27th Annual Pumpkins in the Park in Downtown San Jose

Are you looking for a fun and family-friendly way to celebrate the fall season in San Jose? If so, you won’t want to miss the 27th annual Pumpkins in the Park festival, hosted by the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy. This event is a family-friendly harvest festival that brings thousands of visitors to enjoy a variety of activities and entertainment, while also raising awareness about one of our region’s unique natural resources, the Guadalupe River Park.

Pumpkins in the Park is a free event that takes place on today from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at Discovery Meadow in downtown San Jose. The festival features a giant pumpkin patch, where you can pick your own pumpkin and decorate it with paints and stickers. You can also enjoy live music, dance performances, puppet shows, and storytelling on two stages. There are also plenty of games and crafts for kids of all ages, such as pumpkin bowling, ring toss, bean bag toss, and face painting. You can also bounce around in inflatable slides and obstacle courses, or take a ride on a trackless train. If you get hungry, you can visit the food trucks and vendors that offer a variety of delicious options, such as pizza, tacos, burgers, ice cream, and more.

The festival aims to promote the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy, which is a nonprofit organization that manages and advocates for the Guadalupe River Park and Gardens. The Guadalupe River Park is a three-mile ribbon of parkland that runs along the banks of the Guadalupe River in the heart of downtown San Jose. It offers scenic views, recreational opportunities, environmental education, and cultural attractions for the community. The Guadalupe River Park Conservancy works to preserve and enhance this natural resource, as well as to engage people in its stewardship and enjoyment.

For more information head over here.

Día de los Muertos at the Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose

Día de los Muertos honors the lives of departed ancestors and loved ones. The Children's Discovery Museum is throwing a special event on October 28th for visitors to learn more about Día de los Muertos. Attendees will also be able to make sand paintings with stencils, build cardboard skulls, and watch a parade with massive skeleton puppets led by Teatro Familia Aztlán.

Visitors can also write down the names of loved ones who have passed and bring personal mementos to share on a community altar. The event takes place between 9:30am to 12:30pm and 1:30pm to 4:30pm on Saturday, October 28th.

Source: The Merc

San Jose Downtown Association Annual Meeting

The San Jose Downtown Association is having their annual meeting this Friday from 8-9:30am at the Hammer Theater, 101 Paseo de San Antonio.

The agenda includes SJDA CEO Alex Stettinski's Downtown Address, financial reports, committee reports, and election of new board members. It's always a interesting meeting discussing the biggest news impacting Downtown San Jose (plus they have delicious muffins).

You can register for free over here.

Student Housing tower at 100 North 4th Street moving forward to environmental review

Another Downtown San Jose high-rise is getting closer to becoming reality. A 23-story tower designed for student housing near San Jose State University has published its initial environmental study. 

The tower would have 1,424 beds, which means another 1,424 people in Downtown San Jose right behind MIRO and City Hall. Units are split between 147 two-bedrooms, 105 three-bedrooms, and 78 four-bedrooms. Each apartment has one bathroom for every bedroom.

100 North 4th is 270 feet tall and comes in at 703,360 SQFT. There is a retail component, but it is just a single 8,420 SQFT space, which is quite large for an undivided unit. It would accommodate a restaurant the size of Rollati, but I imagine it would be something student-focused.

There is also 21,900 SQFT of common open space (including homework rooms every other floor), and a four-story podium parking garage for 287 cars and 426 bicycles.

While targeted towards students, they cannot restrict who occupies the building similar to The Grad. This type of project can be a really great value for young people that are just starting out in their careers. The apartments are furnished and include most utilities. You can also likely get by without a car in Downtown San Jose. 

These co-living upscale dorm projects are rare in San Jose but I hope we see more of them. It's one possible solution for adding large amounts of low-cost(ish) housing in our urban core and it happens to be a couple blocks away from a future BART station.

Source: SF YIMBY

Downtown San Jose getting not one, but two new underground Speakeasy's

Little Italy San Jose is about to open the Italian Cellar, an underground Speakeasy-style bar that is part of the brand new Italian Museum & Cultural Center. The bar will specialize in cocktails such as the Aperol Spritz, Old Fashioned, and Espresso Martini as well as Italian beers and wines. The soft opening is on Thursday, October 12th.

