LUZIA by Cirque du Soleil Contest

I have attended every major Cirque du Soleil show that has come to San Jose since Varekai and have yet to be disappointed. Their shows are a creative mix of acrobatics, storytelling, and comedy. LUZIA, the latest touring show to come to San Jose, is an ode to the rich and vibrant culture of Mexico. Here is the official description: "LUZIA takes you to an imaginary Mexico, where light quenches the spirit and rain soothes the soul."

San Jose shows will begin on February 9th at the Taylor Street Bridge and continue until March 19th. It may sound like there is plenty of time to get tickets, but weekends sell out far in advance and I would recommend booking your seats as soon as possible. If you can afford it, the VIP "Tapis Rouge" tickets take the experience to the next level with a stellar assortment of food and wine before the show and during intermission, along with the best seats in the house. There are also backstage tours that I have yet to try, but sound quite interesting. You can see all of the options and available seats over here.

My tickets have already been purchased months ago, but the good news for you is that Cirque du Soleil has offered us a pair of tickets to give away!

The contest is open right now and the only requirement is that you are at least 18 years old. Just follow the instructions in the widget below to participate. Good luck!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Norman from San Jose for winning the tickets!

LUZIA by Cirque du Soleil Contest

Christmas in the Park

Downtown's top tourist attraction is in full swing and seems better than ever. New to Christmas in the Park this year is a 40ft miniature version of San Jose's Electric Light Tower outfitted with a mesmerizing LED light show. Several of the displays have also been repaired and upgraded thanks to generous donations. Another thing I noticed is that there are many more street vendors than in previous years, and the bacon-wrapped hot dog stands smell amazing.

Chirstmas in the Park is open every day from 9am to midnight. I recommend parking in the Safeway lot to avoid traffic--it's only two blocks away. For more info, head over to the Christmas in the Park website.

December 2016 Downtown Dimension Highlights

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

• The San Jose MarketCenter is expanding by 8,000 SQFT. New tenants include Blaze Pizza and Wells Fargo. There is still one 2,369 SQFT space remaining to be leased. The expansion will also include some much-needed additional parking.
• Several political measures will impact Downtown San Jose:
• Measure A will help reduce the homeless population.
• Measure B provides funding for bringing BART to Downtown and repairing roads.
• Measure F will help recruit more police officers and improve security.
• Cubamex Sandwiches is now open at 325 S. First Street.
• Rookies Sports Lodge will open this month in the former Billy Berk's location at 99 S. First.
• Divine Wineries has moved into the space at 40 Post formerly occupies by Sherman Cellars and Red Light Wine Room.
• TechShop San Jose has raised the $1 million needed to rehabilitate the former Zanotto's space on Second Street for TechShop machinery and is on track for a Spring 2017 opening.
• SJDA offers funding for creative ideas that activate public spaces--if you have one email sjda@sjdowntown.com.
• On Dec. 18, up to 5,000 runners will participate in the TiVO Santa Run Silicon Valley, which benefits both Downtown Ice and Christmas in the Park.

To read the newsletter, click here!

Content Magazine 9.0 Pick-up Party and 5th Anniversary next week

My favorite San Jose magazine is celebrating its fifth year with a free event next Tuesday, December 13th at Art Object Gallery (592 N. 5th St., San Jose).

Music will be provided by Wax Moon, Cado Dos Santos, Mardi Morillo, April Gee, and Steely Nash. Snacks and light bites will be provided by Michi Sushi, The Cookie Boys, Manresa Bread, and the Mount Hamilton GrandView Restaurant.

Content Magazine subscribers will get a complimentary beverage and holiday gift bag along with their issue. If you are still not a subscriber, head over here.

They are also partnering with Toys for Tots on this event. It is encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy for a child in need (age range is 0-16).

The event will run from 7pm-10pm and street parking is available as well as a city lot on 6th and Jackson.

Photo of the San Jose City Hall Rotunda

Check out this great photo of one of our most significant landmarks from Paul. The photo is entitled Citadel San Jose 02.

Source: cardinal2007 from the San Jose Development Forum

San Jose BART Station - latest updates

San Jose is just one year away from finally being connected to BART. Below is the latest update from the VTA, which is responsible for the extension to Silicon Valley. Both the Milpitas and San Jose stations should be open in late 2017. Watch the short video below for construction photos and details.

