Ballet San Jose - A Great City (Part 5 of 5)

The final part of Ballet San Jose's documentary takes a step back and talks about the impact a world class cultural attraction has on the city. This is my favorite part of the documentary and I definitely recommend watching it even if you haven't seen their other pieces. You'll even get some encouraging words from Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak about his hometown of San Jose. Just click the link below!

Part 5: http://blip.tv/file/4386692

Older Parts

Part 1: http://blip.tv/file/4262451 

Part 2: http://blip.tv/file/4303425

Part 3: http://blip.tv/file/4332357

Part 4: http://blip.tv/file/4365103

Restaurant.com Ad in the Sidebar

I'm not a huge fan of ads, but I ran into one that I could live with over to the right because I think it will actually add value for most readers. I go out to eat at least 5 times per week (explains all the food posts, right?), and I've managed to pick up a few tricks for saving money when dining out. In fact, here are my best tips:

1.) Costco AMEX Card - gives you 3% back on ALL restaurant purchases that accept AMEX.
2.) idine - Gives you a 5-10% discount at participating restaurants, including the tip. No cost for participation, just sign up and register your credit cards.
3.) Open Table - You get a $1 credit for making an online reservation, and sometimes a $10 credit on select restaurants. Also no cost for participation.
4.) Restaurant.com - Let's you buy $25 restaurant gift cards for $10 or less.

The 4 items above are not mutually exclusive, meaning you can stack all 4 discounts on top of one another if you get lucky, but by far the most substantial discount you can get is with item number 4, the Restaurant.com gift card. The way these work is simple. You pay $10 for a $25 gift card, but there is a small catch. You usually need to spend at least $35 and have a minimum party of 2 people to use the gift certificate. So let's say you go to a restaurant and spend $40. If you used a Restaurant.com gift, the net cost will be $25. However, Restaurant.com frequently discounts these gift cards even more. Right now, you can get an additional 80% discount by typing in "GOBBLE" at checkout. That brings the gift card price down to a ridiculous $2 and the cost of that $40 meal for 2 becomes $18.

449 restaurants within the San Jose area participate in this program, including 34 in Downtown San Jose and a few in Santana Row. So I think it would be nice to have easy access to their latest promotion right on The San Jose Blog. Their discount usually varies between 20% and 70%. Whenever you see an 80%, that is a good time to collect gift certificates. Also, once per year they have a 90% fire sale ($25 gift cards for $1). There is no better time to grab them, but the date is easy to miss and they don't advertise it in advance. Just make sure to type in the code at checkout to get the maximum discount!

Body Worlds Vital is Now Open @ The Tech

Don't miss the world premiere of Gunther von Hagen's BODY WORLDS Vital at The Tech Museum. Opens November 13.Tickets on sale now.

BODY WORLDS Vital, in its first-ever showing, celebrates the potential of the human body and the body in motion. Featuring authentic human bodies, the exhibition shows the body in health, distress, and disease. These detailed anatomical studies, compositions, and representations allow visitors a penetrating gaze at what lies beneath the skin.

The human body is built for action and experience. Intricately formed for optimal functioning, the living body is designed for survival, striving, and achievement.

BODY WORLDS Vital tells the compelling story of how best to defeat life-threatening diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease through informed choices and lifestyle changes.

Physician and anatomist Gunther von Hagens’ BODY WORLDS exhibitions are the original, precedent-setting public anatomical exhibitions of real human bodies, and the only anatomical exhibits that use donated bodies, willed by donors for the express purpose of serving BODY WORLDS'mission to educate the public about health and anatomy. The bodies are preserved through a remarkable process calledPlastination enabling visitors to learn what lies beneath the skin.



Only $19 for adults.
Only $12.00 for children 17 and under
Only $17.00 for Seniors 65+ or College Students with ID.
All pricing includes admission to The Tech Museum.

Members save over 40%. Become a member today.

Audio guide rental is available for $5.00 more (English or Spanish). Add The Human Body IMAX documentary for only $5.00 more each all ages.

Whole Foods Comes to San Jose

The first Whole Foods in San Jose proper is now open on Blossom Hill. The 50,000 sqft store has some unique twists such as a Middle Eastern shawarma bar, 200 products from local vendors, 300 different types of beers, an in-store dining area, coffee bar made out of recycled materials, and a play area for kids. In fact, it's unique enough that Whole Foods will offer tours of the store to patrons.

