Downtown San Jose ground floor activation

Our good friend Mark from Think Bigger San Jose has a new blog post about how Downtown San Jose is changing at the street level. There are a lot of new towers that will be coming online over the next few years, forever changing the skyline. However, the changes that will have the most impact on the overall success of Downtown will be the amount of vibrancy that these new projects bring to our streets.

Head over here to read the post at Think Bigger San Jose and learn why the map below is important to Downtown.

San Jose photo contest

History San Jose and Content Magazine are teaming up for the "This IS San Jose 2016" photo contest. The goal is to promote our uniqueness, diversity, and support our art community. Winners will have their photos displayed in the City Hall Routunda, win prizes, and will be featured in a future issues of Content Magazine.

Below you can see instructions for entry. For additional details (and a district map for tagging your photos), head over to the "This IS San JOSE" website over here.

Help Capture the Uniqueness and Diversity that IS San Jose!

Continuing the annual tradition, History San José will be accepting submissions for the 2016 Photo Competition, This IS San Jose.  There are several benefits to this contest including:

• Promotes the uniqueness and diversity that is San Jose 
• Supports the photographic arts and artists 
• Helps contest winners build their photographic portfolio and resume
• Documents each of the ten (10) districts with recent photographs for preservation for future generations

There are many ways for artists to participate - through our Kick-off Instagram Contest and then using any camera format the General Photo Contest.

Instagram Kick-Off Contest - Starts May 20 Thru July 1, 2016
Instagram contest begins May 20, 2016. Use @thisissanjose and the district number where the photo was taken (e.g., for District 1, use #district1; for District 10, use #district10, etc.) with your mobile device. District map can be found at San Jose Council Districts. 1, 2, 3. Honorable Mention winners will be automatically entered in the General Photo Contest.

General Photo Contest - Starts July 1 thru September 23, 2016
Primary photo contest begins June 20th and is open to all types of cameras and levels of ability (professional, non-professional or student under 18). Submissions for the primary contest need to be made before September 9th at contest@thisissanjose.com. Include your name, category (professional [earn over 50% from photography], non-professional or student under age 18), district taken, and your photograph in jpg document format.

All winning entries form all districts will be displayed in the San Jose City Hall Rotunda from October through December 2016. We are planning an awards reception in October with prizes. Winners will also be included in an upcoming issue of Content Magazine.

Sponsors
Presented by History San José
Media Sponsor Content Magazine

Searchlight San Jose: The Sarah Winchester Movie

A former Winchester Mystery House tour guide posted some interesting thoughts on what should be included in the upcoming movie. This is an exciting moment for us--I think this will be the first big-budget movie ever to be built entirely around a historic San Jose landmark. Head over to Searchlight San Jose and read his post here.

Saturday Stats: San Jose is the "weirdest" place in America

Weird can mean a lot of things, but in this case it is a good thing. An economist recently did a study based on 20 different variables to see which metro areas had the most deviations from being "normal." The metrics included the proportion of the population that is foreign born, married, working, in the military, that own a car, etc.

The San Jose metro came in as the most "weird" city in the US whereas Oklahoma was the most normal. San Jose ranked so highly due to our large percentage of immigrants, workers with high education, and high salaries. New York came in second on the "weirdness" list.

Source: Washington Post, hat tip to Fuss Lopez for sending this in!

Scott’s Seafood San Jose celebrates Fourth of July with a four course menu and spectacular views of fireworks

Now is the time to start thinking about Fourth of July plans since it is only two weeks away. The Rotary Fireworks show will be back again this year, and there are a few prime locations to enjoy it. Scott's Seafood is on the 6th floor of a parking structure and has a huge outdoor patio, making it one of those ideal spots. To learn about their Fourth of July event and special menu, have a look at the press release below.

(San Jose, Ca) - Scott’s Seafood San Jose is proud to celebrate Fourth of July 2016 with a special four course dinner menu and spectacular views of the Downtown San Jose firework celebration. Scott’s Seafood is located on the sixth floor of the Civic Center Plaza at 185 Park Ave in the heart of Downtown San Jose. Cost for this dinner is $75 dollars which will include a glass of sparkling wine.

Scott’s Seafood Culinary team has created a special four course menu with signature items such as: Jumbo Lump Crab Cake, Crispy Calamari, House made Boston Clam Chowder, Lobster Bisque, Almond Crusted Blue Noise Sea Bass, Sautéed Prawns, Crab Stuffed Sustainable Salmon, and house made specialty desserts.

Seating for Fourth of July begins at 4:30 and reservations are highly recommended as seating is due to sell out. Guest of Scott’s Seafood will be able to enjoy views of the Downtown San Jose Firework show beginning at 9:00 pm from the sixth floor of the restaurant.

Enjoy stunning views of Downtown San Jose from the sixth floor of Scott's Seafood from our dining room as well as our rooftop patio. Scott’s Seafood San Jose is located at 185 Park Ave in Downtown San Jose on the sixth floor. For more information or to make Open Table reservations visit www.scottsseafoodsj.com or visit us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ScottsSeafoodSJ

Fourth Of July 2016 Celebration:
What: Fourth of July 2016 at Scott's Seafood San Jose.
When: July 4th 2016 at 4:30pm
Where: Scott's Seafood San Jose: 185 Park Ave in Downtown San Jose.
Cost: $75

Bay Area Bike Share seeking community input for second phase of expansion

The Bay Area Bike Share program is expanding dramatically from 700 bikes to 7,000 bikes. The bikes are easily recognizable in Downtown San Jose by their light blue color. The expansion will roll out in five phases over the next two years. In order to choose the best locations for the new bikes, Bay Area Bike Share is collecting community input through a series of workshops. Two of those workshops are in San Jose.

