I took advantage of the great Bay Area weather that San Jose benefits from and attended two night time events that were held outdoors in downtown.
I went to the Christmas in the Park fundraiser at the Circle of Palms two weeks ago. The night was filled with great company, a silent auction, wine and opportunities to win trips. All of this was outside in the heart of San Jose.
The Circle of the Palms is located in the central area between the San Jose Museum of Art, the Fairmont Hotel and the Knight Ridder building. The palm trees were planted in a circle to commemorate San Jose as the first capitol of California before the capitol was moved to Benicia and then Sacramento. The Circle of Palms also serves as the home to San Jose’s ice skating rink in the winter. The view from the second story of the Fairmont looking down upon all the people ice skating is picturesque.
The second event I attended was the Grand Prix. As we know, the car races were held on our downtown streets. However, there was also an evening event which was held at the City Hall rotunda and the outside plaza area. Once again, this was a great event with fun people, catered by Smoke Barbeque, a local small downtown business, with music and beverages.
Although I acknowledge the financial pains the new City Hall has cost the city, I also recognize the importance of being proud of the building and the ambiance it offers. I would like to see more events there. For example, San Francisco City Hall hosts the Black & White ball for their symphony, a great outdoor event that I have attended several times.
However, one hiccup that events at City Hall encounter is the city policy of not allowing hard liquor and cocktails in public places. So, currently, you may not take your drink made with hard alcohol outside the rotunda to the plaza where the food is located and the dancing is taking place. I am hopeful that we can change this absurd policy for City Hall so all groups can enjoy the evening weather on the plaza with food and drink.
What I remember most about the events I attended was that I loved being outside in downtown San Jose. I think we should promote our outside facilities. Why not make it easier for non-profits to host charity events in our public open spaces downtown? I do know that San Jose needs to improve its permit and setup process for outdoor public spaces. Could you imagine hosting our sister city dinners outdoors? Visitors from states that do not have the weather that we do would enjoy the climate, the views and ambiance. We are missing out on using opportunities like this to promote our open-air locations.
San Jose competes with many cities for hosting conventions; therefore, I think we should promote our downtown outside spaces to local businesses and other groups. For example, Portland has done a great job by taking advantage of its greatest outdoor asset: the Columbia River in Portland’s downtown core. Why shouldn’t San Jose make the most of its outdoor assets too? There is no reason why many of our local companies would not want to host their annual employee parties, user groups or other corporate events on the plaza at City Hall.
Summer is not over yet; I suggest visiting San Pedro Square and Saint James Park for their free movie nights every Wednesday and Friday through August. In addition, there is Music in the Park (Cesar Chavez) on Thursday nights. Or, go find something new in downtown San Jose that you haven’t done before!
PO, you ought to hang out with Single Gall, she knows off all the places to get your 7 and 7 or Jack and Coke.
Add the Jazz Festival, Cinco De Mayo, Mardi Gras, Grand Prix and Christmas in the Park together, then multiply by one thousand. The result will be what is going to happen on December 4, 2007 at the HP Pavilion. The Spice Girls, the greatest entertainers in the history of THE WORLD will be performing in the greatest city in THE WORLD. Please Mr. Oliverio, you and the City Council MUST proclaim December 4, 2007 as SPICE GIRLS DAY in San Jose. Please present them with the key to the City. We must celebrate their visit with a party in the City Hall Rotunda. We can have a parade, marching bands, balloons, fireworks and confetti. Never in the history of our great city has there ever been an event of this magnitude. On December 4, 2007, our hearts will be filled with hope, the air will be filled with excitement and the citizens of San Jose will be in paradise.
Yawn!!!!! Don’t you have something else to do?but bore us to death on this blog. Every week I wait for you to say something smart! and I guess the waiting is over because that’s just not going to happen, Stay close to Nora it will only help you, I think the city has more pressing matters to concern yourself with sir!!!
We could learn a lot from Portland, from whence I have just returned.
Though smaller than SJ, it’s dowtown core is much larger. Retail everywhere; warehouse conversions to lofts, huge condo towers being erected.