To balance out the good news with some predictable bad news, the Downtown San Jose Whole Foods has been delayed from 2011 to 2013. Maybe that will give them enough time to put rooftop parking back in the plans for that location.

November 2010 Downtown Dimension Highlights

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

• Groundwerx is now responsible for tree trimming services Downtown, adding to aesthetics and safety.
• The City Council is leaning towards agreeing to an aerial HSR structure (instead of further pushing for an underground alignment) in exchange for the ability to make design and materials decisions on the final structure.
• Lost Gatos Brewing Company is now open in the former home of A.P. Stumps (they also added tons of HDTVs and have a huge underground banquet facility).
• The renovated Civic booked its first 2011 show and will schedule a grand opening celebration.
• Hookah Nights is moving to a new home in SoFA and is changing names to Swinging Hookah
• Subway is now open at the ground floor of 360 (meh) and is the 6th Subway Downtown (double meh)
• Paesano Ristorante Italiano, the first restaurant in San Jose's Little Italy, is set to open very soon.
• San Jose is about to take control of State Highway 82 to remove a bureaucratic step in developing or improving the historic route including Blossom Hill, Monterey Highway, and the Alameda.
• A new 3 story primary and urgent care medical clinic will be built at 17th and Santa Clara Street. It should be up and running by 2014.
• Express VTA light rail service has begun and is offered 6 times daily.
• Downtown Ice opens November 19th and will continue until January 17th. Kristi Yamaguchi will celebrate the grand opening on November the 22nd.
• Downtown San Jose Holiday Schedule
• Downtown Ice opens Nov 19
• Christmas in the Park opens Nov 26
• San Jose Holiday parade is Dec 5
• Winder Wonderland opens Nov 24
• South First Friday is Dec 3
• Harvest Festival is Nov 26-28

To read the full newsletter, click here!

Soul of the Community 2010 - San Jose

This video is more oriented towards San Jose than the last Soul of the Community video I posted. If you have seen the previous one, you can fast forward to the 3 minute mark or so.


Knight Soul of the Community 2010 - San Jose from Knight Foundation on Vimeo.

Roosevelt Radio @ Britannia Arms (South De Anza)

If you feel like a dose of some local indie rock this weekend, check out Roosevelt Radio over at Britannia Arms on De Anza this Saturday! You can preview their songs right over here, or watch the video down below.

Sat 11/20 @ 9:30 pm
Britannia Arms
1087 South De Anza Blvd, San Jose
$5 at the door, 21+

Merc: Holiday Happenings in Downtown San Jose

There is a great link in the Merc today listing all of the holiday events happening in Downtown San Jose. You have great traditions like Christmas in the Park, Winter Wonderland, Downtown Ice, The Holiday Parade (ranked one of the best in the country), the Nutcracker. Then you have several stage shows ranging from the San Jose Symphony to several Pavilion concerts including the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Now some items that I didn't even know about: $5 family movies at the opulent California Theater in SoFA, free concerts in the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph, and a new museum exhibit at The Tech (okay this last one I did know about). To read the full list in the Merc, just click here. Thanks Jon for the heads up!

San Jose in 2020!

I know the San Jose Downtown Association is really pushing for an underground alignment for High Speed Rail, but I really like the design of that bridge. It looks almost like a super-sized version of the new pedestrian bridge on 280. It has potential to become an iconic structure in the San Jose skyline, especially if they are able to integrate some unique lighting into it. Plus, everyone would get a nice view of how beautiful our city is from the bridge. When watching the video, also look for the A's Stadium and new housing/office developments!

What Attaches People to Their Community? (San Jose is included in the study)

Knight Soul of the Community 2010 - National from Knight Foundation on Vimeo.

Ruffled Feathers Eatery Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest

I love this idea. Ruffled Feathers Eatery in Downtown San Jose is having a contest to see who can find the ugliest Christmas Sweater. They're going to put up all of the sweaters they receive on the walls and customers will vote on their favorite in December. The winner gets a free dinner for 2 and dessert tasting (hopefully their homemade marshmallows are included in the tasting). All sweaters need to be in by November 24th to qualify for the contest!

The Sobrato Tower FINALLY Get's a Tenant!

