7th Annual SubZERO Festival Tomorrow AND Saturday!!!

One of the best festivals in the entire Bay Area is happening tomorrow--and for the first time SubZERO has been extended to take place across two days! It is going to be truly epic for 2014.

I don't even know where to begin. You'll have hundreds of vendors, dozens of galleries, live music across three different stages, 11 food trucks, a beer garden, and all sorts of interesting surprises. This is a must-attend event for anyone who is a fan of Downtown San Jose.

The festival will take up at least three city blocks along S. First Street from San Carlos all the way to Reed. I would recommend parking in the Convention Center and walking across the street. Below you can see a list of artists and vendors participating as well as the food trucks. For more info and a music schedule, check out the SubZERO Website.

Confirmed Artists, Indie Creatives & Vendors participating in 
the 7th Annual SubZERO Festival 

Frank Aguilar
Darius B'Alexander
Jaime Benoist 
Black & Brown
Black Lotus Clothing 
Mike Borja 
Bugs & Monsters
Keith Bunnell
David Canavese
The Cannery Gallery 
Classic Loot
Content Magazine
Crossroads Trading Co.
Cryptic
The Cube by Jarid
Current Tattoo
Donbon 
Drew & Barb 
EcoMonster
Elements SJ Vape Shop
Empire Seven
EyeDesign Art
Faire Goatmother
Tulio Flores
Francisco Franco
Friends with Benefits
Force 129
Fotography by Abe Menor 
FRPArt.org  
Lila Gemellos 
ThOm Golia 
Cynthia Gonzalez 
Michele Guieu / Drew Detweiller
Andre Hart 
Genevieve Hastings
Jeff Hemming
Higher Fire Clayspace and Gallery
Hologlyphics 
ILADORA Apparel 
iMiNUSD Fixed Gear Boutique
Jumbo Jibbles
KALEID  Gallery
KKUP
Denis Korkh 
Korrupt Clothing
John Kurtyka 
The LGBTQ Youth Space
Lost San Jose
Lucy & Mabel 
Luna Park Chalk Art Festival
Frances Marin
Masako
Jason McHenry
Mejia Arts
Keith Melot
Woody Miller
Mariya Milovidova 
Minou
Monocle Art Group
LAuruS Myth 
Anna Nguyen 
Oliver/Wilde
Out of Print Vintage 
Petitie Galleria
Gianfranco Paolozzi
Persephone Dance Company
Poetry Site 
James Pollard
SJ Bike Valet
SJ Rock Shop 
Steven Reece
RevoLights
School of Visual Philosophy
Freya Seeburger 
Seeing Things Gallery
Melanie Sharr
SJSU Art Alliance
SJSU Game Dev
SLG / Art Boutiki
Steamy Tech 
There There
Kori Thompson
Space Palette 
Tinkertart 
Tiny Splendor 
The Usuals / Showroom
Audre VanBroers 
Visual Confections
Visual Philosophy
Andy Wallace
Michelle and Peter Waters
Women Environmental Artists Directory
Works Gallery
Zenning
 
3 Stages of Music

Anno Domini Stage
The People's Park Stage
Secret Garden Stage

Lagunitas Brewing Company presents THE SECRET GARDEN

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http://www.lagunitas.com


FOOD TRUCKS + MORE

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• 2 Bros Kitchen
• Banjara Bistro
• Bill's Hot Dogs
• SJ Meatball Company
• Hula Truck
• Mad Maxx Mex
• OhMisoHungry
• Porky's
• Rice Rockit
• Takoz Mod Mex
• Twisted Chill

Bringing and International Design Competition to San Jose

I've been meaning to plug this article for quite some time. Mark has a great suggestion over at Think Bigger San Jose on bringing an international design competition to San Jose. We need to encourage less generic/bland architectural designs and try to acquire landmark pieces that will make the city more unique and inspire others to do even better. I especially like the idea of having the competition in St. James Park as a way to help revitalize it. Read the article over here and let us know what you think.

