Viva CalleSJ is back for it's 1st event of the 2024! Miles of city streets will be completely shut down to let people walk, run, dance, bike, unicycle, skateboard, or hoverboard down the streets of San Jose.  SoFA to the Streets features three activity hubs which are festivals-within-a-festival that highlight the local area. This time the activity hubs will be SoFA, the SCC Fairgrounds, and Martial Cottle Park. You can expect live music, vendors, food, activities, bike parking, and good times at all of the hubs. In between the activity hubs you will still find all sorts of interesting sto ..read more

If there ever was an area ripe for high-rise development outside of Downtown it would be right around our shopping mecca of Valley Fair and Santana Row. While it has limited transit, the area is flush with shopping, dining, and jobs. A two-tower project has been proposed to replace a dilapidated building at 826 North Winchester Blvd. The project would consist of 135 residential units (70 one-bedroom and 65 two-bedroom units), 20 of which would be affordable. There would also be 13,000 SQFT of open space, 6,000 SQFT of terrace space, and 7,500 SQFT of amenity space. The top floors would have ..read more

Tech CU Arena is owned by the San Jose Sharks and home of the San Jose Barracuda. However, the newly expanded center is able to host a variety of events. A pair Bay Area combat sports veterans have chosen the location for a new series called FIGHT NIGHT AT THE TECH. The first event takes place on Saturday, May 18th at 4pm. Tech CU Arena has a capacity of 4,200 and tickets start at $65. For more info head here. Source: SVBJ ..read more

After a lot of drama, Raging Waters will reopen this summer after all. San Jose has approved California Dreamin' Entertainment as the operator of the Lake Cunningham water park.  Raging waters opened in 1985 as the largest water park in Northern California and has a 350,000-gallon wave pool and 14 water slides. The previous operator (Palace Entertainment) suddenly breached its lease two years before expiring in 2025. California Dreamin' will put in millions of dollars in capital improvements and plans to have the park open by Memorial Day weekend. It also happens to be the same company ..read more

Next to the Topgolf towards the very north of San Jose are plans for multiple projects. One of the more significant ones involves 780 apartments sitting on top of 16,200 SQFT of retail. The apartments would be split into eight buildings up to seven-stories tall. The design isn't glamourous, but if it helps keep the prices reasonable I'm all for it. We definitely need more housing in this area which is near the bulk of Silicon Valley tech jobs.   Source: SF YIMBY ..read more

Remember China Wok in Downtown San Jose on North Market Street? The space will soon be home to Hinodeya Ramen Bar. They have a location in Campbell today with exceptional reviews. Unless I'm missing something, this would be the first true Japanese ramen bar in Downtown San Jose. Unfortunately I couldn't find an ETA on their website. In other restaurant news, the expanded Elyse will open at the end of next week, featuring delicious French Vietnamese cuisine and craft cocktails. More on that very soon ..read more

Today I finally got to try Suspiro, the new Spanish & Peruvian restaurant at the end of Santana Row facing Meso. They just opened three weeks ago and have a few kinks to work out, but the ambiance was outstanding and the food was solid. My favorites were the Paella, Ceviche, and Lomo Saltado. However, this restaurant hides a secret... In the very back past the unisex restrooms there is a black curtain that reveals a Ms. Pac-Man arcade cabinet. Behind the arcade is a locked door that takes you to S.Suspiro, a secret speakeasy! You can only get in with a reservation and have to be esco ..read more

This week has been insane, so today I just have a quick teaser for an upcoming post. Viva CalleSJ is one of my absolute favorite San Jose events and it's back April 21st. It also happens to run through one of my favorite Downtown districts, SoFA. More on this next week ..read more

Two new housing projects are being built right at 363 Delmas Avenue and 425 Auzerais Avenue, which are on just on the other side of Highway 87 across from the Children's Discovery Museum. This is in sort of a gray area where Downtown starts crossing into Midtown. The project on Delmas (first two images below) will have 120 residential units while Auzerais (last image) will have 64 homes for homeless and 66 units reserved for low-income housing. Amenities will include a fitness loop, community garden, and computer learning center. Both projects are a few blocks away from Diridon and the propo ..read more

Commercial aviation still hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic, but it's heading in the right direction at SJC. Spirit is the latest airline to add new flights from San Jose. They started service less than a year ago with service to Dallas, Las Vegas, and San Diego. Starting June 5th, Spirit will add flights to LA (twice daily), Portland (once daily), and Baltimore (four times per week).  LA is also serviced by Alaska, Delta, and Southwest while Portland is serviced by Alaska and Southwest. However, Baltimore will be an exclusive route at SJC for Spirit Airlines. The last time San J ..read more