ThreatMetrix raises $30M in financing

ThreatMetrix is a San Jose-based fraud prevention startup located in Downtown San Jose at 160 W. Santa Clara Street. The company was founded in 2005 and helps authenticate consumer transactions to minimize online fraud.

So far, they have raised a respectable $84 million from investors. This latest $30 million financing round will be used to expand its data center and expand sales and marketing teams.

Source: SVBJ

Selma Olinder Dog Park will get a $20k makeover -- volunteers needed

SAN JOSE DOG PARK’S DREAMS COME TRUE WITH $20,000 MAKEOVER AND HELPING HAND FROM BENEFUL®

Beneful Dream Dog Park Project Team, Dog Lovers and City of San Jose Revamp Selma Olinder Dog Park During Volunteer Day

WHAT: On Friday, November 4, the Beneful Dream Dog Park Project team will join forces with the City of San Jose’s Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services to spruce up Selma Olinder Park Dog Park for its dog loving community. Interested volunteers are welcome to work alongside City and Beneful teams in exchange for a morning of tail-wagging fun, doggie swag and a sample of the new Beneful Originals with Real Beef recipe. Volunteer check-in will begin at 8:30 a.m. the day of the event, at the park entrance.

The $20,000 donation will be accompanied by a new piece of dog park equipment, a Beneful Doxie Tunnel – the only one of its kind in the area. The donation and volunteer day to Selma Olinder Park Dog Park come as part of the Beneful Dream Dog Park Project, a year-long program to support more than a dozen community dog parks across the country.

For more information about the Beneful Dream Dog Park Project, please visit DreamDogPark.com and follow on social media with #DreamDogPark

WHEN: Friday, November 4, 2016 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
o    Volunteer and media check-in at 8:30 a.m.
o    Check presentation at 9 a.m.
                                                                                                                                               
WHERE: Selma Olinder Park Dog Park
848 E. William St., San José, CA 95116

Wednesday Wishlist: Rebuild the Electric Light Tower! (Updated)

Few people realize just how incredible and innovative our Electric Light Tower was. Built in 1881, it was one of the 50 tallest man-made structures on earth. It stood nearly as tall as the Fairmont Hotel over 120 years ago when San Jose had a population of 12,567. It was the brightest and most technologically advanced light tower to be built and required design innovations that had never been attempted before (much like what Silicon Valley does on a daily basis today).

There is also a very exciting documentary in the works right now entitled "The Light between Two Towers" which is being driven by Tom Wohlmut from WMS Media.  I had the privilege of attending a presentation about the movie and have to say it provides compelling evidence of a connection between the San Jose Tower and the Eiffel Tower. I was certainly surprised at what was uncovered by the end of the presentation and think most people will be as well when this film is released. We'll have a lot more information on that documentary as details are released (I'll post whatever I'm allowed to), but I can already say that the Electric Light Tower could very well be far more significant than originally thought.

While the idea of rebuilding the tower has been tossed around for decades, now is the time to build a landmark that truly represents San Jose's history and culture of innovation, diversity, entrepreneurship, and sharing ideas. The Electric Light Tower is the perfect physical manifestation of those ideas.

Now for some exciting news. There is a group of people with the right experience to actually make this a reality. What I need help from everyone reading this is ideas that can be incorporated into a modern version of an Electric light tower. Here are some quick thoughts to get things started:

• Lighting
• Multi-color LED Lighting (this is a must)
• Imaging the tower turning teal and showing the score during Sharks games, or blue for Quakes games.
• Lasers
• Can be used for optical effects. Due to our height restrictions, lasers can be a way to make the tower look taller than it actually is or can even be used for concerts and events near the tower.
• Holograms / projections
• Few things look as futuristic as a hologram. A holographic showcase near the base could be an amazing display of technology by local companies such as LG as well as potentially providing advertising opportunities to help fund the tower.