Sourisseau News: The Bank of America Building

In the latest edition of the Sourisseau News, learn all about Giannini and the Bank of Italy America Building in Downtown San Jose. Pay special attention to the photos of the Safe Deposit Bank building at the corner of 1st and Santa Clara around the 1:10 mark. That beautiful building used to stand where The Bank of America Building is today. I wish they built the high-rise on another corner so this structure could have been preserved. Check out the 2 minute video below!


Giannini and the Bank of America Building from WMS media Inc. on Vimeo.

New San Jose Downtown Association Summer Event Site!

The Downtown Association is gearing up for a huge summer filled with a large variety of events. This includes 2 Music in the Park Concerts (English Beat 7/17 and Pete Escovedo 8/21); 8 free outdoor movie events (80's themed this year); 10 World Cup Soccer Viewing Events with the SJ Earthquakes partnering; 10 days of pre fixe menus during Dine Downtown Restaurant Week; the weekly Downtown Farmers' Market every Friday through Nov. 21, as well as helping with the SoFA SubZERO festival and South First Friday Street MRKTs.

To keep track of all these great events, please check out http://www.sjdowntown.com/summer. That site will be updated regularly all summer long as new events and updates come up.

Also for live music, you definitely have to bookmark http://www.liveandlocalsj.com.

Loring Ward Moving HQ From Santana Row to Downtown San Jose

Loring Ward is a rapidly growing investment management firm with $11.2 billion under management. They currently have 100 employees that are split between two offices in Santana Row that total 25,000 SQFT. They needed a lot of room to grow and wanted an environment that provided easy access to amenities, so they choose Downtown San Jose. The company leased 43,000 SQFT at 10 Almaden, making it the largest new Downtown lease of the year.

As part of the eight-year contract, they will get their name on the building with great visibility from Santa Clara Street. Loring Ward is hoping to complete construction this fall, which will include a mix of private workspaces, open offices, and private interior offices.

As an added bonus in the Silicon Valley Business Journal article, it looks like brokers for the Boston Properties office project near the convention center have started marketing the space again. If they find a tenant, the project could reach 800,000 SQFT (I remember old renderings consisting of three high-rise buildings). It's nice to see that more than just residential and retail are picking up steam Downtown.

Side note: Did anyone know that 10 Almaden had a lap pool? I didn't until I saw the photo below.

Source: SVBJ

PAC*SJ Summer Walking Tours!

The Preservation Action Council of San Jose (PAC*SJ) will be doing three walking tours this summer. They will be in the Vendome neighborhood, Palm Haven and North Willow Glen, and also a stroll down The Alameda. All tours will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Saturdays. More information and advance tickets for the set or individual tours are available on the website http://www.preservation.org/events/walkingtours/tickets2014.html

You can also purchase tickets on the day of the tour if slots are available by arriving about 10 minutes early. Individual tickets are $10 for members of PAC*SJ and $15 for the general public. It is $25/$35 for the complete set.

Vendome, June 14

This walk shows six decades of San Jose homes on only four streets. 

The tour will begin at Ryland Park near First Street. There are some parking spaces in the Ryland Park lot and along San Pedro, but parking east of First Street or taking Light Rail to Ayer is recommended. In the park, we’ll learn a little history about San Jose and how the neighborhood filled in over time. The biggest growth spurt was during the 1930’s when the property of the Vendome Hotel became available for development. After we visit the Rotary Ryland Pool, we’ll stroll through the southern half of the neighborhood to see the homes. The architecture includes Victorian, Craftsman, Prairie style, Tudor, art moderne, and a wide variety of Spanish styles.

Palm Haven and North Willow Glen, June 28

This tour begins at the corner of Fuller and Bird in North Willow Glen where is more street parking available. We’ll pass some interesting homes on Bird, before going through Palm Haven. Palm Haven was laid out in 1913 with a border of Mexican Fan Palms. The earliest homes were all substantial. Later homes on the outer streets are more varied in size. Many famous civic and business leaders lived in Palm Haven, as well as artists and architects, most notably in the Wolfe family. 

