Father's Day in San Jose

As a new father, I was curious what sort of events were happening this weekend but I thought I would put a twist on a standard post. For the first time I would ask AI what's happening for Father's Day in San Jose and see exactly how good the results are. I tested both Google's Bard and ChatGPT, and this was the best result (ChatGPT):

"Father’s Day is a special day to celebrate fathers and father figures. San Jose offers many weekend events to celebrate Father’s Day and pay homage to dads everywhere in the Silicon Valley. From free admissions to auto shows and foodie brunch or dinner, there are a lot of fun things to do in San Jose on Father’s Day that are sure to bring on the smiles to their face and create lasting memories! 

Here is a list of fun events and things to do in San Jose on Father’s Day

• Father’s Day Car Show at Bernal Church: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 19, 160 Bernal Road, San Jose. Celebrate Father’s Day at this spectacular car show complete with barbecue, live music.
• San Jose Giants vs. Modesto Nuts: 5 p.m. June 19, Excite Ballpark, 588 E. Alma Ave., San Jose.
• Father’s Day Brunch at The Fairmont San Jose: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 19, The Fairmont San Jose, 170 S. Market St., San Jose.
• Father’s Day Brunch at the Winchester Mystery House: 10 a.m. to noon June 19, Winchester Mystery House, 525 S Winchester Blvd., San Jose.
• Father’s Day Brunch at the Tech Museum of Innovation: 10 a.m. to noon June 19, The Tech Museum of Innovation, 201 S Market St., San Jose."

Damn, that was actually pretty good! Could I push my luck and generate an image for this post using AI as well? The answer to that is... not really. The image below is entirely AI generated and is almost convincing until you realize it's not San Jose, something funky is happening with the streetlights, and what's up with everyone's arms? Is that a claw? Is the father grabbing the girl by the head? Oh, the humanity... On that note, Happy Father's Day =)

San Pedro Square 2.0

One of the best changes to San Pedro Square during the pandemic was closing San Pedro Street to foot traffic. This greatly expanded outdoor seating and helped the neighborhood come alive. Now just about every single restaurant space on the street is leased and there are some great new comers like Gyukaku, Serious Dumpling, and Dr. Funk.

The next step is to create a permanent outdoor dining zone and pedestrian area. Last month the City Council approved a design that would provide 20 feet on both sides of the street for restaurant seating with a pedestrian walkway in the very middle that is about 20 feet wide.

The project would take 2-3 years and cost about $9.5 million, but given it is one of the most vibrant parts of Downtown San Jose today I think that's well worth it.

New Speakeasy coming to San Jose!

Another speakeasy bar could be coming to center of Downtown San Jose! Based on the render it looks like the underground bar could have a second area hidden in an old bank vault. 

The location is exceptional as it's close to other nightlife and is a short walk from everything. You have MINIBOSS, Paper Plane, 55 South, Temple Bar, and Five Points within two blocks--not to mention the whole Qmunity district and new spots like Goodtime Bar and the excellent Fox Tale Fermentation Project.

Below is the description from the sign. You'll have to zoom in quite a bit to see the layout. What a great way to make use of an underground space!

Project Description: Conditional Use Permit to allow a bar with late night use until 2:00am in the basement of an existing commercial building on an approximately 0.28-gross acre site.

Source: jgordo32 from the San Jose Development Forum

Naglee Park PorchFest returns June 17th, 3-7pm

The Naglee Park PorchFest brought together the neighborhood during the pandemic and is now returning on June 17th. This event turns porches, driveways, and lawns into stages for bands. The Campus Community Association and Messenger events organizes the bands, food trucks, and bathrooms but the real party is being hosted by the neighbors of Naglee Park.

In it's inaugural year--Summer 2020--bands were loaded onto trucks and paraded through the neighborhood while neighbors watched on their lawn. This year they have grown to 10 bands in 10 different locations which you can find on the map below.

It all does down this Saturday from 3-7pm on 12-14th Streets just south of Santa Clara Street.

Viva CalleSJ - Downtown Westbound

Viva Calle SJ is back for it's 2nd event of 2023! 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 Downtown Westbound features three activity hubs which are basically festivals-within-a-festival that highlight the local area. This time the activity hubs will be at San Carlos, Roosevelt Park, and SoFA. 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.

Viva CalleSJ 2022 takes place on Sunday, June 11th from 10am to 3pm (streets are closed until 4pm). There is no beginning or end and the traffic flows in both directions. It's completely free and you can use the handy map below to locate the routes and festivities. For more info, head over here.

Spirit Airlines begins flying from SJC today

Super low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines has officially begun service from SJC's Terminal A. They are starting with two flights per day to Las Vegas, one to San Diego, and another to Dallas Fort Worth. Unfortunately these are all routes that are currently being served by other airlines at San Jose International, but the competition will help drive prices down.

Ironically, travelers on San Jose's lowest cost carrier will have easy access to airport lounges as both of them at SJC are in Terminal A--One by gate A8 and another on the way to Terminal B around gate A15. You can enter for free with Priority Pass or buy a day pass to enjoy a meal and cocktails before your flight.

Spirit flights start at only $39 each way, but there are many potential upcharges such as baggage, selecting a seat, and even overhead-bin access.

Source: SVBJ

South FIRST FRIDAY (+ SubZERO) - June 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.

In addition to FIRST FRIDAYS it is also the 14th Annual SubZERO Festival. This spans from 5pm-11pm and includes nonstop live music, a beer garden, food trucks, and hundreds of vendors. The events are related so come and enjoy them both at the same time!