• Interactivity
• Much like the lights on The 88, a new Light Tower could be dynamic allow people to interact with it. This could mean changing color based on interacting with nearby objects or by using an app on your phone.
• Ability to communicate with sister cities via the Tower, perhaps using cameras and screens along the base.

• Holiday Ideas
• It can be used as a Christmas tree during December
• Red, White, & Blue during the 4th of July
• Rainbow during Pride San Jose

Please submit your ideas in the comments and I will gladly add them to the list above. Let's make this a reality!

PAC*SJ Throw Back Thursday Movie Night

The big PAC*SJ fall event this year is going to be a movie night with a vintage bar featuring "fruit cocktails," rock tunes, and a mid-century-themed potluck. There will also be prizes for best costumes and recipes.

Steven Yvaska, Mercury News columnist and antiques expert, will be the Master of Ceremonies. Joe Melehan and Jim Zetterquist, members of the Fruit Cocktail Club, will narrate the movies. The theme will be "Lost and Found", focusing on places, practices, industries, and technology that were once a part of everyday life and now exist only on film. Throughout the evening there will be classic items for sale and auction.

The event takes place on Thursday, November 17th from 6:30 PM to 10 PM at the San Jose Woman's Club (75 South 11th Street, San Jose, CA). Parking is free on nearby city streets or $5 in the SJSU North Garage.

Tickets are only $5 per person and you can reserve your spot right over here. You can also get more details at the PAC*SJ Facebook Page.

Happy Halloween 2016!

Hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween tonight! If you have a favorite neighborhood for trick-or-treating please post it in the comments.



Update: We also just received a little treat to share--a short horror film for Halloween put together by two San Jose locals, Travis & Brandon Leland. In true Silicon Valley fashion, the film utilizes VR technology. Check it out over here!

Saturday Stats: highest paying jobs in San Jose

If you though the highest salaries in San Jose were dominated by tech, the list below provided by Zippia says otherwise. Healthcare dominates the Top 10 with six of the ten highest paid jobs in San Jose. Local surgeons pull in an average of over a quarter-million dollars a year. C-level executives, internists, physicians, lawyers, and nursing instructors also break the $200k salary threshold.

One thing this list does not account for is stock options which can easily tilt the balance of total compensation towards tech. For the full "Top 100" list, head over to the source link below.

Source: Zippia

Silicon Valley unemployement continues to drop

Our job market has been holding up quite well in 2016. Unemployment ticket up a bit in the summer months, but has now dropped back below 4%.

At 3.8%, the current San Jose metro job market is stronger than at any point in 2015. This is quite surprising given how conservative investment has become this year. Silicon Valley is significantly outperforming both the United States (4.7%) and California as a whole (5.3%).

Source: SVBJ

Eastridge Shopping Center launches Holiday Season with safe Halloween fun and dazzling tree lighting display

San Jose, Calif. (October, 2016) – Eastridge Center, (http://www.eastridgecenter.com) located in eastern San Jose, is kicking off the holiday season with safe mall-wide trick-or-treating on Oct. 31 from 4 to 6 p.m. Then, on Friday, Nov. 11 at 6 p.m., shoppers can join in the celebration of the grand arrival of Santa Claus to San Jose with a spectacular tree lighting display.

“Eastridge has been hosting friends and families for 45 years as they make holiday memories and find the perfect gifts for loved ones,” said Eastridge Center’s General Manager John Petersen. “We look forward to these annual holiday events and the chance to give back to the community through Halloween activities, the magical tree display and visits with Jolly Ol’ St. Nick.”

Halloween Activities

On Oct. 31, the fun begins at 4 p.m. as free gift bags are distributed to the first 1,000 kids, ages 2-12, who are wearing a costume.