Inside San Jose's BriteLab

First off, let me say that I have really missed Nathan Donato-Weinstein's articles in the SVBJ. I am thrilled to see him writing again in the SJ Economy blog.

He recently visited BriteLab, a high-tech South San Jose manufacturing company that makes everything from 3D printers to electric skateboards. The 55,000 SQFT space is a startup incubator that helps new companies bring their products to market. BriteLab provides product-development, design, engineering, manufacturing, and support services. Currently BriteLab employs 75 people, but they are planning to grow to 150.

For all the details, check out Nathan's article over here.

Source: SJ Economy

Santana Row 'Capstone' building is officially under construction

Development in the Santana Row neighborhood will likely never be fully complete, but the last major project with an official Santana Row street address is now underway. '700 Santana Row' will provide a bookend to what is one of the most successful mixed-use developments in the world.

The 284,000 SQFT premium office building will be located at the very end of the row next to the CineArts movie theater. The offices feature 13-foot ceilings, expansive floor plans, and a 15,000 SQFT garden terrace on the roof. The ground floor will have a signature plaza that will be open to all.

Parking will be available in a new parking structure that will also be open to the public during evenings and weekends. Thankfully, Santana Row will be offering shuttle service to Diridon Station as an alternate transportation option. The total cost of the project is expected to be between $205-215 million and completion should wrap up by Q3 2018 according to the SVBJ.

The full press release is below. Thanks to Ron Heckmann for sending this in.

Federal Realty Starts Construction on 700 Santana Row, Headquarters-Quality, Large-Floorplate Office Building Anchoring Iconic Santana Row

284,000 square-foot Class-A Office Building in Silicon Valley’s premier urban neighborhood
designed to attract burgeoning Silicon Valley firms

San Jose, CA (Dec. 1, 2016) -- Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE:FRT) started construction today on 700 Santana Row, a 284,000 square-foot office building set on a signature plaza with a sweeping design that anchors the end of Santana Row, Silicon Valley’s iconic mixed-use neighborhood. San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo joined Federal Realty executives and other local officials to commemorate the ground breaking.

The state-of-the-art, eight-story structure at Santana Row at Olsen Drive features 30,000 and 48,000 square-foot floorplates, modern architecture and headquarters-quality office space with concrete construction, which gives the building distinctive design qualities compared to traditional Silicon Valley office buildings. 700 Santana Row follows the highly successful 500 Santana Row, a six-story office building on an adjacent site fully-leased to Splunk Inc. in 2015 with occupancy slated to begin next month. The project cost is estimated at $205-$215 million.

"700 Santana Row is a ‘capstone’ building that takes full advantage of being the visual book-end to Santana Row, which has become one of the most popular live-work-dine-shop environments in Silicon Valley and the Bay Area. No other office building will have this unique, commanding location,” said Jan Sweetnam, Federal Realty’s Western Region Chief Operating Officer.  “We’ve designed the building with a concrete structure and loft-like feel more often found in San Francisco’s SOMA district and other urban centers. 700 Santana Row will feature expansive natural light with tall, market-leading 13-foot ceilings and open floor plans, which in turn will provide companies with high-productivity, collaborative workspaces for their employees.”

Ready for tenant build-out in the third quarter of 2018, 700 Santana Row will also feature a three-per-thousand dedicated parking ratio and a 15,000 square-foot roof-top terrace and garden with majestic views of Santana Row, the San Jose skyline and distant foothills.  Shuttle service will take Santana Row office tenants to nearby Diridon Station for Caltrain and VTA light rail service.

“And unlike the congested 101 corridor,” Sweetnam added, “Santana Row is located directly off of Interstate 280 in close proximity to residential neighborhoods and office parks in San Jose, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Santa Clara, and throughout Silicon Valley.”

“The on-site amenities and walkable environment that Santana Row offers has become a recruiting and retention tool for Splunk, Experian, Si-Bone and the other companies located here,” said Jeff Berkes, President-West Coast for Federal Realty Investment Trust.

Newmark Cornish & Carey is the leasing agent for the project.  700 Santana Row has been designed by WRNS Studio of San Francisco, and Devcon Construction is the general contractor.

Santana Row’s world-class amenities include 50 shops, 30 restaurants, a 215-room boutique hotel offering extensive full service conference facilities, two parks and multiple plazas with outdoor seating and free wifi, 615 rental homes and 219 privately owned condominiums.

