Santa Clara Valley Brewing hosts inaugural beer dinner

One of our local San Jose breweries - Santa Clara Valley Brewing (101 East Alma Ave.) - will be hosting its first ever beer dinner Wednesday, Jan. 27 starting at 6:30pm.

Tickets are $70, and based on the menu as well as the brewery's well-regarded reputation, the event looks to be a good one.

Appetizer
Beef Slider with Caramelized Onions and Sauteed Mushrooms
Paired with Dry Creek Blonde Ale

First Course
Electric Tower Beer Cheese Soup
Paired with Electric Tower IPA

Second Course
Seared Local Halibut with Cardamom and Coriander Scents, Wilted Spinach, Butter Braised Baby Carrots, Meyer Lemon Oil Paired with Saison

Third Course
Pot De Creme
Paired with Peralta Porter

 I've written a bit more about this event over at Examiner.com.

Cheers!

Work Begins on New Bay 101 Casino, Hotel, and Office Project

Bay 101's time in its current form is limited. Their current lease expires on November 2017 in order to make way for a massive office development. The good news for local gamblers is that work is already moving forward on the casino's future home near M8trix, the only other casino in San Jose. The new project is going to be far more elaborate than Bay 101's current facility and includes two new full-service hotels totaling 414 rooms and a nine-story office tower.

The casino portion will have 49 tables, the maximum allowed by current San Jose regulations. The first hotel will be a seven-story Hilton with 174 rooms. The new casino should be operating by September 2017 (assuming there are no delays) and that Hilton is slated to open in early 2018.

The second phase of the project will have a 10-story hotel with 210 rooms and a 240,000 SQFT office tower which will only be built when there is a tenant in tow.

Source: The Merc

Signature Flight Support's SJC Terminal Nears Completion

The new 10,000 SQFT terminal for corporate and private aviation at San Jose International looks just about ready based on Viki Thompson's photos in the SVBJ. The building has everything an executive could want in a facility. There is a kitchen stocked with snacks, conference rooms, co-working spaces, free magazines, and best of all there are no TSA security hassles to slow you down. You can be in one door and out the other in no time at all.

The project cost $82 million and also includes 250,000 SQFT of hangar space. About 150,000 SQFT of that space was supposed to house private planes for Google executives; however, now that they have control over Moffett Federal Airfield they will be subleasing the whole facility. This will provide a nice opportunity for larger tech companies in Silicon Valley that own a fleet of planes. Signature Flight Support already has 14 leases for the new hangar space, representing the full amount originally earmarked for Google. They expect to be fully leased within a matter of months.

As for the city of San Jose, the new facility will bring in $2.64 million each year in rent payments. There will also be some branding benefits for San Jose. For example, both the NFC and AFC champions will be flying into San Jose for the Super Bowl, and you can guess where the planes will go.

Source: SVBJ

SJSU Drone Footage

In yet another Downtown San Jose drone video, you can explore the San Jose State University campus while listening to catchy music.

New Aerial Photo of Downtown San Jose

A Flickr user that goes by bior snapped a surprisingly good photo of Downtown San Jose from an airplane earlier this month. The shiny blue One South building really pops in the photo. Besides the Tech Museum, it is easily the building that stands out the most in the skyline. Click the image below to enlarge.

Source: Frostys from the San Jose Development Forum

Miss Shevaughn & Yuma Wray Playing at Art Boutiki Tomorrow

January 23rd, 2016: Miss Shevaughn & Yuma Wray play an intimate duo set at Art Boutiki. The set will feature their trademark harmonies and broad palette of instrumentation including guitars, banjo, keys, mandolin, and percussion.

The show will be the band’s first visit to San Jose. They are playing in support of their latest album, Lean Into the Wind, Listen and Download Here which ended up on several best of 2014 lists, including NPR’s Sound Opinions “Buried Treasures” show and end of the year mix tape.
Melodic and dynamic, deeply personal and political, Miss Shevaughn & Yuma Wray’s music is tough, emotionally resonant and intellectually challenging. The band successfully melds roots, psych, folk, country and garage rock in the Laurel Canyon tradition with social commentary and 90’s indie sensibility.

Locals Elflock and Wallace will also play.

