Hobee's beer garden coming to Downtown San Jose

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."

I was really bummed when Ludwig's German Table closed their doors after just a few years in business. They were one of my favorite restaurants Downtown and were beautifully integrated with a historic German hall. They also had hands-down one of the best outdoor dining spaces in San Jose. 

Fortunately, a new restaurant is already planning to move into Ludwig's old space and it's a Silicon Valley favorite--Hobee's. However, it will have a special twist. Unlike any other Hobee's location they are going to have a full-fledged beer garden with craft and local beers. This will likely bring a whole new crowd and expand the brand outside the breakfast and lunch options that made them a local favorite.

As for the German hall in the background, some fun facts are that the building was originally a symphony hall in the 1890s and then became Germania Hall in 1923. It is owned by Germania Verein and events are still hosted there to this day. 

Source: The Merc

San Jose seeks freedom from the San Francisco Giants

Here is some fun history. San Jose used to be part of the Oakland A's territory. When the San Francisco Giants were interested in building a ballpark in San Jose in the 90s, the A's kindly gifted them the territory so that the team could build a new ballpark in San Jose. That's called good sportsmanship.

The project fell through and after many years, the A's were interested in building their own stadium in Downtown San Jose. In an ironic twist, the Giants refused to give them back the territorial rights that were originally given to them for free.

Now, the Bay Area will very likely end up losing the A's and having only a single team for over 8 million people. In the process, San Jose will continue to be held hostage by archaic territorial rights. These will remove any future possibility of us hosting a professional baseball team of our own--whether it is a team looking to relocate or an expansion team.

Mayor Matt Mahan is now the fifth mayor writing to the MLB Commission to abandon these ridiculous territorial claims. San Jose is the only major city in North America that is not allowed to have their own pro baseball team. For more details, click the source link below.

Source: ABC7News

San Jose Obon Festival in Japantown this weekend!

The San Jose Obon Festival 2023 is a celebration of Japanese culture and heritage that takes place every summer in the heart of San Jose's Japantown (one of only three remaining in the US). 

This year, the festival will be held on July 8th and 9th, from 11 am to 10 pm, and will feature traditional music, dance, food, crafts, games, and more. The highlight of the festival is the Obon Odori, a folk dance that honors the spirits of the ancestors. Everyone is welcome to join in the dance, which starts at 7:30 pm on Saturday and 6pm on Sunday. 

The festival is organized by the San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin and is supported by many volunteers and sponsors. Come and experience the joy and beauty of Obon, a time to remember and celebrate our loved ones and our community.

This is the the largest annual festival in San Jose's Japantown and you can easily find it on 5th Street between Taylor and Jackson Streets. For more details, head over here.

4th of July Fireworks Shows 🎆🎇

Have a happy and safe 4th everyone! Below are all of the Silicon Valley fireworks shows scheduled tonight:

Source: Santa Clara County Fire

Fighting drug use in Downtown San Jose

We absolutely cannot let Downtown San Jose turning into the hellhole that Downtown San Francisco has become when it comes to crime and drug use. I was very please to see Mayor Matt Mahan's proactive approach to this problem and I think this letter below is spot on.  Downtown must be safe for businesses, residents, and visitors. Drug use or sales in front of businesses like 7eleven is completely unacceptable. 

Some businesses are already trusting that things will improve and are coming back to life--such as the bakery Holy Cannoli on Santa Clara Street. Actions speak louder than words, so hopefully we can all work together to make San Jose a better place.

Dear Neighbor, 

Last week, Police Chief Mata, the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office and I made something very clear: San Jose has a zero-tolerance policy for drug dealing.

This collaboration and commitment to safety is how we will continue to make sure our families are safe, and those struggling with addiction get the care they need to curb their addiction. 

After this announcement, we heard some good news. Holy Cannoli, a bakery on Santa Clara St., said that they will be reopening because our message gave them hope that downtown will be safer and more customer-friendly in the days ahead. Our back-to-basics focus on safety is giving some of our downtown business owners the confidence they need to continue operating. 

But what does a zero-tolerance policy really mean? 

