The Dancing Cat is Extending Its Stay in San Jose

Cat lovers of Silicon Valley, you can rejoice. The area's first pop-up cat adoption lounge, The Dancing Cat, is extending its stay!

The lounge, run by Ann Chasson and Mary Rubin, will be extending its stay for 6-8 weeks funded by several donations courtesy of San Jose City Councilmembers Raul Peralez, Pierluigi Oliverio, and Ash Kalra in addition to donations from several individual community members.

“The Dancing Cat brings together communities, and serves as an inventive business model that creatively reuses blighted space and provides an important service. I encourage residents of San Jose to visit the Dancing Cat right now so we can help it become a permanent local business in District 3.” - Councilman Raul Peralez, City of San Jose Council District 3

The other day I made a reservation to visit the lounge with a friend. I already have a cat at home, but I wanted to check the place out for myself as well as play with the kitties! I had a great time taking photos of all the cats and gorgeous decor.

When you walk in you sign a waiver in a little foyer room (blocked off so the cats in the other room don't make a break for it.) Then you're granted access to the lounge! And wow.. what a wonderfully decorated space. Modern decor, white walls, and beautiful pops of color fill the room. There is a long picnic table in the middle of the room and couches and chairs at the end. Cat toys, trees, and other lounge-y spots fill the nooks and corners so the cats have plenty of places to sit as well.

You are free to bring in food and drink for yourself, or you can purchase a soda, have a cup of tea or coffee (I spotted a Keurig brewer - so maybe you can just bring your own cups if you wish!)

The building itself used to be a liquor store, so there are a series of glass doors that used to be the fridge. Each glass panel holds wonderful cat-themed paintings done by the group over at The Arsenal.

There is no need to rush to hang out with the cats either. Bring a book or your laptop, sit down and just hang out. The idea isn't to just pet/play with the cats here, it's also a cafe/lounge atmosphere. The day we went there was a mix of people, a couple sat on the couch and hung out with a sleepy kitten. Several older teens sat in a group on the floor and played with an older cat (while they stalked the spot on the couch near the kitten - that was amusing to say the least.)

While we were there, two cats were adopted! Rhett and Butler went to a happy home together. And that's the great thing about this place - people are able to hang out with these cats and kittens in a home-like environment to get to know them. Since opening on May 21, nearly ALL of the cats at The Dancing Cat, have been adopted - this includes typically difficult to adopt cats like senior cats, black cats, and bonded pairs.

The Dancing Cat is open from noon to 6 pm Wednesday through Sunday with extended hours on Friday and Saturday.  A limited number of people are admitted to the space at any one time in order to maintain a comfortable environment for both people and cats. Visitors are encouraged to reserve a spot online at www.thedancingcat.org.  The Dancing Cat collects an admission donation of $10 per hour and $5 for children under 10 years of age. A limited number of walk-ins can be accommodated as space allows.  

Saturday Stats: San Jose Metro is the Hottest Job Market in the US

According to new government statistics, the annual growth rates for total payroll jobs in Santa Clara County are up a staggering 6.1% year-over-year. This makes it by far the largest percentage gain in the country. The only metro that even came close was San Francisco/San Mateo, which posted a 4.9% gain. 3rd place was Orlando at 4.3% followed by Riverside up 4.1% and finally Dallas rounding out the top 5 at 4.1%.

Source: Siliconbeat

Scott's Seafood Launching Rooftop Lounge

Perched above a seven story parking structure, Scott's Seafood has the best view for any public restaurant in Downtown San Jose. To make full use of the location, they built an amazing outdoor patio with a giant fireplace and slick lighting. It has become one of my favorite hidden gems Downtown.

Starting this week, Scott's is turning the outdoor patio into a lounge complete with music, bottle service, and a late night food menu. The fun starts at 9pm and continues until at least midnight on weekends. This will provide yet another late night entertainment option in Downtown San Jose, and it will be on the classier side of the scale.

Scott's Seafood is located at 185 Park Avenue (park anywhere in the structure and take the elevator to the very top). For more info, follow their Facebook Page.

Thinkbiggersanjose is Expanding Content!