The Alameda, July 12

The tour begins at the corner of Emory and the Alameda, across from the Central Y. The resources for this tour are The Alameda: The Beautiful Way and the Alameda Right of Way Context Statement produced by the City. 

The Alameda is the piece of the El Camino Real that ran between Mission Santa Clara and Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe. The name comes from the shade trees that were planted along the route. On the first part of the tour, we’ll look at the prominent homes along the street and discuss some of the ones that are now gone. We’ll learn about some prominent people in city history. Later we’ll walk through a resurgent business area and talk about the past – and future – changes to the landscape.

The narrative will be finished as we approach Stockton Street after a 1 mile walk, so depending on the heat and how individuals are feeling, there is the option to take the #22 or #522 bus back to the starting point. They both run every 15 minutes.

Patxi's 10th Anniversary Party

This Wednesday is the 10 year anniversary of Patxi's Pizza, and they are doing a variety of promotions to celebrate. First off is free food and drinks (beer and wine) on June 4th from 3pm to 4pm at every location. Those wearing a Patxi's t-shirt to the party will get a $20 gift card.

Also on June 4th, anyone who orders a pizza for delivery will get a Willy Wonka-style golden ticket that give customers a chance to win $25-$50 gift cards or the grand prize of "Pizza for a Year."

Lastly, any children under 10 that have their birthday on June 4th will get a free pizza. Those lucky enough to turn exactly 10 years old on June 4th will win a pizza party valued at $200.

Patxi's San Jose location is on the edge of Crescent Village at 3350 Zanker Road.

PATXI’S CELEBRATES ITS 10^th ANNIVERSARY

Party at Every Location, Specials, & More

Patxi’s Pizza, the Bay Area brand famous for classic Chicago-style stuffed pizza and authentic Italian thin crust, celebrates its 10^th Anniversary on June 4 with celebrations around town, food and drink specials, contests and more.  

Patxi’s (pronounced pah-cheese. ‘t’ before ‘x’) began as a labor of love for old friends and now business partners William Freeman and Francisco “Patxi” Azpiroz. From their first location in Palo Alto, which is still operational, the duo has built the business into a successful, growing brand with twelve restaurants spanning two, soon to be three, states. With nine locations in the Bay Area, a thriving three-store operation in Denver, and plans to open in Seattle later this summer, Patxi’s is set up for an even more exciting ten years to come. 

“Throughout the last 10 years and as we’ve expanded from our first location in Palo Alto, we’ve really tried to remain true to our initial mission; which is to service excellent pizza and top-notch hospitality,” says CEO Bill Freeman. “So, to celebrate, we want all of the communities in which we have a restaurant to feel the appreciation we have for each of them.”

COMPLIMENTARY CELEBRATION AT EVERY PATXI’S

Wednesday, June 4, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Patxi’s invites customers and friends to join them for complimentary food and drinks (beer and wine) at every location in the Bay Area. Plus, Patxi’s will celebrate with cake and a toast for everyone. Those wearing a Patxi’s t-shirt to the party will receive a complimentary $20 gift card. Space is limited, event is first-come, first-served. 

GOLDEN TICKET DELIVERY DAY

Wednesday, June 4, all day

Patxi’s isn’t leaving out their valued delivery customers during their anniversary celebrations. Everyone who orders pizza for delivery will get the chance to win big—Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-style. 

With each delivery on June 4 comes a “Golden Ticket,” guests can check their tickets value on Facebook to see what prizes they have won. Prizes include gift cards in $25 and $50 denominations along with a Grand “Pizza for a Year” Prize, valued at $500. 

FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

Wednesday, June 4, all day

Any child 10 and under also having a birthday on June 4 will receive a complimentary pizza (or gift certificate for a free pizza). Plus, any child also celebrating their 10^th Birthday will win a pizza party celebration, value of $200. Plus, balloons for the kiddos at the grand celebration. 

LOYAL CUSTOMERS GET “THANXED”!