If you want to influence the future of the program, all you need to do is participate and let your voice be heard. At minimum, you can go online and suggest a San Jose location over here.

District 3 Bike Share Workshops

• June 30, 2016
  6:00 PM – 7:00 PM and 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
  Bibliotecha Latinoamericana Branch Library, 921 S. 1st Street, San Jose, CA  95110
• July 6, 2016
  6:00 PM – 7:00 PM and 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
  Northside Community Center, 488 N. 6th Street, San Jose, CA  95112

Silicon Valley unemployment plummets to a 10-year low

I keep talking about an impending slowdown, yet stats like these continue to slap that notion in the face. In May our unemployment level hit a 10-year low with a rate of only 3.4%. In May 2015 that figure was already exceptional at 4.2% and even April 2016 was higher at 3.7%. To put that 3.4% figure in perspective, the whole state of California is performing well right now and the average California unemployment rate is 5.2%.

A total of 5,800 jobs were added to the San Jose Metro between April and May 2016. That brings us up to 1,083,100 jobs. Now some potentially bad news--most of the gains were in professional/business services, leisure and hospitality, and financial services. We lost 400 tech jobs, which tend to have the highest salaries. The positive spin is that our economy is diversifying, which would help weather any future dips in the tech sector.

Source: SVBJ

Olla Cocina is now open in San Pedro Square

Olla Cocina, a Contemporary Mexican Restaurant and Bar,  Now Open in Downtown San Jose
Inspired by regional dishes from across Mexico and California’s fresh ingredients, the new restaurant is located in San Pedro Square

San Jose, CA – An exciting addition to the downtown dining scene, Olla Cocina puts a contemporary spin on traditional dishes from Mexico in a fun and casual environment. the restaurant is located in San Pedro Square in the heart of San Jose’s urban center and opened Thursday, June 16. Olla is a celebration of all that is Mexican: a strong community, vibrant culture and generous, fresh food along with a little noise and quirkiness.

The restaurant’s Executive Chef is Adan Ornelas, most recently from adjacent restaurant, The Farmers Union, and Dry Creek Grill, both in San Jose. Ornelas worked in tandem with Olla Operating Partner Armando Navarro of El Dorado Kitchen in Sonoma, who oversees the menu.

Olla Cocina introduces innovative takes on regional Mexican food, elevating favorites with fresh, unexpected ingredients and flavor combinations. The menu includes fresh ceviches and a taco bar, as well as traditional dishes such as Carne Asada ($22) and Torta de Cochinita Pibil ($14).

Spotlighting the many regions of Mexico, the menu features small, shareable bites as well as larger entrees for a blended dining experience where the sharing of both is encouraged. Dinner starters include Roasted Chiliesserved with sea salt and lemon and Frijoles Fritos, featuring Rancho Gordo beans, Oaxaca cheese, jalapeños and totopos (both $7). Small plates include Ceviche Verde with halibut, lime juice marinade, tomatillo and avocado ($14), Vegetable Tamales with peppers, onion, zucchini, black beans, pasilla peppers, salsa verde and queso Oaxaca ($10) and soups such as Posole de Cerdo with pork shoulder, hominy, cabbage oregano, radish, onion, cilantro, chile de árbol ($13). Salads are tossed with surprising ingredients such as chorizo, masa croutons and crispy quinoa.

Larger plates include Tostada de Pollo with chipotle-braised chicken, black bean puree, cotija cheese, avocado, romaine, pico de gallo, spicy crema, cilantro ($15). The menu also features a variety of vegetarian options such asCamote con Mole, a salt-crusted sweet potato, mole sauce, almonds, rajitas of onion and peppers and house-made tortillas ($12).

The full bar will offer 12 local craft beers and 12 wines on tap, bottled Mexican beer, eight featured cocktails including a Margarita, Paloma and Sangria, horchata, Jarritos sodas and aguas frescas.

The dining experience takes place in an environment that’s both casual and special. Designed by restaurateur Doug Washington, interior décor touches include an authentic church pulpit repurposed into the host stand, witty Mexican artwork, beautiful tiles and decorative cinder blocks, intended to represent modern Mexico. A central design element featured in the main dining room and continuing to the outside patio is a ceiling trellis, made of repurposed reclaimed Douglas Fir from the garage across the street from the restaurant. Olla invites guests into a warm space with deft touches such as shoes hanging from the electrical wires that run along the ceiling, garage doors that open onto the front patio and Dia de los Muertos wallpaper. The dining area features walnut dining tables and two big, modern, custom picnic tables for communal diners. Sleek stool legs dipped in bright orange paint add to the festive environment. The eating space has low, dividing walls constructed from patterned concrete cinder blocks and capped with stained wood tops.

The 5,900-square foot Olla Cocina will seat a total of 228 in the main dining room and private dining room and 30 on the outdoor patio.

It’s in a prime location of downtown San Jose, near hotels, the convention center, offices and SAP Center, home rink for the NHL Sharks.

About Olla Cocina
Olla Cocina is a contemporary Mexican restaurant serving food and drinks in a casual, festive environment. The cuisine and bar program draw inspiration from many regions across Mexico and use seasonal California ingredients for a fresh take on traditional favorites. Located at 17 N. San Pedro St. in downtown San Jose’s popular San Pedro Square, Olla is a slice of modern Mexico with a fun and shareable menu of traditional favorites, signature cocktails and local beers and wine on tap. For more information, visit www.OllaCocina.com.