The start of the Fall holiday season is definitely upon us. There are several events coming up to kick it off. Don’t forget to check out the El Camino Calendars page for a list of venues which always have a variety of activities going on.
PLANT 51 AUTUMN OPEN HOUSE
NOVEMBER 14 : 12-3pm
Join us for a special Autumn Open House and experience Plant 51’s vibrant and growing community for yourself. There’ll be seasonal food and refreshments, along with tours of our Building C collection of lofts and flats. This is a great time to buy. Rates are low and you can be all moved in by the holidays.
Living Through Cancer, Living Through Life
Saturday Nov. 13, 2010
1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Palo Alto Medical Foundation
Mountain View Center
701 E. El Camino Real
Conference Rooms B&C
Mountain View, CA 94040
Keynote Speaker: Debra Jarvis, author of “Its Not About the Hair: And Other Certainties of Life & Cancer”
Youre Done with Treatment, Now What: A Survivors Panel Facilitated by Joanna Losito, R.N., MSN, FNP-C, OCN, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation
San Mateo Harvest Festival® Original Art & Craft Show
November 12-14, 2010 at San Mateo Events Center Expo Hall
Shop over 200 booths of American handmade, original art, crafts, ceramic, jewelry, blown glass, pottery, specialty foods and 24,000 other items during this three day Festival. Enjoy all day stage entertainment at the large stage, comedy juggling at its best, along with stilt walkers, funny horsemen and the Mama Claus Duo. Peninsula Youth Ballet and several of our exhibitors will be doing special features on the small stage.
Avenue Art in San Mateo will be celebrating its one-year anniversary in November. Twenty-six local artists, spanning a variety of different genres from paintings, sculpture, and glassware to fine photographs, jewelry, and other wearable art are now displaying their creations for sale at the gallery at 60 E. Third Ave. An official celebration will take place 6 p.m.-9 p.m., Nov. 13. Everyones invited. http://www.avenueart.org/
Santa Arrives at the Great Mall
Santa will be taking requests at Great Mall on Saturday, November 13, 2010 at 1:00 p.m.
Location: Entrance 2 Court
Theres nothing like the annual visit to Santa for creating family holiday memories that will last a lifetime. Bring the kids and their lists to Great Mall for one of the most magical and enduring holiday traditions.
This week you have two opportunities to help your neighbors in need while enjoying a delicious meal at a number of terrific Bay Area restaurants.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010 dozens of restaurants are participating in the first annual Bay Area Dine Out. This benefits Meals on Wheels which serves meals to over 8,500 seniors throughout the entire region. Simply dine out at any of the restaurants and let them know you’re there for Dine Out, and they’ll donate part of the proceeds from your meal to this worthy cause.
The full list of restaurants grouped by county is on their website: http://dineoutnow.org/. Of course I know you are primarily interested in restaurants on El Camino Real, so I’ve taken the liberty of extracting the establishments that meet your discerning criteria.
Lizarran Tapas Restaurant | 7400 Monterey Street | Gilroy
Amici’s East Coast Pizzeria | 225 W. Santa Clara Street | San Jose
China Stix Restaurant | 2110 El Camino Real | Santa Clara
Country Inn Cafe | 2008 El Camino Real | Santa Clara
La Paloma Restaurant | 2280 El Camino Real | Santa Clara
Pizz’a Chicago Santa Clara | 1576 Halford Avenue | Santa Clara
Celias Mexican Restaurant | 3740 El Camino Real | Palo Alto
Hobees California Restaurants | 4224 El Camino Real | Palo Alto
Hobee’s California Restaurants | 67 Town & Country Village | Palo Alto
British Bankers Club | 1090 El Camino Real | Menlo Park
Cedro Ristorante Italiano | 1010 El Camino Real #140 | Menlo Park
Celias Mexican Restaurant | 1850 El Camino Real | Menlo Park
Oak City Bar and Grill | 1029 El Camino Real | Menlo Park
Round Table Pizza | 1225 El Camino Real | Menlo Park
Chantilly Restaurant | 3001 El Camino Real | Redwood City
John Bentleys Restaurant | 2915 El Camino Real | Redwood City
Maxs of Redwood City | 1001 El Camino Real | Redwood City
Mountain Mikes Pizza | 390 El Camino Real | Belmont
The American Bull Bar & Grill | 1819 El Camino Real | Burlingame
Celias Mexican Restaurant | 201 El Camino Real | San Bruno
If these don’t suit you, do peruse the full list for someplace that does. You can be excused this one time for patronizing eateries not on El Camino. It might be wise to call ahead for reservations.
If you’re in San Francisco, don’t eat too much on Tuesday because on Wednesday, November 10 you have the opportunity to do it again. An organization called Mission Graduates is putting on an event called Food for Thought at various restaurants in the Mission District. Proceeds from your meal will benefit the Mission Graduates program which works with kids from the Mission and prepares them for college. Demographically these kids are disadvantaged so this program provides crucial help for them to reach their goals through higher education. Thanks to the good folks at Stark Insider for alerting me to this event.