Month of June

For those customers participating in Patxi’s Loyalty Program, through Thanx, there are some fun anniversary specials as well. Thankx customers who dine at Patxi’s ten times during the month of June will receive a special VIP $50 reward. For details visit http://thanx.com/patxispizza. 

PATXI’S PIZZA LOCATIONS

San Jose: 3350 Zanker Road, San Jose, CA, 95134, 408.526.1999

Fillmore: 3318 Fillmore Street San Francisco, CA 94123, 415.345.3995

Hayes Valley: 511 Hayes Street San Francisco, CA 94102 , 415.558.9991

Irving: 822 Irving Street San Francisco, CA 94122, 415.759.9000

Noe Valley: 4042 24th Street San Francisco, CA 94114, 415.285.2000

Campbell: 1875 South Bascom Ave, Suite 405, Campbell, CA 95008 The Pruneyard Shopping Center, 408.559.0700

Palo Alto: 441 Emerson Street Palo Alto, CA 94301, 650.473.9999

Lafayette: 3577 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Lafayette, CA 94549, 925.299.0700

Livermore: 2470 1st St, Livermore, CA, 94550, 925.371.1000

ABOUT PATXI’S PIZZA

www.patxispizza.com

Founded in 2004 by two friends, entrepreneur Bill Freeman and pizza expert Francisco “Patxi” Azpiroz, Patxi’s Pizza offers authentic Chicago- and Italian-style pizza, featuring two distinct, handcrafted styles of dough, four types of mozzarella and over 30 different fresh meat and veggie toppings (ingredients sourced locally whenever possible).  Patxi’s Pizza (pronounced pah-cheese) is privately owned and operated with a total of 12 locations between the San Francisco Bay Area and Denver, CO. Patxi’s Pizza was ranked #6 in the Food & Beverage Industry by Inc. Magazine’s Top 100 Hire Power Companies of 2013 and named among the Top 10 “Most Life-Changing Pizzas” of 2012 by Esquire Magazine. CEO Bill Freeman was recently named one of the “Most-Admired” CEOs in the Bay Area by the San Francisco Business Times. 

Patxi’s menu features a standout family of pizzas and an array of salads and small plates. Says Executive Chef / Partner Patxi Azpiroz, “Here at Patxi’s we happily renounce stovetops, deep fryers and freezers. Instead we prepare all of our dishes using fresh ingredients, sourced locally when possible.”

In addition to pizza, Patxi’s features an array of small plates great for sharing, including Burrata Bruschetta and the Meatball, which is inspired by a long-time Boston-Italian family recipe and features sustainably raised beef and a Chicago-style Italian sausage braised in a house made tomato sauce and topped with basil and Grana Padano cheese. In lieu of dessert, Patxi’s offers honey for the “bones” or crust of the pizza—the perfect way to enjoy those last remnants of crust after the meal. Guests can also enjoy fresh salads and beverages including a full bar. Complete menu is here. Photos available upon request. 

Through their 52 Weeks of Giving program, Patxi’s donates a portion of its profits to local nonprofit organizations dedicated to education and children’s health and welfare – totaling over $315,000 in donations to date.

52 Weeks of Giving Facts:

• In 2013, Patxi’s Pizza donated more than $166,620 to partner organizations through a total of 395 fundraising events 
• To date, the program has raised more than $315,277 for partner organizations with their shared mission. 
• Since the program’s inception, Patxi’s has hosted just over 740 individual fundraisers for community organizations, nonprofits and schools.
• Over 397 community organizations participated in the program this year including a total of 128 local schools and in-school programs; and non-profit organizations such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation (Bay Area and Denver Chapters), The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, United Autism Foundation, Children’s Hospital Oakland, Muscular Distrophy Association, and dozens more.
• Money raised through the program funded programs like a trip to Washington, D.C. for Lincoln High School, a 5th Grade Science Camp for Livermore’s Rancho Las Positas Elementary, and travel for the Team World Finals for Stanley Odyssey of the Mind among many others.
• The program currently operates through Patxi’s nine Bay Area locations and three Denver locations, and will expand to the Seattle and Santa Barbara markets, totaling 15 locations in 2015
• Patxi’s goal is to raise $200,000 to benefit charity organizations in 2014

Santana Row's Annual Summer Fashion Shows Featuring Vernon Davis of the 49ers

San Jose, CA – The popular summertime event returns for the sixth year with two poolside runway shows at Santana Heights and a catwalk appearance by popular football player Vernon Davis.

