Kristi Yamaguchi Downtown Ice returns for 15th season under the Circle of Palms

Downtown Ice returns this weekend bigger and better than before. To celebrate 15 years, the rink is going to get a fresh look with new boards, rail caps, and mats. This season it will stay open all the way until January 27th for the NHL All-Star weekend, which is hosted at the SAP Center starting January 25th.

Local Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi is also hosting a grand opening celebration on November 20th at 6pm. All of the details, hours, and costs are below. 

SAN JOSE – Kristi Yamaguchi Downtown Ice will be front and center during holiday, college football and hockey activities this extended skating season, which lasts from Nov. 16 through Jan. 27. The ice rink will be home to Downtown San Jose for the Holidays with partners Christmas in the Park and Winter Wonderland.  Combined, the three attractions attract more than 800,000 visitors.

To accommodate the College Football Playoff the first week of January, Christmas in the Park will close at midnight on Christmas; Winter Wonderland on Dec. 31 – while Plaza de Cesar Chavez transitions into the Championship Campus’ “Quad” area Dec. 26-Jan. 3.

The College Football Playoff Host Committee plans to utilize Downtown Ice and call it “Championship Ice” Jan. 4-7.  The rink will also have a different look for that week. The skating season stays open two weeks longer than normal – through Jan. 27 – for the NHL All-Star weekend starting Jan. 25, as the Sharks host the league’s best players at SAP Center.

With all the special events surrounding the rink, Downtown Ice has a bounty of new and national partners.  Say hello to new sponsors College Football Playoff Host Committee, Alaska Airlines, National Hockey League, San Jose Sports Authority, Google, Adobe and Amazon.

Swenson, PG&E, The Sobrato Organization, Wells Fargo, The Office of Cultural Affairs, the City of San Jose, Republic Services and Valley Transportation Authority return as loyal partners for this fun holiday family tradition.  Longtime media partners include Clear Channel Outdoor, Bay Area News Group, The Mercury News, Silicon Valley Community Newspapers, NBC Bay Area, Telemundo 48, El Observador, Mix and K-Bay and KQED.

Proceeds from the Dec. 16 Santa Run Silicon Valley also help support Downtown Ice and Christmas in the Park.  Sign up at santarunsv.com.

Also, as usual, the trees of the Circle of Palms will be lit with thousands of color-changing LED lights to delight skaters.

This will be Downtown Ice’s 15th year in the Circle of Palms.  To celebrate the milestone anniversary, the rink will have a fresh look this year, with new dasherboards, rail caps and ice mats, plus some new plumbing under the platform to provide a more efficient freeze.

Yamaguchi, the 1992 Olympic gold medal winner in women’s figure skating, will celebrate the opening of San Jose’s ice season with sponsors on Nov. 20 at 6 p.m.  Yamaguchi adds her name to support the rink for the eighth time, and her Always Dream Foundation will again be a rink beneficiary. Rink hours vary over the course of the season.  Events and Promotions Manager Amy Anderson has special events planned during the season.  Details are at downtownicesj.com, which has also been improved for mobile users.

More than 60,000 skaters and 120,000 of their friends are expected to visit the ice this season.  The rink generates more than $4 million in economic impact to San Jose.

During November, early December and after the holidays in January, Downtown Ice is open 5-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 5 p.m.-midnight on Friday; noon-midnight on Saturday; and noon-9 p.m. on Sunday.  During the winter break, the rink is open 11 a.m.-midnight daily.  Special hours apply to the holidays and may change around the big events.

The rink phone number is (408) 291-0525.  Parking information is at http://parksj.org.            

Kristi Yamaguchi Downtown Ice details

When:  Open daily Nov. 16, 2017 – Jan. 27, 2018 

                                    Nov. 16-17                  

Friday  5 p.m. - midnight
Saturday  noon - midnight

Nov. 18-25   

Sunday   noon - 9 p.m.

Monday - Tuesday 5 - 9 p.m.
Wednesday  2 p.m. - midnight

Thanksgiving  2 p.m. - midnight

Friday - Saturday 11 a.m. - midnight

Nov. 26–30
Monday - Thursday 5 - 9 p.m.
Friday   p.m. - midnight

                                    Dec. 1-19
                                    Saturday noon - midnight

Sunday noon - 10 p.m.

Monday - Thursday - 10 p.m.
Friday   p.m. - midnight

                                    Dec. 20–Jan. 7            
                                    Daily  11 a.m. - midnight

Christmas  2 p.m. - midnight
New Year’s Eve  11 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.

New Year’s Day  noon - midnight

Jan. 8–20 
Tuesday – Thursday  5 - 9 p.m.
Friday  5 p.m. - midnight
Saturday noon – midnight

Sunday  11 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Monday 5 - 9 p.m.

                                    Jan. 21–27                  
                                    Monday - MLK, Jr. Day 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Tuesday – Wednesday 5 - 9 p.m.
Thursday - Friday 5 p.m. - midnight
Saturday noon - midnight

Sunday . 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Admission:

Children 10 & younger, Seniors and Military: $15

11 years & older: $17

Bring your own skates: $10

Cash, Paypal, Visa and Mastercard accepted. Admission includes ice time and rental skates (skate sizes range from toddler 8 to men's 15). 

Skate all you want (no in-and-out privileges)/ First-come, first-serve.