For more information on leasing at 700 Santana Row, contact Randy Gabrielson, Todd Shaffer, or Tracey Solari of Newmark Cornish & Carey at 408.727.9600.  Or visit http://theofficesatsr.com/building/700-offices/


About Federal Realty

Federal Realty is a recognized leader in the ownership, operation and redevelopment of high-quality retail based properties located primarily in major coastal markets from Washington, D.C. to Boston as well as San Francisco and Los Angeles. Founded in 1962, our mission is to deliver long term, sustainable growth through investing in densely populated, affluent communities where retail demand exceeds supply. Our expertise includes creating urban, mixed-use neighborhoods like Santana Row in San Jose, California, Pike & Rose in North Bethesda, Maryland and Assembly Row in Somerville, Massachusetts. These unique and vibrant environments that combine shopping, dining, living and working provide a destination experience valued by their respective communities. Federal Realty's 96 properties include over 2,800 tenants, in approximately 22 million square feet, and over 1,800 residential units.

Federal Realty has paid quarterly dividends to its shareholders continuously since its founding in 1962, and has increased its dividend rate for 49 consecutive years, the longest record in the REIT industry. Federal Realty shares are traded on the NYSE under the symbol FRT. For additional information about Federal Realty and its properties, visit www.FederalRealty.com.

San Jose rents are going back up

Just when it looked like the real estate market was simmering down, San Jose rents have jumped up again. In fact, for November rents are up percentage-wise more than anywhere else in the county for one-bedroom units. The average rental price for these is now $2,591/month, which is a 13% increase over the previous month.

The reason for the surge is not clear, but most experts believe we are indeed at the top of the market and expect some decline going forward. It might be a good time to hold off on signing a long-term rental agreement.

Source: SVBJ

New art unveiling at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles tonight

The first Artist in Residence for the SJMQT is Amy Ahlstrom, an urban, pop art quilter. She is unveiling five San Jose-themed quilts at the First Friday Art Walk tonight entitled "Faces & Places of San Jose." She asked people to submit photos of San Jose graffiti, faces, street art, buildings, signage, and she made the quilts based on those photos. Below is a video that explains her process as well as a couple preview photos.

While you are in the museum, there is also a new exhibit called the "California Art Quilt Revolution" which showcases 40 years of Northern Californian quilting history.

The museum will be open late along with the rest of the galleries in SoFA and admission is free for South First Friday. It's a cool museum--make sure to include it in your art walk!

San Jose Metro unemployment is holding below 4%

For the second straight month, unemployment in Silicon Valley has stayed under that magical 4% threshold. It did tick up a tenth of a point from 3.8% in September to 3.9% in October. California is at 5.3% unemployment while the nation is averaging 4.7%. So the net of it is that the nation as a whole is doing quite well, but San Jose is in an exceptional position when it comes to jobs. The rate is even more impressive when you consider we have the highest paying jobs for any large city in the country, if not the world. Now let's find a way to fix those potholes.

Source: SVBJ

#12DaysofArts Social Media Scavenger Hunt (Dec 1 - 12)

#12DaysofArts takes over San Jose
San Jose Art Partners Gifting the City with Holiday Cheer Through Social Media Scavenger Hunt

SAN JOSE, Calif. (Nov. 22, 2016) – For the second consecutive year, San Jose arts partners will give away mystery prizes through a citywide scavenger hunt. From Dec. 1 through Dec. 12, participants can utilize #12DaysOfArts during this social media campaign, to create awareness for the arts in San Jose.

Each day will start anew with a social media clue. Check the Downtown Associations social media daily for directions on where to go; seek out museums, theaters and galleries – search high and low. Go online Dec. 1 to take part and spread the word with, #12DaysofArts. Off you go in search of a mystery prize, to see the arts through a new set of eyes. The first ten players at each location will win, and the next day the hunt starts again.

“We all enjoyed the 12 Days of Arts so much last year that we had to do it again.” Says Sherrill Ingalls, Director of Marketing and Communications at the San Jose Museum of Art. “It’s a fun way for the arts organizations to give back to the people who support the arts downtown year-round and to spread the word about the variety of offerings in San Jose. We hope that people familiar with the San Jose Museum of Art will discover new experiences in theater and music, and vice versa.”

Don’t worry, there will be two grand prizes during this scavenger hunt flurry. Use Twitter and Instagram to post #12DaysofArts, and discover what San Jose holds dear to its heart.

