The San Jose Blog

01SJ: Oglala Oyate (Sister City Cam)

2010-09-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

Another cool 01SJ public art piece that will be up during the festival is called Oglala Oyate and will provide a look at what our sister cities are up to around the globe. I wouldn't mind if this one was up all year round. You can find it at the corner of San Carlos and 1st Street on the side of the UFCW Local 5 building.

The Usuals Expansion + Streetbot

2010-09-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

While is hasn't been around for very long, The Usuals (1020 The Alameda) has already expanded into an adjacent space allowing for more clothing/accessories, new dressing rooms, and plenty more local art. Another bit of interesting news is that they're partnering up with Treatbot (Awesome Karaoke Ice Cream Truck) on a new concept called Streatbot, which you can think of as a food truck without the food and with lots of local clothing and art instead. Here are some pics from the last party the Usuals threw (What's that? The clothing stores you shop at don't throw parties with free food and music? Maybe it's time to find a new clothing store).

01SJ: Particle Falls

2010-09-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

One of the many public artworks coming to Downtown San Jose during the 01SJ festival is called Particle Falls. This dynamic 8-story tall art piece displays a real time visualization of particulate pollution in the San Fernando Corridor. It can go from a trickle to a full blown waterfall depending on the amount of pollution in the air.

Sean Boyle Art Show

2010-09-07T18:41:00.000-07:00

Come celebrate 10 years of a local artist's work with music, food, and of course some great company. Full details after the banner.

Sean Boyle's biggest show

to date on Sept. 10th!

Come out the 2nd Friday of September.

There's going to be a ton of art, tacos, popsicles and music by DJ Cutso of the Bangerz.

Featuring a new free standing mural consisting of 21 doors and a collection of

current work and art dating back to 2000.

The Mmoon Sneak Peak!

2010-09-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

Last week I was fortunate enough to get a preview of The Mmoon Empanadas... and I think we have a real winner on our hands! My personal favorite was the Beef Tri-tip empanada dipped in an Argentinian chimichurri sause. My wife couldn't get enough of the Banapple empanada. To take a look at the full menu, just head over here.

There's still some work to do before the restaurant officially opens its doors, but some nice San Jose touches like local digital art and a live twitter feed were already hung up on the wall and functional. Currently, they're shooting for a mid-September opening. In the meantime you can enjoy a few photos from the preview night:

September 2010 Downtown Dimension Highlights

2010-09-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

Here are my notes from the latest edition of Downtown Dimension:

The holidays are coming up soon and the new official name of the downtown ice rink will be Hawaiian Airlines / Kristi Yamaguchi Downtown Ice.
The San Pedro Square Urban Market will now launch in Q1 2011 [I should have names of some tenants in 1-2 weeks, construction should be done in December]
Henry's World Famous Hi-Life celebrates its 50th anniversary (for 2 days in August the owner rolled back prices to 1960).
Andy's Pet Shop is coming back! Formerly in a 4,000sqft store on the Alameda, they will open up in a new 9,000sqft location at 51 Notre Dame (near San Pedro Square and Little Italy). The famous neon sign is returning as well.
As previously reported, Second Street Tavern + Bowl is coming to the ground floor of the Globe. Games will cost about $3 and hourly lane rental will range from $25-45.
Satori Tea (phenomenal teas here) is open at 37 N. San Pedro.
Pho 69 adds Vietnamese noodles to SoFA @ 321 S. First St.
Polar Ice is now offering yogurt, gelato, smoothies, and boba at 96 E. San Salvador St.
Whipp's Frozen Fruits & Deserts has frozen cups made entirely of fruit over at 110 E. San Fernando.
Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt is open at 567 Coleman across from Chili's.
Higher Fire Clayspace & Gallery opened its doors at 499 S. Market St. in SoFA [very cool place, they are a new addition to the South First Fridays art crawl]
01SJ is coming Sep. 16-19, showcasing 100+ artists from 21 countries. Many of the technology-oriented outdoor pieces will be up until at least November.
The San Jose Mariachi Festival will take place from Sep. 15-26.
The Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon will attract thousands of participants during its stretch from Oct. 1-3
Property owners are following in Groundwerx's footsteps and beautifying the space around their businesses. The areas near the Comerica building, Market Street Tower Venture, and Original Joe's have all been improved by business owners. The SJDA is more than happy to help any downtown businesses that would like to improve their sidewalk space (Contact Eric at 408-590-0241)
SJSU ranked 14th among the West's top public universities and the College of Engineering ranked 7th in the nation among public engineering programs.

