San Jose hosts "The Swings"

Starting on August 4th, you will be able to enjoy "musical swings" in Plaza de Cesar Chavez. The swings are an award-winning interactive art project that combines both exercise and music. As you swing, you will trigger musical notes. When multiple people coordinate their swings, they can generate melodies.

Musical Swings will be in Plaza de Cesar Chavez for the next two months and are available from 10am to 10pm daily. There is no fee to use the swings.

This project was sponsored by the Knight Foundation, the City of San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs, the City of San Jose Parks, Recreation & Neighborhood Services, the San Jose Downtown Association, San Jose Jazz, The Tech Museum of Innovation, ZERO1, Team San Jose, Adobe, Applied Materials, and City View Plaza.

Source: SJ Economy News

Santana Row adding several new new retail and food options

You are going to see some new faces at Santana Row this year. Two stores have recently opened: Kendra Scott (1,470 SQF) which sells accessories and Makers Market (675 SQFT) selling handmade-in-America gifts. Below is a list of what else is coming in 2016.

Retail

• SuitSupply (4,425 SQFT) - trendy men's clothier
• Marine Layer (749 SQFT) - boutique clothing brand
• Aesop (1,081 SQFT) - Australian skincare company

Food

• Smitten Ice Cream (kiosk at Park Valencia) 
• Poke Bar (kiosk at Park Valencia)
• Tacolicious (2,191 SQFT)

Office

• Splunk (234,000 SQFT) - Okay, so this isn't somewhere you can shop at. However, having a thousand extra workers at Santana Row will help liven things up during the workweek. 

Source: SVBJ

Downtown San Jose Restaurant List Updates (2016 Q1 & Q2 Edition)

It has been a while since posting the latest list of Downtown San Jose Restaurants. We are up to a grand total of 268 eateries! This is yet another record-breaking number for Downtown San Jose. Our little database had 206 eateries just five years ago. 60+ new restaurants in such a short period of time is pretty amazing.

Every time I have compiled the list, there have been significant closures. Not this time. Amici's and Da Noodle are the most significant that I am aware of since the last time this list was posted. On the other hand, there are many notable additions:

• Sushi Confidential - Creative, non-traditional sushi that took over the former Sonoma Chicken space.
• Olla Cocina - Vibrant Mexican cuisine in San Pedro Square.
• 2nd Story Bakeshop - Killer bakery providing some of the highest quality baked goods in San Jose.
• Ola's Exotic African Coffee and Tea - Yet another candidate for the best coffee in town. Highly recommended.
• IPOH Garden - San Jose's first Malaysian restaurant.
• Ludwigs German Table - San Jose's second German restaurant, situated in a unique ornate building with a lot of history.
• SoFA Market
• Hawaiian Poke Bowl
• Milk and Wood
• Vitamina Juices & Blends
• COMING SOON (you can find all "Coming Soon" restaurants at the top of the list in the spreadsheet)
• Chromatic Cafe (2nd St.)
• Elyse Restaurant (1st St.)
• Origins Juicery (1st St., former Discovery Store)
• Mo's (W. Santa Clara St.)
• Tac-oh! (SoFA)
• Pizzetta 408! (SoFA Market)
• Toasted Craft Sandwiches (SoFA Market)
• Uproar Brewery (SoFA, former Zer01 Garage)

Below is the change log from the Downtown San Jose Restaurants Database:

11/1/2015	Fahrenheit on San Feranando has closed and is being replaced by Pieology.
11/1/2015	Added Sushi Confidential, coming soon to 31 N. Market
11/1/2015	Added Pieology, coming soon to 99 E. San Fernando
11/8/2015	McDonald's on San Carlos closed
12/12/2015	Added Jade Leaf Eatery and Lounge at S. Market St. Suite 170
12/23/2015	Added Takai Sushi and Sake Bar in the Fairmont Hotel (5 star Yelp rating)
12/31/2015	Ayola Closed
1/10/2016	Da Noodle closed on Santa Clara Street
1/10/2016	Added Elyse restaurant as coming soon, taking the old House of Siam place at 151 S. Second.
3/12/2016	Added Olla Cocina as coming soon to 17 N. San Pedro St.
3/21/2016	Added 2nd Story Bakeshop, now open at 138 E. Santa Clara St.
4/2/2016	Our House has replaced Mid GoGo at 185 Park Ave.
4/2/2016	Added Ola's Exotic African Coffee and Tea at 30 E. Santa Clara Street #120
4/9/2016	Chromatic Cafe is coming soon to 2nd Street
4/24/2016	IPOH Garden has replaced 8 Treasure restaurant at 150 S. First St.
6/4/2016	Added Ludwigs German Table, now open at 261 N. 2nd St.
6/5/2016	Replaced Oni Mexicatessan at the San Pedro Square Market with Crepes & More
7/2/2016	Replaced Amici's with Mo's at 225 W. Santa Clara St.
7/2/2016	Tac-oh! is coming soon to 399 S. First St. (formerly First to Market)

If you haven't bookmarked it yet, here's the link to the spreadsheet! There is also a permanent link over to the right entitled Downtown San Jose Restaurants.

