Archive for September, 2010

El Camino Calendar

Thursday, September 30th, 2010

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More great events coming up this weekend. Be sure to check out my new El Camino Calendars page for a list of venues which always have a variety of activities going on.


Monterey Road Redesign

A New Downtown – Help Shape Monterey Road

Saturday, October 2nd
17380 Monterey Road (corner of 2nd and Monterey)
Morgan Hill

The City of Morgan Hill is seeking community input on the redesign of Monterey Road between Dunne and Main Avenues, in downtown. A series of community meetings and open forums will be held to provide opportunities for input. With the community’s help, several alternatives will be developed to address community priorities for this important segment of road.
http://www.morgan-hill.ca.gov/


South FIRST FRIDAYS art walk

JOIN US for the next South FIRST FRIDAYS art walk on OCT 1st, 2010!
8pm ’til LATE — ART WALK venues are free and open to the public
SoFA District (So. First Street between San Carlos and E. Reed streets)
http://southfirstfridays.com/


Featured Exhibitions Artists Reception

KALEID Gallery presents new solo exhibitions by Mariana Barnes and John Eric Paulson on Friday, October 1st, 7-9pm.
KALEID Gallery
88 South Fourth Street
San Jose, CA
www.kaleidgallery.com


SJMA’s First Back to Campus Night

Thursday, September 30, 2010
7—9 pm

San Jose Museum of Art
110 South Market Street
San Jose, CA 95113

Free for college students, faculty, and staff. An exclusive after-hours event for a private viewing of the exhibitions, complemented by DJs, the chance to try your hand at an LED light project, and Treatbot, the karaoke ice-cream truck.
http://www.sjmusart.org/


Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose Half Marathon

Sunday, October 3, 2010
A 1/2 Marathon through the streets of San Jose complete with live bands along the course and a finish line concert featuring Blues Traveler.
http://san-jose.competitor.com/


Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose Half Marathon Health & Fitness Expo

San Jose McEnery Convention Center
150 W. San Carlos Street
San Jose, CA 95113
Dates: October 1-2, 2010
Times: Friday, October 1st: 1pm- 6pm | Saturday, October 2nd: 9am- 5pm

Free Admission – Open to the public!

More than 80 exhibitors will feature merchandise, free samples, interactive displays, and exciting sweepstakes.

http://san-jose.competitor.com/expo


Brandi Chastain Testimonial Soccer Game

An all-star Testimonial Soccer Game honoring the career of Brandi Chastain and raising funds for her new ReachUP! Foundation. Includes interactive family activities.

Saturday October 2, 2010

  • Family friendly interactive activities begin at 3 p.m
  • Clinic: 4 p.m. SOLD OUT
  • Game: 6 p.m.

Buck Shaw Stadium, Santa Clara University
http://reachupworld.com/


An Evening with the Bard

Hosted by the British Bankers Club
1090 El Camino Real, Menlo Park
October 3, 2010
4pm to 7pm

Special Fundraiser to support the 2011 Season

Eat, drink, and make merry with the creative minds behind the Los Gatos and Mid-Peninsula Shakespeare Festivals. Join us at the British Bankers Club for appetizers and sweets, surprising entertainment, silent auction, and some word (and sword) play to round out the evening. Huzzah!
http://www.lgshakes.org/
Via InMenlo


So Blessed

Sunday, September 26th, 2010

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Today we were shocked and deeply saddened to read in the Mercury News that Jonne Aleeson, owner of Calvin’s Philly Cheese Steaks on The Alameda, died at home of an apparent heart attack one week ago, September 19, 2010. “Mr. Calvin” as he is affectionately known was 67.