Downtown San Jose's newest neighborhood has expanded quite a bit recently, and also include a relocated Poor House Bistro and Littlest Little Italy collection of eateries and market. However, this won't be the only Speakeasy coming to Downtown San Jose.

An empty corner at 2 W. Santa Clara street will be getting an underground bar partially inside of an old bank vault. Not a lot of details on this yet, but there is a permit application on the window.

Safeway next to Valley Fair Mall finally closing, perhaps opening up expansion opportunities

After 67 years, the anachronistic-looking Safeway next to Valley Fair mall is finally closing. It was only a matter of time given how valuable this land is and how unusual it is to have a Safeway right next to the most successful mall in California.

This opens a pretty significant expansion opportunity for the mall, which has been on a roll with both retail stores and experiences for visitors such as a high-end cinema, bowling, escape games, and foodie destinations like Eataly, Din Tai Fung, and Baekjeong. Perhaps the location could be used to push out Macy's Men's and extend the newest wing. This area is filled with premium outdoor dining, luxury retailers like Lucid Motors and new flagship stores (Apple, Burberry). While most malls are struggling, Valley Fair and Santana Row are both thriving, so now would be a great time to continue to invest.

As for the Safeway employees, they will all be given options to move to other stores in the area.

Source: SFGATE

Santana Row Halloween Family Fest - Oct 24th

Halloween Family Fest is a kid-friendly event featuring trick-or-treating, pumpkin decorating, live music, stilt walkers, and arts & crafts at Santana Row. Families should bring their Trick-or-Treat bags and costumes. As an added bonus, kids will eat for free at LB Steak and Left Bank.

Santana Row Halloween Family Fest takes place Tuesday, October 24th from 10am to noon.

VeggieFest 2023 in Downtown San Jose Today 🥕

Today from 11am to 5pm in Plaza de Cesar Chavez you can experience a celebration of healthy and sustainable living. There is a lot going on including live music, arts & crafts, and of course fresh veggies to eat. I've posted all of the details below. 

Tickets are free and available here.

🌿 San Jose VeggieFest 2023: A Celebration of Healthy and Sustainable Living 🌿

Join us for a day filled with joy, flavor, and community at San Jose VeggieFest! With an inclusive theme that embraces healthy living, sustainability, community engagement, local economic support, and cultural celebration, we are thrilled to host a day that brings people together for a common cause.

🎶 Featuring Las Cafeteras: Join us for a soul-stirring performance by Las Cafeteras, a band renowned for their infectious blend of Afro-Mexican beats, rhythms, and rhymes. Las Cafeteras' meaningful lyrics tell stories of social justice, community, and celebration, resonating with the core values of VeggieFest. Their music creates connections across cultures and generations, promising an inspiring and unforgettable experience at San Jose VeggieFest 2023!

🥦 What to Expect

Promoting Healthy Living: Explore a variety of mouthwatering plant-based foods and beverages that encourage healthier dietary choices.

Community Engagement: Enjoy live entertainment and connect with individuals from all backgrounds.

Economic Support for Local Businesses: Discover local small businesses that share the event's values.

Cultural Celebration: Engage in multicultural performances and diverse culinary offerings.

🎉 Confirmed Participants:

Food & Beverage : Azalea's Creations, Açaí do Amazonas, Casita Vegana SF, Churros El Guero, Green Flour Bakery, Green Wolf Foods, Jaguar Baker, The Giving Pies, The Lemonade Bar, Souley Vegan Food, Juice Alize, and many more!

Education & Community Services: Evergreen Valley College, Fresh Approach, CAL FIRE, California Highway Patrol, SCC Public Health, Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, Elected Representatives, and more!

Art & Crafts: Art Pocket SJ, Beaux Nails, Bethinketh LLC, Eminence Candle, Harji Naturals LLC, Ivy Indigo, Jellybee Jewelry, Luna Glow, Sacred Source, SuccsLife, The Source Zero, and more!

🎟️ Tickets: FREE ENTRY!! Please register through Eventbrite, will be scanning tickets at entrance.

Free entry for all ages!

📢 Join Us:

Be part of this joyful and meaningful event that brings together our community for a day of fun, learning, and connection. Whether you're a vegan food lover, an environmental enthusiast, or simply someone who enjoys a great gathering, San Jose VeggieFest is the place to be.

For more information, please contact Juan Rodriguez at Juan.Rodriguez@asm.ca.gov