Mark from Thinkbiggersanjose--my favorite San Jose blog besides this one--has recently moved to One South Market in the heart of Downtown San Jose. He and his wife are coming from a traditional house with a back yard, and he's going to chronicle his transition from suburban living to full on urban-ness in San Jose. You can read his first post over here.

While we are talking about Thinkbiggersanjose, Mark also has a new post welcoming the "Awesome Foundation." This is a grassroots foundation that funds one awesome project a month (examples he gives are a 40 person hammock or creating an outdoor courtyard learning space for kids). Check out his post over here. To submit ideas and learn more about the San Jose Chapter of the Awesome Foundation, head here.

Xactly Hoping to Raise $75M in IPO

Xactly--located in Downtown San Jose--has filed for an IPO with the New York Stock Exchange (ticker: XTLY). This would make it the second Downtown tech company to IPO this year. Apigee was the first and Intacct could be next in line later this year.

Xactly provides software and services that helps companies manage compensation for their sales teams. It's a hot market and they have been growing very quickly. Their revenue has grown 68% to $61 million over the last three years.

After the IPO comes to fruition, that will bring a lot more dollars into the local economy as most of their employees live in the South Bay. Hopefully some will decide to move Downtown and help keep the amazing momentum going!

Source: SVBJ

June 2015 Downtown Dimension Highlights

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

• Property owners, business owners, and residents are generally satisfied with Downtown conditions based on the annual PBID survey:
• 76% see an improvement in cleanliness year-over-year
• 45% see an improvement in safety year-over-year
• 70% see an improvement in image year-over-year
• 89% are satisfied with overall condition of Downtown
• 93% approve of Groundwerx clean teams
• 77% approve of Groundwerx ambassadors
• 92% approve of beautification projects
• 71% approve of tree maintenance
• 3 Shows at Music in the Park! Advance tickets are $10 at http://www.musicintheparksj.com
• June 18th - Freshlyground (Afro-pop), Sister Carol (Reggae), DJ Robert Rankin
• July 17th - P'al Bailador, Julio Bravo y su Orquesta Salsador (Salsa)
• August 28th - Grammy Award winners Los Lonely Boys (rock 'n' roll), J.C. Smith Band
• Dine Downtown is returning for a 7th Year from June 19-28. Three course meals start at $20/person at dozens of Downtown San Jose Restaurants. For the first time, several eateries (including Curry Pundits, The Fountain, Take One Pizza, and Tengu Sushi) will have lunch specials.
• The BIG Lunch is a new program starting 11:30am on June 24th where you can grab lunch from a nearby restaurant, head to Paseo de San Antonio, and have a communal lunch break with fellow Downtowners. There will be music, drawings for prizes, and many restaurants will have to-go lunch specials.
• San Jose and the NHL have agreed to extend their contract, meaning the Sharks are guaranteed to continue playing at SAP until at least 2025. The Barracuda will also start playing in SAP this Ocrober (Sharks affiliate from the American Hockey League).
• A city advisory committee recommended SJSU manage the former Rep Theater. SJSU is asking for an initial five-year contract and if all goes through the Theater could be back in operation by the Fall.
• Team San Jose is getting $5.7 Million to rehabilitate the Convention Center, Center for Performing Arts, California Theatre, City National Civic, and Montgomery Theatre.
• The Children's Discovery Museum is getting $350,000 for a new sculptural fence to allow for more exhibit space.
• Creative Marketing Concepts (a SF firm) opened a South Bay location at 15 N. Market St. with an on-site studio.
• St. James park is getting a full calendar of events this summer:
• Mon, Wed, and Fri from noon to 1pm starting Jun 29 - Yoga, games, soccer, and food trucks
• Tues from 6:30-8pm starting Jun 29 - Informal music, poetry, and spoken word nights. Some nights will have food trucks.
• Thur from 6:30-8pm starting June 25 - Signature performance series with professional musicians.
• Sat afternoons, Jun 27, Jul 25, Aug 22, and Sep 19 - Drum circle and dancers
• The City of San Jose will also dedicate an events coordinator to St. James Park for year-round programs. 

To read the full newsletter, click here!

The Knight Foundation Awards 13 Grants to Improve Downtown San Jose!