To read the full newsletter, click here!

2010 01SJ Biennial Promo

2010-09-05T00:53:00.000-07:00

ZER01 is coming very soon and represents the art forms that will differentiate San Jose's art scene from other cosmopolitan cities across the world. We're talking about art that's innovative, dynamic, interactive, eclectic, thought-provoking, and fun. Much more info to come, but let's start with the teaser video below:

SJBJ: San Jose office park will be transformed into 89 homes

2010-09-04T14:54:00.000-07:00

According to the San Jose Business Journal, it looks like 16 acres of office park are going to be razed to make room for 89 detached homes in Almaden Valley. Not a bad idea given the 10 million or so square feet of vacant office space in San Jose right now. The builder also plans on restoring four acres of habitat next to the Guadalupe Creek. Fore more details, head right over here or here.

South First Friday + Street Market TODAY

2010-09-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

Another awesome South First Friday is coming your way today, and it will be the last one of the year to be accompanied by a full blown street market! It all goes down at 7pm and stretches until the wee hours of the morning. More details below:

South FIRST FRIDAYS + STREET MRKT Sept. 3rd

from Phantom Galleries by Cherri Lakey

The South FIRST FRIDAYS art walk + STREET MRKT is this Friday, September 3rd! It all kicks off at 7pm and goes 'til late!
Here's some highlights from KALEID Gallery and Phantom Galleries coordinated exhibits:

Coexist & Bisect Two new manifestations by René Lorraine
René Lorraine's latest work is a fascinating take on man coexisting with unfamiliar species, ideals, and life styes that one may find on this earth. Coexist deals with embracing differences between souls and the shells they reside in, and is an unbeatable experience involving a harmonious dance between crisp clean line, and free-flowing watercolor pigments. Bisect is about the challenges one person may have desiring two very different life styles. The delicate graphite mimic's the fine line of having balance and not.
René Lorraine is a graduate of San Jose State University with a BFA in Pictorial Arts, and an A.A in Painting.

Shadows of Light, from the Hidden Sun A vision of the Authentic self by Ras Lowe.
This Art message is about deep personal inner visions, a progressive transmission of sacred information for the 21st. century, from the ancient temples of Egypt, to the jungles of Holy Peru. Remembering every moment in Life is a gift, and is precious, not to be wasted.
Ras Lowe is a graduate from San Jose State University, MA, Urban Planning, and BA, in Black Studies-( African American Studies) He has lived in San Jose since 1969 and is retired currently teaching (Japanese Swordsmanship) Ken-do at SJSU.
(7-9pm) KALEID Gallery
88 South Fourth Street
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Opening Reception: Scrap Facet by Sandi Billingsley
A collection of distinctive monochrome portraiture on rescued & re purposed material.
Good Karma Cafe
37 South First Street
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Opening reception of Gravity by artist Valerie Runningwolf
New encaustic works as well as mixed- media pieces that are of traditional and contemporary ideas that awaken and encourage exploration.
First Fridays are Opera Night! at Caffé Trieste with some of the Bay Area’s best opera singers performing your favorite arias and duets.
Caffe Trieste
315 South First Street
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On view: Freedom. Experience Reality. by abstract artist Nathan Belomy
Phantom Galleries Location: 386 South First Street
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This Friday is also the last STREET MRKT of the season! Live music by Sean Hayes, Lisa Dewey & Lotus Life, and Jhameel plus 40 regional artists and indie vendors 7pm-11pm out on South First Street between San Carlos & San Salvador streets.

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For full listings of all participating venues including Anno Domini, MACLA, San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, South First Billiards, SLG Art Boutiki, Higher Fire Clay, Downtown Yoga Shala, METRO Photo Exhibit and Art Ark, visit http://www.SouthFIRSTFRIDAYS.com!

San Jose's Treatbot Nominated for "America's Favorite Food Truck"

2010-09-02T20:23:00.000-07:00

Treatbot--San Jose's Karaoke Ice Cream Truck with a rockstar 4.5 yelp rating--is in contention to becoming America's Favorite Food Truck, which is an honor earned by winning a Food Network contest to get the most votes. Show a little local love and vote for them right over here: http://foodtrucks.teamdigital.com/.

