Sunday, April 12, 2015

Playful People Productions Presents: Disney’s Peter Pan JR


Peter Pan JR. is the story of the boy who wouldn’t grow up and the girl who has to. After finding his shadow in the Darling family nursery, Peter teaches Wendy, Michael and John how to fly and sweeps them off to Never Land, where they meet Lost Boys, mermaids, indians and, of course, pirates.  If the children are ever to return home, Peter must defeat Captain Hook with the help of Tinker Bell and her fairy friends. Peter Pan JR. features classic songs from the 1953 film such as, “You Can Fly!,” “Following the Leader” and “The Second Star to the Right” as well as songs from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and the 2008 Disney film Tinker Bell.

Our shows often sell out prior to the show weekend. Be sure to buy your tickets early, you won’t want to miss out on this fantastic production.

All Shows at the Historic Hoover Theatre, 1635 Park Ave  San Jose, CA 95126

Show Times:
Friday, April 24th - 7:00pm
Saturday, April 25th - 10:00am, 2:00pm and 7:00pm
Sunday, April 26th - 10:00am, 2:00pm and 5:00pm
Thursday, April 30th - 7:00pm
Friday, May 1st - 7:00pm
Saturday, May 2nd - 11:00am and 4:00pm

Tickets available at www.playfulpeople.net
$12 attendees 12 and up, $8 children 11 and under,  and $6 Children’s floor seating

Tickets at the door (30 minutes prior to curtain)
$15 attendees 12 and up, $10 children 11 and under, and $6 Children’s floor seating


About Playful People Production

Founded in 2010, Playful People Production’s mission is to provide a quality, caring environment where children, teens and their families can have positive theater experiences. We strive to involve all family members in the many aspects of on stage and backstage theater in a safe and fun environment and offer participation in theatrical productions, classes, summer stock and camps for ages 3-93.

Playful People Productions is run by a mother-daughter team, Barbara Galiotto and Katie D’ Arcey, who between them have approximately 50 years of experience in the musical theater world. Both are Positive Discipline trained and worked as early Childhood Educators as well as in the theater.

Saturday, April 11, 2015

Japantown Project Moving Forward

Hanover Co., is in contract to purchase Cannery Park Village at 357 E. Taylor St., which is the location of a now defunct corporation yard (maintenance and repair facility for vehicles/equipment and material storage). They are planning to build a four-story building on the 8-acre lot with 403 apartments. The project will also include nearly 600 parking spaces which will be mostly in a garage, 5,000 SQFT of retail on East Taylor Street, and a small 0.7-acre park.

If all goes well, approvals will come by the end of the year and construction could begin in 2016.

Source: SVBJ




Friday, April 10, 2015

EYE TEA Exhibit at the Citadel Tomorrow

Studio 1039 and AtreyArt are presenting the new "EYE TEA" art exhibition at the Citadel Gallery on 5th and Martha Streets. Over 40 artists will be showing works that revolve around the effects of social media in the modern world. There will also be live music by Chris Reed, Sweet Hayah, and MC-Dj Mandiesl. The event is free and runs from 7pm to 11pm.

Source: Phantom Galleries


Thursday, April 9, 2015

New Residential Project Near Whole Foods Downtown!

Developer Dan Hudson has his eye on 138 Stockton Ave, which is in an ideal location near the new Whole Foods, Diridon Station, the SAP Center, and the Downtown Core. A couple weeks ago Hudson Companies turned in a plan for seven-story residential project on a 1.7-acre parcel that would have 166 units and almost 9,000 SQFT of retail space. You can see a preliminary drawing of the proposed project below.

Unfortunately, there is no commercial space being included as part of this project. With such great proximity to public transit (Caltrain, Bus Rapid Transit, Light Rail, and eventually BART and HSR), this site would be ideal to have some at least one floor of offices. Don't get me wrong, I'm still thrilled to see this proposal in the area. However, we do need to increase the balance of office space versus residential in the Downtown area at some point this decade to make sure the local economy is balanced and we don't remain the largest city in the US that has a larger population at night than during the daytime.

