The San Jose Blog's 14th Anniversary

Time for a personal post! The past several years have been a rollercoaster ride. Both the ups and downs have made it challenging to post on the blog regularly. Fortunately the last two and a half years have been mostly ups. I travelled all around the world, met the love of my life (our first date was in Downtown San Jose), we got married, and as of literally a couple weeks ago we have a new addition to our family named Ava. 

After I get used to the sleep depravation, I promise that I will go back to posting more regularly. However, the lens with which I view San Jose will change to be a bit more family oriented. I'll be more likely to highlight the newest playground versus the hottest craft cocktail bar. 

I just want everyone to know that my heart is still in San Jose and I'll be committed to help promote our city even as my life circumstances change. Hopefully my daughter will appreciate San Jose as much as I do!

P.S. The San Jose Blog just got it's 5 millionth visit! Thank you to everyone that has supported the Blog over the years. Hat tip to Jennifer Bullock who sent Ava the onesie below!

South FIRST FRIDAY - May 2023

South FIRST FRIDAYS is back this week with multiple galleries (both permanent and temporary) open from at least 5-9pm. Participating venues include ANNO DOMINI, the Institute of Contemporary Art, KALEID Gallery, Works San Jose, the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, the SoFA Market, MACLA, Art Ark Gallery, MACHU PICCHU, Natural Do Salon, 1Culture, and Chopsticks Alley Gallery.

It all goes down this Friday, May 6th. Admission is free and all ages are welcome. Click here for a preview of featured art! Below is a map with all of the galleries to check out across three different districts. 

Discounts for SJSU Students

Did you know that San Jose State University students have access to discounts at businesses throughout Downtown San Jose? Some examples are 25% off Nirvana Soul (one of the best coffee spots Downtown); 20% off Axe-Men Axe Throwing, Mezcal, Plantlush, and Sushi Confidential; or how about 15% off Hotel Clariana and WhyHotel. All you need to do is show your SJSU ID.

To see a full list of discounts, head to the San Jose Downtown Association SJSU page over here.

Viva CalleSJ Willow To Roses on April 23rd

Viva Calle SJ is one of San Jose's largest and most unique events. Miles of city streets will be completely shut down to let people walk, run, bike, unicycle, or skateboard down the streets of San Jose. 

Viva Calle Willow To Roses features multiple activity hubs which are basically festivals-within-a-festival that highlight the local area. This year the activity hubs will be at San Jose State University, Downtown Willow Glen, and the Municipal Rose Garden. You can expect live music, vendors, food, activities, bike parking, and good times at all four hubs. In between the activity hubs you will still find all sorts of interesting stops, hydration stations, and stores. Up to 100,000 people attend this event, but it never feels crowded given how spread out it is.

It's crazy to think that during this event it's feasible to walk from Downtown Willow Glen to Downtown San Jose, or vice versa since there is no beginning or end and the traffic flows in both directions. 

Viva CalleSJ 2022 takes place on Sunday, April 23rd from 10am to 3pm (streets are closed until 4pm). It is completely free and you can use the handy map below to locate the routes and festivities. For more info, head over here. Hope to see you there!

Bay Area's first Portugal Restaurant Week! April 17th - April 24th

As a Portuguese-American it used to be a huge challenge to even find Portuguese food at restaurants in the Bay Area. Once Sousa's Restaurant (Azorean Portuguese) on Santa Clara Street closed down, there wasn't a single proper sit-down Portuguese restaurant in San Jose.

Fast forward to today and it's a different story. The first and only Michelin Star restaurant in San Jose and the only Portuguese restaurant with a star in the United States is ADEGA--coincidentally in the same East San Jose retail spot as Sousa's used to be. One of the hottest Downtown San Jose restaurants is Petiscos. Then you have Uma Case in SF, LaSalette in Sonoma, and Tasca Tasca also in Sonoma. There are also outstanding Portuguese-influenced restaurants popping up like Broma in Mountain View (with a Michelin Star chef from Chez TJ).

A celebration of these restaurants kicks off today with the Bay Area's first-ever Portugal Restaurant Week. Special discounted multi-course menus will be available at Adega, Petiscos, Uma Casa, La Salete, and Tasca Tasca. Now's the time if you have yet to experience Portuguese food, which is best served family-style with wide varieties of things to try. You can't go wrong with any of the five options, but please support our San Jose restaurants so they stick around for a long, long time. 

For more info and menus, head over to the Portugal Week site over here! The event only runs until April 24th.

April 2023 Downtown Dimension Highlights

Read the APRIL 2023 Downtown Dimension
 
This month's highlights:

• SJDA's Street Life team plans to take strategic action that brightens downtown streets with enhanced lighting features meant to appeal to pedestrians, help them feel more comfortable and connect the more active parts of downtown that already exhibit nighttime vibrancy.
• Spirits are high as downtown's outdoor event season opens this month in San Jose with Viva Calle on April 23 and MACLA Family Art Day / SoFA Street Fair doubling up on April 30.
• Five ideas that would contribute to downtown's revitalization are winding their way through the City's budget process for Fiscal Year 2023-24, which begins in July.
• Brenda Zendejas assists with Business Resiliency in Downtown and Alum Rock areas.
• Javier Montoya becomes Groundwerx's first full-time painter.
• Hula Bar and Kitchen, which made its name with food trucks and as stadium food vendors, has opened its first full-time locations on East Santa Clara Street.

South FIRST FRIDAY - April 2023

South FIRST FRIDAYS is back this week with multiple galleries (both permanent and temporary) open from at least 5-9pm. Participating venues include ANNO DOMINI, the Institute of Contemporary Art, KALEID Gallery, Works San Jose, the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, the SoFA Market, MACLA, Art Ark Gallery, MACHU PICCHU, Natural Do Salon, 1Culture, and Chopsticks Alley Gallery.

One special stop on the art crawl I'd like to highlight this month is Opera San Jose. They are celebrating the launch of Puccini's Tosca and will have a rare sneak peek at rehearsals during South FIRST FRIDAYS! Performances will take place at 5:45pm, 6:45pm, and 7:45pm.

It all goes down this Friday, April 7th. Admission is free and all ages are welcome. Click here for a preview of featured art! Below is a map with all of the galleries to check out across three different districts. 

SJSU planning massive housing project

San Jose State University is about to embark on part 3 of their "Campus Village" projects. This would replace the Washburn Hall and Joe West Hall dorms with two new towers that would have 1,007 student beds, a dining hall for up to 900 students, and a new SJSU welcome center. The University is still raising funding for the project--which will cost a whopping $334M. 

However, this isn't the only San Jose State housing project on the horizon. A 24-story residential tower for up to 1,000 residents (most of which will be SJSU grad students, faculty, and staff) is being planned next to the Hammer Theater. This project is called the Alquist and it will clock in at $750 million.

If all goes well, both projects should be complete in 2027.

Source: SVBJ