San Jose Greek Festival 2015!

Next weekend is the annual San Jose Greek Festival, one of the largest ethnic festivals in the Bay Area. If you like amazing Greek food, live entertainment, and friendly people, this is a San Jose tradition you won't want to miss. 

The festival is entirely volunteer run and all the food is made using family recipes. The Greek folk dancing will be done by teams that compete nationally (and some have even won first place), and the costumes the dancers wear are handmade and unique to many of the regions in Greece. It's a very authentic experience all around.

During the festival there will be a bunch of giveaways (food, wine, desserts, and CDs). There will also be giveaways leading up the the festival next week over at the Greek Festival Facebook Page.

The festivities are taking place on May 29th (5pm-10pm), May 30th (11am-10pm), and May 31st (11am-9pm). The area immediately surrounding St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church (1260 Davis St.) is the epicenter for the event. You won't be able to park anywhere near it, so just get in the general area and follow the music.

Bring a copy of the image below--or pull it up on your phone--for FREE admission! For more info on the event, click here, here, or here.

1st Annual San Jose J-Town Filmfest!

First came Cinequest, then the San Jose Short Film Festival, and now there is a brand new festival for movie lovers. The San Jose J-Town Filmfest will run from May 29th to the 31st at the JTS Northside Community Center and the Japanese American Museum of San Jose. There will be a total of seven screenings, two special events, and multiple Q&As with the filmmakers.

For more information and tickets, just head over here.

San Jose J-Town FilmFest Film Line-up:



Friday  May 29   (Northside Community Center)
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7:00pm - Delano Manongs: Forgotten Heroes of the United Farmworkers (30min)

Delano Manongs tells the story of farm labor organizer Larry Itliong and a group of Filipino farm workers who instigated one of the American farm labor movement's finest hours :  The Delano Grape Strike of 1965 that brought about the creation of the United Farm Workers Union.

After the film, there will be a discussion and reflection on the 1965 Delano Grape Strike by famed playwright/filmmaker Luis Valdez and Marissa Aroy, the film's director.


8:15pm - Special Live Music Event featuring San Jose-based group Sonido Clash. Enjoy a night of live music, dancing, and food to kick off the first night of the festival!



Saturday  May 30   (Northside Community Center)
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11:00 am - Hibakusha (45 min)

An animated documentary/drama directed by Steve Nguyen and Choz Belen, the film centers around Kaz Suyeishi, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. As an older woman, she recalls her most vivid and horrific memories of the bombing when she was a student in Hiroshima.

The filmmakers reached out to Mrs. Suyeishi in order to tell her story using computer animation and hand-drawn techniques. The film utilizes specialized graphic design techniques and 3-D implementation to establish the unique visual animation style.

Film screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Steve Nguyen.


12:45pm- Kumu Hina (77 min)

Kumu Hina is a powerful feature docu-drama that shines light on the struggle to maintain Pacific Islander culture and values within the Westernized society of modern day Hawaiʻi. It is told through the lens of Hina Wong-Kalu, an iconic Native Hawaiian figure who is both a proud māhū (transgender woman) and an honored and respected kumu (teacher) and community leader.

A special Q & A with Kumu Hina live via Skype will follow the screening of the film.


3:00pm - Skin Stories (60 min)

Skin Stories is an anthology of stories and stunning images gathered from the hot spots of Pacific tattoo culture. The film offers an insight into how various Pacific Island cultures have reclaimed their deep ancestral heritage of tattooing.

Co-Producer Emiko Omori will appear for a post-screening Q&A discussion.


5:00pm - East Side Sushi (100 min)

Winner of the Audience Award at the Cinequest and CAAMFest film festivals, this critically acclaimed film introduces us to Juana, a working-class Latina single mother struggling to make ends meet.

After landing a job at a Japanese restaurant, Juana is introduced to a completely new culinary experience after observing the restaurant's sushi chefs. A reinvigorated Juana embarks on a journey to become a great sushi chef, determined not to let anyone stop her from achieving her dream.

A Q&A with director Anthony Lucero will follow.


7:15pm - Special Sushi Reception

Join East Side Sushi director Anthony Lucero and other special guest filmmakers for a festival reception with sushi!


8:30pm - The People I've Slept With (89 min)

Karin Anna Cheung stars as a promiscuous young woman who finds herself with an unplanned pregnancy. Determined to find the father, she goes on a comical and raunchy hunt through her past hook-ups in this charming romantic comedy.

There will be a post-screening Q&A discussion with screenwriter Koji Sakai and the female lead, Karin Anna Cheung, after the film.



***Sunday May 31 (Japanese American Museum of San Jose)***
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1:00pm - Issei: The First Generation (54 min)

Filmed in and around Walnut Grove, this historical documentary revolves around original interviews with Issei (first generation Japanese Americans) as they recount their lives and experiences growing up in rural California before, during, and after World War II.

***SCREENING ONLY AT THE JAPANESE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF SAN JOSE ***


Filmmaker Toshi Washizu will appear for a post-screening Q&A discussion.

