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*-----------February 10, 2000-----------*
*---San Jose News and Gossip Bulletin---*
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**Neighborhood news: The Alameda neighborhood may get a giant welcoming mat; the
neighborhood is working with the RDA on potential designs for a grand entranceway that
would identify the artsy, historic community via a sign and median garden display. This
great idea will not only inform potential visitors (and business-owners) that they are
approaching a walkable shopping district, but will also provide much-needed traffic
calming to the area near the Alameda and Lenzen....South University Neighborhood may soon
get its own park; neighborhood leaders are working with the city to purchase land near
6th and William...Alviso's history is the focus of a new local play; more details on this
later...The Rosemary Gardens neighborhood is pretty excited over the unexpected
walkability of a new mixed-use housing/hotel/retail/office development proposed by
Spieker Properties; the complex will be centered on North First Street, close to San Jose
International, and will also include an athletic club...Finally, Willow Glen's main
boulevard replaces an unsightly auto parts store with an upscale furniture shop (at
Willow & Lincoln).
**Rumor has it that Moffett field will be the backdrop for an upcoming feature film
starring Kevin Costner. The San Jose Film & Video Commission has been touting this and
other local wonders to producers and directors from around the globe...And, looking down
the road, a spokesperson from the Commission concurs that an ornate, domed city hall
(recently announced) will only further entice filmmakers to shoot in our beloved city.
**More imaginings ... Picture your weary Frisco friends, begging for a more convenient
way to abandon the confines of their overrated paradise. Well, if BART does make it into
the real city, those poor souls could have two or three stops to exit from. Word has it
that the RDA is advocating not only an Arena/Caltrain stop, but also one near Park Center
and/or San Jose State. It certainly makes economic sense - as well as city "image" sense
(e.g., two or three stops signifies the importance of the city).
**Changes for Downtown Restaurants: There's some indication that one pizzeria-owner (near
San Jose State) would like to open a classier joint in Fountain Alley. And word has it
that House of Siam is looking for new downtown digs, perhaps closer to First Street's
Restaurant Row, as their current, booming haven is eventually converted to high-demand
office space. Along those lines, Bella Mia is expanding yet again into the adjacent
space; look for a hotel-style lounge, complete with mahogany brass bar and towering
shelves displaying over 2000 bottles of wine. All of this means that the gaps of First
St. are finally being filled; such a concentration of eateries (and the passersby who
frequent them) inevitably paves the way for other development downtown (e.g., retail).
**On the other hand, the more unique, out-of-the-way finds make our downtown special. Sad
news here, as Post Street's Cafe Cozine quietly closed its doors for good last week. The
one year-old new kid on the historic alleyway just couldn't compete with more visible
coffeehouses on the main drags. This is one of several rare gems that have disappeared
from downtown in recent years. Cafe Zucco, once on First St., featured an upstairs
kitchie lounge, complete with artificial waterfall, in which to enjoy some of the best
smoothies in Northern California. And then there was Cafe Babylon, at the tail end of the
SOFA District, which profiled avant-garde art from around the Bay Area in two huge, comfy
rooms. While there were individual reasons for each departure (e.g., Babylon's fight to
reap revenue from live performances), it does appear that our city center does not quite
have the constant foot traffic to support hidden, off-the-beaten-path shops and cafes. Or
maybe we all just aren't looking hard enough.
**On a more upbeat note, San Jose was deemed one of the top 12 best cities to live from
America's Best Online (www.americasbestonline.com), an upstart site that provides
opinionated rankings for a variety of popular categories.
**Cafe Matisse allowed one local artist to sell his exquisite Chinese landscape paintings
this past weekend (in honor of the Chinese New Year). The gig was very successful; no
surprise, considering the thousands of fun-seekers that romp through the city's
entertainment district on weekend evenings. A hint of things to come? Hopefully, comments
Matisse owner Dennis Fong, who is working to make the internationally-renowned artist's
booth a permanent fixture in the cafe. And, with Polly Esther's finally set to open its
doors, the San Jose Opera on the horizon, and a 317-space parking lot planned on Market
Street, things will only get more happening in the 15 year-old club-conglomerate.
Meanwhile, back at the cafe, one starving (?) artist, who commutes regularly from New
York to her San Jose studio in the industrial Keys neighborhood, tried in vain to
convince the prominent painter to add an extra zero to all of his prices...to draw in
those "new money" people who are reeling to dump huge sums to adorn their monster-sized
living rooms. Whatever works.
**Overheard at a recent San Jose Sharks game from a local 4-year old: "If you want to
know more about the players, just go to www.nfl.com."
++ The San Jose Stage Company presents "God's Country," a gripping look at the burgeoning
white supremacist movement in America. The play centers around the rise of the group in
Colorado, including its role in the assassination of popular Denver talk show host Alan
Berg, and the dramatic courtroom trial that followed. The intimate Stage Theater is an
ideal venue to see the nationally-hailed drama, which runs through February 27th. For
more information, call the San Jose Stage Company box office at (408) 283-7142 or visit
them online at www.sanjose-stage.com.
++ Seafood on the Bay in San Jose: The Alviso Rotary Club will be having it's 5th Annual
Crab Feed at the historical South Bay Yacht Club on Saturday, Feb. 19. The cost is $30
for adults and $10 for children (7-12) for the feast, which includes crab, pasta and
salad. Contact Joan Robinson at 408.263.8940 for details and to RSVP.
++ Visit the San Jose News and Gossip Bulletin web site at
www.angelfire.com/ca4/sanjosengb. The site features past issues, links to EVERYTHING that
screams San Jose, as well as the Bulletin's mission statement.
ATTENTION: Online neighborhood groups, business associations, and city promotions
organizations -- if appropriate, please provide a link to the Bulletin from your own
site.
++ Keep the gossip coming!! I want to emphasize that all sources shall remain completely
anonymous.
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Please send all news or gossip regarding new business openings, redevelopment projects,
celebrity sightings, and other interesting gems concerning San Jose to
todd_95130@yahoo.com.
To be added to the bimonthly bulletin, please email the above address.
The San Jose News and Gossip Bulletin is a free bimonthly newsletter intended
to boost city pride, to foster a vital link between city districts, and
to provide information on current and future plans for downtown and the
neighborhoods. Information is gathered from a variety of sources,
including non-profit organizations, neighborhood business
associations, local and national newswires, as well as city government
meetings and documents. All items are written by myself, unless otherwise noted.
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