Brand new Bay 101 Casino is now open for business

M8trix finally has some decent competition with the first phase of Bay 101's complex officially open. Of course, the casinos really don't see one another as competition--but as a part of complementary offerings that draw gamblers and entertainment-seekers to the area. Bay 101 even strategically located themselves on North First Street just blocks away from M8trix.

The new Bay 101 looks really sleek and is filled with modern touches like dynamic lighting, open spaces, and abstract art. The building spans 68,000 SQFT and has 49 gaming tables. Bay 101 also features a flagship Asian fusion restaurant called The Province, which is owned by the same people as Sino, Straits, and Roots & Rye at Santana Row. The restaurant will be higher-end than anything at M8trix (or the immediate area for that matter) and bring with it some nightlife and one of the most impressive outdoor patios in San Jose.

Future phases of the Bay 101 project include two hotels and a 237,000 SQFT tech campus. The first hotel is an Embassy Suites with 174 rooms in a seven-story building. For the development enthusiasts out there, yes that is a huge missed opportunity for one of the few parcels in San Jose where a 35-story building is not only economically viable but allowed by airport regulations. Perhaps they will think bigger for the second hotel. One thing is for sure, Bay 101 is going to help make North San Jose a lot more interesting.

Source: The Merc, hat tip to Arnold Kwok for sending this in!

Playful People Productions Presents: Snow White and the Seven Little People

San Jose, CA - Join us for an original twist on Snow White with such classic hits as Mack the Knife, Working in a Coal Mine, I Put a Spell on You and Killer Queen, Snow White and the Seven Little People sets out on a journey to find out … How will Snow White and Prince William Reisling find each other? Will Queen Evanora get her revenge as Granny Smith? Can Robin and the Bluejays defeat Raven and the Magpies? How will the Forest Animals lead Snow White to the Little People for shelter? The answers to these and many other questions will be answered in stunning musical theatre technicolor in Playful People Productions Fall Mashup show, Snow White and the Seven Little People.

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, October 27th - 7pm

Saturday, October 28th - 11am

Sunday, October 29th - 1pm

Friday, November 3rd - 7pm

Saturday, November 4th - 11am, 3pm and 7pm

Sunday, November 5th - 11am and 3pm

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

Fundraising Gala Performance:

Join us on Saturday, October 28th at 6pm for a Playful People Fundraising Gala event. The evening will include heavy appetizers, beverages, desserts and a silent auction. You will also get to see an amazing performance of Snow White and the Seven Little People. This will be an evening you will not want to miss. 

Tickets available at www.playfulPeople.net

$60 Adults, $25 kids 8 - 16 and $10 7 and younger 

 

For questions: barb@galiotto.com

 

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.

ROOTS & WINGS opens sjDANCEco’s 15th Anniversary Season

Now celebrating 15 years in Downtown San Jose, sjDANCEco is proud to kick off their anniversary season with "ROOTS & WINGS." The performance will pair contemporary and classic modern dance with live music by the San Jose Chamber Orchestra. The company will do three performances in San Jose at the Hammer Theater, followed by two performances in San Francisco. All of the details and links to ticket sales are in the press release below.

ROOTS & WINGS opens sjDANCEco’s 15th Anniversary Season

Performances to be held in both San Jose and San Francisco

WHO:  sjDANCEco presents

WHAT: ROOTS & WINGS (Season Opening Program shown in two different venues)

WHEN: October 12 and 14 in San Jose.  November 3 and 4 in San Francisco

WHERE:

The Hammer Theatre Center, 101 Paseo de San Antonio in downtown San Jose, CA 95113

Thursday, October 12, 2017 at 8:00pm

Saturday, October 14, 2017 at 2:30pm and 8:00pm

Tickets Available August 1st 

Single Tickets: $25 to $90

$25    Student

$35    Senior

$40    General

$60    VIP Thursday evening & Saturday matinee includes bests seats in the house and reception with the dancers in the lobby following performances.

$90    VIP Saturday evening includes bests seats in the house and Gala Reception with dancers on Theatre Roof Top Garden

ODC Theater, 3153 17th Street, San Francisco, CA 94110

Friday, November 3, 2017 at 8:00pm

Saturday, November 4, 2017 at 8:00pm

Tickets Available August 1st

Single Tickets: $25 to $40

$25    Student

$35    Senior

$40    General

Box Office: 408.520.9854   www.sjDANCEco.org

WHY: sjDANCEco, San José’s contemporary dance company, celebrates its 15th Anniversary Season with multiple world premieres and expanded venues including the Hammer Theatre Center in downtown San Jose (October 12 and 14), and ODC Theater in San Francisco (November 3 and 4.) According to Artistic Director Gary Masters, “this is only the second time in our fifteen years, that we have brought our company to these two marvelous venues. We are so very excited to be back. Our Season-Opening program, entitled Roots & Wings, will explore the diverse inspirations and contributions that have been the foundation…the roots of creativity...for our resident choreographers and which have made and continue to make sjDANCEco’s repertory so distinctive.”