I’ve written often of Calvin’s because our family has eaten often at Calvin’s. It’s a special place to us because the sandwiches are amazing and we always looked forward to seeing and catching up with Mr. Calvin. He effused Love. I’m not finding the words right now so I’ll re-use what I wrote in July when I learned Calvin’s had suffered a fire:

Readers of this blog will surely know that we love Calvin’s. The sandwiches are second-to-none, but what makes the place so very special to us is Mr. Aleeson. We’ve been privileged to spend some time with him in his restaurant and get to know him and watch him interact with the community. He’s a remarkable guy, warm and generous. He’s also tough—not with people, but with life. Even before this fire he has endured challenges and trials that should not be asked of anyone, but his faith in God and the love of his family and friends have brought him through. In heartfelt moments he openly shares how Blessed he considers himself to be, and listening to him teaches me what Blessed truly means.

Mr. Aleeson will be missed, and The Alameda and El Camino Real have lost a giant. Calvin’s will go on and every sandwich served to a satisfied customer will be a tribute to his memory.

Jonne Aleeson

August 31, 1943 – September 19, 2010

[A statement on http://www.calvinscheesesteaks.com/]

Dear Family & Friends,

On September 19, 2010 Calvin went home to be with the Lord.

Services are being held on Monday September 27, 2010.

Maranatha Christian Center
1811 S. 7th Street, San Jose, CA.

The viewing is from 9:30 am to 10:30 am. The services will begin at 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
The Celebration of life is to follow at Calvins’s Cheese steaks restaurant at 1699 San Carlos Ave. at 1:00 pm

In lieu of flowers, monetary donations are being accepted at Bank of America account #0157171276

For additional information please call 408-286-5626

The Family of Calvin

The Creative Process

Saturday, September 25th, 2010

thinker on the gates of hell

I’ve been collecting a bunch of El Camino Real related Facebook pages and Twitter users, Liking and Following like crazy. Friday morning as I was surveying my vast social network I noticed people had statused and tweeted a bunch of great events coming up this weekend so I had the somewhat obvious but powerful idea of listing them in a blog post. I could even make this a regular feature, sharing with you upcoming weekend events. But then I had a quandary: what to call it?

“Weekend Update.” “Datebook.” “Event Calendar.” Too generic.

“What’s Up This Weekend.” Too long. “Weekend What’s Up.” Not bad but not there yet.

No, I want something related to El Camino Real. “Road Trip.” Too confusing. “Bell Whither.” Clever but not immediately gettable. “Mission Positions.” Ha! Those last two are great titles, but I’ll reserve them for another day.

Maybe I could use some Spanish. I pulled my old English-Spanish dictionary off the shelf and started thumbing through it. “Fin de Semana Real.” Bleah. “Sucesos.” Too obscure for non-Spanish speakers. “El Caminoticias.” I kinda like that, but then I’m a sucker for wordplay, “noticias” being Spanish for “news.” It may be better suited for a collection of news bites, which gave me another regular feature idea. But back to the business at hand…

Mi Calendario Real.” Hmm…getting there. Bonus: it’s an anagram for “Arid El Camino Real.” How cool is that? Keep pushing. “El Calendario Real.” Clumsy. Hang on…wait…I think I’ve got it…

“El Camino Calendar.”

Perfect.

Okay, it’s a little boring and doesn’t really push any multilingual or punsterific boundaries. On the plus side though its meaning is obvious and it is reasonably unique. Best of all, it elegantly rolls off the tongue. It’s rhythmic, poetic, and polished.

Ship it. Click!

El Camino Calendar

Friday, September 24th, 2010

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Lots of good stuff happening this weekend! It’s all listed below in roughly geographical order. Sorry about all the Facebook links, but for some of these events that’s all I got.


San Jose Mariachi and Mexican Heritage Festival

Festival Dates: September 15-26, 2010
Sunday, September 26: Four Grammy Winning Artists Highlight the “Concert for the American Dream”
Outdoor Feria at the 19th Annual San Jose Mexican Heritage Festival. Ozomatli, Los Lobos, and Los Tex Maniacs Perform at the Plaza de Cesar Chavez.
This year’s festival offers music, theatre, historic art & more!


