San Jose's Cinequest Film Festival Voted Best in Nation!!

A recent USA Today poll has named Cinequest as the best film festival in the country. The competition was steep with the likes of the Sundance Film Festival and South by Southwest Film Festival in the running as well.

Currently serving over 100,000 movie lovers, Cinequest continues to grow both its attendance and its brand year after year. The team behind the festival has already vowed to make Cinequest 26 in 2016 the best one yet!

Check out the full Top 10 US Film Festival list at USA Today.

Victorian Near SJSU Getting Spruced up with Street Art

The owner of a Victorian home on E. Reed St. has decided to do something unique before putting the home up for sale. Instead of just remodeling it, he wanted to do something that would turn it into a landmark and represent local culture. So, the owner teamed up with renowned graffiti artist Scape Martinez to transform a boring wall next to the house into contemporary street art.

Below is the current status of the project and more info on the artist. To see the project in person, head on over to 377 E. Reed Street in Downtown San Jose.

New Downtown Signs

Several new signs have been added across Downtown San Jose to encourage people to get out of their cars and discover attractions by foot. Some of the areas highlighted are the SAP Center, Little Italy, St. James Park, and of course San Pedro Square.

The signs are part of the Walk (Your City) wayfinding project that was sponsored by the Knight Foundation. The signs are currently on Santa Clara and St. John streets but will soon be expanded to several neighborhoods in San Jose. There should be nearly 50 of these signs up before the project is complete. For more information (and to submit feedback), head over to the Walk [San Jose] website over here.

Source: The Merc

The Summer Fashion Shows at Santana Row

San Jose, CA - For the first time, the Santana Row summer runway moves to poolside at Misora, Santana Row’s resort-style residences.

Taking center stage (after the fashion presentation, of course!) is the luxurious setting, The Row’s newest community. The popular summer style event returns for the seventh year and will feature the season’s best fashions from The Row for women and men as well as style surprises and special guests.

Details: The fashion shows take place on Saturday, June 6 at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Tickets are $50 and include poolside seating to view the show, access to the Style Boutique, pre-event champagne and light hors d’oeuvres. Also included: a Passion for Fashion shopping card that entitles guests to discounts around The Row, prize drawings and in-store after parties with DJs. Registration begins at 12:45 p.m. at Santana Row Park for the 1 p.m. show. Tickets are on sale at SantanaRow.com and at the concierge office.

About Misora: The 212-unit luxury residential community, which was completed in early 2014, boasts such amenities as a lounging pool with cabanas and a lap pool, concierge services and private cinema. Residents also enjoy a fitness studio, chef’s demonstration facilities near the pool, wine lockers and a wine tasting room.

   

About Santana Row

Santana Row, a 647,000 square foot mixed-use development in San Jose, CA, is Silicon Valley’s premier destination for shopping, dining, living and working. Santana Row features over 70 shops, 20 restaurants, a boutique hotel and movie theatre. In addition to the dynamic retail & restaurant collection, Santana Row offers 615 luxury rental homes, 219 privately owned condos and 65,000 square feet of Class A office space. Santana Row is a property ofwww.federalrealty.com (NYSE:FRT), headquartered in Rockville, Maryland. For more information, please visit www.santanarow.com.

About Federal Realty

Federal Realty is a recognized leader in the ownership, operation and redevelopment of high-quality retail based properties located primarily in major coastal markets from Washington, D.C. to Boston as well as San Francisco and Los Angeles.  Founded in 1962, our mission is to deliver long term, sustainable growth through investing in densely populated, affluent communities where retail demand exceeds supply.  Our expertise includes creating urban, mixed-use neighborhoods like Santana Row in San Jose, California, Pike & Rose in North Bethesda, Maryland and Assembly Row in Somerville, Massachusetts. These unique and vibrant environments that combine shopping, dining, living and working provide a destination experience valued by their respective communities.  Federal Realty’s 89 properties include over 2,600 tenants, in approximately 20.2 million square feet of retail space, and 1,500 residential units. 

