winners of the Knight Cities Challenge--and there were over 7,000 submissions. "Houslets" by Tim McCormic received $40,000 to allow for prototyping and deploying low-cost modular housing for both temporary and affordable housing.

For more info on the exciting San Pedro Squared project, check out the press release below the drawings!

Downtown San Jose garage to receive “facelift”

as winner of the Knight Cities Challenge

 
SAN JOSE, Calif. – March 31, 2015 – The San Jose Downtown Association (SJDA) announced today that it plans to retrofit part of a parking garage, replacing parking spots with retail shops facing San Pedro Square.

SJDA will receive $139,000 in support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s Knight Cities Challenge to implement the project at the Market-San Pedro Garage.  Four 400-square-foot retail outlets will fit into eight parking stalls that front the east side of San Pedro Street at sidewalk level.

The Knight Cities Challenge is funding ideas to make the 26 cities where Knight invests more vibrant places to live and work.  The challenge asks innovators to answer the question:  What's your best idea to make cities more successful?  More at knightcities.org.

“Activating street-level spaces in the garage will contribute to the district’s popularity just as new high-rise residential developments near the square are opening,” said Scott Knies, SJDA executive director.

Lined with restaurants such as Peggy Sue’s, The Farmers’ Union, O’Flaherty’s, Old Spaghetti Factory, 71 St. Peter, Old Wagon and the San Pedro Square Market, the west side of the block of San Pedro Street between Santa Clara and St. John streets is one of the busiest downtown.  Fewer pedestrians stroll the opposite side, where the garage sits.

SJDA and the city’s Office of Economic Development (OED) introduced last year shipping containers as retail stores with its nine-store “Pop-Up Project” along Paseo de San Antonio and other downtown locations.

“The project has the potential to create a model for awakening street life and bringing new economic opportunities to neighborhoods, while fostering connections between residents by providing vibrant places to meet and interact,” said Danny Harris, Knight Foundation program director for San Jose.

The project will begin immediately.  The City’s Department of Transportation, which owns the garage, and OED are collaborating on the project.  Plans call for minimal demolition, awnings, other façade improvements, sidewalk improvements and street paint, said Jason Su, SJDA street life project manager.  Local businesses and property owners have already expressed support for the project, Su added.

About the San Jose Downtown Association:
The San Jose Downtown Association (SJDA) is a nonprofit group of business and property owners working to improve the vitality and livability of downtown San Jose. SJDA advocates on issues that affect downtown business and property owners; enhances the image of downtown and attract new visitors through year-round marketing, public relations, and special events; and makes improvements to downtown’s cleanliness, security and aesthetics. www.sjdowntown.com

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation:
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. The foundation believes that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more, visit knightfoundation.org.

Easter Sunday Brunch at Scott’s Seafood San Jose

Full Buffet includes more than 20 unique dishes: Seating begins at 10:30 a.m. 

San Jose, CA - Scott’s Seafood is celebrating its first Easter Sunday Brunch at its Downtown San Jose location. Guests will be able to choose from traditional brunch items such as made to order omelettes, eggs, buttermilk pancakes,including four different types of eggs benedicts.

This Easter Sunday buffet menu includes a full breakfast display, including omelet station and a freshly carved prime rib station. Scott’s Seafood signature dishes will also be available during brunch such as Boston clam chowder, Jambalaya, Housemade pastas and a large selection of traditional brunch fare and entrées. The culinary team at Scott’s Seafood San Jose created a diverse menu to ensure numerous options for every taste. Scott’s Seafood will be offering bottomless mimosas for the twenty one and over.

Seating for Scott’s Seafood will begin at 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Brunch is $39 dollars for adults and $17 dollars for kids under 12 years of age, complimentary for children under 5 years of age. Reservations are encouraged and can be made by calling 408-971-1700 or at www.scottsseafoodsj.com. Complimentary validation is available up to three hours in the Scott’s Seafood parking structure.  

Enjoy stunning views from the sixth floor of Scott's Seafood from our dining room as well as our rooftop patio. Scott’s Seafood San Jose is located at 185 Park Ave in Downtown San Jose on the sixth floor. For more information or to make Open Table reservations visit www.scottsseafoodsj.com or visit us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ScottsSeafoodSJ

Symphony Silicon Valley Performs Lord of the Rings - Tickets Still Available for April 16, 17, 18 and 19

San Jose, CA --- “Nine is a pretty good number,” according to J.R.R.Tolkien, author of Lord of the Rings. Numerical themes have been analyzed throughout the history of mankind, music, and mythology. In the case of Lord of the Rings, J.R..R.Tolkien made a big deal out of the number nine.

When Symphony Silicon Valley performs the Lord of the Rings trilogy,  simultaneous to the films being shown on a huge screen, the number nine will be audible.

Lord of the Rings : The Trilogy (The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King) will be performed April 16, 17, 18 and 19 at the Center for the Performing Arts in San Jose.* The Symphony Silicon Valley, choruses and soloists will be on stage beneath and in front of the screen for these historic performances.

Nine is present in other motifs, and musical arrangements, where certain themes are heard over and over. In the case of LOTR the number nine can be heard in several important themes. One has only to listen closely to discern three groupings of three notes played in the second phrase of the Fellowship Theme. The first phrase of the History of the Ring Theme contains nine notes which, if played simultaneously, form the Ringwraith’s signature chord. In a ‘trilogy of trinities’ nine notes form the backbone of much of the stunning music in this score.