More Italian Family Festa Photos!

2010-09-02T20:05:00.000-07:00

Thomas Wohlmut sent me a few shots from last weekend's Italian Family Festa that really show off the number of people that attended. This event was a huge success and hopefully will become a downtown tradition for many years to come.

Walking Tour of the Future A's Stadium + Diridon Area

2010-09-01T18:25:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate enough to make it to the walking tour of the proposed A's stadium and Diridon area improvements. Imagine a state of the art ballpark along a new riverfront park, a short walk away from a bustling HSR/BART/Light Rail/ACE/Caltrain station, and adjacent to a massive retail and entertainment hub (this is the new plan for the area in front of Diridon and the HP Pavilion). It's a very realistic vision with a lot of intelligent and passionate people leading the charge.

I also noticed several friends at the walking tour:

BASEBALL SAN JOSE

At the Proposed Ballpark Site Walking Tour

from Baseball San Jose by noreply@blogger.com (DLo)

About 50-60 people, including several Baseball San Jose supporters, joined the San Jose Redevelopment Agencey for their Proposed Ballpark Site Walking Tour on Monday.

The agency's Dennis Korabiak led the tour, which consisted of updates on not only the ballpark, but the Diridon Station general plan, inlcuding BART and HSR. In short, the city plans to transform the area into a major retail-entertainment center, anchored to the north by HP Pavilion and to the south by Cisco Field.

Tour guests also got to hear from High-Speed Rail Authority board member, Rod Diridon. He made an impromptu pitch for the ambitious vision the city has for the area surrounding the station.

Korabiak led the group to the corner of San Fernando and Autum, which will be the main gate to Cisco Field. It's not much to look at now, but soon it may be the site of a grand plaza welcoming A's fans to the game.

Throughout the tour, Korabiak outlined the general ballpark concept. The agency's focus is on creating a comprehensive ballpark experience for fans, including a realigned Autumn Street, riverside parks, and plenty of new retail.

The tour concluded with a few words from Baseball San Jose co-chair, Michael Mulcahy. In anticipation of a spring ballpark campaign, he urged baseball supporters to get the word out to as many people as possible.

It was interesting to get a peak at the city's grand vision for Diridon. If they come, the A's will have an dynamic new home in a bustling area of downtown. Of course, many things have to happen before that can become reality, but as Michael Mulcahy points out, MLB in San Jose begins with you.

You're up to bat, San Jose!

SAN JOSE METBLOGS

Tour of Proposed Ballpark Site Sparks High Hopes

from San Jose Metblogs by JoAnn Freda

Okay, I can only speak for myself but as I stood on the corner of San Fernando and Autumn and looked at the proposed site of the San Jose Athletics ballpark I couldn’t help picturing myself walking through the main entrance of the ballpark on game day and I got pretty excited.

Corner of San Fernando and Autumn

Last night Dennis Korabiak of the San Jose Redevelopment committee took a small group of fans(?) on a tour of the area between Diridon Train Station (Rod Diridon just happened to show up)
and the corner (and hallowed ground if hallowed ground can be secular?) that I hope will one day be the home of a major league ball club. The planners envision extended mass transit such as high speed rail, public art, trails, retail shops, restaurants and clubs. The beautiful artist’s renderings of the proposed ballpark made it easy to imagine this vision coming true. You can go to Pro Baseball San Jose for more details and links to the ballpark plans.

The Los Gatos Brewing Company is Coming Downtown!

2010-08-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

The former home of A.P. Stumps has been empty for far too long. By Oct. 15th, The Los Gatos Brewing Company will take the helm of this flagship 2-story, 15,000sqft space and hope for a better outcome than their predecessor. The majority of the restaurant will be on the second floor while the first floor will be used for private dining and al fresco dining. For more information, click here.

Italian American Family Festa Photos

2010-08-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

SJ21: A Sneak Peek Inside San Jose Little Italy

2010-08-29T01:00:00.000-07:00

San Jose / Twenty-One has a great post about the new Little Italy project in San Jose, along with a few photos. I'll also post my several of my own photos on Monday. It's still not too late to catch the Italian American Family Festa that is going on today at Guadalupe River Park next to what will soon become Little Italy!