POINT & SHOOT @ The Usuals

Friday, September 24 · 6:00pm – 9:00pm
The Usuals
1020 The Alameda
San Jose, CA

A Group Photo Show plus beats, treats, and zines!


3rd Annual Luna Park Chalk Art Festival

Saturday, September 25, 2010
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Backesto Park
13th and Jackson Streets, San Jose
Chalk Artists, food, vendors, entertainment


The DNA LifePrint Child Safety Event

Saturday, September 25 · 9:30am – 2:00pm
Sunnyvale Ford
650 E. El Camino Real
Sunnyvale, CA
Digital fingerprints and photos and a take-home DNA identification kit


Rooster T. Feathers

157 W El Camino Real
Sunnyvale, CA 94087
(408) 736-0921
Friday, September 24, 2010
Tonight is College Night! Free entry with valid ID. 21 and over only. 8pm showtime, $12 for everyone else. And Margaritas on special for only $3! 408.736.0921


Car Wash

Sept 25th 10am-2pm
South San Francisco High School Main Parking Area (D.O.)
400 B Street, South San Francisco, CA 94080

Support South San Francisco High School Band with $5 per car & $7 per truck/van/suv.
Coffee & donuts & maybe BBQ hot dogs & hamburgers! Stop by & support Warriors Band trip to Washington D.C. to represent So City & California in 4th of July Parade in Washington D.C.


Child Safety Event

Thursday, September 23rd, 2010

John WalshDNA LifePrint is holding a Child Safety Event this Saturday, September 25, 2010 from 9:30 AM until 2:00 PM at Sunnyvale Ford on 650 E. El Camino Real. Sunnyvale Ford is underwriting the event, which is free to the public. Parents can bring their children by to have them digitally fingerprinted (digital digits?) and photographed and receive a child safety kit to take home. DNA LifePrint is endorsed by John Walsh, child protection advocate and host of TV’s “America’s Most Wanted.”

Significantly the take-home kit includes a DNA identification kit. You use it to sample the child’s DNA and store it along with the photo, fingerprints, and other identifying information. In the unthinkable event of a child going missing, the whole kit can be handed over to law enforcement, saving precious time and giving them tools they can use immediately in their investigation. My understanding is that the parents retain all of the gathered information; DNA LifePrint and Sunnyvale Ford don’t keep or database anything, not even a record of your visit, so your privacy is protected. I for one am not comfortable with the idea of a car salesman knowing my family’s genetic predilection for sunroofs, leather seats, and hassle-free financing.

I believe they try to create an event that’s fun and educational for kids, typically with refreshments, entertainment, and appearances by local police, fire, and emergency medical personnel. An interesting fact about the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety is that the single organization fills all three roles. Their Public Safety Officers are cross-trained and are ready at any time to solve a crime, put out a fire, or provide emergency medical care, literally depending on which hat they happen to be wearing.

The DNA LifePrint Child Safety Event

Saturday, September 25 · 9:30am – 2:00pm
Sunnyvale Ford
650 E. El Camino Real
Sunnyvale, CA 94087
Facebook Page

Sunnyvale Ford Lincoln Mercury is Proud to Host The DNA LifePrint Child Safety event.

LifePrint is a New Biometric fingerprinting & DNA identification Kit for children that provides Parents with the vital tools recommended by the FBI and the department of Justice if the child becomes missing.

Parents, Please bring your children to this FREE child safety event. and please feel free to share this invite with other families and parents you know.

Free FBI Certified Biometric 10 Digit Fingerprint Profile,
Free High resolution full color Digital photograph of your child
Free Child safety journal.
Free Home DNA identification kit.

While His Guitar Gently Fandangos

Tuesday, September 21st, 2010

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On my second Menlo Monday adventure I did make it (on time) to a Music@Menlo chamber music event. It was a lunchtime “Café Conversation” titled “Spanish Spirit: Spain’s Influence over the Guitar’s Concert Repertoire with Guitarist Jason Vieaux.” I learned all about the history of classical guitar composition and performance in Spain and was treated to some spellbinding pieces performed by a virtuoso.