A portion of the sales will benefit the Vernon Davis Foundation for the Arts, created by the athlete/artist/philanthropist to promote art education and art appreciation among youth from disadvantaged backgrounds.

As always, the shows will feature the season’s best fashions for women and men from Santana row retailers as well as style surprises and special guests.

Runway shows are scheduled for 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Included in the price of the $50 ticket is poolside seating to view the fashion show, access to the Beauty Lounge, pre-event champagne, wine and light hors d’oeuvres, a Passion for Fashion shopping card that entitles guests to discounts around Santana Row, prize drawings and in-store events.

To purchase tickets, please visit the Santana Row website.

Saturday Stats: San Jose is the 2nd Safest U.S. Driving City

Here is a Saturday stat I was not expecting. Despite being the 7th most congested city in the US, San Jose is the 2nd safest city in the country when it comes to driving. Only New York had a lower vehicle fatality rate among the ten largest cities in the country. I also was not aware that San Jose has actually held this 2nd place distinction since 2003. I would expect when self-driving cars hit the market, the fatality rates will go even lower.

Fatality Rate Per 100,000 People

1. New York City  - 3.21
2. San Jose - 4.27
3. San Diego - 5.23
4. Chicago - 5.34
5. Los Angeles - 6.27
6. Philadelphia - 6.91
7. Houston - 9.01
8. San Antonio - 9.54
9. Phoenix - 10.14
10. Dallas - 10.96

Source: NBC Bay Area, hat tip to Jordan Toy

Naglee Park Open Studios on June 1st

Here is an event that is completely new to me. This Sunday is the 6th Annual Naglee Park Open Studios, which lets you walk right into artists homes around a historic neighborhood. 30 artists are participating at 20 different locations with works including ceramics, photography, sculptures, watercolors, and more.

The event programs with locations of participating artists will be available on May 11th at Happy Dog, House of Bagels, and the famous Naglee Park Garage (505 E. San Carlos St.). The Event is free and runs from 11am to 5pm.

You can find more information at the Naglee Park Community Association or their Facebook Page.

Source: Phantom Galleries

New DMV Coming to East San Jose

Tired of long lines at South Bay DMVs? Hopefully this will help. A new 30,000 SQFT DMV is coming to East San Jose. This will be located at 2222 Senter Road, right across the street from Costco.

Barry Swenson is building out the project and expects it to be completed in late 2014.

Source: SVBJ

Tee Nee Thai Restaurant Re-openeing in June

A beloved Thai restaurant on The Alameda that way destroyed by a fire over a year ago is about to reopen. Immediately after the fire, the Shasta Hanchett Park Neighborhood came together and held a fundraiser at its sister restaurant, House of Siam Downtown, and helped raise money for the re-build.

The new restaurant will have the same address at 1423 The Alameda, but will be substantially redesigned. The original restaurant had a seating capacity of around 40. The new restaurant will be able to seat up to 86 across a main dining room, a brand new sidewalk cafe, and a Thai-themed outdoor patio. The kitchen is being extended out by nine feet, it is getting two new ADA compliant restrooms, and the front windows will be enlarged to allow for more window seating.

I don't have an opening date yet, but it should be sometime in June with the back-patio being completed in July.

Source: The Merc, hat tip to Alex Shoor for sending this in!

Video Tour of the One South Market Construction Site!

Check out the great video that David Manzo put together for his San Jose 2030 project. He is video-documenting key changes in San Jose's landscape between now and the year 2030. You can really see how fast One South is coming along. The views are going to be amazing from this centrally located high-rise tower!

Towards the end of the video you can also see how Centerra is progressing--and I have to say it looks much larger than I would have expected from the sky.

Post by San Jose 2030.

