Halloween Haunt 2018 at California's Great America

I have been going to Halloween Haunt since its inception 11 years ago--along with most other Halloween events in the area. This year, they did an amazing job and overall the event is perhaps the best it has ever been! I attended the media preview day, which was also open to the public, and sampled all of the mazes and rides firsthand.

One initial general comment, the decorations are far more impressive than previous years.

Food

All of the restaurants inside the park are open during the event. There are some special Halloween treats like the Black Widow Churro Sundae pictured below. Before the park opens, there is an all-you-can-eat "Boofet" with bloody mary grilled chicken, peppercorn tri tip, and spaghetti primavera. My favorite item were these adorable pumpkin breads stuffed with cream cheese. The "Boofet" costs $17 per person and also gets you early entry into the park.

Mazes

This year there are 8 mazes to choose from scattered throughout the park. To avoid backtracking, I would recommend going counter-clockwise starting with Chaos House then the Wax Museum and so on.

There is one brand new maze this year called Tooth Fairy, and I found it to be the scariest maze that Great America has ever done. Production values were excellent and the actors were on point. This was easily my favorite for the 2018 season.

Madame Marie's Blackout was my second favorite. While the maze itself is similar to last year, you run through it in the dark with nothing but a dinky flashlight to guide you through.

Backwoods, CornStalkers, Roadkill Roadhouse, the Wax Museum Chamber of Horrors, Zombie High, and Chaos House are all back, some with minor changes. The only one I would skip is Chaos House with a nonstop annoying strobe light and skimpy decorations. It's a shame since the 3D Clown maze that preceded it was exceptional. Backwoods was my 3rd favorite, which features an open marshy atmosphere and thoughtful design and acting.

In addition to the mazes, there are three scare zones in the park where actors will scare you as you are walking around. The new one for 2018 is themed around Jack-the-ripper.

Rides

Almost every ride in the park is open for Halloween Haunt. If you haven't been to the park in a while, I would recommend their newest rides such as RailBlazer (fastest coaster in the park with a 90 degree drop and many inversions, photo below), Gold Striker, and Mass Effect: New Earth. Old favorites like Flight Deck (I will always call it Top Gun in my head), The Grizzly, Psycho Mouse, Drop Zone, and the Demon are also running.

Shows

They have five shows this year. An opening ceremony, Ed Alonzo, Nytewalkers, Blood Drums, and the Sideshow. Ed Alonzo is absolutely worth seeing, especially since he has quite a bit of new material this year. It's a nice blend of magic tricks, comedy, and musical performances.

Nytewalkers features amazing acrobatics and stunts in the middle of the park (photo below). Blood Drums is percussion-based musical performance and Sideshow is a series of freakish acts that will give you nightmares.

In summary, Halloween Haunt has something for everyone--except kids, you really shouldn't bring them if they are under 12. The event runs on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights until the end of October. The hours are 7pm to 1am on Fridays and Saturday and 7pm to 12am on Sundays, which are also the least busy days. You can learn more and buy tickets over here.

San Jose approves a 1 million SQFT office complex near Diridon

"Platform 16" is going to be one of the largest office developments in San Jose history. It will of course be dwarfed by Google's 8 million SQFT campus, but for now this is the largest project we have in queue.

The project will have three buildings: one would be 157,000 SQFT, another would be 367,000 SQFT, and the last one would clock in near 500,000 SQFT. Floor plates will be massive, ranging from 27,000 to 90,000 SQFT, and there is 15 feet between floors which should allow for very tall ceilings. Each floor also will have its own private terrace.

Parking would be a four-story underground structure with 2,264 parking spaces. This is a short walk or bike ride away from Diridon and the Downtown core, so hopefully a lot of people will choose alternative transit to work by the time this is complete in 2021.

Barring any major economic shift in the next few years, Downtown's future outlook is looking quite bright.

Source: SVBJ

San Jose Railroad history and a teaser for new museum

In 1864, the San Jose and San Francisco Railroad was completed after a decade of planning. If you think your commute is rough today, before the railroad was built it would take 8 hours by stagecoach to travel between San Jose and San Francisco. The railroad cut it down to "only" 3 hours.

In the short 3 minute video below, you will get a glimpse at the past and a teaser for a future museum near the Play Garden on Coleman. To learn more about the San Jose Railroad Museum, just check out the video below.

Source: WMS Media

Railroad Video Final from WMS media Inc. on Vimeo.

Glass Pumpkin Festival at Santana Row

This weekend, Santana Row will host the 4th annual Glass Pumpkin Festival.  Thousands of hand-blown pumpkins will be on display at Santana Row Park (in between Left Bank and EMC Seafood). Artisans will be doing live demonstrations showing how the pumpkins are built. Each glass pumpkin is crafted by renowned glass artisans from both BAGI (Bay Area Glass Institute) and around the country.

The event takes place on Friday, Oct. 5th from 4-8pm. Saturday, Oct. 6th from 10am-8pm, and Sunday, Oct 7th from 10am-6pm.

Splunk signs lease for the entire flagship (and final) Santana Row building

Santana Row has come a long way in the past 15 years. It is now an internationally recognized destination that has become a model for mixed used projects everywhere. 700 Santana Row is the last major development project to complete the original vision for the street. Future building will likely go across Winchester, where Federal Realty is planning a near 1 million SQFT office project at the former site of the Century dome theaters.

Splunk, which already has a massive amount of space at Santana Row, has agreed to take on another 300,000 SQFT at the new building. This will bring their total presence to 535,000 SQFT and put the bulk of the company in San Jose as opposed to SF.