It has been confirmed! PWC will be moving to 209,151 sqft of shiny blue glass in downtown San Jose known to most as the Sobrato tower. This flagship AAA office space has been vacant since completion in 2002. A few years ago it was destined to become the BEA headquarters, but Oracle's acquisition of BEA put a hold on those plans. Finally, this amazing building will be utilized. I was fortunate enough to tour the top floor a couple years after it was complete, and this is easily the nicest office building Downtown, if not in all of San Jose. It is unfortunate to have such a great space empty for so long... but that's all history now. Come early 2011, at least thirteen hundred workers are going to be very happy.

For more details, just head over here.

Two Buck Tuesday Today ($2 art!) @ KALEID

TWO BUCK Tuesday November 16th

from Phantom Galleries by Cherri Lakey

Another awesome evening of creative speakers, performers, demos, live painting and $2 art!
TWO BUCK Tuesday, November 16th, 7-9pm
FREE and open to the public!


Cardboard Box Theatre Project is a a South Bay theatre company, founded in 2009 by Santa Clara University alumni, dedicated to the creation of new works and the presentation of old works in new ways. The driving force behind our productions is the desire to make theatre more accessible and engaging in all respects. We concern ourselves not only with the material we present and our audiences’ financial access to our productions, but also with the mode of presentation. Instead of creating distance between the world of the audience and the world on stage, we continuously blur such lines and allow the audience to see parts of our process that other companies try to mask.
CBTP will perform Act Like Trees and Leaf - Written and Directed by Maren Lovgren
In true CBTP style, Act Like Trees and Leaf pokes fun at -- and has fun with -- the conventions of theatre as two actors audition for an amazingly unique (and probably unstable) director.


KALEID Gallery artist Josh Marcotte will speak about his current featured exhibition Insomnia. Lost San Jose Nights.


Singer/songwriter, Veronica Malki performs soulful, acoustic music resonating inspiration from nature and traveling. Her timeless style is comprised of Folk, Blues, Flamenco, and World Music qualities.


Musical Saw Workshop by DeatHat musician Kate Saturday - students, bring your saw!
Plus live painting and face painting by Mariya Milovidova

TWO BUCK Tuesday, November 16th, 7-9pm
FREE and open to the public!

KALEID Gallery
88 South 4th Street
San Jose, CA 95112
http://www.KALEIDgallery.com
(408) 947-1785

Reminder: Walk to Fight Childhood Cancer!

 

Event: 2010 Give thanks. Walk. - San Jose, CA
Location: San Jose, CA
Date: 2010-11-20

Join us on Saturday, November 20, as St. Jude supporters in the San Jose, CA community, and more than 60 other cities nationwide, come together to participate in the Give thanks. Walk. to raise money for the children of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

• Event Venue: Great Mall
• Address: 447 Great Mall Dr, Milpitas, CA 95035
• Registration Starts: 7:00 AM
• Walk Starts: 8:00 AM

Registration for this family-friendly event is FREE. Simply click "Register" from the links above to sign up and create your own personal or team fundraising Web page. From there, you will be able to send e-mails to your friends and family to ask them to join your walk team and make a donation to support the lifesaving work done at St. Jude.

Walkers who reach the following fundraising totals will receive exciting Give thanks. Walk. prizes.

• Walkers raising $35 will receive a 2010 Give thanks. Walk. t-shirt
• Walkers raising $100 will receive a t-shirt and a Give thanks. Walk. water bottle.
• Walkers raising $250 will receive a t-shirt, water bottle and a St. Jude tote bag.

To donate on behalf of a walk team or participant, select "Sponsor a Participant" from the links above and search for the person or team you would like to sponsor. Your generous donation will help St. Jude fight childhood cancer.

A special thank you to the Give thanks. Walk. National Platinum Sponsors:

Also, thank you to our local sponsors and supporters:

Questions about our local event? Interested in volunteering or getting more involved in the event planning? Please contact your local St. Jude representative:

- Laura Cuellar

- (510) 595-2100

- laura.cuellar@stjude.org

PRESS RELEASE:

San Jose residents are encouraged to register for national Give thanks. Walk. to be held November 20.

San Jose walk will be one of more than 60 events nationwide to benefit St. Jude.

ALSAC/St. Jude Contact:

Laura Cuellar

510.595.2100

Laura.cuellar@stjude.org

SAN JOSE, CA (10/05/10) – San Jose residents can join walkers across the country in taking

steps in the fight against childhood cancer by participating in the national Give thanks. Walk.™ to

be held Saturday, November 20 at the Great Mall starting at 8:00 a.m. The San Jose event is one of

more than 60 Give thanks. Walk. events held on the Saturday before Thanksgiving benefiting St.