Sushi Confidential is now open in Downtown San Jose

Randy Musterer's acclaimed sushi joint has finally opened its San Jose location. The original restaurant in Campbell has become a tremendous success, leaving little doubt that Sushi Confidential will become an anchor restaurant in the San Pedro Square area. The restaurant specializes in creative, non-traditional sushi in a hip environment.

You can find Sushi Confidential over at 31 N. Market Street, former home of the original Sonoma Chicken Coop. They are open from 11:30am to 11:30pm, seven days a week.

Source: SJ Economy News

July 2016 Downtown Dimension Highlights

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

• Groundwerx continues to get high praise from Downtown property owners. The latest annual survey shows:
• 92% satisfaction with the overall condition of Downtown
• 93% approval rating for Groundwerx clean teams
• 73% of respondents saw an improvement in overall cleanliness from last year
• 49% of respondents saw an improvement in safety
• 72% of respondents believe the overall image of Downtown has improved
• Music in the Park still has three more concerts this year at Plaza de Cesar Chavez:
• July 14: AC/DShe, The Killer Queens and The Drought
• Aug. 4: Ozomatli and Sonido Clash Session
• Aug. 25: Tower of Power with Super Soul Brothers
• The first BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) stations along Santa Clara Street are nearing completion and the entire project--including East San Jose stations--should be completed by early 2017.
• Voters approved a quarter-cent sales tax increase that will raise an additional $40 million each year. The extra funding will go towards:
• Basic road repair and replacement of major arteries
• Increase police staffing by 41 positions and community service officers by 19 positions
• Keep fire companies open, double officers in squad cars, and improve traffic signal technology for more efficient emergency and medical responses.
• Sund Construction is finishing the 850-bed Campus Village Phase 2 project just in time for the fall semester. This will bring SJSU's total capacity for on-campus housing to 4,000 students.
• Mo's (breakfast and burger eatery) is coming to 225 W. Santa Clara St., replacing Amici's pizzeria.
• Tac-oh! will serve 16 different tacos at 399 S. First St. (the former First to Market space).

City Hall Rotunda

Cardinal2007 from the San Jose Development Forum has found yet another neat San Jose photo. The City Hall Rotunda has to be one of our top 10 architectural landmarks.

San Jose City Hall Rotunda by Night by Thomas Hawk, on Flickr

Saturday Stats: the San Jose Metro is worth $419 billion

Thanks to soaring property values and new flagship office developments, the value of all real estate in Santa Clara County has hit $419 billion. That is $30.9 billion more than 2015 (7.9% increase). The biggest increases in assessed property value came from Mountain View, Santa Clara, and Cupertino (due to Apple Campus II). San Jose proper appreciated at a respectable 7% which unincorporated parts of the county saw the least appreciation at 0.89%.

Source: SVBJ

Toasted Craft Sandwiches broke ground at the SoFA Market

One of the two last empty spaces in the SoFA Market is now officially under construction. "Toasted Craft Sandwiches" will be coming to SoFA later this year along with another new eatery called Pizzetta 408. Also, if you guys haven't tried Milk & Wood's ice cream and gelato popsicles yet, you have to get on over there and try them out. The SoFA Market is located at 387 S. 1st Street in Downtown San Jose.

ROEM builds 200 new affordable homes at 295-acre Hitachi master-planned community in San Jose

It is not easy to find affordable housing in San Jose. The good news is ROAM is just wrapping up 200 new affordable homes in South San Jose. The $46 million project is called Charlotte Park Apartments. The homes include several amenities including solar power, access to an outdoor BBQ, children's play area, a lounge, and a community kitchen/entertainment area. The bad news is that the project is already 100% leased. If you are in the market and meet the income requirements, it wouldn't be a bad idea to get on the wait list.

Charlotte Park is part of a much larger planned development that includes market-rate apartments, condos, townhomes, and a 10-acre park. For more info on Charlotte Park, have a look at the press release below.

