Inaugural British Airways flight lands in San Jose

BA has officially begun service to San Jose International Airport! Their first flight from London landed yesterday around 6pm and our friends at WMS Media managed to record the event from a Downtown San Jose tower (see below).

The new international route not only brings San Jose closer to London, but also the 130+ destinations that British Airways serves out of Terminal 5 in Heathrow Airport. The flight features a state-of-the-art Boeing 787-900 (20 feet longer than the 787-800 pictured below). The plane is the first in San Jose International's history to have four classes of service: 8 First Class "cabins," 42 Business Class seats, 39 Premium Economy, and 127 Economy seats. Those who have flown on British Airways know that even the cheapest seats are pretty nice compared to American carriers--and this is the very best plane in the British Airways fleet.

I'm thrilled that my favorite airline is finally in San Jose and hope they will add more routes in the future!

Arrival in San Jose of British Airways #279 Inaugural flight from London from WMS media Inc. on Vimeo.

Downtown San Jose gets its first Malaysian restaurant

Downtown has an extremely diverse restaurant scene with over 260 different eateries of 25 different ethnic varieties. IPOH Garden is Downtown San Jose's very first Malaysian restaurant. The restaurant replaces Dalian Kitchen/8 Treasures at 150 S. First St. Suite 111 (a huge upgrade in my opinion).

While I have yet to try IPOH out, the menu and interior look fantastic and early Yelp reviews have been positive. The restaurant is open on Monday through Saturday from 11am-3pm and 5pm-10pm.

Santana Row News and Events - May through July 2016

San Jose, CA - Silicon Valley’s favorite summer spot swings into the season with new experiences and annual events. In May, the weekly Saturday morning Yoga in the Park and the monthly Mommy & Me and Daddies, too begins again. In June, Santana Row hosts the YWCA Silicon Valley Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, an annual event that raises money for comprehensive support services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence.

lululemon athletica Presents Yoga in the Park, May 7, 14, 21 and 28
Every Saturday through September, 9 a.m. Santana Row Park
Free Yoga on Saturdays, presented by lululemon athletica begins May 7 and is held every Saturday through September, taking advantage of the best weather seasons!
Practice your sun salutations under the sunshine every Saturday morning at 9 a.m. at Santana Row Park while Park Valencia is under renovation. The complimentary classes are held outdoors, with registration opening at 8:30 a.m. each week. For more information, contact lululemon, 408.557.8721.

Mommy & Me and Daddies, Too, season kick-off event
May 10, 10 a.m. to noon, Santana Row Park
The popular kids’ club returns for the season with free entertainment, interactive games, crafts and educational activities designed for parents and their pre-school aged children. Special guest for the event is Clifford the Big Red Dog. Andy Z will perform. Families can also enjoy arts and crafts, face painting, music, balloon art, story time and more.
Details: 10 a.m. to noon at Santana Row Park while Park Valencia is under renovation. Mommy & Me is a free kids’ club held on the second Tuesday of every month from May through December. For more information, call 408.551.4611 or visit www.SantanaRow.com.

Cielo at Hotel Valencia Seasonal Grand Opening
Thursday, May 12, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Take in breathtaking sunset views overlooking the Santa Cruz Mountains at Cielo, Hotel Valencia's 7th-floor rooftop bar as it celebrates the start of the warm-weather season!
Enjoy wine tastings, sangria, paella and an assortment of tapas while listening to live music. Admittance is $30 per person and reservations are required. Please call 408.423.5405. 
*Must be 21 years of age or older to attend.

Summer Hair & Fashion Show at Hotel Valencia
Friday, May 29, cocktail hour at 5:30 p.m., show begins at 6:30 p.m.
The best summer trends for hair and fashion will be showcased during an evening of cocktails, nibbles and stylish fun! It’s a benefit for Locks of Love, a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children and young adults suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis.
The Hotel Valencia courtyard is the backdrop for the show and partners include Bellarmine Salon with fashions provided by Santana Row retailers.
Tickets are $30 and reservations are required. Please call 408.423.5405.
*Must be 21 years of age or older to attend.

Cars & Croissants
Saturday, May 28, 9 a.m. to noon
Santana Row again partners with 100 OCT to present Cars & Croissants on The Row, a monthly gathering for exotic car owners and car enthusiasts. On the fourth Saturday of the month from March through December, exotic car owners are invited to park on Santana Row Boulevard from Alyssum Lane to Tatum Boulevard, display their cars and mingle with other enthusiasts. The morning meet-up for coffee, croissants and cars drew 400 people and 60 cars during the first event and continues to grow in popularity. This event is free and open to the public.

lululemon Presents Yoga in the Park, June 4, 11, 18 and 25
Every Saturday through September, 9 a.m. Santana Row Park
Free Yoga on Saturdays, presented by lululemon athletica is held every Saturday through September, taking advantage of the best weather seasons!
Practice your sun salutations under the sunshine every Saturday morning at 9 a.m. at Santana Row Park while Park Valencia is under renovation. The complimentary classes are held outdoors, with registration opening at 8:30 a.m. each week. Guests can enter to win a $50 gift card to the store and one winner is selected every week. For more information, contact lululemon, 408.557.8721.