Author and musicologist Doug Adams explains in his book The Music of the Lord of the Rings Film: A Comprehensive Account of Howard Shore’s Scores, the themes of the score, places, events, and people, as depicted in nines. There are nine people who set off on the journey, nine original rings, nine notes in many phrases within the score, and more nines throughout the story.  Adams spent many years with Howard Shore, analyzing the themes of numerology in his score of Lord of the Rings movies, resulting in the book.

And that’s not all. The ‘tale of the tape,’ to use sports speak, is even more impressive.

When Symphony Silicon Valley performs the Lord of the Rings trilogy,  simultaneous to the films being shown on a huge screen, there will be 250 musicians on stage, made up of the orchestral instrumentalists, chorale members and children’s chorus.

These voices and musicians will be performing a total of 22 hours in a matter of  four days. That only leaves a few hours for eating and sleeping. This becomes a marathon for each of the 100 instrumentalists, the 100 adult vocalists, and the 50 members of the children’s chorus---not only a physical marathon, but a mental one as well.

The backdrop for the concert stage is a huge screen, 20 feet high and 48 feet wide, that will be showing the three Lord of the Rings movies in high definition.

Think of it: the sheet music alone…and this is just for the conductor…is 1200 pages, printed on 11-inch by 17-inch paper. Depending on the instrument, each musician receives several volumes of sheet music to study in advance.

“We will need a fork-lift to carry this music to the theatre,” said Andrew Bales, General Director of Symphony Silicon Valley. “These are the only West Coast performances of this epic event and our musicians are thrilled to bring it to you.”

Paolo’s Restaurant is even entering Middle Earth and the Lord of the Rings’ fandom. Just across the foot bridge from the Center for the Performing Arts, Paolo’s will have a Lord of the Rings three-course prix fixe menu for only $38.50, on April 16, 17 and 18. Paolo’s validates up to six hours of parking  in the RiverPark garage for their patrons. Paolo’s is located at 333 West San Carlos in downtown San Jose, and RiverPark Garage is between Park avenue and West San Carlos on Woz Way. Reservations are necessary by calling 408 294 2558 or visit www.paolos.com

*The Lord of the Rings films, directed by Peter Jackson and based on the J.R.R. Tolkien novels, have won 17 Academy Awards. The Symphony Silicon Valley, choruses and soloists will be on stage beneath and in front of the screen for these historic performances. Seats for each individual performance are available in a price range of $60, $90 or $120.

Lord of the Rings Cycle 1:
April 16, 2015 7:00 pm The Fellowship of the Ring
April 17, 2015 7:00 pm The Two Towers
April 18, 2015 7:00 pm The Return of the King

Lord of the Rings Cycle 2:
April 18, 2015 1:00 pm The Fellowship of the Ring
April 19, 2015 1:00 pm The Two Towers
April 19, 2015 6:30 pm The Return of the King

The San Jose Center for the Performing Arts is located at 255 S. Almaden Blvd, San Jose, CA 95113.

These special performances are coming directly from Lincoln Center in New York, where they will be presented by a Swiss orchestra, with European musicians, the week before San Jose’s performances. (The New York performances are sold out.) Tickets for all three films in San Jose may still be purchased in a complete trilogy package at $330, $240 and $150.

On sale at: www.lotrssv.org and www.symphonysiliconvalley.org

   # # #

About Symphony Silicon Valley:
Symphony Silicon Valley (SSV) is the professional symphony orchestra of San Jose.  Led by a roster of distinguished guest conductors on the European model, SSV is an anchor tenant of the magnificently restored California Theatre, one of Northern California's most outstanding music halls.  Besides the Orchestra's core Classics programming, other concerts include Target Summer Pops free family-friendly outdoor music festival serving 17,000 annually and ArtSPARK, the County's free arts education program for students in grades 3-6, which serves 20,000 to 30,000 students each season.

Spring Cleaning Sale at The DH Co.

Our friends at the DH Co. are having a spring cleaning sale through Monday where you can save 40% off locally made shirts, tees, and hoodies. All you have to do is visit  http://www.thedhco.com and put in the discount code: SPRING40. Please support our local retailers!

Equinix Building Data Center in South San Jose

Xilinx has recently sold a 34-acre site in Edenvale to one of the largest operators of data centers in the US, Equinix. The company is planning to build a brand new data center in the area bound by Santa Teresa, San Ignacio Avenue, Via del Oro, and Great Oaks Boulevard. This will be the first major new construction project in the area in years.

There seems to be some downside since a data center won't bring as many jobs as a traditional office building. However, the project will bring much-needed property tax dollars to the City of San Jose while having a minimal impact on traffic and infrastructure... not a bad deal at all.

Source: SVBJ

Weimers Emerging Artists Awards - Call for Artist Submissions

The Leigh Weimers Emerging Artists Awards is a program of the Rotary Club of San Jose created with seed funding from the Spirit of San Jose award committee. The Spirit of San Jose award was created to recognize individuals for their contributions to and support of the City of San Jose, its economic growth, its arts and its community. Leigh Weimers was the first recipient of the award. Additionally, the program receives funding from Rotary Club members, friends of Leigh Weimers and the Knight Foundation Endowment of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

Artists in all genres may apply for this award. There is a minimum $5,000 unrestricted cash prize, and three winners will be invited to show their work and/or speak at a lunch meeting at one of the world’s largest Rotary Clubs.

For more information or to apply, please visit: http://weimersawards.com/apply


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