$46 Million Charlotte Park Apartments’ 200 Affordable Multi-Family Residential Units Are 100% Leased and Near Completion

SAN JOSE, Calif. ― With the near completion of 200 new, affordable housing homes, the $46 million Charlotte Park Apartments in San Jose, Calif., is a great example of ROEM’s expertise in building a high quality affordable residential rental community located within a market-rate development. In this case, ROEM Corp. satisfied most of the affordable housing requirement of the Hitachi master-planned community, with ROEM Builders, Inc., acting as both general contractor and construction manager.

“While inclusionary housing policies provide a major source of funding for affordable housing, they can significantly reduce a developer’s return and create long-term obligations,” said Alex Sanchez, Executive Vice President of ROEM Corporation. “Our market-rate developer partners recognize the benefits of having ROEM act as their third-party general contractor. We assume their affordable housing obligations and pay the in-lieu fees while designing and building high-quality affordable housing that seamlessly blends with their market-rate housing. About 430 of our more than 3,000 new affordable housing units completed since 2000 were built by ROEM for a market-rate developer.”

Located on the former Hitachi Global Storage Technologies campus, Charlotte Park is part of a 295-acre master-planned community that will include condominiums, apartments, attached townhomes, many pocket parks, and a large 10-acre park with a baseball field. Charlotte Park is situated near the intersection of Cottle Road and Highway 85, and within walking distance from the Blossom Hill Caltrain station and the Cottle and Santa Teresa light rail stations. This $46 million development with the construction and permanent financing provided by Citi is affordable to families that make 60 percent or less of the Santa Clara County Area Median Income and provides an amenity-rich residential experience.

“Charlotte Park provides a safe haven to those who are being squeezed out of quality housing in Silicon Valley,” said Jay Abeywardena, Director at Citi. “We are excited to help support this initiative and believe this project will have a meaningful impact on the community.”

Charlotte Park Apartments gained an efficiency of management thanks to two other ROEM developments – Oak Grove Apartments and LEX Apartments – being constructed simultaneously within about a half-mile radius. Although these are separate projects managed by separate teams, ROEM was able to share resources from time to time because of their close proximity.

“With Alliant’s investment of nearly $15 million, Charlotte Park Apartments will provide an additional 200 units of much needed safe and affordable housing to the San Jose Area,” said Brian Goldberg of Alliant Capital, Ltd. “We are proud to be a partner in the development of this property and excited for the residents who will benefit from it for years to come.”

With ROEM’s emphasis on sustainability, Charlotte Park will be pursuing USGBC LEED Gold certification. Because both solar thermal heating and solar photovoltaic power sources are being installed, Charlotte Park has the potential to save up to 85% on utility bills when compared to electric water heating. Per LEED standards, all apartments have high-efficiency flush toilets and faucets as well as “Evolve Roadrunner” showerheads that are thermostatically controlled. In addition, Charlotte Park integrates efficient landscape design by using native species and zero turf on a lot designed to capture and treat all stormwater.

The amenity-rich, four-story apartment building (with 230-parking space garage) includes a courtyard with outdoor barbecue, dining area, tot lot and lounge area; community room with media alcove, kitchen and entertainment area; storage area; homework and computer room; and laundry facilities. Apartments will be equipped with Energy Star refrigerators and dishwashers, blinds, carpet, coat closets, and electrical four-burner stove/ovens.

With completion slated by the end of June, Charlotte Park is already fully leased.

About ROEM Corporation
ROEM Development Corporation, ROEM Builders, Inc., and their affiliated entities are a full-service development and construction organization that has specialized in the acquisition, planning, financing, new construction, renovation and asset management of market-rate and affordable housing throughout California for more than 30 years. Ranked in Affordable Housing Finance magazine’s Top 50 Affordable Housing Developers of 2015 list and a registered member of USGBC and Build It Green, ROEM is dedicated to creating wholesome communities that are not only sustainable but also designed smarter to ensure that residents are healthier, happier and safer. ROEM has completed more than 3,000 affordable housing units with more than 1,000 units currently under construction. For more information, visit www.ROEMcorp.com.

Wednesday Wishlist: Lucas Museum in San Jose (Part 2)

Well, it's official. Chicago is no longer in the running for an iconic museum housing George Lucas' expansive art collection. The leaves San Francisco and Los Angeles to fight for the $1.5 billion project. That includes $700 million in construction costs, a $400 endowment, and $400 million worth of art, educational materials, and movie memorabilia. That would be the largest single philanthropic gift by a private citizen to any city in the US.

I think now would be the time for San Jose to throw its hat in the ring. George Lucas has received boatloads of opposition from both San Francisco and Chicago. Their loss should be our gain--let's welcome Lucas with open arms!