CIMG1413The presentation was held Monday, August 9, 2010 at Martin Family Hall on the Menlo School campus which hilariously is in Atherton, just off El Camino Real. I managed to get there without making any wrong turns this time. I had never been to Menlo School so I allowed myself a moment to take in the grand sweep of the opulent grounds. The centerpiece is the magnificent Stent Family Hall, formerly Douglass Hall, an Italian-style mansion built in 1913 and nearly demolished after the effects of the Loma Prieta earthquake, but saved by the efforts of the community.

The Music@Menlo Café Conversations are billed as free informal discussions on a variety of topics. Martin Family Hall is an intimate but very comfortable 180-seat theater. By the time the talk started nearly every seat was full, including the five rows in the center section which were reserved for young musicians participating in the festival’s Chamber Music Institute, an intensive program that pairs world-class instructors with teenaged prodigies. CMI at Menlo has been described as a sort of Hogwarts School where they teach music instead of magic.

The talk was given by Jason Vieaux, a young American classical guitar phenom. He was performing at a formal festival concert that evening but at lunchtime he sat alone on the stage and gave a lively lecture on the history of Spanish guitar music, highlighting key performers and composers from the last 400 years. He explained how early figures like Alonso MudarraGaspar Sanz, Fernando Sor, and Dionisio Aguado were tremendously influential in promoting the guitar as a serious instrument, but their compositions were generically European, emulating the styles of cultural powerhouses like Germany, Italy, and France. Still he pointed out how elements we typically identify as Spanish were evident even in the early works, such as hemiola rhythms (think “I Want to Live in Amer-i-ca”) and Moorish muezzin fanfares reflecting Spain’s period of Arab conquest. Then in the early 20th century composers like Julián Arcas, Isaac Albéniz (piano), and Francisco Tárrega came along and proudly tapped into the folk idioms of their homeland, incorporating flamenco dance flavors into their music, and the Spanish revolution was underway led by superstar players like Miguel Llobet and the great Andrés Segovia.

Vieaux illustrated his talk with a few YouTube videos but of course he simply played many pieces for us live, and I was awed by his mastery over the instrument. His fast and powerful technique is balanced by exquisite expression, and he’s able to coax a wide range of timbres from the guitar by controlling everything down to the angle he holds his strumming fingers. I chatted afterwards with Art, an amateur guitarist in attendance, to get his opinion. Art told me he was really impressed with Vieaux’ lyricism and that the day’s performance compared most favorably to or outshone others he had seen. Watch the video below for a sample of what we were treated to.


YouTube

While he played, for a few mortified moments I thought I heard someone snoring loudly in the front row but humorously it turned out to be Vieaux himself breathing loudly into his headset microphone. At the end he took questions from the audience and expounded on topics such as the space-age construction of his own instrument—a Wagner spruce and cedar Nomex sandwich with a rosewood back and titanium-nylon strings in case you were wondering—and the care and feeding of his gnarly guitar-plucking thumbnail, as big as a pick. I was there with my own agenda. I knew from various accounts that in the Mexican days, the most popular instrument in California was the guitar. I asked him if he was aware of any classical guitar music making its way onto the Californio ranchos. He didn’t know but he was intrigued by the question and guessed that the tunes probably stayed in the realm of popular folk music. Click here for a video of a wonderful group I just found, The Alta California Orchestra, that recreates the music of the fandangos or dance fiestas that brightened the lives of early Californians.

CIMG1417After the program I drove down El Camino to the Menlo Park Safeway, my first time there since they remodeled, to do a little light shopping and grab a late lunch smoothie from the Jamba Juice embedded inside the store. I didn’t love that experience. The Jamba Juice is a small satellite so they didn’t have the apple cinnamon pretzels I always get, they didn’t take my prepaid Jamba card (I’m a Jamba junkie), and the line at the counter inconveniently blocked shoppers with carts trying to exit the store. After I finished my drink I got a terrible headache and ended up going home early feeling sick. Next time I’ll stick to full-fledged Jamba stores and get nothing but groceries from Safeway. An unfortunate ending but overall another magical Monday in Menlo.