"#12DaysofArts provides everyone with the opportunity to take a timeout from the usual holiday craziness, be inspired and pique our own creative instincts," said Rick Jensen, Communications Director, San Jose Downtown Association. "Enjoy the thrill of the hunt."

###

About San Jose Downtown Association
The SJDA is a non-profit, membership-based organization founded in 1986 to represent business and property owners. We make downtown a better place for business, residents and visitors through events, advocacy, marketing and more.

About San Jose Museum of Art
The San Jose Museum of Art celebrates new ideas, stimulates creativity, and inspires connection with every visit. Welcoming and thought provoking, the Museum delights visitors with it’s surprising and playful perspective on the art and artists of our time.

About Team San Jose
Team San Jose (TSJ) is an innovative partnership unifying the San Jose Convention and Visitors Bureau, hotels, arts, labor and venues to deliver an exceptional visitor experience. TSJ manages the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, California Theatre, Center for the Performing Arts, City National Civic, Montgomery Theater, Parkside Hall, and South Hall. For more information, visit www.sanjose.org.

San Jose's NextEV launches fastest electric car in the world

North San Jose is quickly becoming a mecca for electric car companies and the history goes back far. Tesla originally wanted to build their factory in Alviso. Only after they were rejected by the state, did they choose the Fremont location. NextEV and LeEco on the other hand setup their US Headquarters in North San Jose. Access to high-end engineering talent in Silicon Valley and industrial space were no doubt major factors in those decisions.

Last week, NextEV finally pulled back the curtain on their first car. Like Tesla, they are starting with limited-production expensive cars and then creating mass-market vehicles. The NIO EP9 will be the fastest electric car in the world. It can hit 124 MPH in 7.1 seconds and has a top speed of 194 MPH. Range is about 265 miles. The EP9 just set a world record on the Nurburgring, video below. Unfortunately, those specs won't come cheap... the car costs about $1,000,000 (correct number of zeros).

We'll have to see how the less expensive cars in their lineup compete with both traditional car companies and Tesla, but for now you can take some pride in the fact that this is a San Jose company. NextEV is located at 3200 N 1st Street.

Source: Electrek

Why it’s better to work in San Jose than San Francisco

Guest Post by Fabianne Rico

As a professional working in tech in San Jose, something I hear too much from people is that San Jose isn’t considered as part of the “real bay area” compared to places like Oakland and San Francisco.

I even hear this from people I know personally that work in San Francisco who brag about their daily free food and all the cool company events they get to go to.

“Oh, who do you work for in San Jose again? Must be a pretty small company.”

For your information, I work for a mobile design and development agency called Impekable. Even if our company is on the smaller side, our work’s quality and the awards we’ve won speak for themselves. Not to mention we’ve worked with companies like Google, HP, Motorola, and Groupon,to name a few. This is a company I’m proud to work for, and what reinforces this sentiment is we are a San Jose-based company.

Don’t get it twisted. I love SF as much as the next guy. It’s a wonderful hub of culture and activity, and to add onto that, I’m a huge fan of cool breezes and fog. However, the smugness of some people I talk to from this supposed “real bay area” irks me because despite the nice parts, it can be argued that San Jose is actually a better place to work than San Francisco.

Let’s start with one of the more obvious reasons.

Unless you’re legitimately rich enough to afford the price of rent in SF, chances are you’re living somewhere outside the center. Even so, you’ll be looking at rooms for upwards of $1000/mo anywhere north of Santa Clara.

With that, you’ll be living pretty far from your company’s top floor office in the city. Studies show that longer commutes contribute to higher levels of anxiety and a decline in life satisfaction, so make sure you have your favorite podcast prepared because the commute is gonna be looooooong.

Oh, and once you arrive, good luck finding parking. Expect to spend 15-30 minutes on average circling the block to find a space that isn’t occupied by the red and white signs on otherwise usable parking meters. Believe it or not, your SF employer might not even provide parking, so you might be on your own there.

If you have to resort to the lengthy commutes, you’re probably someone who lives closer to Downtown San Jose than San Francisco. Even if you’re more in the north, it’s faster to go against rush hour traffic anyway.

There is more parking in San Jose as well with a good amount of car parks nearby, at a reasonable price. In addition, local employers and work spaces in Downtown San Jose simply buy their employees monthly parking passes to the city’s car parks.

At this point, it’s a given that employees in San Jose have better commutes than San Francisco, but what about the locations they work at?