There are several locations in or near Downtown San Jose that would work, not to mention Kelly Park. I'm sure we could arrange to give him total creative freedom and some sort of incentives in exchange for having another world class museum in San Jose. These are the types of projects that will help elevate San Jose's culture and brand to the next level. We have a million well-educated, diverse, progressive residents and these are the types of projects we need to fight for!

Source: SVBJ

New renders of Museum Place, Downtown's most impressive high-rise proposal to date

I hope everyone has enjoyed the long weekend. It seems like it has been ages since we have had some really exciting development news. Thankfully, Nathan Donato-Weinstein from the SVBJ has come to the rescue with news on Museum Place. This is an epic mixed-use project first revealed last August.

The first formal plans for Museum Place have been submitted to the city, and the latest renders look even more impressive than before. Those plans include 213,820 SQFT of office space, 334 condos, a 143-room boutique hotel, 12,171 SQFT of retail, and a 60,000 SQFT expansion of The Tech museum (ground floor plus one level underground). There will be enough parking for 1,000 cars, all underground using a system where cars can be stacked on top of one another. The building will also have one of the slickest signage/lighting systems in Downtown.

Not only will this significantly change the skyline with a unique design, but it will help activate a paseo that runs between Park Avenue and the Convention Center. Getting a few projects like this in the area will be a game-changer! Check out the renders below and all of the details at the source link.

Source: SVBJ

Happy Fourth of July!

The Rotary Club of San Jose and Symphony Silicon Valley are once again hosting a world-class fireworks show in Downtown San Jose this year. "Symphony Summer Pops" music will start at 5:30pm at Discovery Meadow. The fireworks show will begin around 9:30pm.

For more info, head over here.

Good Karma gets a new artsy paint job

One of the best Vegan restaurants and craft beer spots in Downtown San Jose has a slick new facade. Surprisingly, the was the first place Downtown to feature an assortment of rare craft beers. Now there are five such places within a 3 minute walk and about a dozen in Downtown San Jose. If you have yet to try out Good Karma--regardless of whether you are vegan or a carnivore--you must check this place out!

Source: Quadshock from The San Jose Development Forum, SubZERO via Twitter

Saturday Stats: San Jose has the 4th highest percentage of upper class residents in the US

The Pew Research center conducted a study to see how income classes have changed over time in 229 US metros. Part of the study was highlighting the 10 metros with the largest percentage of upper-income populations. "Upper income" was defined by being more than double the US median household income relative to the national average cost of living. That means that very expensive areas are adjusted downward. Despite this, the San Jose metro can in 4th on the list, with 31% of the population considered upper class and a median household income of $187,390. San Francisco was 9th on the list with 28% of residents considered upper class and a median income of $185,290.

However, I would argue that if you have a household income of $187,390 in Silicon Valley, you are not wealthy and most likely in the upper middle-class bracket based on purchasing power. Likely you are not living in an extravagant house or enjoying a lavish lifestyle. If you have kids and a mortgage, you might barely be getting by. Check out the source link below for the top 10 list and more details.

Source: Business Insider, hat tip to Barclay Livker for sending this in!

Bryan Adams headlines Big Bang Concert on the Fourth of July

94.5 KBAY & Mix 106.5 fireworks viewing party gets even bigger

SAN JOSE – 94.5 KBAY and Mix 106.5 are bringing rocker Bryan Adams to San Jose’s premiere fireworks viewing party this Fourth of July.

Adams, known for hits including Cuts Like A Knife, Summer of ’69 and more, is on tour with his album Get Up!. Mix 106.5 and 94.5 K-BAY are hosting the show, which will include a great view of the Rotary Fireworks, food trucks, kids activities, pre-order BBQ, beer, wine and more.

Tickets are now available at www.sjdowntown.com/BigBang

Bryan Adams concert & fireworks viewing party
Center for Performing Arts Plaza, downtown San Jose
4 p.m. – 10 p.m. July 4.
$25 advance VIP area access with tables, chairs.
$15 advance General admission
Pre-order BBQ: $15 adult, $10 child under 12

A VIP viewing area will be set up along Almaden Boulevard for prime fireworks viewing.

Tower of Power performs at Music in the Park

SAN JOSE – Bay Area legends Tower of Power returns to Music in the Park on Aug. 25.

Acclaimed for its venerable five-piece horn section, Tower of Power tours the world each year, playing hundreds of dates and pleasing their audiences with a parade of funk and soul classics including: “You’re Still a Young Man,” “Down to the Nightclub,” “So Very Hard to Go,” “Time Will Tell,” and “What is Hip?”

Tower of Power previously appeared at Music in the Park in 1994 and 1995.  Founding members Emilio Castillo (tenor sax and vocals), Stephen “Doc” Kupka (baritone sax), Francis Rocco Prestia (bass) and David Garibaldi (drummer), have never stopped recording or touring in 48 years.