Old Counting Road

Monday, September 20th, 2010

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Sorry, I didn’t mean to leave you hanging. As I completed my reverse bus trip down El Camino Real earlier this month I tallied many chain stores like fast food restaurants and grocery stores as well as other categories like gas stations and bike shops. I also kept track of every El Camino Real bell. I tallied everything on the southbound trip, but I didn’t count them until now. Here are the totals for both the southbound trip and the northbound trip last November. I got some nice results.

Name

East Bay East

Peninsula East

Peninsula West

Peninsula Total

Gas Station 4 24 23 47
El Camino Bell 1 25 18 43
Subway 2 5 8 13
Taco Bell 2 7 4 11
Jack in the Box 0 7 3 10
McDonald’s 3 1 9 10
Safeway 2 5 4 9
Blockbuster 0 7 1 8
Kragen 0 5 3 8
Burger King 1 5 2 7
KFC 0 5 2 7
Bicycle shop* 0 5 1 6
Lucky 0 4 2 6
Carl’s Jr. 0 2 2 4
Togo’s 0 2 2 4
In-n-Out Burger 0 0 2 2
The Off Ramp 0 2 0 2
Wendy’s 0 0 2 2
Midas* 0 0 1 1

* Under-counted due  to inconsistent counting between trips

On every leg of the trip I only looked out the windows on the right side of the bus so I only saw one side of the road. The East Bay East column counts the businesses I passed heading north from San Jose to the Fremont BART station. It’s a short trip so the counts are low. I only made the trip in one direction so I only counted the east side of the road; I don’t have counts for the west side of the road at this time. The Peninsula East and West columns are for the long rides between San Jose and San Francisco. On the northbound trip I looked at the east side of the road, and southbound I looked west. The Peninsula Totals column is just that and does not include the East Bay counts. The main anomalies are bicycle shops and Midases because I didn’t count them consistently between the two trips so I know they are underrepresented in my table.

CIMG0229 I’m delighted to see that bells are pretty much at the top of the list, outnumbered only by conglomerated gas stations regardless of brand.  The original vision of the bell marker project in 1906 was to place them one mile apart on El Camino Real. It’s a 50-mile trip from San Jose to San Francisco and I counted 43 bells. There’s room for plenty more since I only saw one bell in San Francisco. It’s amazing how faithful Caltrans and the California Federation of Women’s Clubs have been to that original vision.

In the food department I’m surprised to see Subway at the top of the list with 13 stores though I shouldn’t be since they really do seem to be everywhere. I remarked on the northbound trip how there were 7 Taco Bells but only 1 McDonald’s. The southbound trip equalized the disparity with 4 Taco Bells but a whopping 9 McDonald’ses. Taco Bell still edges out McDonald’s with a total of 11 to 10, but that’s within the margin of error. The weird thing is how Taco Bell dominates the east side and McDonald’s dominates the west. The bell and the arch; the perfect symbols for the modern mission road.

My picks for which businesses to count were arbitrary.  I don’t know why I didn’t count Starbucks; I regret the omission. On the southbound trip I wished I had been counting Walgreens and CVS drugstores because I saw a lot of them. Another unusually frequent chain was Holiday Inn Express. I think I saw half a dozen on the southbound trip alone. Car washes, car dealerships, hotels, and banks would also have been interesting to count.

The purpose of this is to embrace the vast stretches of El Camino which are zoned as commercial strip and celebrate the beauty in their homogeneity. They are home to pretty much every national and regional brand I can think of. Even so all these chain stores combined are a drop in the bucket. El Camino as I saw it is made up primarily of small businesses of every description from mom & pop dry cleaners to favorite local chain eateries. There are also homes, schools, municipal buildings, and open space. I can try to reduce this Royal Road to simple numbers, but the whole will always be greater than a count of its parts.