Unless you work for one of the larger tech companies downtown like Adobe, Oracle, EY, or Accenture, you probably can’t afford a giant SF office. However, another benefit to being based in downtown San Jose is access to the many options for coworking spaces nearby, for every budget.

Whether you’re an up and coming start up or a self-employed individual, it’s always nice to have friends.

NextSpace is the coworking space where our office is located and we enjoy being a part of the community by interacting with other companies in the space during weekly happy hours or walkabout lunch. Being a member of a coworking space provides us with the opportunity to network with other NextSpace companies and even created new business connections for us.

Founders Floor is just down the street from our office, so sometimes we’ll host speaking events and we take some time to appreciate that sweet downtown view! Another coworking space is WeWork that recently opened up on the 6th floor of the nearby Valley Towers in downtown. They have a pretty awesome setup with beer on tap and their trendy interior design, similar to the aesthetic you would see in San Francisco offices, but without any of the hassle.

WeWork San Jose has been an awesome place for us to host our design workshops, so our students interested in starting a career in app design can have a taste of the Silicon Valley dreamer lifestyle. I mean does YOUR classroom have a view like this?

Downtown San Jose is lucky to have so many options as far as where to work, but what options do they have for lunch?

Another huge perk of working downtown is the food! If you have a certain food craving, it’s very likely that it’s very close by with options to choose from like Thai food, Malaysian, Indian, Greek, delicious sandwiches, Halal, Mexican, pizza, Vietnamese, sushi, even Carribean! YOU NAME IT!

All these food options can definitely be credited to the diversity San Jose has to offer. Diversity should be one of the critical reasons why the 7th most diverse city in the United States, San Jose is better to work than San Francisco, which was ranked at 20. For being the so-called capital of Silicon Valley, San Jose is aware that innovation is not a vacuum. It requires exposure to different backgrounds and collaborating with those who come from different walks of life.

As a San Jose based company, we can’t help but take pride in the city we’re in. However, people who work anywhere in the Bay Area are blessed to operate in such a progressive region with a strong sense of community that welcomes innovation and diversity with open arms.

And yes, just in case it wasn’t clear enough, South Bay still counts Bay Area. Cheers.

About the author:

Fabianne Rico is a Marketing Manager for Impekable, a design and development agency that specializes in using the latest technology and trends to create apps that are both useful and usable. Go to Impekable.com for more info.

Shop Small Saturday

Instead of supporting giant chain stores this "Black Friday weekend," why not support local Downtown San Jose businesses?

9 Downtown shops are participating in Shop Small Saturday tomorrow, Nov. 26. All are colorful, offering an eclectic assortment of merchandise perfect for holiday gift-giving.

They’re a collection of museum shops and true moms-and-pops. These unique shops are one-of-a kind.

San Jose has more than 56,000 small businesses that have fewer than 35 employees.

The day is dedicated to supporting small businesses, getting shoppers to do their holiday shopping at local retailers, and boosting the local economy. These small businesses constitute a significant proportion of the San Jose economy and are a vital factor in creating local jobs.

These are the participating shops:

• KALEID Gallery, 88 S., Fourth St. (1)
• Tabard Theatre Co, 28 N. San Pedro St. (2)
• Children's Discovery Museum Gift Shop (CDM): 180 Woz Way (3)
• Museum of Art Gift Shop: 110 S Market Street (4)
• Tech Museum Gift Shop: 201 S Market St (5)
• San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles: 520 S 1st Street (6)
• Joan Philips, Executive Director or Lousie Horkey, Volunteer, Events and Retail Coordinator
• Cathedral Gift Shop: 80 S Market St (7)
• Hammer and Lewis: 19 S First Street (8)
• Diaz Menswear: 70 E Santa Clara Street (9)

This event has been put together by the San Jose Downtown Association and you can find more information as well as an interactive map over here.

Happy Thanksgiving 2016!

Hope you all have a wonderful time and lots of good eats today. Warm wishes to you and your family from your friends at The San Jose Blog!

Silicon Valley Turkey Trot

The Turkey Trot is a San Jose Thanksgiving Day tradition! Events include a 5k run/walk, a 10k run, a Celebrity/CEO 5k, and a wheelchair 10k.

The event starts at 8:30am in Downtown San Jose and goes until noon. Registration typically runs around $45. Even if you are not walking, running, or rolling, there is a festival area and kid zone with plenty of fun things to do.