• Throughout the entire mall, stores displaying a pumpkin in the front window will be offering treats to families.
• Halloween fun is offered online for kids with a Halloween Interactive Coloring Book (eastridgecenter.com/event/trick-or-treat-at-eastridge). The site offers 24 coloring designs, enough to keep kids busy for hours in between seasonal activities!
• Worried about too many sugary treats? Eastridge Center offers a “Candy Buy Back” event Nov. 1-5 from 4 to 6 p.m. Bring your candy to Center Court and receive $1 per pound up to $5 per person. The candy will be donated to troops.
• The Safe Trick-or-Treat and Candy Buy Back is sponsored by the dentists from Manila Dental Center & Orthodontics IV and South Bay Dental Center & Orthodontics.

Tree Lighting Ceremony

On Friday, Nov. 11 from 6 to 7 p.m., Eastridge Center guests will countdown with Santa to light a 36-foot holiday tree in Center Court. The tree stands more than 36 feet tall in center court and is wrapped with a giant ribbon spiraling around its surface and the base of the tree enclosed in an exploding gift box. Adorned with a collection of 1,000 festive ornaments featuring a modernized traditional palette and more than 300 lights, it has become a community holiday tradition.

The celebration begins at 6 p.m. with a Holiday DJ spinning music and holding holiday raffles. At 6:50 p.m., the parade starts, with a drum corps and about 100 cheerleaders cheering up and down the route. At the end of the parade, Santa and his special guest will lead the countdown to the tree lighting, followed by Santa tossing candy into the audience amidst magic falling snow. Even more importantly, Santa will stick around to hear Christmas wishes from young and old and pause for photos with those who still believe.

Celebration begins: 6 p.m.
Santa Arrival:  7 p.m.
Tree Lighting Countdown: 7:15 p.m.
Holiday Celebration and Photos with Santa:  7:15 p.m. – close

Eastridge is a major regional destination with more than 150 shops, restaurants and entertainment venues in the thriving Silicon Valley market. Set on 113 acres in eastern San Jose bounded by Tully Road, East Capitol Expressway and Quimby Road, Eastridge is a two-story, enclosed super regional mall. Among the center’s distinctive mix of retail, restaurant and entertainment destinations are a 15-screen AMC Theaters, Round 1 Bowling and Amusement, Barnes & Noble, JCPenney, Macy’s, Sears, Forever 21, Tilly’s, Bath & Body Works, Victoria’s Secret, Chili’s, Red Robin and Olive Garden.

To learn more visit http://www.eastridgecenter.com or its social media accounts
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EastridgeCenter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/eastridgecenter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eastridgecenter/

Midtown Art Mercantile bringing more "coolness factor" to San Jose

A 40,000 SQFT building at 430 Lincoln Avenue that was previously used as a canning plant and furniture warehouse has been transformed into a "maker space" for San Jose artisans. A third of the building is already leased to Chromatic Coffee, Hapa's Brewing, Good Karma Bikes, and Terra Amico Studio. It has the potential to become a trendy spot where people can shop local, have a pint of microbrew, and caffinate-up on the way out. Visit the source link for more info and photos.

Source: SJ Economy Blog

BREAKING NEWS: Adega became the first restaurant ever in San Jose to get a Michelin Star!!!

This is epic news for San Jose foodies! My favorite San Jose restaurant just got the international recognition it deserves. Adega in Little Portugal has become the first and only restaurant in San Jose to win a Michelin Star!

The Michelin guide represents the highest level of recognition restaurants can achieve. Each year, I highlight the lack of Michelin restaurants in San Jose with an annual post analyzing the guide and listing all Bay Area winners. I am completely thrilled that on my 8th annual post we will finally have a restaurant representing San Jose and it could not be a more appropriate one at that.

For my full review on Adega and its stunning interpretation of authentic Portuguese cuisine, head over here.

Better yet, head to the Adega website to make a reservation before the word gets out and it gets booked out for months.

Well done Adega, well done.

Okta is creating a second headquarters in Downtown San Jose

Okta is a hot "unicorn" tech company that provides identity management and security services for other businesses. In an unconventional move, they have decided to create a dual headquarters in the Bay Area.