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You can join us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/events/765557100224091/

For more information, visit our main website: http://www.catsasiantheater.com/

Sephora and Sugarfina Coming to Santana Row

San Jose, CA (May 15, 2015)  - The lively shopping scene at Santana Row is about to get even more spirited with the addition of two headliner retailers! Sugarfina, an upscale purveyor special candies from around the world coveted by celebrities and discriminating sweet tooths opens in late summer and beauty trailblazer Sephora is set to open its doors with the latest beauty innovations and cosmetic trends in time for the holidays.

Sugarfina

Opening late summer 2015, next to Donald J. Pliner

It’s a candy store for grown-ups who have a sweet tooth, both in selection and ambiance but attracts candy lovers of all ages. Sugarfina is a retail concept that offers select sweets from around the world in an elegant, boutique setting. The gourmet confections are beautifully presented and packaged. Customer favorites include Champagne gummy bears from Germany and Rainbow Kyoto Blossoms from Japan. Founded by Rosie O’Neill and Josh Resnick in Southern California, Sugarfina’s 883-square-foot shop is scheduled to open in August.

Sephora

Opening late fall 2015, next to Sino restaurant

Visionary beauty retailer Sephora comes to Santana Row with its vast array of cosmetics and beauty products. The company, founded in Paris, revolutionized the way women browsed for and bought cosmetics with its unbiased customer service and its huge selection of fragrances, well-known beauty brands as well as small, boutique lines. The 5,993-square-foot store at Santana Row is slated to open in November.

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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 of www.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 90 properties include over 2,600 tenants, in approximately 21 million square feet, and 1500 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, visit www.FederalRealty.com.

Communications Hill - Final Phase

Communications Hill is one of the largest master-planned communities in the history of San Jose. The region is about to enter its final stage of development which will last a decade. Last week KB Home bought a 9.8-acre parcel is ais about to start construction on 154 units that will be a mix of townhomes and "small-lot" single family homes. That will be followed by another 160 units after those are complete in mid 2016.

Also part of long term plan is a 60,000 SQFT retail village on the hill, six-story contemporary condos, 1.4 million SQFT of industrial space, and a better connection to transit. As far as suburban projects go, I think this is as good as your're going to get.

Source: SVBJ

More Details on Valley Fair's $600M Expansion

Things are finally getting very real regarding the long-delayed Valley Fair expansion. Nathan Donato-Weinstein provided an in-depth look at the expansion last week in the Silicon Valley Business Journal.

The expansion will add 600,000 SQFT to the mall, making it the largest mall in Northern California by a significant margin. The cost will be $600M. To put that into perspective, that is about the same cost as the entire first phase of Santana Row.

The flagship addition to the mall is a 150,000 SQFT Bloomingdales--which is larger than the one in Stanford Shopping center. However, that won't be the only substantial improvement. There will be between 80 and 100 new stores, most of which will be unique retail not available today in Silicon Valley (or even San Francisco). You'll have new entertainment and service offerings including an ultra-luxury 10 screen movie theater and a massive fitness center. Parking will get easier with 4,200 new spaces, a direct connector to 880, and new available-spot guidance technology. Oh, and to make sure the mall looks consistent they are also going to renovate the older parts of the mall to look as slick as the expansion. The only thing that didn't make the cut was Neiman Marcus, but I think 99% of us will be okay with that.

The expansion will bring the whole mall closer to Santana Row and give it a respectable looking front entrance with an outdoor plaza (perhaps inspired by its aforementioned neighbor). The plaza includes restaurants with open-air seating and event space for fashion shows, book signings, and product launches. The project also requires the construction of new buildings for Bank of America and Chase.

As most of you probably know, the mall is split between San Jose and Santa Clara. Fortunately, most of the expansion will be on the San Jose side, meaning a huge boost in tax dollars for our city after the project is complete in November 2017 as well as more world class stores in our retail portfolio. While most urbanists are not big fans of malls, I think most of us can agree that this project is going to be good for our City.

Source: SVBJ

4th Annual Kung Fu Tai Chi Day Today

From 9:30am to 2pm today at Plaza de Cesar Chavez, you can check out a street fair celebrating the rich cultural heritage of the Chinese martial arts. There will be demonstrations by some of the world's top grandmasters of Kung Fu and Tai Chi along with several other shows, events, classes, and workshops. For more info, check out the Kung Fu Tai Chi Day website or watch the short video below.

Saturday Status: #9 for Best Job Accessibility by Walking

This one is a bit surprising for me. When you think about highly walkable cities, usually you don't think of San Jose. However, based on a recent study of the 50 largest metro areas in the US, San Jose came in 9th for job accessibility via walking. Most of the population of San Jose is within a 30 minute walk to over 50,000 jobs. In Downtown San Jose, Japantown, and along North First Street, that number rises to about 100,000 jobs.

TOP 10 METRO AREAS: JOB ACCESSIBILITY BY WALKING

1. New York
2. San Francisco
3. Los Angeles
4. Chicago
5. Washington
6. Seattle
7. Boston
8. Philadelphia
9. San Jose
10. Denver

Source: Transportationist, hat tip to Jordan Toy

St. John Vianney Fiesta

The St. John Vianney Fiesta is a long-standing tradition for the East Foothills community. There will be carnival rides, games, live entertainment and a large assortment of delicious ethnic and American foods. The event starts tonight and runs throughout the weekend at 4600 Hyland Avenue. For more information head over to the event's Facebook page over here.