Find participating restaurants on Mission Graduates’ web site: http://www.missiongraduates.org/foodforthought/. Again let them know you’re there for Food for Thought. The restaurants are not all on Mission Street or Dolores or other streets that qualify as El Camino in San Francisco, but they’re close enough that again, I’ll grant you a free pass. Thinking about all these great restaurants has put me in a charitable mood.
I’m still trying to catch my breath from the crazy start to this week. Halloween! Giants! Election! Oh my! Take it down a notch and relax at some of these upcoming El Camino events this weekend. As always, be sure to check out the El Camino Calendars page for a list of venues which always have a variety of activities going on.
Tragically somehow I accidentally deleted my “El Scare-Mino Skull-endar” posting from last week, which listed a bunch of Halloween events. C’est la vie. In the future I’ll be more careful.
South FIRST FRIDAYS Art Walk
November 5, 2010
JOIN US for the next South FIRST FRIDAYS art walk on NOV 5th!
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)
San Jose http://www.southfirstfridays.com/
Modern Primitive Cocktail Society and Tiki Art Show
Friday, November 5 · 8:00pm – 11:00pm
SLG Art Boutiki
577 S. Market Street
San Jose, CA
The SLG Art Boutiki and Gallery, home of Club Tiki Press publishers of the famed Beachbum Berry Tiki Drink books, celebrates November with a Tiki art show celebrating, well, tiki’s and our love for them.
Live music and all of the normal South First Friday Art Boutiki good times.
Thursday, November 4 · 6:00pm – 9:00pm
San Jose Museum of Art
110 S Market St.
San Jose, CA
Hang with friends (and meet new ones) at ArtRage. Do some in-person social networking! Admission $5.
Local neo-soul/funk/hip hop favorites “So Timeless” will get you moving.
Catch the “Glow Show” by Nocturnal Sunshine
Capture the ArtRage with your friends in the (free) photobooth
Ride Rebar’s “Juicecycle” and juice local fruit for your cocktail
DIY Art: make an LED light sculpture
Join Meals on Wheels organizations from seven Bay Area counties and fabulous partner restaurants throughout your community for the first annual Bay Area Dine Out for Meals on Wheels on November 9, 2010. Combined, these Meals on Wheels organizations provide nearly 3 million meals each year to over 8,500 local seniors in our communities in need of a hot, nutritious meal and companionship each day.
Multiple locations!
Celia’s Mexican Restaurant | 3740 El Camino Real | Palo Alto
Hobee’s California Restaurants | 4224 El Camino Real | Palo Alto
China Stix Restaurant | 2110 El Camino Real | Santa Clara
Country Inn Cafe | 2008 El Camino Real | Santa Clara
La Paloma Restaurant | 2280 El Camino Real | Santa Clara
Mountain Mike’s Pizza | 390 El Camino Real | Belmont
The American Bull Bar & Grill | 1819 El Camino Real | Burlingame
British Bankers Club | 1090 El Camino Real | Menlo Park
Cedro Ristorante Italiano | 1010 El Camino Real #140 | Menlo Park
Celia’s Mexican Restaurant | 1850 El Camino Real | Menlo Park
Oak City Bar and Grill | 1029 El Camino Real | Menlo Park
Round Table Pizza | 1225 El Camino Real | Menlo Park
Chantilly Restaurant | 3001 El Camino Real | Redwood City
John Bentley’s Restaurant | 2915 El Camino Real | Redwood City
Max’s of Redwood City | 1001 El Camino Real | Redwood City
Celia’s Mexican Restaurant | 201 El Camino Real | San Bruno
Meet Bobbi Brown, the world’s most celebrated makeup artist and bestselling author.
Thursday, November 4th
5:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m.
Stanford Bookstore, Textbook Level
Give her 5 minutes. She’ll show you how to break some rules.
Come meet Bobbi Brown, who will be at the Stanford Bookstore to sign her new book, Beauty Rules. Stanford Bookstore
Annual Holiday Open House
Ah Sam Florist
Celebrating 77 years serving our community.
Come join us for our annual holiday open house
November 5th – 7th
Friday: 6:30 – 9 pm
Saturday: 9 am – 6 pm
Sunday: 11 am – 5 pm
Saturday, November 6 · 2:00pm – 4:00pm
The Shops at Tanforan, Lower level in front of Old Navy
Children will compete and perform for a chance to win mall gift cards. First place will receive a $150 mall gift card! Come and support these talented rising stars!
The Ultimate Gaming Experience!
Get your hands on the hottest games and more.
Be the first of your friends to play some of the most talked about unreleased games.