For more info and to register, head over here.

Uncle Buck's Fish Bowl & Grill @ San Jose Bass Pro Shops

Bass Pro Shops has to be one of the most insane retail stores I have ever seen. The giant diorama-filled 145,000 SQFT space has everything from an aquarium to a 12-lane bowling alley. The building is larger than most Costco's and it attracts shoppers that live as far as two hours away. I have to recommend that everyone check out the store at least once, even if you are not the outdoorsy type.

Over the weekend, I was invited to try out the new menu at Uncle Bucks, a full-service restaurant within the store. The restaurant is nestled to the side of the bowling alley and has several rooms of various sizes for private parties and events. There can easily be over a one hour wait for the restaurant, so it would be a good idea to put your name on the list first before you head out to explore the store.

For lunch, we had the following:

• Alligator with jalapeno cream sauce - This is one of their signature items and is a must try. The spiced fried alligator does not taste as exotic as it sounds and goes really well with the sweet sauce.
• Smoked Wahoo dip - This was my wife's favorite. It's a smoked Wahoo pate with crackers and cucumber slices.
• Islamorada Portofino - Another signature item. Blackened Tilapia topped with grilled shimp and lobster cream sauce. The fish was both flavorful and filling.
• Firepit Burger - My personal favorite. This is a double cheeseburger with jalapenos and pepperjack. It came with crispy battered fries.

We were so stuffed from those items, we couldn't handle a dessert. The Key Lime pie was tempting though. For the full menu, click here.

The restaurant is extremely kid-friendly and features Disneyland-grade nautical decorations. For adults, there is a bar sitting underneath the bow of a ship in the middle of the bowling alley. Scroll down for all the photos. For more information, head over to the Uncle Buck's Fish Bowl & Grill Facebook page.

Bass Pro Shops and Uncle Bucks is located at 5160 Cherry Avenue. The store is open from 9am-9pm Monday through Saturday and 9am-8pm on Sunday. Hours are extended during the holidays.

Alligator with jalapeno cream sauce

Smoked Wahoo dip

Islamorada Portofino

Firepit Burger

Rendering of the Valley Title Towers

KT Properties has been one of the most prolific builders in Downtown San Jose. Axis, One South, and Silvery Towers (under construction) exist thanks to KT. Their newest project is going to be a pair of towers towards the entrance of SoFA at San Carlos and First Street. Currently an ugly two-story building and giant parking lot sit on this lot.

Below is the latest render of the towers. As a point of reference, the five-story building on the lower right is Original Joe's and you would find Anno Domini and Cafe Stritch immediately to the right of the rightmost tower. SJSU is two blocks to the left.

If built, this would be an amazing infill development that would fill a key retail gap in SoFA and add another thousand residents to Downtown's most artsy street.

Source: Bobby_Guz_Man from the San Jose Development Forum

Nirvana Uplugged tonight at Forager

Forager is tasting room, eatery, and event space that has taken over the South First Billiards space in SoFA. Tonight they are hosting Nirvana Unplugged, a live music event with 16 different musicians that will perform Nirvana's "Unplugged" album.

The event starts at 7:30pm tonight and tickets are $12 at the door. You can get more details and tickets over here.

DESCRIPTION
San Jose Presents: Nirvana Unplugged! We're bringing together 16 musicians from different bands, genres, backgrounds and styles to perform Nirvana's iconic Unplugged album in its entirity. This is not an event to miss! This is our community in action and we'd love to see you all there!

Be sure to get your tickets early!
$10 presale / $12 door
All Ages

San Jose Presents
http://www.SanJosePresents.com/

Musicians:
Justin Imamura
Alex Nguyen
Socorra
chris pounders
Chris Reed
Israel Sanchez
Natasha Littlewood
Sailing South
Brian Hart
Felix Archuleta
Jonathan Shaheen
Jared Kauk
Quigs
Steely Nash
Troy Joseph Curtis
Mathew Gabriel Gonzales/ Philthy Dronez

Special Guest Host:
Peter Allen@

http://www.Facebook.com/sanjosepresents

"For Pete's Sake" Brewfest at Spartan Stadium

In case you haven't yet heard, there's an epic tailgate party/local beerfest at Spartan Stadium tomorrow - Saturday, Nov. 19 - from 2:30pm to 6:30pm. Tickets - $40 if purchased in advance and $50 for any remaining on the day of the event - include a 5-oz. taster to sample brewery offerings, unlimited tastings and a ticket to the final home game for Spartans football. You’ll need code “FORPETESSAKE16” to purchase tickets.