What Folks Are Saying:
"On their latest album, Lean Into the Wind, Americana rockers Miss Shevaughn and Yuma Wray go all Flying Burrito Brothers with a SoCal-influenced set of new songs. [The track] “Coyote” tells you everything you need to know about what this super fine band of players has up their sleeves this go-around. Killer harmonies, warm countryesque textures, and the winsome voice of Miss Shevaughn, who channels her very own Emmylou Harris on this gorgeous tune." - POPMATTERS

“This record is one of my favorite releases of 2014. It is a wild ride that reflects the recent times Miss Shevaughn & Yuma Wray have been through. The songs are a mix of joy, anger, determination and fear that will have listeners feeling the same way. If you are looking for meaning music then this is where to find it, if not then do your searching elsewhere. Give Lean Into the Wind a listen and become a fan.” – Atlanta Examiner

“Every beat, every note from Yuma Wray's off-kilter licks, every distinctive moan and tremble delivered by Miss Shevaughn is carefully, beautifully placed. A stunner.” – NO DEPRESSION

“Lean Into The Wind is not just one of the best albums we’ve heard lately, it’s one of the best albums we’ve ever heard. It’s worth the money to buy it. It’s worth the time to listen to it. It’s worth preserving for the future just as it gives us delight and insight on our today. Essential.” – Rust Magazine

“Lean Into the Wind is a landmark achievement, a triumphant document of the human spirit’s capacity for sacrifice and survival.” – Bucket Full of Nails

“When Gram Parsons coined the term ‘Cosmic American Music’, I’m pretty sure that Lean Into The Wind was exactly the sort of thing he had in mind: a heady blend of country, rock and psych, bound together in otherworldly voices, at times as beautiful, fragile and elemental as the finest crystal, and then at turns delivering heft, warp and gritty weft.” – Skin Back Alley

"A cosmic Americana band that pulls from classic country and rock from the ‘60s and ‘70s, heavily influenced by Led Zeppelin, Little Feat and Fleetwood Mac, tempered by a little Joni Mitchell." - ASHEVILLE CITIZEN TIMES

"Lean into the Wind" is one of the most refreshing new albums of 2014. It’s oddball original sound and vision flavored with that sweet late 60’s Southern California magic. Steeped and boiled to perfection with an underground/avant garde-country vibe that warms the soul with it’s heebie-jeebie mojo. It lives somewhere between the International Submarine Band and a female fronted classic Pink Floyd. Great songwriting and killer hooks abound on this psychedelic ride to the promised land.” – Empty Bottles and Broken Souls

VTA FLEX Program

One of the many challenges of public transit in Silicon Valley is that both offices and homes are spread out over a large area. This makes point-to-point transit available only in a few limited areas. VTA has just launched an innovative program called FLEX to help address this issue.

FLEX is an on-demand transit system where you use an app to request a pickup and drop-off in one of many designated service stops in North San Jose. Software will then automatically route vehicles to pick up other customers along a similar traffic route. There are no set schedules, the whole system is on-demand. Payment is even done via the smartphone app. You can think of it as a public version of UBERpool.

The vehicles that will be used for FLEX are ADA-accessible buses with capacity for 26 passengers and two bikes. Service is available Monday through Friday from 5:30am to 8:30pm and the cost is only $2 during off-peak times and $3 during peak times.

If the program is successful, you can expect other areas to get a similar service in the future. For more information click here.

What is it?

FLEX is an On-Demand, shared-ride public transit service. Other riders that have similar travel destinations may be picked up and dropped off during the course of your ride.
FLEX is ideally suited for smartphone users. Riders can use the app to request a ride.
FLEX Service Area

Scheduling a Ride

On the App – easiest
On the Web - please visit vta.ridecell.com

Service Days & Times

FLEX’s service area is approximately 3.25 square miles in North San Jose (surrounding VTA’s Tasman Light Rail Station)
Boundaries are

• North – Route 237
• South – Montague Expressway
• East – Coyote Creek
• West – Guadalupe River

Monday – Friday; 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

• Peak Hours 5:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.; 3:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
• The last Flex ride MUST be completed by 8:30 p.m. 