May 2014 Downtown Dimension Highlights

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

• A 195-unit, seven floor apartment project called Marshal Squares is being planned for First and St. John, right behind the Trinity Cathedral in St. James Park. The coolest feature of this project has to be a two-story cafe overlooking St. James Park.
• Barry Swenson is gearing up to start construction of Parkview Towers in 2015, also in the St. James Park area and featuring two high-rise buildings.
• The 4.1-acre, $6 million Rotary PlayGarden for children of all abilities is now under development off Coleman Avenue, behind the Guadalupe River Park and Gardens visitor center.
• A new marketing program to kindly ask bicyclists to use bikeways and streets downtown is going into effect, preserving Downtown sidewalks for pedestrians to safely walk.
• CipherCloud has moved its corporate headquarters from 10 Almaden to a larger 20,000 SQFT space at Riverpark Tower 1.
• Law firm Miller, Morton, Caillat & Nevis moved to a 15,000 SQFT office at 50 West San Fernando.
• Three new businesses are now open at 52 S. First St., Third Floor:
• A yoga studio called "Be The Change"
• Soul Imagez tattoo parlor
• Make Me Holey piercing shop
• Take One Pizza is open at 177 W. Santa Clara St., serving individual build-your-own pizzas in about three minutes.
• The San Jose Earthquakes and Downtown Association plan to have a series of World Cup viewing parties, two of which will be followed up by Starlight Cinemas outdoor movies [Josh: I have separate posts for this closer to the events].
• The 22nd year of the Downtown San Jose Farmers' Market started on May 2nd and goes all the way until November 21st. This takes place each Friday from 10am to 2pm along San Pedro Square.

To read the full newsletter, click here!

One South Photoshop

Our friend Jeff Arko sent in some Photoshops last weekend to give us an idea of how large One South will be when it is topped out. Yes, there is a setback on one side, but this still give a great approximation of the size of the building in context with other Downtown buildings. This is going to have a huge impact on the skyline as well as the obvious impact to Santa Clara Street and Downtown in general.

TODAY - a shot of One South Market with the 17th floor pour in progress

TOPPED OUT - a fake render all the way up to the top (minus the set back)

CURTAIN WALL - a fake render extending the curtain wall up to the top

Breathe Deep Bay Area 5k Walk/Fun Run on June 1st

Breathe Deep Bay Area is a grassroots event planned and managed by a small group of volunteers from the Bay Area whose lives have been impacted by lung cancer. This 5K walk and run is an opportunity for our community to rally together against lung cancer. They started in 2011 and their next run is one week from today--Sunday, June 1st--at the Discovery Meadow Park behind the Children's Discovery Museum. It's a great cause and they have already raised over half of their $30k goal!

Who: Anyone in the Bay Area!
What: Breathe Deep Bay Area, 5K walk and fun run
Where: Discovery Meadow Park in Guadalupe River Park & Gardens, San Jose (180 Woz Way)
When: Sunday, June 1st, 9:00am for the run, 10:00am for the walk
Why: To raise money for lung cancer research and to raise awareness for this disease!

For more information: www.lungevity.org/bayarea

Camera 12 is Dramatically REDUCING Prices for the Summer!

This is a big announcement for Downtown San Jose residents and visitors. While most theaters are continuing to increase prices at an alarming rate, Camera Cinemas is slashing them at my favorite movie theater, Camera 12. The price for all movies including brand new blockbusters will be $5.50 during the day and $8.50 at night, all summer long.

To top it off, they will also introduce D-BOX premium seats that can sway and jolt along with the movie. The motion seats will debut in the largest auditorium on May 29th with Disney's Maleficent. These seats are already available at Camera 7 in the Pruneyard and you will be able to preview them in the Camera 12 lobby with trailers of new movies.

I think this will have a big impact in bringing even more people to Downtown San Jose. Camera 12 is the only theater that is steps away from a Light Rail Station, it's the only 3-story theater in Silicon Valley, and it's the only theater playing mainstream movies Downtown. The price cut makes it a no-brainer to patronize and support! Press release below.