Jude Children’s Research Hospital®.

While registration is free, participants are encouraged to ask friends and families to sponsor

them with a donation to St. Jude. All registrants who raise a minimum of $35 will receive an

official Give thanks. Walk. T-shirt. Those who register to walk by October 23 will be entered to

win a $100 gift card.

“The Give thanks. Walk. is a great opportunity for San Jose to start off the Thanksgiving

holiday healthy by participating in our event that benefits St. Jude and thousands of children who

are battling cancer and other deadly diseases,” said Laura Cuellar, St. Jude Representative.

This national event helps kick off the seventh annual St. Jude Thanks and Giving® campaign,

which encourages consumers to “Give thanks for the healthy kids in your life, and give to those

who are not.” National sponsors for the Give thanks. Walk. are New York & Company, Brooks

Brothers, Window World, AutoTrader.com and Breitling. Local sponsors for the event include La

Kalle FM, Recuerdo FM, Estereo Sol FM, El Avisador Magazine, and Great Mall.

For more information about the Give thanks. Walk. and to register, visit

www.givethankswalk.org.

Baseball San Jose: Congrats to the Earthquakes!

Congratulations on a Great Season, San Jose Earthquakes

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

Unfortunately, the Quakes' thrilling post-season run came to an end in Colorado last night.Though it was a disappointing elimination, the Quakes have every reason to be proud of their work this season. They have firmly reestablished themselves as major players in Major League Soccer, so watch for even bigger seasons ahead.

Speaking of upcoming seasons, Earthquakes (and A's) owner Lew Wolff announced this week that fans should have a new stadium in which to enjoy games by no later 2013. This is exciting news for Bay Area soccer fans, but it also bodes well for our own efforts to build a downtown ballpark. As with the Quakes, bigger seasons lie ahead for the A's—in San Jose.

You're up to bat, San Jose!

Interesting Webinar Tomorrow on Improving Communities

Webinar: Knight Soul of the Community: Why People Love Where They Live and Why It Matters

A New Approach to Improving Communities
Based on Gallup Research

On November 15, 2010, Gallup and the Knight Foundation will host an event and broadcast it live via a Webcast, to share the results from the Knight Soul of the Community study. The study’s goal is to determine what drives community attachment or emotional connection to a place. Leaders can use this information to improve the vitality of their own communities. The Knight Soul of the Community study represents the result of three years of research and shows fascinating insights into the importance of community attachment and ways to build it.

Speakers include Paula Ellis, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at Knight, Jon Clifton, Deputy Director of the Gallup World Poll, and Katherine Loflin, Lead Consultant, Soul of the Community.

Gallup and Knight Foundation invite you to join us as we discuss the community attributes that drive an emotional connection to a place. Media, policymakers and non-profit and community-based organization leaders are encouraged to view this live Webcast.

Live Webcast

The Knight Soul of the Community: Why People Love Where They Live and Why It Matters event will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time on November 15, 2010, and will be broadcast live on the Soul of the Community website. There is no cost to attend and no advance registration is needed to view the Webcast. For more information, contact Paul Wiseman at 305.860.1000 x124.

SLG Hosts a San Jose Comics Festival Mini-Show Today!

It's pretty awesome that we have a comic book publisher / store / gallery in SoFA. It is way down the street where First and Market merge, and they are definitely a hot spot for First Fridays (they usually have food, music, and free comics). If you missed them last week, you have a chance to visit today and meet some local aspiring Stan Lees (you know, the creator of Spider Man, X-Men, Hulk).

San Jose Comics Festival Mini-Show
Saturday November 13th Meet dozens of local comic book creators in the relaxed atmosphere of the SLG Publishing Warehouse/Gallery/Entertainment Megaplex. Attending includes Gene Yang Mick Gray Rich Koslowski Jon "Bean" Hastings and more. FREE ADMISSION!

Ballet San Jose - The Production (Part 4 of 5)

Part 4 of Ballet San Jose's compelling documentary takes us backstage to show the tremendous amount of work required for production. Just click the link below to watch the video!

Part 4: http://blip.tv/file/4365103

Older Parts

Part 1: http://blip.tv/file/4262451 

Part 2: http://blip.tv/file/4303425

Part 3: http://blip.tv/file/4332357

Rubio's Contest!