Fares*

Single Ride - $2.00 (Off-Peak Hours)
Single Ride - $3.00 (Peak Hours)

No Shows/Cancelations
Customers who fail to cancel a ride before the bus is dispatched or have failed to show up for their rides will be charged the regular fare.

You can download the VTA Flex Fact Sheet here.

FAQ

What VTA fare can I use on FLEX?
Currently you must pay for your ride using an account that you set up on the FLEX app.  Once you complete your ride on FLEX your account will be charged.  FLEX does not accept Clipper cards, VTA Monthly Passes, VTA Day Passes, VTA Express Day Passes, Cash, Eco Pass nor any other VTA forms of fare.

How do I know if I’ve been assigned a driver?
You will be notified via text message when booking through the app.  If booked over the phone, the customer service representative will let you know once you’re assigned a driver and their estimated time of arrival.  You can also check out the web or app to see real-time updates about your requested ride.

How long does it take for my driver to pick me up? Can I track my driver?
It depends on trip requests at any given time.  The web and app interface will show you an estimated time of arrival, based on the driver’s GPS location and current trip load.

Where will I wait for the FLEX bus?  Are there bus stops?
X marks the spot!  The app will provide you walking directions to the FLEX stop where you will be picked up. The stops are marked with FLEX floor decals.

Can I bring an Animal onboard FLEX?
Only service animals are welcome on FLEX.  The animal must be under the control of the passenger throughout the trip and while boarding and exiting. Service animals may sit on the floor or in the rider’s lap.  Service animals may not sit in a passenger seat.

Can I contact the driver?
No, you cannot contact the driver, but you can determine the driver’s location through the real time mapping on the app.

If I cancel my ride request, then make another one, will my request go to the end of the request queue?
Yes, every time you cancel and resubmit a request, the process starts all over again.  Your request will be put at the end of the queue and then be assigned to the next available driver.

I don't have a smart phone, can I create my account online?
Yes, you can create your Flex account through the web on this page.

*FLEX is a pilot program and the fare structure may change during and/or after this pilot program phase.  Please continue to check this page for updates.

Knight Cities Challenge Names Eight San Jose Finalists

Last week the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation announced 158 finalists across 26 communities in their second annual Knight Cities Challenge. The contest is a national call for ideas that will make local communities more vibrant places to live and work. The three main themes of the contest are helping cities attract and keep the best talent, expanding economic opportunities, and encouraging civic engagement. 

Eight San Jose proposals made the cut and are finalists. Winners will be announced in the Spring and will receive a share of $5 million. All of the San Jose projects sound fantastic to me. Have a look at the list below and let us know which sound most worthy of funding.

San Jose Knight Cities Challenge Finalists

Urban Food Hub by Veggielution (submitted by Cayce Hill): Increasing economic opportunity with a community hub in Emma Prusch Park that connects food entrepreneurs and residents through a market, classes and other events that celebrate San Jose’s history and culture.

 

Smart Street by San Jose State University (submitted by Jerry Gao): Creating a “smart street” that showcases cutting-edge technology, helps to attract more people to the city and bolsters San Jose’s brand identity.

 

Post Street Night Market (submitted by Justin Triano): Expanding economic opportunity with a recurring night market that features local crafts, food and entertainment.

 

SITability Project by URBAN SPACEship (submitted by Leemor Chandally): Creating a network of modular street furniture designed to encourage interaction between people in public spaces.

 

San Jose Local Maker Incubator by Local Label dba San Jose Made (SJMADE) (submitted by Marie Millares): Increasing economic opportunity with a business incubator for local makers and artists seeking to turn their passion into a full-time job.

 

East Side Linear Park by San Jose Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services (submitted by Marybeth Harasz): Increasing civic engagement by having residents help convert a public street into a new linear park along Havana Drive in East San Jose.

 

Green Necklace by Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition (submitted by Shiloh Ballard): Expanding public space and increasing community connections by permanently opening trails along San Jose’s closed canal system to pedestrians and cyclists.

 

The MayFeria by School of Arts and Culture at Mexican Heritage Plaza (submitted by Tamara Alvarado): Increasing civic engagement and expanding economic opportunity in San Jose’s Mayfair neighborhood with The MayFeria, which will consist of folklife events, a community task force, and a coordinator to help identify and make better use of cultural and civic assets.