Your Coffee Cups

Sunday, September 19th, 2010

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I don’t drink coffee. Never have. I don’t know why; it’s just on the long list of things I never bothered with. When upscale coffee consumption exploded in popularity in the nineties, I kind of missed the whole thing but I understand that competition is fierce and new companies have to come up with a hook to compete with the big boys. A new drive-through coffeehouse in Fremont called Your Coffee Cups believes it has a winning formula: premium product prepared by beautiful baristas in bikinis.

Bikini baristas aren’t a new concept. Not surprisingly it was pioneered in the Seattle area at the end of the 20th century and has spread to cities around the country. Your Coffee Cups is however the first to bring it to the Bay Area. They opened about eight weeks ago in a parking lot kiosk at a strip mall (ha!) at the intersection of Warm Springs Boulevard and Mission Boulevard. This is located on what I call El Camino de San Jose, the historic road to Mission San Jose.

So what is the Your Coffee Cups experience? The kiosk has two drive-up windows and a walk-up window. As you approach it’s an unassuming little pink and white building but when you pull up to the window you’re greeted by a friendly, shapely young lady in skimpy attire: your bikini barista. “Bikini” is an oversimplification. Y.C.C. features a different theme every day:

  • Military Mondays
  • Heroic Tuesdays
  • Steamin’ Hot Wednesdays
  • Tantalizing Thursdays
  • Fantasy Fridays
  • Surprise Saturdays
  • Sports Sundays

So while there’s certainly a place for classic two-piece swimwear, primarily you’ll see lingerie and costumes of the “sexy Halloween” variety. Your Coffee Cups gets its outfits from Yandy.com.

Continuing with the experience, the barista takes your order and prepares it herself, furiously working all the complicated knobs and buttons with all the requisite hissing and gurgling. The kiosk offers a full range of the typical mocha-chocolata-yaya coffee drinks that I don’t understand. A cute touch is that the available sizes are “B Cup,” “C Cup,” and “D Cup,” Your Coffee Cups. The menu includes tea, smoothies, cold drinks, and assorted baked goods. The quality of the beverages and food should be high since they use premium ingredients from top shelf vendors. Their coffee beans come from Oakland’s Mr. Espresso whose unique fire-roasted beans are featured in some of the Bay Area’s finest restaurants. Vienna Bakery in Fremont provides fresh pastries daily. Between you and me I think Your Coffee Cups goes to great lengths to serve excellent food to provide cover for customers who can legitimately claim to go there “just for the coffee.”

As you pay and your barista serves you your order, hopefully she has brightened your day with efficient service, some pleasant small talk, and a smile. You are encouraged to leave a gratuity. Your Coffee Cups wants you to understand that these are college students working for tips. They’ve put more effort into their appearance and frankly flashed you more skin than you’re likely to see in any other coffee shop. The value added is not reflected in the price of the java and there’s no cover charge, so drop something in the jar to make it worth their while.

CIMG0349_croppedYour Coffee Cups held a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, September 16 and I stopped by to check it out. This is a tough job…you know the rest. They had closed off the drive-through lanes and decorated the kiosk with balloons so the scene was festive for visitors mingling in the small seating area normally reserved for walk-up customers.  Radio personalities from MOViN 99.7 set up a booth and boomed some tunes while handing out free toothbrushes (?) and other promotional materials. One of the baristas wearing an awfully grown-up girl scout cookie costume circulated with a tray of pound cake and brownie tidbits. I tried the cake; it was tasty but a little dry which is understandable since it was late in the day. In addition to the scout there was a naughty nurse, a scantily-clad schoolgirl, and a couple of cup-a-licious cowgirls, one of whom wielded a can of whipped cream in her hip holster. The stand was open for business and it was quite a sight to see women dressed this way scurrying inside the kiosk, hard at work.