It all goes down this Friday, June 2nd and continues on Saturday, June 3rd. 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. Keep scrolling for SubZERO artists, musicians, and food trucks.

FEATURED ARTISTS

1Culture Gallery, Layla Aghaee, Alcala Designs, Rebecca Anguiano, Julie Barrett, Bay Area Glass Institute, Bay Maples Wild California Gardens, Purl Bailey (AKA Marilyn Roaf), The Blunt Letters, Bolo Vintage, Julianne Bonnet, Bungalow Glow Candle Co., Julie Cardenas + Sarah Mahoney, Classic Loot, Bre Contreras, Curious Shapes (Bryan Corbin), Crossroads Trading Co., Current Tattooing, Cypher Dance Company + K408, Nicolaus James Dalton, Jennifer DeChenne, Designs by Maureen, Eleventh Dimension Tattoo Arts (Ron Earhart , D-Rock, Michael Ascarie, Amber Joy) , Eraeon Designs, Ruben Escalante, Faded Visualz, Flow State Sound Healing & Arts,, Force129 + Betty Proper, Francisco Franco, Game Dev Club of SJSU, Cynthia Gonzalez, Heiko Greb, Hand in Hand Henna, Haptic Synapsis, Andrew Heine, Higher Fire Clay Space, House of Inanna Belly Dance Troupe, InterKinetic by SJSU CADRE, thejemalshow, Jodi408, La Madre Bruja, Lady of the Ocean Crafts, Land and Sky Fine Art, Trisha Leeper Productions, Rene Lorraine, Valentino Loyola + Inside Out Clothing, Luui Arts, Frankie Mcfly, Julianne McKay, Rayos Magos, Nicole Margaret, Laurus Myth, nizzotes, Ocelote Press (Jhovany De Ala), OaxaCali Studios (Dario Cruz + Steve Gonzalez), Tania Okay, Gianfranco Paolozzi + Emmanuel Cervantes-Mejía, Francisco Ramirez, Random Marks the Art of Doug Edwards, Joseph Richardson, Mason Roberts Artist, Rene Schilling-Sears, StageOne Creative Space, Suha Suha, Sujata Tibrewala, Eric Vasquez, VMGC Designs, Heylu Wheat

LIVE MUSIC

—> DAY 1: FIRST FRIDAY, JUNE 2nd

MAIN Stage

(South 1st St. btwn San Carlos & San Salvador St.)

with Stage Poet & Emcee “Mighty” Mike McGee

6:15pm Douglas Von Irvin’s Carnival 

Unique brand of Rock & Roll called “Monster Garage Pop”

7:30pm Silent Pictures

A mix of beachy reverb-jangle, big choruses, swirling strings & more

8:45pm Hyperdrive Kittens

Punkabilly, Burlesque Pop Punk originals. #GlitterPunk

10:00pm O’Craven

High-charged Celtic Pirate Rock

BEER GARDEN Stage

(Located at the corner of S. 1st St. and William St.)

7:00-7:45pm In the Ponds (San Jose)

Instrumental post-rock with ambient vibes and a shot of heavy blues. 

With great music provided by Flipside Crew from 5-11pm

featuring Dougie, Jswizza, No Way Jose & Notorious P.I.G.

—> DAY 2: SATURDAY, JUNE 3rd

Main Stage:

(South 1st St. btwn San Carlos & San Salvador St.)

with Stage Poet & Emcee “Mighty” Mike McGee

6:15pm Mothers Against the Future

MATF is a 3 piece hard rock band that combines elements of grunge, punk, and friendship

7:30pm Dogcatcher

Combines elements of indie rock, soul music, and Americana.

8:45pm Mayya

Inspired by anyone who is unapologetically themselves and aspires to create a positive environment through her melodic, energetic music.

10:00pm The Trims

Indie/Dance/Post-Punk 

—> Beer Garden Stage:

(Located at the corner of S. 1st St. and William St.)7:00-7:45pm Swords of Fatima (Los Angeles)

Many worlds converge into their sound morphing your ideas of Rock or Punk

With great music provided by Flipside Crew from 5-11pm

featuring Dougie, Jswizza, No Way Jose & Notorious P.I.G. 

BEER GARDEN & FOOD TRUCKS

On Tap…

Camino Brewing Co.

Fox Tale Fermentation

21st Amendment Brewing

and more...

plus…

3 Brothers Kitchen

3 Hermanos Mexican Grill

Akita Gourmet Sushi

Chickn Bros.

Road Dogs

40th San Jose Fountain Blues & Brews Festival

Get ready for the 40th San Jose Fountain Blues & Brews Festival, the ultimate celebration of music, beer, and community on June 17th at Plaza de Cesar Chavez Park! This year's festival is set to feature an amazing lineup of world-class blues musicians, including The Devon Allman Project featuring Larry McCray & Jimmy Hall (Wet Willie) “In the Spirit of the Allman Brothers”, Chris Cain Band, Diunna Greenleaf Band, and Andre Thierry & His Accordion Soul Music.

But that's not all - in addition to the incredible music, you can enjoy a wide selection of beers from over 40 craft breweries and delicious food options.

There’s $25 GA tickets and $85 VIP tickets that provide a seat in a shaded section located near the stage, along with exclusive access to a private bar and flushable toilets. Additionally, the package comes with two drink vouchers and a commemorative 40th San Jose Fountain Blues & Brews Festival t-shirt.

Get your tickets now and visit fountainblues.com/festival for more information. Don't miss out on the 40th San Jose Fountain Blues & Brews Festival!