Mommy & Me and Daddies, Too Free Kids Club
Tuesday, June 14, 10 a.m. to noon, Santana Row Park
The popular kids’ club has returned for the season with free entertainment, interactive games, crafts and educational activities designed for parents and their pre-school aged children. Join us in June for the Pirates & Treasure event! Dress as a pirate and embark on a special treasure hunt through Santana Row. Enjoy arts and crafts, face painting, music, balloon art, story time and more. Meet us in Santana Row Park to pick up your activity sheet!
Details: 10 a.m. to noon at Santana Row Park while Park Valencia is under renovation. Mommy & Me is a free kids’ club held on the second Tuesday of every month from May through December. For more information, call 408.551.4611 or visit www.SantanaRow.com.

YWCA Silicon Valley Walk a Mile in Her Shoes
Wednesday June 22, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Entering it’s 14th year, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes may look like a stunt with men racing in heels, but it’s actually a statement about men's roles in ending violence against women and drawing attention to the issue that is connected to strict gender roles and expectations of men.
For the second time, the annual event will be held at Santana Row.
The Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event attracts hundreds of spectators and prominent walkers including the mayor and community and business leaders. It’s become an international event that engages men in raising awareness and funds to stop sexual assault and domestic violence.
Funds raised from Walk a Mile in Her Shoes make it possible for YWCA Silicon Valley to provide critical response, intervention, and comprehensive support services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
For more information and sponsorship/registration information, go to www.ywca-sv.org.

Cars & Croissants
Saturday, June 25, 9 a.m. to noon
Santana Row again partners with 100 OCT to present Cars & Croissants on The Row, a monthly gathering for exotic car owners and car enthusiasts. On the fourth Saturday of the month from March through December, exotic car owners are invited to park on Santana Row Boulevard from Alyssum Lane to Tatum Boulevard, display their cars and mingle with other enthusiasts. The morning meet-up for coffee, croissants and cars drew 400 people and 60 cars during the first event and continues to grow in popularity. This event is free and open to the public.

Big Changes Underway at Santana Row’s Park Valencia
An enhanced park and churned-to-order ice cream coming in July!
A transformed plaza is opening this summer with two new food merchants including Smitten Ice Cream, an artisanal ice cream shop. Smitten will offer its cult-favorite frozen treats from classic flavors like TCHO chocolate and Cookie Dough with Pretzels and Chocolate Chips to more innovative seasonal flavors like Strawberry White Balsamic and Nectarine Crisp, in addition to its selection of creative toppings and fun sundaes. 
The lively and family-friendly atmosphere of Park Valencia will be unveiled with plenty of outdoor seating, a dynamic fountain and an interactive playground with a tot-sized climbing structure, mounted in a brightly-colored "lizard-skin" turf. Four lifelike chameleon sculptures will look as if they’re lounging in the new "Chameleon Oasis," fountain. New café tables and seating areas will be added and the popular grass turf will be replaced.

Mommy & Me and Daddies, Too Free Kids Club
Tuesday, July 12, 10 a.m. to noon, Santana Row Park
The popular kids’ club has returned for the season with free entertainment, interactive games, crafts and educational activities designed for parents and their pre-school aged children. Enjoy special guests from classic fairy tales and a special story time. Meet us in Santana Row Park near Left Bank Brasserie!
Details: 10 a.m. to noon at Santana Row Park while Park Valencia is under renovation. Mommy & Me is a free kids’ club held on the second Tuesday of every month from May through December. For more information, call 408.551.4611 or visit www.SantanaRow.com.

Santana Row Beer Walk
Wednesday, July 27, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Stroll The Row and sample 20-plus beers while enjoying the shopping and dining incentives offered during the fourth annual Beer Walk! Cool off with a walk around Santana Row while tasting brews from microbreweries. The beer stops will be stationed in restaurants and shops for easy sipping and strolling and shopping. Tickets are $30 and available online at www.SantanaRow.com.