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A Sneak Peek Inside San Jose Little Italy

from S a n J o s e / T W E N T Y - O N E by DLo

"It's not about developing, it's about restoring." That's what developer Joshua DeVincenzi Melander says is the true intent of city's new Italian-American community, Little Italy San Jose.

An Italian wine bar will soon be in place at the main piazza.

Anchored in the River Street neighborhood, once a bustling Italian immigrant enclave, this new Little Italy will, in a sense, be an amalgamation of several of San Jose's oldest Italian communities (e.g. Goosetown, Luna Park) which the city either destroyed or neglected over the years. At one time, Italians were the city's largest ethnic group, so this new effort is more about bringing back what the city had (and lost) than creating something from scratch.

An archway on Julian will soon welcome visitors.

Like nearby San Pedro Square Market, Little Italy is ambitious in its scope. And yet, when completed, San Jose's Little Italy will feel very personable. Unlike the expansive Little Italys of New York City or Chicago, San Jose's occupies a relatively small space, primarily between River Street and The Guadalupe River Park. When completed, Little Italy will feel like an intimate Italian community. The intent here is here to create an authentic neighborhood experience with a string Italian-themed businesses, such as restaurants, gelaterias, and wine bars, as well as piazzas, archways, and bocce courts.

Future Italian-themes businesses.

One important milestone for both Little Italy San Jose and The Italian American Heritage Foundation of San Jose comes this weekend with theItalian American Family Festa (Saturday, August 28, 11 AM - 8 PM and Sunday, August 29, 11 AM - 6 PM; admission is free). This year the festival moves to its new home, adjacent to Little Italy, in the Guadalupe River Park. It is also its 30th anniversary, and will include the unveiling of the Piazza Piccola Italia. For the piazza, Little Italy solicited donations from the city's Italian-American community, who, in return, had personalized bricks placed into the design of the courtyard.

The Piazza Piccola Italia will be dedicated this weekend.

Little Italy is definitely a project to keep an eye on. It certainly has its work cut out for it, but the project certainly seems to be in loving hands. Speaking to Joshua DeVincenzi Melander, you quickly get a sense of the cultural pride that runs deeply through the project. They clearly intend to do this thing right. And they're off to a great start.

Buona fortuna.

Italian American Family Festa

2010-08-28T18:16:00.000-07:00

Want to get a sneak preview of Little Italy? Why not head on down to the Italian American Family Festa, going on now in Guadalupe River Park! I was down there for a little bit this morning and there is tons of authentic Italian food, arts & crafts shops, bocce ball, and entertainment. Downtown San Jose wins big by netting great annual event, right next to the future Little Italy San Jose. I couldn't think of a better place in Silicon Valley to host this event ;)

WHEN:	Saturday, August 28, 11 am - 8 pm Sunday, August 29, 11 am - 6 pmPlease join us for the first event: Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting Ceremony (12:30pm, Saturday, August 28th)
WHERE:	The Festa's new home in Guadelupe River Park, downtown San Jose

A Room With a View

2010-08-25T19:00:00.000-07:00

Interested in getting a taste of what it would be like to live on the 21st floor of a high-rise right in the middle of Downtown San Jose? Tomorrow is your chance at The 88, just register using the link below!

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		CELEBRATE SUMMER WITH US! cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, music and tours! Summer has finally descended upon the Bay Area and we are excited to celebrate its arrival! Join us next Thursday on our Skyline Observation Terrace to savor a cocktail and the best views in Silicon Valley. Date: Thursday, August 26th Time: 5:007:30pmLocation: 21st Floor Skyline Observation Terrace REGISTER: http://the88penthouse.eventbrite.com

Zombie-O-Rama 2010

2010-08-24T21:45:00.000-07:00

Brace yourself for the second annual Zombie-O-Rama in Downtown San Jose! If you thought staggering around Downtown San Jose dressed up as a zombie was reserved only for Halloween, guess again. Tomorrow hundreds, if not thousands, will gather up in SLG Art Boutiki at the tail end of SoFA and march throughout downtown starting at 5pm. Dress up and enjoy discounted libations in bars highlighted below.

Also, what better way to cap out the night than with a zombie fashion show (8:30pm) and outdoor screening of Zombieland (9pm)? For a full overview of tomorrow's debaucheries, feast your eyes on the map below:

Baseball San Jose has NEW A's STADIUM RENDERS!