The beerfest - "For Pete's Sake" Brewfest - is brought to you by Hermitage Brewing Company in partnership with the SJSU Athletics Department and will benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and event namesake Peter Cogan.

Below is the current list of participating breweries:

• Hermitage Brewing Company
• Tied House Microbrewery
• Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
• Santa Clara Valley Brewing
• Strike Brewing Co.
• Red Branch Cider Company
• Rabbit’s Foot Meadery
• High Water Brewing
• Uncommon Brewers
• Almanac Beer Co.
• Santa Cruz Ale Works
• Discretion Brewing
• El Toro Brewpub
• Bison Organic Beer
• Faultline Brewing Company
• Gordon Biersch Brewing Company
• Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery
• Seabright Brewery
• Sactown Union Brewery

Check out my post on my local beer site for a Q & A with Peter Cogan, a longtime employee of Tied House/Hermitage and overall good guy.

SJC now has robot helpers

San Jose International now has three robots to help "Silicon Valley's Airport" feel more like, well, Silicon Valley's Airport. The set of robots cost $120,000 and are named Norma, Amelia, and Piper. They conveniently speak six different languages and can help travelers find their way, locate places to dine, and provide helpful information. They'll even take photos and email them to you. This is a neat little way to make the airport more interesting to visitors.

The robots were programmed by a Milpitas-based company called 22 Miles and manufactured by Korea-based Future Robot.

You can find SJC's newest robotic attractions near Gates 11, 21, and 25. For more info, you can follow the trio on Twitter at #SJCRobots.

Source: SVBJ

Hawaiian Airlines / Kristi Yamaguchi Downtown Ice, presented by Sobrato Organization

Open daily Nov. 18, 2016 - Jan. 16, 2017

SAN JOSE – Hawaiian Airlines, Kristi Yamaguchi and her Always Dream Foundation partner with the San Jose Downtown Association to produce the Hawaiian Airlines / Kristi Yamaguchi Downtown Ice, presented by Sobrato Organization rink Nov. 18 through Jan. 16. at the Circle of Palms, 120 S. Market St.

Yamaguchi, the 1992 Olympics figure skating gold medalist, will help with opening celebration at Nov. 23 at 5 p.m. at the rink.

Family and friends, along with fellow ice skaters can enjoy the beautifully lit palm trees  for an unforgettable experience.

“My kids ask me, is that the place with the palm trees? And when I tell them yes, they race to the car,” Yamaguchi said.

The http://downtownicesj.com website posts daily hours.  In general, during November, early December and after the holidays in January, Downtown Ice is open 5-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 5 p.m.-midnight on Friday; noon-midnight on Saturday; and noon-9 p.m. on Sunday.  During the winter break, the rink is open 11 a.m.-midnight daily.  Special hours apply to the holidays.

Admission is $15 for children 10-under and $17 for skaters 11-older. Those who bring their own skates will be admitted for $10.

Discounts and details are at http://downtownicesj.com.  The rink phone number is (408) 291-0525. Parking information is at http://parksj.org.

Downtown Ice is located within steps of Christmas in the Park displays, which occupies Plaza de Cesar Chavez starting Nov. 25. These two downtown San Jose holiday attractions are supported in part by participants in the 5-kilometer TiVo Santa Run Silicon Valley held on Dec. 18.  Dress up in costume and run a 5-kilometer race as lights descend on downtown.  A children’s division will also be participating along with a costume contest with great prizes, some fun mileage markers and surprises along the course.  Sign up at www.santarunsv.com.

Besides skating, the community can support Downtown Ice in another important way:  Make a donation to the Schools on Skates program.  Fifth- and sixth-grade students from areas schools – who may not otherwise have the opportunity to go ice skating –  take a field trip to skate.  Contact Joe Noonan, sponsorship manager, jnoonan@sjdowntown.com.