They currently have 850 employees and around 500 of them work in the San Francisco office. That location limits their potential reach for talent, especially as commutes continue to get longer and longer with no public transit or highway improvements in site that will make a significant dent arriving anytime soon. Okta estimates that adding a HQ in San Jose will open up a third more talent that they would not have access to otherwise.

Okta will start with leasing the 16th floor at 300 Park Avenue near Adobe and right under Xactly. The 19,735 SQFT will provide enough room for at least 100 employees, but they have the option to expand to other floors in the building as well. They have already started hiring people for the office and plan to move in February.

The San Jose location will truly be a second headquarter. Executives will have desks in both locations and split their time between the two offices.

Why San Jose? They evaluated a lot of potential locations, but San Jose had the right mix of pro-growth mentality, expansion opportunity, urban amenities, and transportation options.

Source: SVBJ (Subscription Required)

Best Cities to Trick-or-Treat 2016

As a huge fan of Halloween, I'm thrilled to see San Jose maintain its Zillow rank as the 2nd best city to Trick-or-Treat in. Each year, Zillow creates the list using population density, walk score, home values, local crime data, and age distributions. This should theoretically provide the cities where trick-or-treaters can get the most candy, in the least amount of time, with the fewest safety risks.

Philadelphia took the top spot away from San Francisco this year, which now ranks #3 right behind San Jose. This means we now have the highest ranking west of the Mississippi for the study.

Within San Jose, the top specific neighborhoods for trick-or-treating were West San Jose (new this year), Cambrian Park, Willow Glen, Almaden Valley, and the Rose Garden.

Source: Zillow

Playful People Productions Presents: Annie KIDS

Annie KIDS

Based on the popular comic strip “Little Orphan Annie" and adapted from the Tony Award-winning Best Musical, Annie KIDS features everyone’s favorite little redhead in her very first adventure.

With equal measures of pluck and positivity,  Annie charms everyone's hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City. Annie is determined to find the parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of an orphanage run by the cruel Miss Hannigan. Annie eventually foils Miss Hannigan's evil machinations, finding a new home and family in billionaire, Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary, Grace Farrell, and a lovable mutt named Sandy.

Our shows often sell out prior to the show weekend. Be sure to buy your tickets early, you won’t want to miss out on this fantastic production.

All Shows at the Historic Hoover Theater, 1635 Park Ave  San Jose, CA 95126

Show Times:
Friday, November 4th - 7:00pm
Saturday, November 5th - 11:00am, 3:00pm and 7:00pm
Sunday, November 6th - 11:00am, 3:00pm

Tickets available at www.playfulpeople.net
$12 attendees 12 and up, $8 children 11 and under, and $6 Children’s floor seating

Tickets at the door (30 minutes prior to curtain)
$15 attendees 12 and up, $10 children 11 and under, and $6 Children’s floor seating



Annie JR

Leapin’ Lizards! One of the world’s best-loved musicals returns to the Playful People stage.

Little Orphan Annie takes center stage in ANNIE JR. With pluck and positivity america’s favorite little orphan, Annie, charms everyone she meets despite a next-to-nothing start in the Depression-era New York City of the 1930s. She is determined to find her parents, who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of an orphanage run by the cruel, embittered Miss Hannigan. When billionaire Oliver Warbucks decides to invite an orphan to his mansion for Christmas, Annie gets her chance to experience NYC  outside the confines of the orphanage. Despite Miss Hannigan's evil machinations, Annie befriends President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and finds a new home alongside Warbucks, his personal secretary Grace Farrell, and a lovable mutt named Sandy.

ANNIE JR is an adaptation of one of the world's best-loved and most-performed musicals. The show includes such unforgettable songs as It’s the Hard Knock Life, Easy Street, and the eternal anthem of optimism, Tomorrow.