Source: SVBJ, Hat-tip to Andy Wasklewicz for sending this in.




Wednesday, April 8, 2015

April 2015 Downtown Dimension Highlights

Here are my notes from the latest edition of Downtown Dimension:
  • The SJDA has compiled a list of Downtown Gems (along with maps and photos) over at http://sjdowntown.com/live-here/downtown-gems. Below are some from the list:
    • Anno Domini
    • Back-A-Yard
    • Cafe Stritch
    • California Theater
    • City Lights Theatre Company
    • Diaz Menswear
    • Guadalupe River Park and Gardens
    • Henry's Hi-File
    • MACLA
    • Pizza Bocca Lupo
    • Poor House Bistro
    • Psycho Donuts
    • St. Joseph's Basilica
    • San Jose Museum of Art
    • San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles
    • San Jose Stage
    • TreatBot Factory
    • Vero's Coffee
  • The SJDA is using a $139,000 grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to build four 400 SQFT retail outlets on the ground floor of the San Pedro Square Garage.
  • Uber has acquired long-time Downtown San Jose company--deCarta. Most of the company's 40 employees will be continuing with Uber.
  • The city's Street Pavement Maintenance Audit of 2015 shows that most Downtown streets are in decent shape. The areas most in need of repaving are around Post St., San Pedro St. and Almaden Avenue.
  • The Downtown Farmer's Market opens on May 1st and will continue to operate each Friday between 10am-2pm throughout the Summer.
  • The next HER city event includes pre-show food Orchestria Palm Court, a performance of "M Butterfly" at City Lights, and a Q&A with City Lights' Executive Artistic Director. The social hour also includes San Jose-based J. Lohr Wines. For more info go to www.sjdowntown.com/hercity.
To read the full newsletter, click here!



Tuesday, April 7, 2015

The Sharks' New Minor League Hockey Team will be Named the San Jose Barracuda

Now that the Sharks' minor league AHL farming team--named the Worcester Sharks--is moving in with their parents at the SAP Center, they can't exactly keep the same name. After the move they will become the San Jose Barracuda. Conveniently, there is also a tech company in Silicon Valley called Barracuda Networks... guess who the team's chief sponsor is going to be ;).

The new team will be a huge benefit to San Joseans. Dozens of games will be added to the roster at the SAP Center, and the prices will be substantially more affordable than Sharks games (which quickly get into triple digits for good seats).

Check out the new logo and jerseys below. What do you think? My favorite is the orange one.

Source: SVBJ


Monday, April 6, 2015

New Retail Pads Coming to the San Pedro Garage!

Let's start the week off right with some news that will add even more traction to the booming San Pedro Square area! Before the San Pedro Square Market, San Pedro was already one of the few areas Downtown with substantial contiguous retail (almost exclusively devoted to restaurants). The only problem was that all of the retail was on a single side of the street with the exception of the intersection of Santa Clara and San Pedro.

Now that the a proposal by the San Jose Downtown Association won a $139,000 grant from the Knight Foundation via the Knight Cities Challenge, a project called San Pedro Squared is moving forward that will forever change the street. The ground floor of the drab San Pedro Garage closest to the San Pedro Square Market is going to get four retail pads, each taking up two parking spaces in the garage and creating 400 SQFT of new retail. These could be used for micro-restaurants, pop-up shops, or retail. See the conceptual artwork by our friend Adam Mayberry below.

Not only will this add more retail to Downtown's hottest district, but it will make the street much more pedestrian friendly. If things go well, more of the garage may be converted to retail in the future.

It's amazing how the San Pedro Square Market has transformed this whole area. Think back to what this district was like before the Market... now imagine a near future where we have San Pedro Squared, retail on the ground floor of Centerra, 20,000 SQFT of retail at Silvery Towers, and an official San Pedro Square Market expansion on St. John. Downtown Boosters has a lot to look forward to!

Oh, and another San Jose project was one of the 36 winners of the Knight Cities Challenge--and there were over 7,000 submissions. "Houslets" by Tim McCormic received $40,000 to allow for prototyping and deploying low-cost modular housing for both temporary and affordable housing.