Hawaiian Airlines / Kristi Yamaguchi Downtown Ice details

When:  Open daily Nov. 18, 2016 – Jan. 16, 2017

Nov. 18 – 25
Friday, Nov. 18: 5 p.m. - midnight
Saturday, Nov. 19: noon - midnight
Sunday, Nov. 20: noon - 9 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 21: 5 - 10 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 22:  5-10 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 23, the day before Thanksgiving: 6:30 p.m. - midnight
Thursday, Nov. 24, Thanksgiving: 2 p.m. - midnight
Friday, Nov. 25, the day after Thanksgiving: 11 a.m. - midnight

Nov. 26 – Dec. 15
Saturday: noon - midnight
Sunday: noon - 9 p.m.
Monday -Thursday: 5 - 10 p.m.
Friday: 5 p.m. – midnight

Dec. 16 – Jan. 7 (Winter Break)
Daily: 11 a.m. - midnight*
*Special Christmas and New Year’s holiday hours
Sunday, Dec. 25, Christmas: 2 p.m. - midnight
Saturday, Dec. 31, New Year’s Eve: 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 1, New Year’s Day:  Noon - midnight

Jan. 8 – Jan. 16*
Sunday: 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Monday - Thursday: 5 - 9 p.m.
Friday: 5 p.m. - midnight
Saturday: noon - midnight
*MLK Holiday special hours: 11 a.m. - midnight Sun., Jan. 15 and 11 a.m. – 9 p.m., Mon., Jan. 16

Admission: 
Children 10 years & younger: $15
11 years & older: $17

Cash, Paypal, Visa, Mastercard accepted. Admission includes ice time and rental skates (skate sizes range from toddler 8 to men's 13).

Skate all you want (no in-and-out privileges)/ First-come, first-serve.

Address (starting November 18):  120 S. Market St., San Jose, CA 95113
Phone: (408) 279-1775 (SJDA); (408) 610-4055 (rink starting Nov. 18)


Promotions:

• SEASON PASS:  Unlimited visits throughout the season. $50 before Nov. 22 and $60 after Nov. 22.  Purchase online or at the SJDA office, 28 N. First St. Suite 1000
• Downtown Ice and Hawaiian Airlines have combined on airfare discounts to the islands.  Go to apps.hawaiianairlines.com/Affiliate/Booking.aspx
• Holiday Hat Trick – $28 combination ticket to Downtown Ice, San Jose Museum of Art, and The Tech Museum exhibition (47 percent discount)
• Aloha Fridays $10 ticket to anyone wearing Hawaiian attire. Regsiter for a free trip for two to Hawaii.

Multiple other discounts are available, but cannot be combined, and are available online at www.downtownicesj.com

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The San Jose Downtown Association (SJDA), established 1986, is a non-profit group of business and property owners working to improve the vitality and livability of downtown San Jose. SJDA advocates on issues that affect downtown business and property owners; enhances the image of downtown and attract new visitors through year-round marketing, public relations, and special events; and collaborates with its Property-Based Improvement District (PBID) for ongoing improvements to downtown’s cleanliness, security, aesthetics and delivery of services.

Wednesday Wishlist: robotic parking garages

Check out this innovative approach to solving parking issues in our urban areas. An automated garage would take less space, be more convenient, and can be converted to apartments or offices when self-driving transportation makes garages mostly irrelevant.

Ride VTA's historic trolley during the holidays

The VTA’s "Holly Trolly" is already decked out for Christmas and is circling Downtown San Jose. I did drop the ball a bit since it actually began service on October 14th with a Halloween theme.

The Trolley operates between the Civic Center and San Jose Diridon light rail stations and the best part is that the ride is completely free all holiday season!

Riders can expect some fun surprises including a Virtual Reality experience using Google Cardboard. Don’t forget your smartphone and to download the Cardboard app through Google Play or the App Store, or view VR videos on YouTube.

Instructions for Google Cardboard:
1. Download the Google Cardboard app, then select your video. Or select a VR video on YouTube.
2. Place your smartphone in the front of the Google Cardboard and secure your device.
3. Push the play button on the side of the Cardboard to start your video.
4. Enjoy your VR experience!

2016 Historic Trolley Service:
October 14 through December 31, 2016.*
Fridays                             6:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Saturdays & Sundays      2:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.

*Weather permitting. Please check vta.org for updates on service.

For more details and to plan your trip, call VTA Customer Service at 408-321-2300 or check the schedule and hop on board!

The Historic Trolley, Car 2001, was built in Milan, Italy in 1928 where it originally operated until the mid-1980s when it was donated by the Italian government to the San Jose Trolley Corporation. VTA's Car 2001 is one of six restored trolleys maintained by VTA.