The capstone building at the end of Santana Row will be ready for full occupancy by 2019, but the first 3 floors will be in use this October while the rest of the building is still under construction. The project will also add 1,300 new parking spaces and 30,000 SQFT of retail.

Source: SVBJ

Scott's Seafood launches a hip new lunch menu

Scott's Seafood has been a consistent staple in San Jose's fine dining scene for years. Now, they are working on a revitalization to take the restaurant to the next level. A few years ago they built the most impressive publicly accessible outdoor patio Downtown, which is perched 6 stories high with a view of Plaza de Cesar Chavez. A few months ago they brought in a rockstar chef, Khaled Ghazal, who is bringing a modern take on classic dishes.

John Huân Vũ, Andrew Rivlin, Noe Sacoco, and I were invited to try the new lunch menu at Scott's Seafood. Collectively, we were blown away. I have been to Scott's many times, and this was by far my best experience.

Before we got into lunch, we were lucky to sample two items from the catering menu. An ahi poke in a soy sauce infused waffle cone and bruschetta in a basil infused waffle. Both were delicious with outstanding presentation. These are several of the many options available for private events.

The first lunch dishes we sampled were three salads: the seared scallop salad with organic mix greens, rainbow quinoa salad, and red & golden beets salad with grilled peaches. Each of us had a favorite. I have always loved the way Scott's Seafood does scallops, so that one was my personal fave. The pomegranate molasses vinaigrette on the red & golden beets salad impressed everyone at the table.

Round two featured a Burrata with arugula and cherry tomatoes that was the best I have ever had in the South Bay. John said he only had better in Italy. If you like cheese even a little bit, this is a must-order dish.

We also tried a tuna poke with seaweed, cucumber, and wontons that was a more elaborate version of tuna cone we had earlier. However, the real star of this round was the squid ink croquette with calamari. The squid ink added a complex and briny flavor that went flawlessly with the croquette and added a dramatic color to the dish. It sounds a bit exotic but this is an appetizer that is likely to please anyone who likes calamari or crunchy fried foods (nearly everyone). The croquette was one of the more creative plates and was John's favorite dish.

Last but definitely not least, we got to try four signature lunch entrees. The Scott's Kobe Burger has to be a contender for the best burger Downtown. It features Snake River Ranch kobe beef, onion jam, duck bacon (!), arugula, pepper jack, and a truffle aioli. It's about as decadent as a burger can get, especially with the duck bacon and truffle aioli.

The lobster rigatoni was a combination of fresh rigatoni pasta, cherry tomatoes, Gruyere cheese, tarragon, bisque sauce and generous pieces of lobster. The halibut bouillabaisse lemon risotto was a more modern take on a Scott's classic with beautiful presentation.

Finally, our favorite was the lobster roll. It's pretty hard to find a great lobster roll in San Jose, this is it. The crispy and buttery bread with well-seasoned chunks of lobster smothered in shellfish bisque sauce--flawless. Beats Sam's Chowder House any day of the week.

If you have never been to Scott's or haven't been there in a while, we highly recommend trying the new items on the menu. Don't forget to check out the amazing patio while you're there.

Big thanks to John Huân Vũ for taking all of the photos.

For more info, menus, and reservations, head to the Scott's Seafood website over here.

Scott's Seafood

185 Park Ave

San Jose, CA 95113

www.scottsseafoodsj.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ScottsSeafoodSJ 

Playful People Productions Presents: Seusical JR and KIDS

Horton the Elephant, the Cat in the Hat and all of your favorite Dr. Seuss characters spring to life onstage in Seussical Kids and Seussical JR., a fantastical musical extravaganza from Tony-winners, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty.

Transporting audiences from the Jungle of Nool to the Circus McGurkus, the Cat in the Hat narrates the story of Horton the Elephant, who discovers a speck of dust containing tiny people called the Whos. Horton must protect the Whos from a world of naysayers and dangers, and he must also guard an abandoned egg that’s been left in his care by the irresponsible Mayzie La Bird.  Although Horton faces ridicule, danger and a trial, the intrepid Gertrude McFuzz never loses faith in him.  Ultimately, the powers of friendship, loyalty, family and community are challenged and emerge triumphant! You won’t want to miss this upbeat and hilarious show for children and adults alike!

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:

Seussical KIDS

Friday, October 26th - 7pm

Saturday, October 27th - 11am, 3pm and 7pm

Sunday, October 28th - 11am and 3pm

Seussical JR

Friday, November 2nd - 7pm

Saturday, November 3rd - 11am, 3pm and 7pm

Sunday, November 4th - 11am and 3pm

Tickets available at www.playfulpeople.net

$15 attendees 12 and up and  $10 children 11 and under

 

Tickets at the door (30 minutes prior to curtain)

$18 attendees 12 and up and $12 children 11 and under

 

For questions: Office.PlayfulPeople@gmail.com

Playful People is positive, inclusive, family theatre. 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 3-103

3rd Annual Little Italy San Jose Street Festival

The annual Little Italy San Jose Street Festival goes down this Sunday (Sep 30) from 11am to 7pm. Almost 25,000 people attended last year and this year could be even bigger. You can expect authentic Italian Cuisine, local bands, children's activities, Italian Arts & Crafts, and more info on the future Italian Museum & Cultural Center. The event will be a blast and admission is free!

Parking is available across the street at the County Social Services building on Julian. For more info, head over here.