Cars & Croissants
Saturday, July 23, 9 a.m. to noon
Santana Row again partners with 100 OCT to present Cars & Croissants on The Row, a monthly gathering for exotic car owners and car enthusiasts. On the fourth Saturday of the month from March through December, exotic car owners are invited to park on Santana Row Boulevard from Alyssum Lane to Tatum Boulevard, display their cars and mingle with other enthusiasts. The morning meet-up for coffee, croissants and cars drew 400 people and 60 cars during the first event and continues to grow in popularity. This event is free and open to the public.
  
Twitter and Instagram Promotion @SantanaRow invites tweets and IG tags
For a Chance to Win Gift Cards to Restaurants at The Row
Santana Row’s Twitter campaign and photo contest continues through the @SantanaRow Twitter handle. The contest invites anyone at Santana Row to Tweet or Instagram photos of a new outfit, haircut, meal, event or artsy shots and then tag it with the hash tag #LifeonTheRow. Every month, Santana Row will post an album on Facebook with all of the photos with the #LifeonTheRow hash tag. The person who took the best or most original photo will win a gift card to a Santana Row restaurant.

Spring in Plaza de Cesar Chavez

Arguably the #1 benefit that came out of the Super Bowl for San Jose was a vision of what Plaza de Cesar Chavez could become. We did an excellent job of making the park a place where people would want to hang out. If we can do it for visitors, why not do it for San Jose residents? That is exactly what is happening right now.

Plaza de Cesar Chavez is going to be "reactivated" throughout May and June with comfortable seats, games (ping pong, cornhole, etc.), fancy LED lights, and food trucks. Lunch will be served in the park from 11:30am-1:30pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Dinner will be available from 5pm-8pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

Hopefully lot's of people will participate and they will keep this going throughout the summer as well!

From SanJoseCA.gov:

Eat, relax, sit and play at Plaza de Cesar Chavez this season! Whether you grab a bite for lunch and dinner, step outside of the office and hold your meeting in Plaza, or simply act like a kid and play a game of cornhole or ping pong - our outdoor patio style seating, market style lights, and lush grass areas are a perfect destination to unplug and socialize.

Due to existing events scheduled at Plaza de Cesar Chavez, lunch and dinner dates change frequently. Please check out the dates below to know when food trucks and equipment will be available at Plaza de Cesar Chavez.

LUNCH: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays: 11:30AM – 1:30PM
LUNCH DATES:
May: 3, 5, 10, 12, 13, 14, 17, 19, 20, 21, 24, 26, 31
June: 2, 7, 9, 14, 16, 17, 18, 21, 28, 30

DINNER: Fridays and Saturdays: 5:00PM – 8:00PM
DINNER DATES:
May: 13, 14, 20, 21
June: 17, 18

New Downtown San Jose office tower proposed for 333 W. San Fernando Street

We're getting spoiled. Whenever a few weeks go by without major Downtown San Jose development news I start to get antsy. It is easy to forget that there was a time not long ago where years would go by without substantial news.

Nathan Donato-Weinstein has broken a story about the latest high-rise proposal by none other than Lew Wolf and Phil DiNapoli, both veterans in the Downtown San Jose development scene. Last week they submitted plans for a massive 725,000 SQFT office tower next to the Adobe campus on 333 W. San Fernando Street. The project would be built on 2.5 acres that are currently being used as a parking lot.

The single 19-story building would nearly have as much square footage as all three of the Adobe towers combined. This means it would feature the sprawling floor plates and tall ceilings that Silicon Valley tech companies love these days. Other amenities include cutout decks and platforms that would create outdoor gathering spaces and a ground floor partially wrapped with retail.

Parking would be split across 10 floors (???), five levels below ground and five levels above ground. I don't think we have a parking structure in San Jose today that utilizes so many floors. Given the location's proximity to every transit option imaginable, hopefully they are able to reduce the number of spaces and instead increase the square footage of the office space.

If this gets built, it would but a another win in what is becoming a large collection of victories for Downtown San Jose. The fact that we are even discussing this in addition to the dozen other major projects already in the pipeline is already some level of success.

Source: SVBJ

Anthony Bourdain visiting San Jose on THE HUNGER Tour

As a hardcore foodie, I'm a big fan of Anthony Bourdain's adventures. There are many times I have hoped that he would feature San Jose on one of his shows (more than just a pit-stop). I'm still optimistic that will happen at some point, especially the way our food scene is quickly growing.

Bourdain is going to be in town for another reason this November. He's doing an 11-city live show reflecting on his experiences with travel, unique cultures all around the world, and of course street food. The tour also coincides with the launch of his first cookbook in 10 years, APPETITES.

Ticket presales begin on May 2nd and ticket sales for the general public begin on May 20th. For more info and tickets, head over here.