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation announced a total of $620,000 in grants to projects that will make Downtown San Jose a more interesting, fun, and safe place. 13 different projects received funding, and a lot of the recipients should be familiar to readers of this blog. Reading through the grants, I think we all have a lot to look forward to Downtown! Here are the winners:

• Wreck Studios received $10,000 to creating “The Exhibition District,” a project to convert 40,000 square feet of vacant wall space downtown into an outdoor art gallery.
• San Jose Parks Foundation received $75,000 to expanding its “Summer in St. James Park” series of movie nights, concerts, exercise classes and other public events.
• Moveable Feast received $19,200 in support for a monthly pop-up dinner series in city neighborhoods where diverse city leaders will discuss and act in support of the future of San Jose.
• City ID, a New York- and London-based urban planning and design firm, will use a $129,927 grant to develop a “way-finding” strategy including signage and other ideas that would help visitors find the city’s Downtown amenities.
• Content Magazine/Silicon Valley Creates. The magazine received $75,000 to pursue ways to engage the community in city life and develop a sustainable business model.
• CreaTV received $11,250 to expand its “We are San Jose” storytelling campaign that collects video stories of city residents.
• Destination: Home, a project of the Health Trust to find solutions to the county’s homeless problem, received $75,000 for a feasibility study and fiscal plan to identify pathways for housing and employment for the homes.
• Downtown Streets Inc., a nonprofit that provides work opportunities for the homeless, received $25,000 to create a mobile coffee cart in St. James Park that would employ some of the homeless who congregate there.
• Greenbelt Alliance, a nonprofit that protects open spaces in the Bay Area, received $75,000 to help create “urban villages” composed of mixed-use, walkable neighborhoods with housing options across income levels.
• Housing Trust Silicon Valley received $75,000 to establish more affordable and equitable housing policies through educational, community problem-solving and research activities and partnership building.
• Joint Venture Silicon Valley Network/Valley Transportation Authority received $15,000 for “Hack My Ride 2.0,” a three-month online app design challenge open to anyone in the world and focused on transforming mobility in Silicon Valley.
• Metro Newspaper Silicon Valley received $10,000 to pay for a monthly full-page ad promoting SoFa.
• San Jose Public Library received $25,000 to reimagine underused spaces through the “Pop-Up Mobile Makerspaces” project with Okada Design.

Source: SVBJ

Playful People Productions Presents: Disney’s The Aristocats KIDS

What's a cat to do? In Disney's The Aristocats KIDS, Madame's jealous butler Edgar cat-naps Duchess and her Aristokittens and abandons them in the Parisian countryside. Luckily, Thomas O'Malley and his rag-tag bunch of alley cats come to their rescue! This fun musical, based on the Disney film, features many of your favorite characters from Thomas O’Malley the Alley cat to Amelia and Abigail the bold Geese Sisters

This feline adventure is sure to get you tapping your feet to its upbeat, jazzy beat with a score that includes the Disney favorites "The Aristocats," "Scales and Arpeggios" and "Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat.”

Our shows often sell out prior to the show weekend. Be sure to buy your tickets early, you won’t want to miss out on this fantastic production.

All Shows at the Historic Hoover Theatre, 1635 Park Ave  San Jose, CA 95126

Show Times:
Friday, June 19th - 1:00 and 7:00pm
Saturday, June 20th - 11:00am, 2:00pm, 4pm  and 7:00pm
Sunday, June 21st - 11:00am, 2:00pm and 5:00pm

Tickets available at www.playfulpeople.net
$12 attendees 12 and up, $8 children 11 and under,  and $6 Children’s floor seating

Tickets at the door (30 minutes prior to curtain)
$15 attendees 12 and up, $10 children 11 and under, and $6 Children’s floor seating

For questions: barb@galiotto.com

Founded in 2010, Playful People Production’s mission is to provide a quality, caring environment where children, teens and their families can have positive theater experiences. We strive to involve all family members in the many aspects of on stage and backstage theater in a safe and fun environment and offer participation in theatrical productions, classes, summer stock and camps for ages 3-93.

Playful People Productions is run by a mother-daughter team, Barbara Galiotto and Katie D’ Arcey, who between them have approximately 50 years of experience in the musical theater world. Both are Positive Discipline trained and worked as early Childhood Educators as well as in the theater.