Viva CalleSJ 2022 on Sunday, September 18th

Viva Calle SJ is one of San Jose's largest and most unique annual events. Miles of city streets will be completely shut down to let people walk, run, bike, or skateboard down the streets of San Jose. 

Viva Calle features multiple activity hubs which are basically festivals-within-a-festival that highlight the local area. This year the activity hubs will be at Parque de los Pobladores (Downtown), Kelley Park & History Park, the Arena Green, and Japantown. You can expect live music, vendors, food, activities, bike parking, and good times at all four hubs. In between the activity hubs you will still find all sorts of interesting stops, hydration stations, and stores. Up to 100,000 people attend this event, but it never feels crowded given how spread out it is.

This year the route is essentially a hub Downtown with 3 spokes extending to the activity hubs. It's wild to think that you can walk from Kelly Park to Japantown in the middle of city streets.

Viva CalleSJ 2022 takes place on Sunday, September 18th from 10am to 3pm (streets are closed until 4pm). It is completely free and has no designated beginning or end as it's not a race. It also overlaps with a PokemonGO community event, so you may see a lot of people on their phones. You can use the handy map below to locate the routes and festivities. For more info, head over here. Hope to see you there!

Oktoberfest 2022 at Ludwig's - Sep, 26, 17, 23, 24

Ludwig's--one of my favorite Downtown restaurants--is hosting multiple Oktoberfest celebrations this year. The first couple events are this weekend on September 16th and 17th with an encore next weekend on September 23rd and 24th.

There is food, beer (hopefully in a boot), music, dancing, a best-dressed contest, and a Stein-Holding competition. To get in, you have to purchase a table which allows entry for 6-8 adults. You can buy tickets over here.

September 2022 Downtown Dimension Highlights

The September 2022 Downtown Dimension is available for download.
 
This month's newsletter highlights:  

• Learn about startup development company Nabr's plans for SoFA, starting with three towers of condos and breaking ground on the first 140 units this winter.
• Progress being made on BART design improvements to proposed lines under downtown San Jose.
• Juan Carlos Aguirre's background fits perfectly into his new assignment with SJDA as Community Engagement Manager, 
• Groundwerx Employee of the Month Jesse Velo is an ardent supporter of public transportation, resulting in a thorough knowledge of downtown that comes in handy when visitors request directions.
• SJDA's street life team creates an urban botanical garden.
• 1 Culture art store joins eclectic lineup of businesses along the block of East Santa Clara Street between Third and Fourth streets
• Do you have an idea for a community event or public activation? Apply this month for the Mayor's Abierto program, a celebration of the city's post pandemic re-opening.

The Future of the Bay is San Jose

Nabr is building a sustainable, contemporary Scandinavian high-rises in Downtown San Jose's SoFA district and they have produced several articles that highlight just how walkable the area is. I think they nailed it (I visit most of the places mentioned frequently).

Click here to read "The Future of the Bay is San Jose"

Then follow it up with "72 Hours in San Jose, CA"

If you might be interested in their unique rent-to-own apartments, then I have one more link for you over here.

District 3 City Council Candidate Forum

District 3 is one of the most challenging parts of San Jose to manage as it contains Downtown San Jose, our urban and cultural core. With great challenge comes great reward--several District 3 councilmembers have ended up becoming mayor (Sam Liccardo, Susan Hammer, etc.). This election season, Irene Smith and Omar Torres are the frontrunners for the District 3 role. They will both be sharing their qualifications and vision in a forum at the Tabard Theatre on September 9th at 8:15am.

You can either attend in person by registering at sjdowntown.com/sjda-public-meeting (everyone gets 90 minutes of free parking at the Market/San Pedro Square garage) or by livestreaming the event over here.

August 2022 Downtown Dimension Highlights

The August 2022 Downtown Dimension is now available for download.
 
This month's newsletter highlights:  

• Meet Alex Stettinski, SJDA's next CEO, who answers some questions about his experiences in Southern California and Reno and how they could relate to his work starting soon in San Jose.
• The downtown event schedule for August includes some of San Jose's biggest festivals, and the total audience could approach 200,000.
• Business news includes a switch for 3Below, which plans to hold a musical Up on the Roof in August; and Serious Dumpling co-owner Phebe Shen, who worked through the first two years of the pandemic to create the menu and concept for her new and popular restaurant on San Pedro Square. 
• Groundwerx Employee of the Month Rico Montenegro wakes up every morning at 2 a.m. and pressure-washes downtown's city blocks before most people wake up.

28th Annual Assyrian Food Festival

One of the biggest benefits of living in San Jose is diversity. It's amazing that we have access to so many events each year celebrating different cultures. This weekend is the 28th Assyrian Food Festival. The two day event also features dancing, live entertainment, exotic teas, coffee, parties, arts, a raffle and of course a ton of authentic Assyrian cuisine.

The event runs from 11am to 11pm on Saturday and 11am to 9pm on Sunday at the Assyrian Church of the East (680 Minnesota Avenue, San Jose, CA 95125). Admission and parking are both free. For more info head over to assyrianfoodfestival.org.

Dine Downtown is happening now!

Dine Downtown is back with an assortment of specials to encourage people to try out Downtown San Jose's many fine establishments. This time around you have everything from a Cold Brew and Stan's Donut pairing for $5 at Academic Coffee to a $40 prix fixe menu at Petiscos. There are also many new names on the list like Serious Dumplings, Secco, Mama Kin, Desi Express, The FAB, and San Pedro Social.

To see all of the great specials, head over here!

Participating Restaurants:

• Academic Coffee • Desi Express • Devine Cheese & Wine • District • The FAB (Food & Beverage) • The Farmers Union • Fuze • Habana Cuba • Il Fornaio • Mama Kin • Mezcal

• Nomikai Social Food + Drinkery • Nox Cookie Bar • Orchestria Palm Court • Pastelaria • Petiscos • San Pedro Social • Scott's Seafood • Secco • Serious Dumpling • Voltaire Coffee Roasters • Voyager Craft Coffee