Marcus Scott joined T.O.P. as its new lead singer in April.

The show begins at 5:30 p.m. with Super Soul Brothers, which combines funk and jazz with familiar melodies from classic video games, anime and TV and movie soundtracks.

All Music in the Park shows are at Plaza de Cesar Chavez, located in downtown San Jose along Market Street and surrounded by the Fairmont San Jose, Tech Museum of Innovation, San Jose Museum of Art and other downtown landmarks.

The Tower of Power date is the last of four Music in the Park concerts scheduled for 2016:

July 14:  AC/DShe, The Killer Queens and The Drought
Aug. 4:  Ozomatli and Sonido Clash Session
Aug. 25: Tower of Power with Super Soul Brothers

For more about the Aug. 25 artists, visit http://www.towerofpower.com and http://www.supersoulbros.com.

Tickets are now available at www.musicintheparksj.com.

Advanced tickets are $10 per adult and free for 12-under when accompanied by an adult.  At the door, admission will cost $15 per adult.

Music in the Park is presented by Metro Newspapers and produced by the San Jose Downtown Association. The events are supported by a grant from the City of San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs.

Visit www.sjdowntown.com for information about Downtown San Jose and the San Jose Downtown Association.

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About San Jose Downtown Association:  SJDA, a non-profit membership-based organization founded in 1986, represents business and property owners and works to enhance downtown’s vitality and livability.

Wednesday Wishlist: Skinny Towers

Towers do not always have to consist of residential, offices, or hotel rooms. Many cities around the world have towers that exist solely as a landmark or tourist attraction. They do not always require a lot of space and can have a minimal (and usually beneficial) impact on the skyline.

Brighton (UK) is building a 531 foot-tall "skinny tower" that is only 13 feet wide called the Brighton i360. Once completed later this summer it will be the world's tallest moving observation tower. Given the tiny footprint of a tower like this, it could be located pretty much anywhere.

Since Downtown San Jose is burdened by height limitations, it would make sense to locate something like this just outside of Downtown. Somewhere in the Santana Row / Winchester Mystery House area or in Kelly Park would be ideal since tourists are already visiting those locations and they would provide amazing 360 degree views of the valley.

A tower like this looks extremely expensive but the cost is around $60 million at 531 feet. Levi's Stadium was more expensive than 20 of these and a shorter tower would be even less expensive to build. The cost is actually not that much for a landmark attraction that would help define our skyline.

Source: inhabitat

Downtown San Jose ground floor activation

Our good friend Mark from Think Bigger San Jose has a new blog post about how Downtown San Jose is changing at the street level. There are a lot of new towers that will be coming online over the next few years, forever changing the skyline. However, the changes that will have the most impact on the overall success of Downtown will be the amount of vibrancy that these new projects bring to our streets.

Head over here to read the post at Think Bigger San Jose and learn why the map below is important to Downtown.

San Jose photo contest

History San Jose and Content Magazine are teaming up for the "This IS San Jose 2016" photo contest. The goal is to promote our uniqueness, diversity, and support our art community. Winners will have their photos displayed in the City Hall Routunda, win prizes, and will be featured in a future issues of Content Magazine.

Below you can see instructions for entry. For additional details (and a district map for tagging your photos), head over to the "This IS San JOSE" website over here.

Help Capture the Uniqueness and Diversity that IS San Jose!

Continuing the annual tradition, History San José will be accepting submissions for the 2016 Photo Competition, This IS San Jose.  There are several benefits to this contest including:

• Promotes the uniqueness and diversity that is San Jose 
• Supports the photographic arts and artists 
• Helps contest winners build their photographic portfolio and resume
• Documents each of the ten (10) districts with recent photographs for preservation for future generations

There are many ways for artists to participate - through our Kick-off Instagram Contest and then using any camera format the General Photo Contest.

Instagram Kick-Off Contest - Starts May 20 Thru July 1, 2016
Instagram contest begins May 20, 2016. Use @thisissanjose and the district number where the photo was taken (e.g., for District 1, use #district1; for District 10, use #district10, etc.) with your mobile device. District map can be found at San Jose Council Districts. 1, 2, 3. Honorable Mention winners will be automatically entered in the General Photo Contest.

General Photo Contest - Starts July 1 thru September 23, 2016
Primary photo contest begins June 20th and is open to all types of cameras and levels of ability (professional, non-professional or student under 18). Submissions for the primary contest need to be made before September 9th at contest@thisissanjose.com. Include your name, category (professional [earn over 50% from photography], non-professional or student under age 18), district taken, and your photograph in jpg document format.