I have started messaging those who I believe to be the winners for the Rubio's contest. Why the ambiguity in that sentence? Unfortunately, due to high volumes of traffic, Twitter imploded right around noon time. It wasn't accurately recording retweeters for a solid half hour! Fortunately, archaic technology saved me... pen & paper. Even though Twitter wasn't recording all of the retweeters, I was able to see the last person that retweeted and wrote down usernames "just in case." In order to prevent technical mishaps in the future, I think we'll do the next contest by singing telegram.

Twitter issues aside, Congratulations to all of the winners! I highly recommend their fish tacos =) I would also like to send out a huge thank you to all participants and to Rubio's for providing the gift certificates!

SJC Terminal B Retail is Fully Leased

The 50,000 sqft of retail space in San Jose International Airport's shiny new Terminal B is now 100% occupied. The last couple spots were taken by San Jose Joe's (Original Joe's) and Tres Gringos.

In other retail news, The Pasta Market is now open at the San Jose Market Center off Coleman.

San Jose Metblogs: Veteran's Day Parade Today

San Jose actually hosts the largest Veteran's Day event in Northern California. If you're lucky enough to get the day off, read below or at the San Jose Metblogs site for more details on today's festivities!

92nd Annual Veterans Day Parade

by Gary Wiens

November 8th, 2010 @ 11:05 PM Downtown, Free, Holidays

Thursday November 11 is Veterans Day. There will be a memorial ceremony and a parade in downtown San Jose; also, in honor of Veterans Day, entrance fees waived at National Parks.

The Parade’s Opening Ceremony begins on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month with a memorial ceremony at Plaza de Cesar Chavez on Market Street.

The Parade begins at noon from Delmas Street (near HP Pavilion) and travels east along Santa Clara to Market Street. The Parade then proceeds south on Market Street and ends at San Carlos Street.

In addition, entrance fees waived on Veterans Day at public recreation lands managed by the National Park Service.

On Veterans Day, there is no postal service and libraries are closed.

Veterans Day
Thursday, November 11, 2010

11:00 am – Opening Ceremony
12:00 pm – Parade

Hotel Montgomery Moves

Below is an interesting 3 minute documentary on how the Hotel Montgomery was moved to make way for the Fairmont Annex. It still holds the record for the heaviest structure ever moved and is now home to the only Starwood hotel in San Jose, a Four Points by Sheraton. It also happens to be the nicest Four Points I've been to (I don't know of any others that have bocce ball courts or a nightclub). If it wasn't for the small boutique size, it could easily pass for a normal Sheraton or Westin hotel.

CONTEST!!! GIVING AWAY TEN (10) $10 RUBIO'S GIFT CERTIFICATES RIGHT NOW

The contest is now live! Just head on over to The San Jose Blog's Twitter Page and retweet (RT) the Rubio's post. The first 10 people to retweet will snag a $10 gift certificate. Again, there will be TEN (10) winners so your chances are great! 

Fitz and the Tantrums coming to The Blank Club on 11/13!

A slick, retro 60s soul band is coming to San Jose this Saturday. Check out a little preview below with their music video for "MoneyGrabber." If you scroll down even further, you can listen to any of the songs on their album to help you make an educated Saturday night partying decision! For tickets, just click right over here.

FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS
11/13 - San Jose, CA @ The Blank Club (44 S Almaden Ave) - 9pm

New Rubio's Now Open in West San Jose + CONTEST

Late last week Rubio's launched a new location near Westgate Mall with a charity event benefiting San Jose non-profits. The doors are now open to all, and they are using this particular location to test a more upscale design direction. I paid them a visit yesterday, and it definitely looks nicer than the other Rubio's I've been in. The menu is displayed across 4 ultra-high quality LCDs... I didn't realize they were screens until the photos changed. The service was quick and friendly despite the crowd and the quality was spot on. Usually it takes a few weeks to get everything rolling smoothly with new restaurants, but it seems like this location is already running at full steam.

CONTEST: Now for the fun stuff! To help promote this new location, on Tuesday, Nov 9th at noon they will be giving away $10 gift certificates through The San Jose Blog's Twitter Page. There will be TEN (10) winners!! This will likely be the easiest contest in the world. Just follow us on twitter and when you see the Rubio's post at noon, just "retweet" the post. The first 10 people to retweet will win a gift certificate! 