Federal Realty has paid quarterly dividends to its shareholders continuously since its founding in 1962, and has increased its dividend rate for 47 consecutive years, the longest record in the REIT industry. Federal Realty shares are traded on the NYSE under the symbol FRT. For additional information about Federal Realty and its properties, visitwww.FederalRealty.com.

Sourisseau News: 1906 Earthquake

Today is the 109th anniversary of the 1906 Earthquake. As you can see from the short video below, Downtown San Jose was devastated by the famous quake. A lot more damage was done in the South Bay than most people realize. The video is only two and a half minutes long and is well worth watching!


1906 Earthquake in San Jose from WMS media Inc. on Vimeo.

4th Annual Taco Festival of Innovation

Mark your calendars for Memorial Day Weekend--the Taco Festival of Innovation is coming to History Park on May 23rd and May 24th! This time around, the massive festival will span two whole days instead of just one. You can expect dozens of food trucks, SJ MADE vendors, live music, Lucha Libre, and the most eclectic selection of tacos you can imagine. All of the details are below. Follow the Taco Festival of Innovation Facebook Page for future news.

This year, Moveable Feast rings in year four of the Taco Festival of Innovation by doubling up on all the taco fun! We are extending the festivities to Saturday AND Sunday on Memorial Day weekend inside History Park. This year’s theme is FREESTYLE: freestyle tacos and freestyle music!

Taco Festival of Innovation
Saturday, May 23rd, 1 pm to 8 pm
Sunday, May 24th, 12 pm to 6 pm
History Park, 1650 Senter Road in San Jose
Tickets on sale Friday, March 27th at midnight: http://tacofestival4.eventbrite.com/

If you're a #tacofest vet, expect more of the great family fun and delicious street eats you've come to expect from Moveable Feast. 

If you're new, here's what you'll find once inside:

• The Bay Area's best food trucks serving up innovative freestyle tacos
• Art, jewelry, clothing, and other various local goods from local SJ MADE vendors
• Mexican-style masked wrestling, better known as Lucha Libre, inside a full wrestling ring
• Two full days of live music and DJs, including a Stevie B Dance Party and slow jamz hour
• 90’s prom photo booth and awesome kids area
• 4th Annual US Air Accordion Championship. Yes, you read that right.

The key to the Taco Festival of Innovation is variety paired with affordability. In addition to traditional tacos, you'll see variations like Korean short rib tacos, mac n’ cheese tacos, ice cream tacos . . . if it can be put on a taco, chances are you'll see it at Taco Festival!

We also make sure that all plates are $6.00 or less so taco lovers can take in the many choices without breaking the bank.

LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD! Vote for your favorite taco during the day, and we'll select a number of fan favorites to be judged by our celebrity panel, arriving at . . .

one taco to rule them all.

Tickets on sale Friday, March 27th at midnight: http://tacofestival4.eventbrite.com/

Subscribe to our email list at http://bit.ly/mvblemail for more info on tickets, music, trucks, and SJ MADE vendors including special discounts.

Santana Row Proposes More Growth Than Expected

The original plan for Santana Row is nearly complete. However, before Federal Realty (Santana Row's owners) move their focus across the street, they are asking for a few items not in the original scope of the project. Here are the main asks:

• 510,000 SQFT of new office space [Josh: I'm sure the city will do everything possible to make this happen]
• 55,651 SQFT of new retail
• A five-level parking structure
• A new Santana Row entrance on Tisch Way.
• Permanent closure of Santana Row Road to traffic from Olin Avenue to Olsen Drive, creating a new pedestrian zone [Josh: this area is already shut down on weekends]
• Additional Screen for the CineArts movie theater
• Six new rooms at Hotel Valencia

It doesn't seem like any of these items are unreasonable and the main concerns will be around traffic. We'll see if the new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line can help alleviate some of those issues along with the possibility of building some spectacular pedestrian bridges between Santana Row and Valley Fair (see conceptual drawings below).

Sources: The Merc, San Jose Development Forum

Sourisseau News: Quest for Flight

Did you know that Santa Clara County was home to several aviation pioneers and inventions? Check out the two minute video below for your weekly dose of interesting history.


Quest for Flight - 110 Year Anniversary of Early Aeronautics in Santa Clara Valley from WMS media Inc. on Vimeo.