Traffic is a nightmare, however, due to very narrow streets in many busy sections of town. Their freeway tigh-ups from the Intersection of I5 & I205, and small bridges across the Columbia to Wash. (no income tax) are nightmares from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. weekdays.
Their Art Musuem is hosting a wonderful travelling show of Rembrandt and his contemporaries, which my son (who lives there0 and I took in.
Many walkable districts like Willow Glen and Los Gatos, with shops and restaurants, and residential—lots of mixed use.
It would be great if we could find the $$—private preferred—to make the park abutting the Mighty Guadalupe River a destination from Woz Way to at least HWY 880. It might not compete with the Willamette & Columbia Rivers, but it’s a huge resource that needs to be developed more. Our year round weather is much preferable to Portland’s so that area would get extensive year round use and provide enjoyment to locals and visitors alike.
You just further the argument that the Grand Prix is nothing more than an elitist and sexist bit of nonsense that is an inconvenience to most of us.
This “grand” event is not much more than a party for the rich and connected to fiddle while Rome burns.
Someday, maybe, we will get our priorities straight in this town and take care of what really needs taking care of. Until then I guess we’ll have to concern ourselves with the critical issue of whether or not we can walk around with our drinks when we party at City Hall.
I have been wondering for a while why this town has been so asleep at the wheel when it comes to taking advantage of the near perfect climate for outdoor events and dining. Often when going out for a casual lunch or dinner the question comes up “Where can we sit outside?” and downtown SJ isn’t even in the running. The opposite should be true. Downtown should be so full of outdoor dining options that it becomes the automatic destination for anyone looking to enjoy a meal outdoors.
P.O. you have thrown out some great ideas for discussion to effect the changes needed to make this town a more enjoyable place to live and visit. I hope you can come up with a way to facilitate making them a reality. It’s an uphill battle with the current Council’s make-up and (lack of) leadership but as members are termed out and if our dynamo mayor whose major source of entertainment is watching paint dry is wisely limited to one snooze-fest term, your chances will likely improve.
Pierluigi:
Booze and the rotunda don’t mix. I assume the restriction is a liability thing.
The Mercury News recently reported that the city is spending $4.2 million a year in rent for city employees. Here’s a little “private sector” math and logic: $4.2 million a year multiplied by 30 years (the length of the construction bonds) = an additional $126 million that should be tagged on to the real cost of the new city hall. AND, if you consider “opportunity costs,” which everyone outside of government does…there is an additional $6.3 million cost/loss (assume a 5% rate of return on the $4.2 million/year).
A real and honest accounting would conclude that an additional $132.3 million should be added to the true cost of the new city hall complex.
Pierluigi: I wondered if you could find the answer to the still unanswered question: How much did the rotunda cost?
Pete Campbell
I spent a lovely Friday evening in downtown Campbell. They had a classic car show, late night shopping, outdoor movies, and some great music. There were large crowds, lots of fun, no drunks, no fights, friendly Police Officers, and some really awesome cars to look at. I was wondering why San Jose doesn’t follow the sucessful events held in these small towns?
If you haven’t seen the one man play, ” Not a Genuine Black Man,” @ the San Jose Stage Company, YOU MUST! It is exceptional! We saw it last night. All I can say is FANTASTIC!
By the way, Comedy Sports is going to have 3 of the Giants players on stage with them next Saturday night @ 9 pm. It promises to be a blast!
Two outdoor resources going to waste:
-Guadalupe River
-Alviso waterfront
Mark T.,
More outdoor dining downtown is right! More people should be able to enjoy our beautiful San Jose weather, especially at night. I say more sidewalk and less street for San Fernando between 1st and 4th, and 1st between SC Street and SoFA…walkable, pedestrian oriented streets with cafe dining for the masses (like, I hate to say it, Santana Row).