Carlsbad, CA – October 26, 2010 – Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill will open its fifth location in the San Jose area on Thursday, November 4th, at 1010 El Paseo de Saratoga, San Jose. The San Diego-based chain is introducing a new, more upscale design at its San Jose restaurant, featuring a rich sensory experience of aromas, exhibition cooking, music and decorative patterns that compliment the complex flavors of Rubio’s food.

To celebrate the grand opening, Rubio’s will host a fundraising event on Wednesday, November 3^rd from 5:00-8:00 p.m., to benefit Rebuilding Together Silicon Valley. The San Jose based non-profits’ mission is to bring communities and volunteers together to rehabilitate the homes of low income homeowners, particularly the elderly and disabled, so that they may live in warmth, safety and independence. For a donation of $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under, the public can enjoy delicious Beach Mex^® cuisine, and Rubio’s will donate 100 percent of the proceeds to the local charity.

At 10 a.m. Thursday, November 4^th, the restaurant’s doors will open to Rubio’s fans who crave the flavor of Baja-inspired food in the relaxed yet festive atmosphere of coastal Mexico. Headlining the menu will be Rubio’s World Famous Fish Tacos^®, Grilled Gourmet Tacos^SM, the Big Burrito Especial^SM with chargrilled chicken or steak, freshly-made salads and Rubio’s proprietary HealthMex^® line of tacos and burritos, which are under 700 calories, less than 30% of which come from fat.

“When I opened my first restaurant in San Diego 27 years ago, people traveled from miles away to savor one of our World Famous Fish Tacos,” said co-founder Ralph Rubio. “Since then, our reputation for distinct flavors and unique products has quickly spread, and our following of loyal fans continues to grow.”

Guests can easily find the new Rubio’s in San Jose near the crossing of Saratoga Ave and Campbell Blvd. The popular San Diego chain is introducing a new restaurant design in San Jose that includes eco-friendly features such as countertops and panels made of a recycled material called marmoleum, an open kitchen, and LED lighting that uses less energy.  Rubio’s is also introducing digital menu boards to better showcase the food and provide more flexibility to accommodate seasonal offerings. A new floor design allows guests to intuitively move from the front door to the ordering area, to the salsa bar, and eventually into the dining room where a relaxed, beach and water-centric atmosphere of the Baja coast awaits.

“We’re excited to introduce this new restaurant design to San Jose,” said Rubio. “We’re anxious to see how the community responds to our latest effort to bring together the unforgettable flavors, sights and sounds of the Baja coast for a quick but relaxed dining experience.”

SJSU Selected to Participate in Chevy Campus Promotions Program

Students Get Hands-On Experience in Real World Marketing

SAN JOSE, CA -- San Jose State University is one of 23 universities throughout the country participating in the Chevrolet Campus Promotions Program. Students in Dwight Bentel & Hall Communications (MCOM 199) have created an in-class working communications agency, responsible for researching, implementing, and evaluating an integrated marketing campaign aimed at increasing awareness for Camaro, Equinox, Malibu and the all-new 2011 Cruze within the Generation Y target market (individuals between the ages of 18 and 24) target market. All 23 campuses will be competing for performance awards at key milestones during the term.

This fall, Dwight Bentel & Hall students at SJSU have a rare opportunity to put their education to work in the real world with a global company. Students will create a fully functioning agency responsible for researching, implementing and evaluating an integrated marketing campaign (IMC) for their client, Chevrolet. Students will use questionnaires and conduct research on campus to find out more about the target market. After they have analyzed their research findings, they will create and implement their strategy they design to best reach the target market while achieving the client’s goals. The agency receives a $3,000 budget to execute the campaign they create.

At the end of the term, students will conduct post-campaign research to measure their success and give a formal presentation to the client summarizing their campaign and results.

“Wow! This opportunity is real world experience; this is a real, cool brand, which everyone knows. This is the kind of learning experience that we need to prepare us for a job after graduation,” said Laura Ringer, head of the Campaign Strategy and Implementation Department.

Chevrolet believes in building vehicles that anyone would be proud to own. Camaro, Equinox, Malibu and Cruze are no exception and are all vehicles within reach for college students. No other auto manufacturer offers more models with 30 miles per gallon highway or better. Vehicle quality is backed with the best coverage in America, including a 100,000 mile/5-year transferable Powertrain Limited Warranty plus Roadside Assistance and Courtesy Transportation programs. Chevrolet has also received more Consumers Digest “Best Buy” awards for 2009 models than any other brand. Chevrolet is part of GM’s family of brands, including Buick, GMC and Cadillac. Find out more at www.chevrolet.com.