2010-08-24T21:26:00.000-07:00

Our friends over at Baseball San Jose have a killer treat for you today... more stadium renders! My favorites are the first and fourth ones--if you click on them to enlarge, you can get a good feel for the view inside the proposed ballpark. To help make this dream a reality, head on over to Baseball San Jose to find out how you can contribute!

Famous Dave's BBQ Opens First San Jose Location Sep 20th

2010-08-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

Yet another famous national chain comes to San Jose! Full details below:

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FAMOUS DAVE’S DEBUTS IN SAN JOSE

Southern California Business Owner Continues Expansion Throughout California

(San Jose, Calif.)—Famous Dave’s, the award-winning Bar-B-Que restaurant known for its barbequed and grilled meats, sandwiches, side items, salads and unique desserts, is opening its first location at 61 Curtner Ave. in San Jose on September 20. The opening will be under the direction of Anand Gala, president and CEO of Gala Corporation, one of the leading privately-owned hospitality and food services companies in the United States, widely recognized as a first-class developer and operator of hospitality and food service assets. Gala Corp operates 27 existing restaurants including Applebee’s and Famous Dave’s BBQ restaurants throughout California.

“Consumers love the authenticity of Famous Dave’s BBQ. I am excited to bring award-winning flavors and a family-friendly atmosphere to area-residents,” said Gala. “We have some great events planned for the September grand opening; it’s the perfect way to introduce Famous Dave’s into the community.”

In 1994, Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que opened its first restaurant in Hayward, Wisc. and introduced its cuisine to the world. Fifteen years later, the award-winning chain has grown to more than 175 locations. Gala Corporation has plans to continue this trend and expects to open additional restaurants in the next several years with growth coming from its existing brand portfolio and/or other concepts. This will be Gala’s sixth Famous Dave’s location in the California market.

Fresh & Easy Comes to San Jose (Willow Glen)

2010-08-22T09:10:00.000-07:00

The first Fresh & Easy Grocery Store in the South Bay is coming early next year to a former Albertsons on the corner of Bird and Minnesota and will be between 13,000 and 14,000sqft. Fresh & Easy Markets focus on fresh and organic foods. Click here for more details.

Our 300th Post!

2010-08-21T11:56:00.000-07:00

After 15 months, we're still alive and kicking and on our 300th post! Thank you to all of the SJ enthusiasts out there that make updating this blog worthwhile.

I would also like to extend an invitation out there to anyone that is interested in putting up their own San Jose-related blog posts here OR syndicating their posts from other blogs. If you look to the left or right, you'll notice no ads. This blog's primary goal is advancing San Jose's many attractions, culture, and international visibility--all are welcome to contribute to that goal. Just shoot me an email at josh@thesanjoseblog.com and I'll get you all set up!

San Jose Jazz Festival Breaks Attendance Records, Releases Cool Video

2010-08-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Thomas Wohlmut for the tip!

Veggielution Now Part of the Downtown San Jose Farmer's Market!

2010-08-19T20:16:00.000-07:00

JoAnn Freda just posted some good news on San Jose Metblogs... Veggielution is now part of the Downtown Farmer's Market! This should hold over fans of San Jose-grown produce until the San Pedro Square Market opens up.

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Produce Doesn’t Get Much More Local than This

By JoAnn Freda

August 19th, 2010 @ 6:17 PM Downtown, Farmer's Market

Veggielution Community Farm is now selling at the Downtown Farmers Market every Friday from 10-2 until December 14 (closed the day after Thanksgiving). This means we now have access to the most local and sustainable produce in San Jose. For two dollars you can buy a beautiful bunch of basil that was picked just two hours before you bought it.

In addition to heirloom tomatoes, Veggielution has a variety of unusual and heritage vegetables which means you may find something you’ve never seen or tried before.

The proceeds from Veggielution’s farmers market stand go to support programs such as Veggie Youth and Family Day. So look for their colorful display of approximately 100 pounds of freshly picked produce that has travelled a total of 3.5 miles to the market.

These satisfied customers are walking away with a Sugar Baby watermelon.

Nice Blog Post RE: The 88

2010-08-19T05:59:00.000-07:00

I recently ran into this article on The 88. Interesting read, especially since it is written by a former San Franciscan. Here's my favorite quote: "San Francisco isn’t the only urban option for the Bay Area. San Jose downtown is a newer, cleaner, safer urban option for the Bay Area." Click here for the full post.