Great Mall
Sat, November 6, 10 AM – 9 PM
Neiman Marcus Last Call Court
447 Great Mall Drive
Milpitas, CA 95035 http://www.simon.com/mall/?id=1250
Diwali Gala Buffet
Vedas Indian Restaurant Presents the Diwali Gala Buffet
Nov. 5, 6, 7
Come Celebrate the Light
Handmade Sweets by Chef Kumar
560 N. Abel St., Milpitas http://www.vedasrestaurant.com/
Some great events coming up this weekend are listed below in geographical order. Be sure to check out the El Camino Calendars page for a list of venues which always have a variety of activities going on.
Festivities will take place before first home game on Oct. 16
The San Jose Sharks will kick off their first regular season home game against the Atlanta Thrashers with a pre-game street rally on Saturday, Oct. 16. The rally will be open to the public from 5-7 p.m. and will take place next to HP Pavilion on Autumn Street between Santa Clara Street and St. John Street.
Festivities for the Opening Night rally will include performances by a BMX stunt team, carnival games, music and a live DJ from Sound in Motion, giveaways, face painting, slap shot booth and more.
Sunday, October 17 · 12:00pm – 3:00pm
Plant 51
734 The Alameda
Experience Plant 51 living with an afternoon gathering in our expanded outdoor courtyard, along with some great food & drinks. Its your chance to see this vibrant community in person and get a sense of its incredible energy and character. http://plant51.com/
Hobee’s California Restaurants Please join us this Friday night (10/15) and help support Breast Cancer Connections. Simply enjoy a fabulous Hobeemade dinner at Los Gatos, Pruneyard, Palo Alto, Stanford or Sunnyvale and mention BCC. We’ll then contribute 20% of your bill to this vital charity. It’s easy to make a difference! http://hobees.com/ http://www.bcconnections.org/
His Holiness the Dalai Lama is on campus today and tomorrow! We will be livestreaming all of the speaking events, so you can follow the webcasts here: http://dalailama.stanford.edu/webcast/
Live Webcasts | Dalai Lama at Stanford
dalailama.stanford.edu
Schedule: Public Talk (Oct 14, 9:30 – 11 am PDT) | Rathbun Lecture (Oct 14, 2 – 3:30 pm PDT) | Conference (Oct 15, 9am – 4 pm PDT)
Now entering its 12th year in the Silicon Valley, the Light The Night Walk has been an inspirational evening of healing and hope for local patients and families affected by blood cancer.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Palo Alto High School
50 Embarcadero Road
Palo Alto, CA
Menlo Park plays host to the 14th Annual Sidewalk Fine Arts and Crafts Fall Fest Friday, October 15 through Sunday October 17 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This art-filled family event will give visitors the opportunity to browse and shop among the many one-of-a-kind creations perfect for home, office or gift giving displayed by a variety of talented artists.
Taking place along Santa Cruz Avenue off El Camino Real, the Sidewalk Arts and Crafts Fall Fest is free to the public and features an exciting array of original works perfect for holiday shopping by more than 90 artists and craft makers including paintings, jewelry, photography, unique wood sculptures, clothing, accessories, toys and much more. http://www.menloparkchamber.com/news/93-14th-annual-menlo-park-sidewalk-arts-and-crafts-fall-fest
A must to put on your calendar–THIS FRIDAY, October 15–LIVE MUSIC–Clint Baker’s Dixie Land Jazz celebrates 20 years at Borrones! Gaucho will be featuring singer Tamar Korn!! Both will take turns with sets from 6:00 pm-10:30 pm. This is going to be a memorable night!!! Dinner specials start at 5:00 pm.
On September 22, Metro, Silicon Valley’s weekly newspaper, put out their “Best of Silicon Valley” issue, 2010 edition. It contains the readers’ choices and editors’ picks of the best locations, goods, and services available in Santa Clara County and beyond. Of all the “Best of” lists out there, Metro’s is the one I’ve always valued the most partly because it always brings the wacky with unique categories like “Best Place to be a Scarecrow”and “Best Place to Buy an Accordian,” but mostly because it delivers. Some of my favorite joints in the South Bay proudly display coveted Metro “Best of” placards. They have weight with me, and they’ve earned my trust.
It’s no surprise Metro is so in tune with quality in the Valley. As it so happens this is their 25th annual list, a noteworthy milestone. They know what they’re doing and they do it well. You might even say too well: the sucker is pretty large. This year the printed list is 80 pages long. I scanned every page with glee but quickly realized what the problem was. They covered the entire Valley including, shockingly enough, businesses and locations that are not on El Camino Real. Yeah, I know, right? I understand their reasoning. Conceivably someone could find themselves on, say, San Carlos Street and they can’t easily get to El Camino and they desperately need to buy some sporty sunglasses. In such a scenario a two-dimensional “Best of” list could hypothetically be handy. All the same I took it upon myself to scour the list and extract for you the best of the “Best of,” the winners which are located on extended El Camino Real.