This opportunity is brought to the SJSU campus by EdVenture Partners, who acts as a liaison between Chevrolet and the participating campuses. EdVenture Partners is an organization dedicated to developing innovative industry-education partnership programs. The objective of such programs is to provide “hands-on” real world experience to students in tandem with providing marketing solutions and recruiting access at colleges and universities to clients. EdVenture Partners has designed and managed programs at over 650 campuses in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Morocco. Find out more at www.edventurepartners.com.

Watch for more information about the Chevrolet Campus Promotions program at SJSU throughout this fall term. For further inquires regarding the SJSU project, please contact Juan Luna at (310) 908-9785.

A Taste of Paris is Coming Soon to Downtown San Jose

A retail space that has been vacant for two years is finally getting a new lease on life. A French sandwich shop called "A Taste of Paris" is moving into what used to be Beard Papa's, just in time for Christmas in the Park. I was in the area yesterday morning and there was some nice activity around the space, mostly thanks to Philz Coffee. It'll be nice to have another unique, non-chain eatery downtown!

In other retail news, it looks like The clubHOUSE next to The Rep is just about ready to open. The interior is 99% complete and they are already doing soft openings. If the food is up to par with the interior, this could easily be downtown's next hot spot. I got a sneak peak yesterday, and sports fans are going to love this place. I'll have more info after the official opening.

Baseball San Jose: We're going to be wondering why we didn't do this decades ago

South First Friday Tonight!

It's that time again, and as an added bonus there is a new participant in the mix tonight... Psycho Donuts! Their donuts alone are works of art, so this seems like a fitting addition. If you haven't been to Psycho Donuts yet, today is going to be a great night to go. It's worth the trip to even LOOK at these bastardizations of one of America's favorite treats. Last time I was there, I had a cheeseburger donut. If you didn't think bacon could be used as a donut ingredient... think again.

***********************************

This month's art walk has a plethora of new exhibitions for the brisk autumn evening of eclectic arts and culture!


If you're downtown early - from 3-5pm - stop by 28 North First for Al Preciado's closing reception of Penetencia Creek State Park Series a homage to family and dear friends of Al's that have passed away over the last two years. The lobby will be open for light refreshments.


Joe Barajas

Josh Marcotte
Joe Barajas and Josh Marcotte both open solo exhibitions at KALEID Gallery. Joe's new paintings explore the artists' creative process while Josh's photographs of Lost San Jose is the result of it.


Michael Foley
Pop your head into our newest participating venue Psycho Donuts and catch Creatures, Donuts and Such!- a fun group show by local artists. Located within the Camera 3 Cinemas at So. 2nd & San Carlos streets.


Jeanette Turkus

James Dewrance

Shoebox Productions
New Phantom Galleries coordinated exhibitions at Caffee Trieste by Jeanette Turkus, Driveby Photography by James Dewrance at Good Karma Cafe and new installations by Shoebox Productions brothers Sean and Steven Sczepanik at 386 So. 1st Street. Steven will be out there painting live throughout the night.

Visit http://www.SouthFirstFridays.com for full event listings including new exhibitions opening at Anno Domini, MACLA, SLG Art Boutiki, Higher Fire Clay Studios, Downtown Yoga Shala, METRO, Art Ark and more!

Ballet San Jose - A Creative Force (Part 3 of 5)

Part 3 of Ballet San Jose's documentary introduces us to Dennis Nahat, the Artistic Director of Ballet San Jose and a veritable genius when it comes to music. Just click the link below to watch the video!

Part 3: http://blip.tv/file/4332357

Older Parts

Part 1: http://blip.tv/file/4262451 

Part 2: http://blip.tv/file/4303425

2010 Silicon Valley Restaurant Week Kickoff!

Yesterday the Metro hosted a Restaurant Week kickoff party over at the Capital Club, one of the venues participating in the 3-course prix fixe foodfest. If you haven't been there before, I would highly recommend making a reservation ASAP as Restaurant Week is one of the rare times the club is open to anyone (it's a private club). It's also the only place in Silicon Valley where you can dine on the penthouse floor of a high-rise and is one of 2 places in San Jose with a Michelin star winning chef at the helm--Michael Miller. Below are a few shots of the appetizers from the party.