CAMERA CINEMAS INTRODUCES BUCKBUSTER SAVINGS IN DOWNTOWN SAN JOSE SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – May 18th, 2014

If you don’t go to the movies very often due to the expense, then you have an unlikely ally in Camera 12 Cinemas. The Silicon Valley theater chain’s co-founder and president Jack Nyblom is willing to stare down the elephant in the room: ever-increasing admission prices. Looking at the blockbuster summer ahead, Nyblom had thoughts about making it affordable to patrons who like to go to the movies once a week or more.

"At Camera 12, we looked at how it can be a challenge for a lot of folks to see all of the exciting first-run films coming up.” Nyblom says. “Why should a family or a struggling student or a couple on date have to pay a small fortune to go to the movies? In thanks for all of the support we’ve received from our loyal patrons, we thought this summer we wanted to give them something back.”

It’s called the Summer Buckbuster and it starts on May 23rd with the superhero epic X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST and the Adam Sandler comedy BLENDED. While other theater chains are charging as much as $13 per ticket, movies at Camera 12 will cost $5.50 during the day and $8.50 in the evening.

Another upgrade at Camera 12 this summer is D-BOX, premium-priced seats that move with the action on screen—the audience sways with a dangerous helicopter maneuver or feels a jolt when a character on screen takes a punch. The D-BOX kiosk is already in the Camera 12 lobby so patrons can try out the motion seats with trailers for GODZILLA and TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION. The motion seats will debut in the largest auditorium at Camera 12 on May 29th with the release of Disney’s MALEFICENT.

Best known for bringing sophisticated international films to the South Bay since 1975, Camera Cinemas now operates three locations in San Jose and Campbell, providing a hub for the most prominent film festivals in the Silicon Valley area as well as the latest major studio releases, all exhibited on state-of-the-art Sony 4K digital projectors.

Camera 12 Cinemas, located at 201 S. 2nd Street in downtown San Jose, provides parking validation for three hours.

Saturday Stats: San Jose Metro Unemployment Rate Drops

Silicon Valley's unemployment rate dropped again last month to a stellar 5.4% (5.3% if you eliminate San Benito County, not sure why it is included in these figures). This is down from 6.3% in March. This confirms what many of us already know, the local job market is on fire--in a good way.

How does that 5.4% compare? California's average unemployment rate is 7.3% and the nation's unemployment rate is 5.9%. This means we are outperforming both the state and country in terms of the jobs market.

Source: SVBJ

San Jose Greek Festival 2014 Next Week (FREE ADMISSION)

The annual Greek Festival is taking place next week from Friday, May 30th to Sunday, June 1st at Saint Nicholas Church in San Jose's Rose Garden neighborhood. This is one of if not the largest ethnic festival in San Jose, and is definitely worth checking out. Just about all of the food is completely home made, and they have the best lokoumades anywhere in the Bay Area (fried doughnut holes drenched in honey and covered in walnuts and cinnamon). They will also be serving lamb chops from Evvia/Kokkari restaurants--the best Greek places I know of around here. Of course, in addition to awesome food you will also have music, dancing, a kids area, and contests.

You can print out the last image below for free admission and there should be plenty of free parking in the general area with shuttles to take you to the festival. For more information, please visit the San Jose Greek Festival Facebook page.

Paper Plane Review on the San Jose Food Blog

I'm embarrassed to say that I have yet to check out Paper Plane. My day job has made it next to impossible to catch up on all of the great restaurants that have opened over the last few months.

Paper Plane is brought to you by the proprietors behind Original Gravity, the first craft-beer oriented pub in Downtown San Jose. Check out the great review for this establishment over at the San Jose Food Blog!

Wednesday Wishlist: Cool Steps

The San Jose art scene is really moving in the right direction, especially Downtown with various projects to turn boring objects into works of art. Examples include Downtown Doors, the wrapped utility boxes, yarn bombing, painted benches, and several that are in the works such as the "art crosswalks" and LED lit underpasses. Japantown is also doing a great job with their murals. However, there is always more that we can do.