All winning entries form all districts will be displayed in the San Jose City Hall Rotunda from October through December 2016. We are planning an awards reception in October with prizes. Winners will also be included in an upcoming issue of Content Magazine.

Sponsors
Presented by History San José
Media Sponsor Content Magazine

Searchlight San Jose: The Sarah Winchester Movie

A former Winchester Mystery House tour guide posted some interesting thoughts on what should be included in the upcoming movie. This is an exciting moment for us--I think this will be the first big-budget movie ever to be built entirely around a historic San Jose landmark. Head over to Searchlight San Jose and read his post here.

Saturday Stats: San Jose is the "weirdest" place in America

Weird can mean a lot of things, but in this case it is a good thing. An economist recently did a study based on 20 different variables to see which metro areas had the most deviations from being "normal." The metrics included the proportion of the population that is foreign born, married, working, in the military, that own a car, etc.

The San Jose metro came in as the most "weird" city in the US whereas Oklahoma was the most normal. San Jose ranked so highly due to our large percentage of immigrants, workers with high education, and high salaries. New York came in second on the "weirdness" list.

Source: Washington Post, hat tip to Fuss Lopez for sending this in!

Scott’s Seafood San Jose celebrates Fourth of July with a four course menu and spectacular views of fireworks

Now is the time to start thinking about Fourth of July plans since it is only two weeks away. The Rotary Fireworks show will be back again this year, and there are a few prime locations to enjoy it. Scott's Seafood is on the 6th floor of a parking structure and has a huge outdoor patio, making it one of those ideal spots. To learn about their Fourth of July event and special menu, have a look at the press release below.

(San Jose, Ca) - Scott’s Seafood San Jose is proud to celebrate Fourth of July 2016 with a special four course dinner menu and spectacular views of the Downtown San Jose firework celebration. Scott’s Seafood is located on the sixth floor of the Civic Center Plaza at 185 Park Ave in the heart of Downtown San Jose. Cost for this dinner is $75 dollars which will include a glass of sparkling wine.

Scott’s Seafood Culinary team has created a special four course menu with signature items such as: Jumbo Lump Crab Cake, Crispy Calamari, House made Boston Clam Chowder, Lobster Bisque, Almond Crusted Blue Noise Sea Bass, Sautéed Prawns, Crab Stuffed Sustainable Salmon, and house made specialty desserts.

Seating for Fourth of July begins at 4:30 and reservations are highly recommended as seating is due to sell out. Guest of Scott’s Seafood will be able to enjoy views of the Downtown San Jose Firework show beginning at 9:00 pm from the sixth floor of the restaurant.

Enjoy stunning views of Downtown San Jose 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

Fourth Of July 2016 Celebration:
What: Fourth of July 2016 at Scott's Seafood San Jose.
When: July 4th 2016 at 4:30pm
Where: Scott's Seafood San Jose: 185 Park Ave in Downtown San Jose.
Cost: $75

Bay Area Bike Share seeking community input for second phase of expansion

The Bay Area Bike Share program is expanding dramatically from 700 bikes to 7,000 bikes. The bikes are easily recognizable in Downtown San Jose by their light blue color. The expansion will roll out in five phases over the next two years. In order to choose the best locations for the new bikes, Bay Area Bike Share is collecting community input through a series of workshops. Two of those workshops are in San Jose.

If you want to influence the future of the program, all you need to do is participate and let your voice be heard. At minimum, you can go online and suggest a San Jose location over here.

District 3 Bike Share Workshops

• June 30, 2016
  6:00 PM – 7:00 PM and 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
  Bibliotecha Latinoamericana Branch Library, 921 S. 1st Street, San Jose, CA  95110
• July 6, 2016
  6:00 PM – 7:00 PM and 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
  Northside Community Center, 488 N. 6th Street, San Jose, CA  95112

Silicon Valley unemployment plummets to a 10-year low

I keep talking about an impending slowdown, yet stats like these continue to slap that notion in the face. In May our unemployment level hit a 10-year low with a rate of only 3.4%. In May 2015 that figure was already exceptional at 4.2% and even April 2016 was higher at 3.7%. To put that 3.4% figure in perspective, the whole state of California is performing well right now and the average California unemployment rate is 5.2%.

A total of 5,800 jobs were added to the San Jose Metro between April and May 2016. That brings us up to 1,083,100 jobs. Now some potentially bad news--most of the gains were in professional/business services, leisure and hospitality, and financial services. We lost 400 tech jobs, which tend to have the highest salaries. The positive spin is that our economy is diversifying, which would help weather any future dips in the tech sector.