THE PROGRAM:

sjDANCEco’s 2017-2018 season-opening program will feature four World Premieres by; sjDANCEco Artistic Director Maria Basile, sjDANCEco Choreographic Advisor & Professor of Dance at San Jose State University Fred Mathews, Company Choreographer and dancer Hsiang Hsiu Lin, and by former company dancer Nhan Ho. Each new work will explore the choreographer’s Roots and the inspirations that give them Wings to excite and motivate their creativity. Also on the program will be a revival of Journey Through the Labyrinth originally created in 1994 for the Limón West Dance Project/San José and Idance of Independence High, with choreography by Artistic Director Gary Masters and set to a new commissioned score by Michael Touchi, Creative Consultant for the San Jose Chamber Orchestra. The revival will include a new section with choreography by Los Lupeños de San José Artistic Director Sam Cortez. The “Classic Offering” for these performances will be the Company Premiere of Doris Humphrey’s masterpiece, Day on Earth (1947) set to Aaron Copland’s “Sonata for Piano.” 

Collaboration with the San Jose Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Barbara Day Turner continues to highlight the company’s signature brand of contemporary dance and classic works of the American Modern Dance Repertory.

Photo Clockwise from Top Left: Hannah McNany, Frankie Reviera, Kelisha Gardeen and Katherine House, Photo by Thomas Hassing.

Frontier Airlines adds 3 more nonstop flights to San Jose roster

The news about new flights for San Jose keeps on pouring in. Earlier this year, Frontier Airlines announced their return to SJC with four routes:

• Denver (daily service starting Oct. 5th)
• Las Vegas (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat service starting Nov. 1st)
• Cincinnati (Tue, Thu, Sun service starting Apr 8th)
• San Antonio (Tue, Thu, Sun service starting Apr 8th)

Service has yet to begin on any of the routes, yet the airline has just announced three additional nonstops:

• Atlanta (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat service starting Apr 9th)
• Austin (Mon, Wed, Sat service starting Apr 9th)
• Colorado Springs (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat starting Apr 9th)

All three are significant. Atlanta is a highly desirable nonstop that is only serviced by Delta today. Austin flights are critical for tech companies (they call this route the nerd bird). Colorado Springs is a brand new route--I think it might be our first direct flight ever to this destination. It is a smaller city, but there are some neat touristy things to do there like Pike's Peak. Oh, and it also brings the number of San Jose's nonstop destinations to 50, an all-time high.

It looks like the fastest growing airport in the country is still picking up speed!

Source: SVBJ

SoFA Street Fair this Sunday

The bi-annual SoFA Street Fair goes down in just a few days and will bring tons of live music and good times to Downtown San Jose. 12 stages spanning three city blocks will host 100+ bands! Almost every music genre you can think of will perform--there is something for everyone. There will also be food trucks, craft beers, and lawn chairs.

The event is free, family friendly, and starts on Sunday at 2pm. All of the details are below (click images to enlarge).

Fountain Alley Fridays

Fountain Alley is part of Downtown San Jose's historic district near 1st and Santa Clara Streets. It is a central location that has not gotten a lot of love over the past decade, but a series of events and initiatives may change that. Fountain Alley Fridays will activate the area with live music, ping pong (8 tables!), stand up performances, and plenty of art on display. Stand up and live music begins at 6:30-8pm with headline acts from 8:30-10pm.

The event is brought to you by the Knight Foundation, Local Color, Mighty Mike McGree, Alan Chen, the Public Space Authority, and Tangerine. Speaking of Local Color, if you haven't checked it out at the old Ross site--it is pretty amazing.

Fountain Alley Fridays will take place on September 22nd and 29th from 6-10pm, and hopefully they continue this event into the future.

September 2017 Downtown Dimension Highlights

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

• California High Speed Rail is trying to cut costs by using an aerial alignment through San Jose, which would result in potentially unsightly aerial tracks with support towers every 100 feet. This is despite the fact that they are planning to run at-grade down the Peninsula and underground in San Francisco.
• The three-story former Plaza Hotel is now interim housing for up to 47 homeless people.
• SoFA businesses are launching a new Farmer's Market on Sundays from 10am-2pm in the parking lot across from the California Theater.
• Four pieces of Burning Man will make their way to Downtown as a new "Playa to Paseo" initiative.
• The "My San Jose" app allows residents to report potholes, graffiti, abandoned cars, and illegal dumping.
• Labyrinth Bar & Kitchen is now open at 45 Post st. in the former Peking House space.
• Los San Patricios Cantina is now open at 81 W. San Fernando with an Irish-Latin theme.
• Orangetheory Fitness will open this month at 111 W. St. John St.

To read the newsletter, click here!

San Pedro Square Market - 6 Year Anniversary

Tomorrow after Viva Calle 2017, you can swing by the SPSM for live music, games, and food/drink specials! Six bands will play on six rotating stages throughout the day. The San Pedro Square Market in my mind was the true turning point for Downtown San Jose and I'm thrilled to see it continue to thrive.

What will the next six years bring? Expect an expansion of the market across the street to the left of the Fallon House along with 30,000 SQFT of new retail on the ground floor of Silvery Towers (the two new high-rises). The Market will only get more popular going forward.