It means we will respond, respond appropriately and respond at once to prevent any congregation of drug use or sales. It means that those who are dealing drugs in our city will be arrested and prosecuted. It means that those who are addicted to drugs will be held accountable for getting treatment, especially when their addiction is associated with other crimes. We need to work together to make this happen. 

The Chief, Sheriff and I can’t solve this problem alone. 

We need you. We need every member of the community to be vigilant, and report illegal behavior to our police department by calling 911. Our officers can’t be everywhere at once, but our neighbors already are. 

We need the District Attorney to prosecute dealers, and those who are repeatedly committing crime because of their addiction – and DA Rosen has told me that this is a priority for him. 

We need Santa Clara County to create a secure in-patient treatment facility for those whose addiction is leading them to repeated criminal behavior so that judges can hold them accountable for detoxing and getting treatment. We also need more voluntary treatment options to reduce demand for drugs more broadly and give people the support they need to improve their lives.

We need our state representatives to support common sense reforms like SB43. This legislation will expand conservatorship laws by changing the definition of gravely disabled to include those who are unable to care for themselves due to mental illness or severe addiction. This is an incredibly important tool that will allow us to mandate treatment for those who are beyond the point at which they can make rational decisions for themselves. 

By collaborating to tackle both the supply and demand side of drug dealing, we will put ourselves on the path to being the safest big city in the country again. 

Sincerely,

Mayor, City of San José

One of my favorite quotes about Downtown San Jose

This Silicon Valley Business Journal article came out almost two years ago, yet I've kept it bookmarked all this time as it has one of my all-time favorite comments about Downtown San Jose. It comes from Gary Dillabough, a real estate investor with Urban Communities working on multiple projects throughout Downtown San Jose--including the Paseo project mentioned over the weekend.

“You need to change people’s mindsets because I think a lot of the mindset here is that ‘pretty good is OK.’ And that San Jose is, ‘we’re just a second-tier city, and for us to think of being a top-tier city is a little too aspirational.’ I think that’s absolutely incorrect. When you really look at all the infrastructure, the people, the companies, the weather — the list goes on and on — this should truly be one of the country’s greatest cities.

Jeff (Arrillaga) and I are spending a lot of time just trying to help people think about it: Just don’t be ‘pretty good’ — let’s be exceptional. I think you start with that vision, then you have a mindset, and then how do you start to create some momentum?" 

-Gary Dillabough interviewed by J. Jennings Moss

This still resonates in 2023. Despite the pandemic, the collapse of the commercial real estate market, and all of the other reasons why Downtown San Jose should have failed year-after-year... a chance at true success has never felt closer. The quality of the projects being proposed far exceeds what we were seeing 10 or 20 years ago, and something about Downtown's brand is just different. We're not trying to be San Francisco or even Palo Alto. Proprietors, artists, and restauranteurs are trying to build things that are exceptional and uniquely San Jose. It's okay to be aspirational and there is no need to be like X or Y. San Jose is a city litteraly built around innovation, all we have to do is be ourselves.

Starlight Cinemas

Outdoor movies are heading back to St. James Park this summer staring July 1st with Mean Girls. This event is free, just bring a chair or blanket to the park. July 15th will feature Ferris Bueller's Day Off, then Moana on July 29th and Back to the Future on August 5th will close out the series.

Showtime is around 8:30pm. There are also pre-movie activities like lawn games at 7:30pm on July 1st and July 15th and 7pm on July 29th and August 5th.

For more info head over here.

"NUDES" designed a rainwater harvesting tower for San Jose

A company called NUDES created an insane looking concept for the Guadalupe River Park. This was one of the design competition entries for Urban Confluence's project to bring a new landmark to San Jose.

The general idea is that the 200ft tower would catch and transport water into a shallow rainwater harvesting pool which would also somehow be connected to the neighboring Guadalupe River. It would also serve as a public space and event venue focused around water conservation and climate change.

While the chances of this coming to fruition are close to nil, it's a great example of how you can create a stunning structure while staying within San Jose's height requirements do to the airport.

Source: Jawz, Designboom