Kathleen, – Cities, downtown districts and businesses get type of customers that they advertise for, welcome and provide products and services
Downtown Campbell, Santana Row, Los Gatos want families, couples and well behaved singles to spend money not be scared away so puts on events, music and activities to attract and retain these customers They actively discourage people who do not meet their target customers
Try being gang bangers, street cruiser, drunk, or fighting in downtown Campbell and see how fast such behavior is heavily discouraged or you go to jail
San Jose’s majority night time downtown businesses are 30 clubs with another 20 businesses who’s main profits come from alcohol with some food or music The 50+ businesses want 20-30’s singles with events, music and activities to attract and retain their target single hard drinking partying customers They are – set up to handle drunks, fights, gang bangers, street cruisers and behavior that discouraging couples and families since these are not downtown’s night time main customers
San Jose’s few downtown city or business non alcohol events do not overcome downtown’s alcohol and club majority
We know when we are not wanted customers so go to Campbell, Santana Row, Los Gatos or where we are wanted
Most families and couples will not come downtown at night until San Jose has a family and couple friendly night business district away from single’s alcohol and club areas
Johnmichael, what drug are you on? Downtown Portland is in decline. Are you including the Pearl District and the South Waterfront area, too? The actual downtown area of Portland is small and boring with thugs and panhandlers roaming the streets, scaring away would be residents and tourists. It used to be happening back in the period of 1990-1999. They’ve been demolishing some of the older buildings with shop and evicted them and created many vacant storefront throughout downtown Portland, especially on sides streets. Now, get off the drug and enjoy downtown San Jose!
#8, Pete…and Pierluigi: The Taj Gonzal was sold to the electorate with an allegation that ALL city offices would be housed therein, thus saving us a ton of $$ on rent. By the time they got around to re-designing it to comply with FAA regulations adding the R2D2-ish rotunda, it was clear before ground broke that the promise of FULL consolidation of ALL city offices was a HOAX. I hope Meier didn’t bill us for the change his crew missed. And if he did, we should not have paid it. I’ll bet poor Al Ruffo is rolling over in his grave thinking about it.
Too bad we couldn’t have taken advantage of the Jose & Clara Cam to show the world what the single most expensive government building in North America looks like.
If I recall, the cost of the city hall garage—stalled for a long time by the PAC crowd to try to save a REALLY UGLY building—was not included in that budget. So, there’s that delay cost plus construction cost to add.
It’s GOTTA be cool BILLION if people were straight with the accounting (did they hire That Enron guy to do the accounting?).
And for a billion $$ we can’t have a glass of wine out there? OUTRAGEOUS!!!!
Well put, # 12. “They[downtown S-JAY] are – set up to handle drunks, fights, gang bangers, street cruisers and behavior that discouraging couples and families since these are not downtown’s night time main customers .”
OK, so how do we send all of the above back to Oakland, King & Story, Hayward & Fremont, where they come from? OOOPS!! There’s that pesky Constitution rearing its head again. I guess we’re stuck with all the ne’er-do-wells, along with the usual assortment of college/20- something binge drinkers in downtown. But why can’t they just f*@k up their neighborhoods instead of our downtown? Youth, testosterone, too much booze, and lousy upbringing is a horrible recipe. But perhaps that’s what downtowns are for…so WG, LG, SR, and Campbell can be havens for the well behaved and responsible types.
14 – A usual, when it comes to preservation discussions on this blog, most folks don’t know what they are talking about.
The “PAC crowd” did not stall the garage. The city caused the delay and the cost increases because they submitted an illegal EIR that did not meet CEQA. The courts upheld this position twice! If the city had submitted an adequate and legal EIR in the first place there would have been NO delay.
Also, the historic value of a building is not based on whether or not you think it is ugly, beautiful, or anything else. Others have explained the process here numerous times—you choose to ignore it.
Other than that, I agree with most of the rest of what you had to say.
I too was at the Grand Prix party at city hall. The food was really good. I didn’t realize it was a local business. Nice touch.
The other odd rule, was they said the event was until 10pm but cut off alcohol at 9pm. The beverage people said that is what they are required to do by the rules of the property.
We ended up walking around downtown and found some nice places. There was a place called Dive Bar that was hardly a dive. Nice Martini!
Mr Oliverio, speaking of downtown and being outside. You should look into what the issue is with street lights. downtown seems really dimly lighted. Is there a reason for this? Perhaps it would be more inviting if it had a little more light on the streets.