Our shows often sell out prior to the show weekend. Be sure to buy your tickets early, you won’t want to miss out on this fantastic production.

All Shows at the Historic Hoover Theater, 1635 Park Ave  San Jose, CA 95126

Show Times:
Thursday, November 10th - 7:00pm
Friday, November 11th - 1:00pm and 7:00pm
Saturday, November 12th - 11:00am, 3:00pm and 7:00pm

Tickets available at www.playfulpeople.net
$12 attendees 12 and up, $8 children 11 and under, and $6 Children’s floor seating

Tickets at the door (30 minutes prior to curtain)
$15 attendees 12 and up, $10 children 11 and under, and $6 Children’s floor seating



For questions: barb@galiotto.com

Founded in 2010, Playful People Production’s mission is to provide a quality, caring environment where children, teens and their families can have positive theater experiences. We strive to involve all family members in the many aspects of on stage and backstage theater in a safe and fun environment and offer participation in theatrical productions, classes, summer stock and camps for ages 3-103

Saturday Stats: San Jose rents are stabilizing

This will be good news for a lot of folks. San Jose is one of the largest cities where rent growth has slowed down. The rate of increase has only been 0.6% in the last year (Sep 2015 - Sep 2016). Given that we have some of the highest rents in the US, hitting the brakes may not be a bad thing. The major downside is that this will likely delay some major development projects in San Jose.

Source: RENTCafe Blog

Cellista's "Finding San Jose"

San Jose cellist and artistic director, Cellista, is leveraging her full-length album entitled "Finding San Jose" to direct a multidisciplinary theater performance featuring the Ransom Dance Company and Haus Serpens Cabaret. Typically I wouldn't promote an event that takes place in SF, but this is a special exception. The album pays homage to Cellista's time in San Jose and tells a story of San Jose's importance in the history of the Bay Area.

The event takes place at Little Boxes Theater in San Francisco on October 29th at 7:30pm. Tickets are $10-15 and you can listen to the album at cellista.bandcamp.com for a preview. Have a look at the press release below for more details.

Cellista to Present: Finding San José  | Theatrical Album Release

A small immersive theater event incorporating Cellista’s debut album as the soundtrack for a multimedia event choreographed by Lilith Ransom and Mojo Deville.

San Francisco, CA: Cellista extends San José’s branches into San Francisco. This October, San Jose cellist, artistic director and performer Cellista (Freya Seeburger) presents Finding San José, a one-of-a-kind multimedia performance that incorporates original choreography created and performed by Lilith Ransom (Ransom Dance) and Mojo Deville (Haus Serpens Cabaret). The presentation interweaves film by Brian Favorite (Heklina), Jennifer Gigantino, Arash Maleki, and Cellista into a small immersive setting for a presentation of dance, theater, and poetry.

Composed in narrative format, Finding San José was engineered and mixed by Maryam Qudus (Doe Eye) and Cellista. The album is reminiscent of the French avant garde, functioning as a stepping stone for many of her collaborators (Rykarda Parasol, Emcee Infinite, rapper Demone Carter, and members of the Juxtapositions Chamber Ensemble) into new disciplines.

The album is a pastiche of genres including classical, hip hop, spoken word and field recordings, showcasing Cellista’s strength as a curator and artistic director. It serves as a soundtrack for film and commercial use, functioning as Cellista’s crossover into production.

Finding San José parallels the diversity of the Bay Area at large and reinforces Cellista’s dedication to creating and producing art that reflects the community she is based in.

This presentation at Little Boxes Theater (1661 Tennessee Street, San Francisco) builds on Cellista’s work in storytelling and interweaves San Jose’s narrative into a piece, showing the immediacy of San Jose’s narrative as important to the Bay Area’s story of growth, gentrification, and more.

Finding San Jose Theatrical album release debuts on Saturday, October 29th, 2016 at 7:30PM at Little Boxes Theater in San Francisco.