Source: SVBJ

Olla Cocina is now open in San Pedro Square

Olla Cocina, a Contemporary Mexican Restaurant and Bar,  Now Open in Downtown San Jose
Inspired by regional dishes from across Mexico and California’s fresh ingredients, the new restaurant is located in San Pedro Square

San Jose, CA – An exciting addition to the downtown dining scene, Olla Cocina puts a contemporary spin on traditional dishes from Mexico in a fun and casual environment. the restaurant is located in San Pedro Square in the heart of San Jose’s urban center and opened Thursday, June 16. Olla is a celebration of all that is Mexican: a strong community, vibrant culture and generous, fresh food along with a little noise and quirkiness.

The restaurant’s Executive Chef is Adan Ornelas, most recently from adjacent restaurant, The Farmers Union, and Dry Creek Grill, both in San Jose. Ornelas worked in tandem with Olla Operating Partner Armando Navarro of El Dorado Kitchen in Sonoma, who oversees the menu.

Olla Cocina introduces innovative takes on regional Mexican food, elevating favorites with fresh, unexpected ingredients and flavor combinations. The menu includes fresh ceviches and a taco bar, as well as traditional dishes such as Carne Asada ($22) and Torta de Cochinita Pibil ($14).

Spotlighting the many regions of Mexico, the menu features small, shareable bites as well as larger entrees for a blended dining experience where the sharing of both is encouraged. Dinner starters include Roasted Chiliesserved with sea salt and lemon and Frijoles Fritos, featuring Rancho Gordo beans, Oaxaca cheese, jalapeños and totopos (both $7). Small plates include Ceviche Verde with halibut, lime juice marinade, tomatillo and avocado ($14), Vegetable Tamales with peppers, onion, zucchini, black beans, pasilla peppers, salsa verde and queso Oaxaca ($10) and soups such as Posole de Cerdo with pork shoulder, hominy, cabbage oregano, radish, onion, cilantro, chile de árbol ($13). Salads are tossed with surprising ingredients such as chorizo, masa croutons and crispy quinoa.

Larger plates include Tostada de Pollo with chipotle-braised chicken, black bean puree, cotija cheese, avocado, romaine, pico de gallo, spicy crema, cilantro ($15). The menu also features a variety of vegetarian options such asCamote con Mole, a salt-crusted sweet potato, mole sauce, almonds, rajitas of onion and peppers and house-made tortillas ($12).

The full bar will offer 12 local craft beers and 12 wines on tap, bottled Mexican beer, eight featured cocktails including a Margarita, Paloma and Sangria, horchata, Jarritos sodas and aguas frescas.

The dining experience takes place in an environment that’s both casual and special. Designed by restaurateur Doug Washington, interior décor touches include an authentic church pulpit repurposed into the host stand, witty Mexican artwork, beautiful tiles and decorative cinder blocks, intended to represent modern Mexico. A central design element featured in the main dining room and continuing to the outside patio is a ceiling trellis, made of repurposed reclaimed Douglas Fir from the garage across the street from the restaurant. Olla invites guests into a warm space with deft touches such as shoes hanging from the electrical wires that run along the ceiling, garage doors that open onto the front patio and Dia de los Muertos wallpaper. The dining area features walnut dining tables and two big, modern, custom picnic tables for communal diners. Sleek stool legs dipped in bright orange paint add to the festive environment. The eating space has low, dividing walls constructed from patterned concrete cinder blocks and capped with stained wood tops.

The 5,900-square foot Olla Cocina will seat a total of 228 in the main dining room and private dining room and 30 on the outdoor patio.

It’s in a prime location of downtown San Jose, near hotels, the convention center, offices and SAP Center, home rink for the NHL Sharks.

About Olla Cocina
Olla Cocina is a contemporary Mexican restaurant serving food and drinks in a casual, festive environment. The cuisine and bar program draw inspiration from many regions across Mexico and use seasonal California ingredients for a fresh take on traditional favorites. Located at 17 N. San Pedro St. in downtown San Jose’s popular San Pedro Square, Olla is a slice of modern Mexico with a fun and shareable menu of traditional favorites, signature cocktails and local beers and wine on tap. For more information, visit www.OllaCocina.com.

First annual "Bark in the Park" at Notre Dame Park

A new community-building event for Downtown residents, workers, visitors, and their pets kicks off this Sunday from 4-8pm at Notre Dame Park (intersection of Almaden Boulevard and Carlyle Street). This park exists today thanks to a group of Downtown residents that started a grassroots effort to clean out the unused lot and add some greenery.