Congratulation to the San Jose Sabercats for winning the Arena Bowl in New Orleans last week. It would be nice if the city had some offical recognition of one of our local teams. The Arena Football League is a great value and the games are very exciting. They are also very fan friedly and the players all stick around to sign autographs after the games. My kids absolutely love going. I know this is off topic from things to do this summer, but wanted to throw this out there as a general idea of something to do in San Jose. Check out a game next season if you can. Pierluigi, maybe the city can have some type of official recogniton event for winning the AFL.
Depends on your point of view, Native #16. Is the garage still there? NOPE!! So, PAC filed a suit, made the city go through the motions, they went through the motions, and the result was the same…but at unnecessary additional costs to the taxpayers and delays to Taj Gonzal denizens who had to walk several blocks to get to their cars. One ugly building still gone. An expensive exercise in futility.
Fed up #13—we must have been to a different Portland. I saw lots of construction.
#12- You said it better than I could! Tom and Jack have been saying that all along. It’s too bad that our Mayor and City Council don’t listen!
It’s too bad. I had/have such a lovely time in Campbell, when they hold events. It’s friendly, and the shops are great! The food, music, and small business owners are wonderful. I try to give my business to small business owners because they have made our country strong.
18 – First, I assume you mean the Fox Building, not the garage. Second, based on your view, it’s OK for the city not to do their job and file complete and legal documents if in the end the same results will occur. We do have a different point of view. I believe public and private entities have an obligation to obey the law. It is unfortunate that the Fox Building was lost—that was not the intent of getting the city to follow the law. The intent was to require a legal document and to save the building. It turned out to be a lose-lose situation. Too bad, but sometimes that’s how it goes. Maybe next time.
Johnmichael, no, it’s the same Portland, Ore. construction? yeah, rerouting the transit mall work, renovation of Fred Meyer store, 4 condos towers, mostly in the West End of Portland, around 11th and 12th streets, and a couple of small office buildings. Alot of constructions are taking place in South Waterfront district and the Pearl district. Downtown, itself, is weakening due to competitions from the Pearl district and suburban malls. Portland’s downtown is “has been.” Now Portland’s downtown is nothing but a maze of road constructions and confusion.
Native #21, you ask: “it’s OK for the city not to do their job and file complete and legal documents if in the end the same results will occur.” No, I absolutely do not believe that. If anyone should be held accountable to the law, it is government.
That said, in an era of limited resources, one must marshall them well, and pick one’s battles wisely. It seems a bit naive to me to think that in the end once all the “I’s” were dotted and the “T’s” crossed, that the city hall garage would not be built because of some minor flaws in the process. Process orientation always results in more expense, oftentimes wasted extra expense. results orientaion is far more useful and practical.
Yes, it was a lose-lose situation. A lot of legal fees down the rathole for no really important purpose. But was the lose-lose situation inevitable? If the building were worth saving, were not other alternatives available? Buy it and move it, perhaps with some city/RDA help. Frankly, I found the building ugly and of questionable importance except to PAC-types. As a general principle is the world worse off by it’s demise? I think not.
#22—I-5 and other “freeways” were indeed a mess. I found little trouble navigating the city streets, however.
Perhaps I used “downtown” more expansively than I should have; but what I’ll call “the urban core” or “central metro Portland” seemed far nicer to me than the picture you present; and if you’ve read my posts here long, you know I am not easily pleased.
Johnmichael, now, you have a case. The urban core area of Portland is where it’s really good. The area consists of Northwest Portland, the Pearl district, Loyd district and downtown. The urban core of San jose is only downtown, and that makes it a small core area. We will never, ever have the Urban core of Portland, Chicago, SF and New York since we only rely downtown, which is a cool downtown. The downtown, alone, will never do it. Good work, finally, Johnmichael. You have a good argument now. You sure make very good sense to me. You score!
Question Pierluigi?
Summer nights in Downtown San Jose.
You seem to spend alot of your time in downtown San Jose, but what about your own Council District 6?
How many times at night are you walking down Lincoln Avenue or for that matter San Carlos or The Alameda? How much time and attention do you really pay to your district vs the attention you seem to provide for Downtown San Jose.
How in tune are you really with your constiguents? What are you doing for the potholes up and down the roadways, the overcgrown parks that are still needing assistance.
What are you really doing Pierluigi?