Tickets $10-15 Available at the door or online via Cellista.net
21+
 
Little Boxes Theater
1661 Tennessee St
San Francisco California 94107

Listen to the album: cellista.bandcamp.com
Find out more about Cellista Cellista.net

“Freya (Cellista) is a classically trained, punk rock spirited girl with the charm and elegance to defy the stereotype that classical music isn’t cool.”
— Belle Foundation

SJSU Engineering program gets high honors

The U.S. New & World Report's 2017 college rankings listed SJSU's engineering program as the third-best public school program in the country. If you factor in all schools, SJSU's engineering program ties for 23rd place. After factoring in the tuition compared to private schools, the ROI is tough to beat. It seems like SJSU continues to build more and more prestige over time.

Last school year over 2,000 students graduated from SJSU's College of Engineering, which is 29% higher than the previous year.

Source: SVBJ

October 2016 Downtown Dimension Highlights

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

• SJdowntown.com has been relaunched with a more personal touch [Josh: the new site looks great!]
• For the first time, food traffic can reliably be counted along Downtown's eight busiest walking corridors. San Pedro Street, Santa Clara west of First, and First between Santa Clara and San Fernando have the highest consistent pedestrian volumes Downtown while SoFA has the lowest of the corridors monitored.
• SJDA Recommendations on local measures:
• Measure A ($950M affordable housing bonds) - YES
• Measure B - street repair and transit improvements - YES
• Measure E - small businesses must offer extra hours to part time workers - NO
• Measure F - pension modification for public employees - YES
• Measure G - business tax modernization - YES
• The public is invited to the 30th SJDA annual meeting on Oct 14th at First United Methodist Church (24 N. Fifth) from 8am-9:30am.
• Google purchased Apigee for $625 million.
• NextSpace expands to a 7,000 SQFT pace 97 S. Second St.
• Coast Poke Counter is now open at the San Pedro Square Public Market.
• Five Points is a new craft cocktail bar at 169 W.Santa Clara Street with drinks inspired by the saloons that graced the Five Points neighborhood in New York City.
• WESTCA, a boutique gym, is moving into the Sperry Station building at 30 N. Third St.
• Steve Borkenhagan will be the first recipient of the Business Support for the Arts Award issued by the San Jose Arts Commission.

To read the newsletter, click here!

Content Pick-Up Party tomorrow (Issue 8.4 - Profiles)

Content subscribers can enjoy an evening of art, music, food and drinks in the Citadel Art Studios Gallery to celebrate the release of Issue 8.4. This issue highlights 45 leaders in art, fashion, design, and music who are key to changing and growing the culture of the South Bay.

Snack on appetizers, sip refreshing beverages, and experience creations by some of the artists featured in 8.4 including Max DeHart, Tyson Johnston, Agency Furniture, David James Keaton, and more. There will also be a musical performance by the sibling duo Bird and Willow. Subscribers to Content Magazine will receive a complimentary beverage when picking up their issue.

The Citadel is the largest artist community in the South Bay with over 70 studios, fostering both established and emerging artists. Originally a cannery, the industrial feel of the building gives artists the freedom to express their creative side.

The event goes down tomorrow (Oct 19th) from 7pm to 9:30pm at 199 Martha St. in San Jose.

If you are not already a subscriber, you can find out more information over here.

San Jose Metro led the nation in economic growth for 2015!

Out of the 382 metros tracked by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, only 292 saw their economies grow in 2015. Of the 20 largest metros, guess which had the most growth.

The San Jose Metro grew its economy by an incredible 8.9% last year. This is miles away from the next city which is Houston at 4.6%. For all the buzz San Francisco got, they grew their economy by 4.1% last year, less than half of San Jose and putting them fifth on the list. New York barely made a dent at 1.7%.

What is even more impressive is that if you look at ALL 382 metros, including the smaller ones where it is easier to have big economic swings, San Jose still had the 2nd fastest growing economy in the US. Only Midland, TX with a population of 140k had a faster rate of growth.