For more info on the exciting San Pedro Squared project, check out the press release below the drawings!




Downtown San Jose garage to receive “facelift”
as winner of the Knight Cities Challenge
 
SAN JOSE, Calif. – March 31, 2015 – The San Jose Downtown Association (SJDA) announced today that it plans to retrofit part of a parking garage, replacing parking spots with retail shops facing San Pedro Square.

SJDA will receive $139,000 in support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s Knight Cities Challenge to implement the project at the Market-San Pedro Garage.  Four 400-square-foot retail outlets will fit into eight parking stalls that front the east side of San Pedro Street at sidewalk level.

The Knight Cities Challenge is funding ideas to make the 26 cities where Knight invests more vibrant places to live and work.  The challenge asks innovators to answer the question:  What's your best idea to make cities more successful?  More at knightcities.org.

“Activating street-level spaces in the garage will contribute to the district’s popularity just as new high-rise residential developments near the square are opening,” said Scott Knies, SJDA executive director.

Lined with restaurants such as Peggy Sue’s, The Farmers’ Union, O’Flaherty’s, Old Spaghetti Factory, 71 St. Peter, Old Wagon and the San Pedro Square Market, the west side of the block of San Pedro Street between Santa Clara and St. John streets is one of the busiest downtown.  Fewer pedestrians stroll the opposite side, where the garage sits.

SJDA and the city’s Office of Economic Development (OED) introduced last year shipping containers as retail stores with its nine-store “Pop-Up Project” along Paseo de San Antonio and other downtown locations.

“The project has the potential to create a model for awakening street life and bringing new economic opportunities to neighborhoods, while fostering connections between residents by providing vibrant places to meet and interact,” said Danny Harris, Knight Foundation program director for San Jose.

The project will begin immediately.  The City’s Department of Transportation, which owns the garage, and OED are collaborating on the project.  Plans call for minimal demolition, awnings, other façade improvements, sidewalk improvements and street paint, said Jason Su, SJDA street life project manager.  Local businesses and property owners have already expressed support for the project, Su added.

About the San Jose Downtown Association:
The San Jose Downtown Association (SJDA) is a nonprofit group of business and property owners working to improve the vitality and livability of downtown San Jose. SJDA advocates on issues that affect downtown business and property owners; enhances the image of downtown and attract new visitors through year-round marketing, public relations, and special events; and makes improvements to downtown’s cleanliness, security and aesthetics. www.sjdowntown.com

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation:
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. The foundation believes that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more, visit knightfoundation.org.

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Easter Sunday Brunch at Scott’s Seafood San Jose


Full Buffet includes more than 20 unique dishes: Seating begins at 10:30 a.m. 

San Jose, CA - Scott’s Seafood is celebrating its first Easter Sunday Brunch at its Downtown San Jose location. Guests will be able to choose from traditional brunch items such as made to order omelettes, eggs, buttermilk pancakes,including four different types of eggs benedicts.

This Easter Sunday buffet menu includes a full breakfast display, including omelet station and a freshly carved prime rib station. Scott’s Seafood signature dishes will also be available during brunch such as Boston clam chowder, Jambalaya, Housemade pastas and a large selection of traditional brunch fare and entrées. The culinary team at Scott’s Seafood San Jose created a diverse menu to ensure numerous options for every taste. Scott’s Seafood will be offering bottomless mimosas for the twenty one and over.

Seating for Scott’s Seafood will begin at 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Brunch is $39 dollars for adults and $17 dollars for kids under 12 years of age, complimentary for children under 5 years of age. Reservations are encouraged and can be made by calling 408-971-1700 or at www.scottsseafoodsj.com. Complimentary validation is available up to three hours in the Scott’s Seafood parking structure.  

Enjoy stunning views from the sixth floor of Scott's Seafood from our dining room as well as our rooftop patio. Scott’s Seafood San Jose is located at 185 Park Ave in Downtown San Jose on the sixth floor. For more information or to make Open Table reservations visit www.scottsseafoodsj.com or visit us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ScottsSeafoodSJ