Address (starting November 16):  120 S. Market St., San Jose, CA 95113

Phone: (408) 279-1775 (SJDA); (408) 610-4055 (rink starting Nov. 16)

November 2018 Downtown Dimension Highlights

The NOVEMBER 2018 Downtown Dimension is now available at:

https://sjdowntown.com/wp_2016/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/DTDNov2018.pdf
In this edition:

• $1 billion in downtown investment this past year shows no signs of slowing down as development proposals continue to pour in.  Here's a recap of just the past month. 
• Downtown Ice gets set to open Nov. 16. Another extended season includes the College Football Playoff and the NHL All-Star Game. Plus, for its 15th season at the Circle of Palms, you'll see new dashboards, features and sponsors.
• SJDA releases its annual financial summary - FY2017-18 was a record year for the Association.
• YOU are invited to SJDA's End-of-Year Meeting, Dec. 14, 8-9:30 a.m. at Hammer Theatre Center. Please reserve a seat at sjdarsvp@sjdowntown.com

Always available:

• Live and Local SJ supports live music in the center city.
• Traffic alerts keep up with lane and road closures and openings.
• Maps of downtown commercial property availability and development proposals.
• Boom City: SJDA's summary of new downtown building proposals and west side acquisitions.

Downtown Dimension is a leading source for information about downtown San Jose news, events and businesses.  Subscribe with a simple email to sjda@sjdowntown.com, subject line: Subscribe. 

For information about downtown events, also subscribe to Downtowner Online.

Santana Row Annual Tree Lighting

The holiday season is officially upon us and Santana Row is being lit up tomorrow. Their tree along with tens of thousands of other lights will illuminate the row. The event starts with a scavenger hunt at 3pm ($250 prize) followed by musical performances. The tree lighting ceremony starts at 7pm with the lighting itself happening at 7:30pm tomorrow.

For more info, head over here.

Veteran's Day 2018

Today is not only Veteran's Day, but is the 100th Anniversary of the end of World War I. There will be an event and parade honoring our veterans starting at 11am at Plaza de Cesar Chavez. The parade will begin at noon from the SAP Center and run from Santa Clara to Market street. For more info, here is the Facebook page for the event.

Downtown San Jose construction time-lapse (2012 - 2018)

David Cheung has created a cool time-lapse video of Downtown San Jose construction west of Santa Clara Street. The video spans from September 2012 all to August 2018 and features construction of One South Market, Centerra, Silvery Towers, and Modera. It is only 30 seconds long and you can check it out below.

Veggielution setting up outpost in Downtown San Jose

In 2008, Veggielution setup an impressive 6-acre urban farm at Emma Prusch Farm Park. The project payed homage to San Jose's agricultural roots and taught the community about fresh organic produce and farming (not to mention the results are super delicious).

Veggielution also has a behind-the-scenes operation that includes outreach, volunteer work, sponsorships, and paperwork. To support this side of the organization, they have decided to put down some roots at NextSpace Second Street in Downtown San Jose. This was made possible by the All Good Work Foundation, which places nonprofits into local coworking communities.

To learn more about Veggielution and the All Good Work Foundation, head over here.

Ford GoBike is Expanding in San Jose!

San Jose's GoBike network is about to get a whole lot larger. At least 20 new stations are being proposed for 2019, and you can have a say in where those stations go! The plan is to extend coverage to the greater Downtown area, North San Jose, and Berryessa. The details are below for the next Ford GoBike community workshop, which is on Thursday from 6-8pm at Joyce Ellington Library (491 E. Empire Street). This is your chance to participate in the expansion of our bikeshare network.

San Jose, CA - Ford GoBike is working with the San Jose Department of Transportation (SJ DOT), District 3 Councilmember Raul Peralez and community groups to expand the bike share network in San Jose. Expanding the Ford GoBike network in San Jose is vital for providing riders access to new neighborhoods and increase network reliability. Please join Ford GoBike and SJ DOT to learn more about the bike share expansion plans for next year!

We are holding a community workshop to collect public feedback on proposed station locations to ensure we are designing a network best suited for San Jose residents and businesses. We will have a classic and pedal-assist e-bike on display and will provide free giveaways and light refreshments at the event. RSVP here!

Meeting Details

Date: Thursday, November 8, 6-8pm

Location: Joyce Ellington Library, 491 E. Empire Street (between 10th and 11th), San Jose

How To Get There

• Closest Ford GoBike Station is Empire St at 7th St then walk 6 minutes to the library
• 65 VTA bus stop in front of the library
• There is a parking lot behind the library (accessible on 10th St and 11th St) and street parking is available

Neighborhoods We Will Be Covering

• Northside (6 proposed sites)
• Greater Downtown (5 proposed sites)
• Metro/Technology/1st/Gish (7 proposed sites)
• Berryessa BART (2 proposed sites)

To view proposed bikeshare locations in San Jose, please see the Ford GoBike Expansion Map. Please contact us at outreach@fordgobike.com if you have any questions or feedback on any of the proposed station locations. We hope to see you there!

South FIRST FRIDAYS San Jose art walk

Tomorrow from 7pm-11pm, almost two dozen art galleries will be open late for your enjoyment. Most are clustered in Downtown San Jose's SoFA neighborhood. Admission is free and all ages are welcome. To get a preview of what will be on display, just head over here.