I ran across a site with amazing painted staircases from all over the world. There are quite a few areas where we could do something like this. Immediately the steps leading up to the San Jose Museum of Art and "The Stairs" at Communication Hill come to mind. Where else could we add art to stairs in San Jose like the photos below?

While we are on the topic of new canvases for art, I would like to bring up an old post about simple, "interactive" art that I ran across in Israel. Here is the link.

Source: Bored Panda

Sake San Jose - This Thursday @ Japantown

The 9th Annual Sake San Jose will take place from 5:30pm to 8:30pm this Thursday in San Jose's Japantown (Jackson between 3rd and 7th). Not only will you get a chance to sample many different Sake's across Japantown, but this entire event is a fundraiser for the Yu-ai Kai Senior Service organization, so you will be drinking for a good cause! All of the details are below:

Yu-Ai Kai’s 9th Annual Sake San Jose event will be held on Thursday, May 22, 2014 from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM. Join the hundreds of sake tasters as they embark upon the streets of historic Japantown San Jose (on Jackson Street, between 3rd and 7th Streets) for one of the most anticipated fundraisers of the year.

This year’s opening ceremony will again feature our guests of honor in a ceremonial sake cask breaking (Kagami-wari) and a toast of Kanpai! Approximately 25 Japantown businesses will host a pouring station, where Yu-Ai Kai volunteers will offer samples of sake made both in Japan and the U.S.

Early Bird tickets are $40 when purchased by May 18th; $50 after May 18. There is also a VIP ticket for $60 which includes admission, a Horitaka design Year of the Horse T-shirt, and express check-in line at Registration.

Returning again this year will be celebrities participating at various pouring stations. So don’t be surprised if you see a familiar face. Check the News and Update Section as they are confirmed.

WHEN:	May 22, 2014 5:30pm-8:30pm
WHERE:	Japantown San Jose On Jackson Street Between 3rd and 7th Streets
TICKETS:	BUY NOW!

St. James Park Food Trucks!

I think we can all agree that there is a lot of work to be done to restore St. James Park, perhaps the park with the most history in all of San Jose. With several new development projects happening on the periphery of the park, we need to do everything we can to change this from an encampment for the homeless to one of Downtown's key attractions.

Ryan Sebastian, the proprietor behind Treatbot, Moveable Feast, and the San Jose Taco Festival of Innovation, is planning to bring lunch-time food trucks to St. James Park as soon as June. Instead of a regular weekly food truck event, he is envisioning something a bit different. He is trying to get a Food Truck "pod" in the park that would feature lunch trucks daily. I think this would go a long way to reducing the non-homeless to homeless ration in the park and improving the quality of the community there, especially in combination with other improvements being discussed like a music pavilion. I wish him the best of luck!

Oh and while we are on the topic of parks, check out this great article in Think Bigger San Jose about improving Plaza de Cesar Chavez.

Source: SVBJ

Recent Downtown San Jose Video

The video below is a collage of footage from Downtown San Jose taken in March of this year. It highlights many of the key areas Downtown and includes some nice construction shots.

Source: "jawz" from SkyscraperCity

 

Saturday Stats: Silicon Valley has More Billionaires than SF

There are a whopping 56 billionaires that are living in the Bay Area. What surprised me is that there are more living in Silicon Valley as opposed to San Francisco. Most of the 34 billionaires in Silicon Valley live in Woodside, Palo Alto, and Atherton.

Other interesting tidbits. Seven new billionaires were minted last year in the Bay Area (two from Facebook), Larry Ellison is the richest person in Silicon Valley and fifth in the world with a new worth of $48 billion, and just about all of the Bay Area's billionaires made their money in tech.

Combined, Silicon Valley's billionaires are worth $301 billion, which makes up 62% of the net worth of all the billionaires in California. Another way to say that is of all the extreme wealth in the state, 62% of it is in Silicon Valley. Now let's hope some of these billionaires share their wealth in the local area and help improve our communities!

Source: SVBJ