CIMG0357I chatted with the owners, Robert and Irene, an engaged couple who describe themselves as life partners and business partners. (They were modestly dressed, in case you were wondering.) They are Bay Area natives who researched the concept extensively in Seattle before opening the shop here. They chose the Fremont location simply because it was the first parking lot kiosk to come available and it’s working well for them though they wish it were more easily visible from busy Mission Boulevard. I asked if the job description was a tough sell and they said not at all; in this challenging economy they got plenty of applicants from their Craig’s List ad. Irene impressed upon me the quality of the food and Robert explained how they favor hiring responsible, sympathetic college students who will be motivated by tips. Your Coffee Cups has hosted local fundraisers and in fact the radio station was collecting donations for victims of the tragic San Bruno gas explosion.

So is this a good idea? That’s difficult to answer. It’s certainly a sound business proposition. There’s no shortage of demand for good coffee, drive-through convenience, and peeks at pretty women. Your Coffee Cups fills a niche among El Camino’s existing exotic entertainment venues, from Hooters to The Hiphugger. On the other hand many will not approve of its exploitative race-to-the-bottom nature. In Washington State there has been a backlash from people in the community who feel the “sexpresso” joints are too risque, especially in school zones. Traditional full-dress coffee vendors bristle at the loss of business. Coffee kiosks have been around for a long time but the addition of an elaborate theme reminds me of the ascent of the gourmet food trucks and strikes me as classic disruptive marketing in which there will be winners and losers.

My personal experience at the grand opening was mixed. The women were sure attractive so that was a plus and they were friendly enough, but as it turns out the less they wore, the more self-conscious I felt. It was ironic. They were half-dressed, but I was the one worrying about saying or doing the wrong thing. The women had elevated themselves to our society’s standards of stylized super-sexualized beauty and as a result a mere schlub like myself suddenly felt unworthy and unseemly to be there leering at them. If the nurse or schoolgirl had been wearing an over-sized tee shirt and pair of old jeans instead, I would have been much more at ease. To a large extent my complaint is unfair since I was there under atypical circumstances, an extended grand opening celebration. The standard model is to drive up, cop an eyeful and a cupful, and drive off. Gone in a couple minutes; no time for over-analysis.

You might wonder why I don’t have any pictures of the women here. There were signs posted prohibiting photography without their permission and even then, they were charging money for posed photos. More barriers. Happily the folks at MOViN 99.7 took a ton of pictures, baristas, belly buttons and all. There’s even one of me. Cheese!

Overall I think Your Coffee Cups is a fun and innovative addition to El Camino. Robert and Irene are delightful and sincere and I have no doubt they are working hard to create a win-win situation for their staff and their customers. Does sex sell coffee? Should it? Go by and judge for yourself. Check their web site first for discounts and promotions. The novelty alone of meeting the Bay Area’s barest baristas is worth the trip.

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Jimmy Carter Visit

Saturday, September 18th, 2010

Jimmy Carter

President Jimmy Carter is coming to Kepler’s Books on El Camino Real in Menlo Park on October 26 to sign copies of his new book, White House Diary. He will not give a formal presentation; it will be a meet-and-greet event. You can purchase a ticket ahead of time which includes a copy of the book and a spot in the signing line. President Carter kept a daily journal during his four-year term in office and this edited, annotated diary is being made public for the first time. The release date is September 20, 2010.

The 1976 presidential campaign between Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford is the first one I remember. I was six. At recess we held spirited political discussions in the schoolyard along the lines of, “Carter is a farter!” “Ford is a football!” Really. It’s funny, the things that stick in your memory. At least we had the whole rhyming and alliteration thing going, which is impressive for first graders. In any event, isn’t it refreshing that the level of discourse is so much more sophisticated today?