New Anthony Bourdain Tour THE HUNGER Visits San Jose’s Center for the Performing Arts on November 17

Tour Coincides with Release of APPETITES, His First Cookbook in 10 Years

Presale Starts May 2 – General Public On-Sale May 20

(San Jose, Calif.) – Internationally renowned best-selling author, television host and multiple Emmy-award-winner Anthony Bourdain today announced The Hunger, an 11-city North American tour launching October 25 in New York. Bourdain’s first cookbook in 10 years, APPETITES (published by Ecco), also hits shelves October 25. The Hunger visits San Jose, California at the Center for the Performing Arts for one show only on November 17, 2016 at 7:30 pm.

Tickets are on sale May 20, 2016 and can be purchased at http://sanjosetheaters.org/.

The Hunger serves audiences an all new live show featuring an unyielding, brutally honest monologue reflecting on diverse culture, street cuisine and his travels to lesser-known locations
around the world, followed by an open Q&A session. Currently filming the hit CNN original
series Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown (season seven premiered Sunday, April 24; 9pm ET/PT), Bourdain will bring audiences a menu loaded with lots of laughs, serious discussions and unapologetic irreverence. Presale tickets begin May 2 and tickets for the general public are on-sale May 20. Today through May 1, fans can register to receive a presale code to purchase tickets before the May 20 general public on sale.

For more information including tour dates and tickets, visit www.AnthonyBourdainOnTour.com.

Space Battle San Jose 2016 happening today

I never cease to be impressed by the long list of creative events that keep on popping up in San Jose. Today there is basically a giant lightsaber battle going on in Downtown San Jose. Due to a Lucasfilm lawsuit, they can't actually call it a lightsaber fight--but we all know that is exactly what this is.

The "space battle" goes down tonight at 8pm in St. James Park and part of the proceeds will benefit the Bay Area chapter of Make-A-Wish. For more info (including a video clip), keep reading.

Massive “Space Battles” Set to Explode from Coast to Coast this May

The charitable mock battles will see glowing sword-fighting to benefit 6 local Make-A-Wish Foundation chapters in 4 states

Tour forced to change its “Lightsaber Battle” name by legal settlement with Lucasfilm  

THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2016 -  Following on the success of their December event tour, which saw 10,000 people come together to have massive battles with glowing weapons, Toronto-based arts organization Newmindspace plans to go even bigger with “space battles” from San Jose to Boston this May. The events are all free, but participants can register online at catsinspacetour.com for $10 to receive a glowing sword, and each tour stop benefits the local Make-A-Wish Foundation chapter by donating a portion of the proceeds.

“We are excited to get back on the road, put on some huge, family-friendly events, and raise money for the amazing work that Make-A-Wish does,” said Kevin Bracken, tour co-founder. Along with co-founder Lori Kufner, the pair have been organizing free, all-ages events such as giant pillow fights, bubble blowing parties and subway celebrations around North America since 2005.

The tour was recently forced to change its name from “The Light Battle Tour” by a legal settlement with Lucasfilm, which is now owned by Disney. Lucasfilm believed people would too ​​easily confuse the name and the glowing swords offered by the tour with “lightsabers.” The new name of the tour is Cats in Space Tour, and instead of each event being called a “Light Battle,” they will be called Space Battles. Participants are encouraged to dress in costume, whether that is a character from their favorite sci-fi universe, or with cat ears and whiskers.

The May tour will see events in San Jose, Sacramento, San Diego, Salt Lake City, Grand Rapids, and Boston between April 30th and May 28th.

April 30 - San Jose to benefit Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area
St. James Park, 8 PM - 11 PM
Register: ​http://bit.ly/SJReg
Facebook: ​http://bit.ly/catsinspace_SanJoseApr2016

Cats in Space Tour 2016 Teaser from Newmindspace on Vimeo.

The Roughhouse sketch comedy show returns to San Jose

The Roughhouse is a sketch comedy group based in the Bay Area. Formed by Jimmy Snell, Marisa Hankins and Brandon Arnold in 2012. The Roughhouse has brought its carefully cultivated madness and mayhem to numerous venues and festivals, including SF Sketchfest and ShortLived.

Originating as a late night offering at the ComedySportz Theater in San Jose, The Roughhouse quickly outgrew their late night time slot and has performed sold-out shows at venues throughout the Bay Area. You can watch The Roughhouse on the first Saturday of every month at PianoFight Mainstage in San Francisco.

The Roughhouse is having three nights of homecoming shows celebrating their return to San Jose starting today. All Shows take place at the Black Cat Licorice Theater on 260 McEvoy Street near Downtown.

Website: http://roughhousecomedy.com/
Ticket info: https://www.vbotickets.com/tickets.asp?page=event&eid=13438&edid=46707

Dirty, Dirty Comedy from Roughhouse Comedy on Vimeo.