The bubble chart below the grid shows economic performance versus the size of the metro (larger bubble = more population). San Jose is still performing like a fast-growing startup (hot small city) despite the fact the metro has 2 million people.

To paraphrase a Twain quote: the reports of Silicon Valley's death are greatly exaggerated. Every economy in the US would love to be where San Jose is today.

Source: CNBC, Hillrise from the San Jose Development Forum

Saturday Stats: San Jose has the highest density of computer and math-related jobs

The fact that San Jose is #1 in this stat should not surprise anyone. However, the gap between San Jose and any other city in the US when it comes to computer and math occupations is quite amazing. For every 1,000 jobs in San Jose, 124.9 of them are related to computers or math. This compares to just 78.9 in San Francisco, 76.6 in Seattle, 32.8 in New York, and 64.5 in Austin.

The chart below compares each city to the national average. A rating of 4.3 means San Jose has 4.3 times the national average of computer and math jobs. For stats on other types of jobs, hit the source link below.

Source: Abodo, Hillrise from the San Jose Development Forum

New "Visit San Jose" video

Team San Jose did an exceptional job of producing their latest promotional video for San Jose. The 1:37 long video highlights San Jose's diversity and culture and is one of the best promo videos I have seen yet for San Jose. Check it out below.

You can follow the "Visit San Jose" Facebook Page over here.

Aesop opens first Silicon Valley location at Santana Row

Aesop is a high-end retailer with skin, hair, and body "formulations." They have just opened a signature store at Santana Row, which is the first and only Silicon Valley location. They have four stores in San Francisco and hundreds all over the world.

The store is open now and is located between Gucci and Tesla. Hours are Monday-Saturday from 10am-9pm and Sunday from 11am-6pm.

St. James Park finally getting redesigned

Four finalist proposals have been selected in a competition to do a complete overhaul of St. James Park. As we all know, over the past several decades the park has become an unpleasant place. It is a shame given the park's central location and history that includes everything from presidential visits to one of the last lynchings in the US.

A finalist will be selected on October 15th, so you still have a few days to submit your opinion. The proposal will be selected based on how well the park addresses the needs for the Levitt Pavilion (year-round permanent music venue), the needs of the whole community, how original and creative it is, and how likely people are to visit it.

At least 50 free, family-friendly concerts will take place each year in the new St. James Park. Other requirements include picnic areas, greenery, and "whimsical" fountains. The cost will range from $30-60 million, but that money will be well spent if it can transform the area and add value to the community for decades.

You can view each of the four proposals over here.

Source: The Merc, huge thanks to Nick Fishler for sending this in!

More details on the Valley Fair expansion

We have been waiting a long time for the repeatedly-delayed Valley Fair expansion, but now plans are getting very real. Westfield has a video showcasing the massive 624,000 SQFT expansion. I can't give you a direct link or embed it, but all you have to do is go to this page, and scroll down to the middle of the page.

The official price tag will clock in at a whopping $1.1 billion. Given it is one of the most profitable retail centers in the world, I'm sure that investment will pay off.

The video starts off with a lot of nice things to say about us as consumers:

The heart of Silicon Valley
#1 Wealthiest Metropolitan Area in the U.S.
#1 Highest Median Home Value in U.S.
#1 Center for Technology and Innovation in the World
#1 Fastest Growing County in U.S.
Highest Concentration of Millionaires and Billionaires in the U.S.
Hyper Educated
Hyper Entrepreneurial

Then it goes into some of the details...

624,000 SQFT Expansion
Upscale Cinemas
150 New Retail Shops
New Flagship Bloominddails
Luxury Vallet and Elegant Outdoor Dining

And then you get the posh renders of what is being planned. I grabbed a few images from the video, but recommend watching it to get the full effect.

Huge thanks to Joe Meduri for sending this in!