2008 AVP Crocs Slam McDonalds Chicago Open presented by Nautica / Misty May-TreanorKepler’s always has a stellar lineup of author appearances. President Carter headlines this fall but other notables include beach volleyball superstar Misty May-Treanor and “America’s Funniest Hostess,” Amy Sedaris. Check out Kepler’s complete list of upcoming events.

Jimmy Carter

Tuesday, October 26, 7:00 p.m.
Book Signing Only – Line forms at 6:00 p.m.
White House Diary
Purchase Tickets
Kepler’s
1010 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, CA 94025
http://www.keplers.com/

Street Pianos

Friday, September 17th, 2010

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Street pianos have come to San Jose. Artist Luke Jerram has placed nineteen painted pianos outdoors in public spaces throughout downtown in an ongoing art installation called, “Play Me, I’m Yours.” They’re free for anyone to plop down and start playing. The idea is to spark conversation, community, and creativity in urban spaces where people gather but don’t connect. It was conceived in Birmingham, England in 2008 and has since toured cities around the world including Sao Paolo, Sydney, and New York. The pianos will be in San Jose from August 28 until September 22, 2010.

The San Jose appearance is part of the 2010 01SJ Biennial, an art event so grand I don’t know how to begin to describe it other than to say you won’t be able to swing a dead Cat-5 cable this weekend without hitting something artistic. 01SJ starts Thursday September 16  and runs through Sunday, September 19 in multiple venues throughout and around downtown, and even in other cities around the Bay.

I’ve played the piano ever since my parents put a Hamilton upright in my bedroom when I was six. I knew I couldn’t let these pianos come and go without tickling some ivory. Several of the pianos are on or near El Camino Real in San Jose:

On Saturday, September 11, after a full day of commemorating 9/11, enjoying the Mountain View Art & Wine Festival, shopping at C.J. Olson, visiting with friends, and eating dinner at Habana Cuba, I dragged my wife Paulette and her friend Melanie out to HP Pavilion where a street piano is nestled against one of the massive columns. HP Pavilion is on W. Santa Clara Street which is the part of El Camino between Plaza de César Chávez and The Alameda. I played a song called aptly, “El Camino Real.”  See, I played “El Camino Real” on El Camino Real. Clever, right? And oh yes…I wore my excellent shirt of many missions. Too sexy.

The song was written by Jean and Justin Kramer to celebrate the road and is the official song of the California Federation of Women’s Clubs’ Adopt-a-Bell program. I found it last year published in the book California’s El Camino Real and Its Historic Bells by Max Kurillo and Erline M. Tuttle and I’ve just been waiting for the right opportunity to share it with you.

El Camino Real

by Jean & Justin Kramer

It began in Loreto, a long time ago
By the Gulf of California in Old Mexico.
Then north to San Diego and on to Monterey
And moving still forward to San Francisco Bay.
Now we find in Solano the end of the trail
And the beauty of the highway in vivid detail.
El Camino Real.
El Camino Real.
From Loreto to Solano
El Camino Real.

Copyright by Jean  & Justin Kramer. All rights reserved.

You did not know El Camino had its own anthem, did you? Well now you do.

Paulette took a bunch of photos of me rehearsing, then shot videos of me playing. The first take was pretty good but the sound was poor. Also hilariously she shouted “Rolling!” at the start of the recording which technically was the correct thing to do but since I had no intention of trying to edit it out in post-production, we went again. She moved a little closer to try to improve the sound, and the second take was golden. Watch it below.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qfh37n4VCOg

I played the song straight for the first two takes so in the spirit of spontaneity I tried a little improvised embellishment for the third take. You can find all three takes here. They’re all dark and noisy and imperfect, but it was a beautiful night and a fun experience.

After we were done, I made the rash decision to leave the sheet music for “El Camino Real” taped to the piano. A little act of subversive graffiti. I went back a couple days later to take daytime photos and the sheet was gone but I figure as long as one person saw it, learned something, and now associates HP Pavilion with El Camino, my goal was achieved. I made a little street art.