The "Bark in the Park" event will have music, food trucks, wine, beer, an animal petting zoo, and art projects. Proceeds will go towards upgrading the park and helping with the maintenance for Andy's Pet Shop. With so many new residents comings into the Downtown area, we need to encourage more projects like this to improve the quality of the Downtown neighborhoods and create a stronger sense of community in the area!

San Jose musicians Lucid Optics & Museum release new album

Project info: It was three years ago that Hip Hop duo Modern Language (Lucid Optics on rhymes & Museum on production) leaked two demos to the public. In a matter of days both songs gained thousands of listens then were mysteriously deleted off the Internet without any formal explanation.

Here we are now, still without much background and the duo is back with their first official project, a four-song EP titled Ok Txt Me that was available for free starting Friday May 27th. The work is heavily inspired by communication in a digital age with a spaced-out backpacker sound. Upon release they announced that these were the first handful of tracks they wrote 3 years ago, and that they have an LP coming out sometime this summer. An official release date hasn’t been set but we can likely expect the project by late July.

The duo does finally have some social media set up, so you can keep track of their projects and hear about Lucid’s forlorn love for fish tacos on Twitter & Facebook.

You can access the new album Ok Txt Me for free at https://lucidoptics.bandcamp.com/album/ok-txt-me

Saturday Stats: San Jose is the #3 best metro for entrepreneurship growth

In the latest annual Kauffman study for startup funding growth, San Jose rose from fifth to third place on the list behind Washington D.C. and Austin. Note that this ranking is for growth and not total funding. In terms of total funding, the Bay Area nabbed $34 billion in investment during 2015, which is 27% of all the money invested in startups for the entire world. San Francisco dropped rank in the study from sixth place to eighth place.

The report also ranked the San Jose metro as being #1 for "emerging growth IPO density," whatever that means. San Francisco clocked in at #2 for that list.

Source: SVBJ

Hicklebees Children's Bookstore hosts a summer reading road trip celebration

San Jose, CA (Press Release) - In an effort to get kids reading this summer, the Scholastic Summer Reading Road Trip RV will visit Hicklebees Children's Books on June 26th from 12:00-2:00pm. Kids and families will have the opportunity to participate in their very own “pop-up” reading festival, meet some of their favorite authors, and engage in fun reading activities. The RVs will visit 20 U.S. cities nationwide throughout the summer, traveling more than 10,000 miles to spread the message about the importance of summer reading to kids.

At the Hicklebee's Children's Books reading road trip stop kids and families will enjoy a fun day of free reading activities including:

• An author visit and book signing from
• Susan Katz , author of ABC School's for Me!
• Mike Jung, author of Unidentified Suburban Object
• David Carter, author of Spot the Dot
• An activity tent filled with reading activities
• Giveaway tables and a prize wheel
• Animated photo stations with Clifford the Big Red Dog® and Slappy from Goosebumps®
• "Instaframes” picture stations for kids to show-off their “reading muscles”
• Costume characters including: Clifford the Big Red Dog®

WHERE: Hicklebees Children's Books, 1378 Lincoln Ave, San Jose, CA 95125

WHEN:  June 25th

TIME: 11:00 - 1:00pm

To track the RVs and find local events, visit the tour schedule here: http://scholastic.com/summerroadtrip. Follow the Scholastic Summer Reading Road Trip live on social media via @Scholastic and #SummerReading.

Sun Basket is San Jose's answer to on-demand food delivery

Blue Apron, EatClub, and Caviar have all been gaining in popularity for on-demand food service, but we have a local San Jose company that has thrown its hat in the ring. Sun Basket is a subscription-based meal service that specializes in healthy, organic, paleo, and gluten-free options. They deliver the raw ingredients in the right proportions along with instructions on how to prepare the meals. It is a fantastic option for people that want to cook wholesome meals but do not want to waste time shopping for ingredients or hunting new recipes.

My wife and I currently use Blue Apron which has a similar business model, but are planning to try out Sun Basket very soon. So far we have had great experiences with Blue Apron meals. I really think these services are a great compromise between getting take out and traditional cooking. 90% of the meals I've had are restaurant-grade and half the price.

Sun Basket already has 20,000 subscribers. The company has 225 full-time employees and is planning to grow to 300 in the near future. They are based in a 65,000 SQFT warehouse on Olinder Court in East San Jose (formerly Race Street Foods).

Check out the Sun Basket website over here, and make sure to read SJ Economy's post using the source link below.

Source: SJ Economy Blog

San Jose's first BART station is coming along nicely

If you have driven around Berryessa recently, it is nearly impossible to miss the new BART station. The project seem to be moving pretty quickly and will hopefully hit its 2018 completion date. Below are the most recent construction photos I have found.

Source: Hillrise from the San Jose Development Forum