The list is below, presented not by category but in rough geographical order. Winners that are tagged with “#2” or “#3” came in second or third in the readers’ polling; otherwise they came in first or were simply awarded by the editors. This was a big copy-n-paste job so I apologize in advance for any errors I might have injected.
As I was putting this together I noticed that the list is heavily weighted towards Downtown San Jose. Then I remembered: Metro Silicon Valley is headquartered on El Camino, at 550 South First Street, in San Jose’s SoFA district. Now we know why the list is so good.
Rosso’s Furniture
#3 Best Furniture Store
6881 Monterey Road, Gilroy
Tony Di Maggio’s Pizza
Best Stromboli
3852 Monterey Hwy., San Jose
Road Rider
#2 Best Motorcycle Shop
2897 Monterey Hwy., San Jose
Southern Lumber
#2 Best Alternative to Home Depot
1402 Monterey Hwy., San Jose
San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art
Best Art Gallery
560 S. First St., San Jose
San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles
#3 Best Art Museum
520 S. First St., San Jose
San Jose Stage Company
#2 Best Theater Company
490 S. First St., San Jose
WORKS/San Jose
Best Gallery for Weird Art #3 Best Art Gallery
451 S. First St., San Jose
I’ve been to WORKS three times in the past month, every two weeks, and each time the exhibit has been completely different. They turn this place over fast and frequently. I loved the most recent (OP)Space installation.
South First Billiards
Best Place to Play Pool
420 S. First St., San Jose
Miami Beach Club
#2 Best Latin/Salsa Club
417 S. First St., San Jose
Bayonne
#3 Best New Restaurant
399 S. First St., San Jose
This is high on my list of places to try, featuring lighter Southern fare.
Agenda’s Wednesday salsa night
#3 Best Latin/Salsa Club
399 S. First St., San Jose
Wet
#3 Best Big Dance Club
396 S. First St., San Jose
Cherri Lakey & Brian Eder
Best Cultural Guerillas
Anno Domini, 366 S. First St., San Jose
I was unaware until now that this pair deserves a lot of credit for the cool, creative vision which San Jose’s SoFA district has become recently.
Brix Nightclub
#2 Best Gay or Lesbian Bar
349 S. First St., San Jose
California Theatre
Most Romantic Movie Watching Spot
345 S. First St., San Jose
Symphony Silicon Valley
Best Symphony/Classical Group
325 S. First St., San Jose, performances at the California Theatre
Original Joe’s
Best Moderately Priced Italian Food Best Late Night Eats Best Martinis
301 S. First St., San Jose
Four Points by Sheraton
#3 Best Boutique Hotel – San Jose/Los Gatos
211 S. First St., San Jose
Soula Power Yoga
Best Yoga Studio
200 S. First St. #70, San Jose
San Jose Taiko and the Bangerz
Best Collaboration
SoFA District, San Jose
So sad I missed this live. Check it out on YouTube.
SubZero Festival
Best Urban Uprising
San Jose
Children’s Musical Theatre San Jose
Best Children’s Theater
271 S. Market St., San Jose, performances at Montgomery Theater
Tech Museum
Best History/Specialty Museum
201 S. Market St., San Jose
Tech Museum Store
#3 Best Toy Store
201 S. Market St., San Jose
San Jose Museum of Art
Best Art Museum
110 S. Market St., San Jose
San Jose Museum of Art Museum Store
#2 Best Gift Store
110 S. Market St., San Jose
Dang, now my Christmas gift-buying secret is out!
McCormick and Schmick’s
#2 Best Seafood Restaurant #2 Best Happy Hour
170 S. Market St., San Jose
The Fairmont
Best Hotel Best Luxury Hotel – San Jose/Los Gatos
170 S. Market St., San Jose
Fairmont Hotel Lobby Lounge
#3 Best Jazz/Blues Club #3 Best Hotel Bar
170 S. Market St., San Jose
The Grill on the Alley
#2 Best Martinis
172 S. Market St., San Jose
Music in the Park
Best Local Festival
Plaza de Cesar Chavez, San Jose
A couple years ago I took my son to Music in the Park to see his first live rock band, Smash Mouth. He’ll always cherish that night.
San Jose Jazz Festival
#2 Best Local Festival
Various venues, downtown San Jose
Linda Ronstadt
Best Official South Bay Cultural Treasure
Mexican Heritage and Mariachi Festival artistic director
I include her as an El Caminoan because the 2010 San Jose Mariachi Festival culminated at Plaza de Cesar Chavez, which I also count as El Camino. It’s a long story.
Bill’s Beer Steamed Hot Dogs
Best Bacon Hot Dogs
Market and Santa Clara streets, San Jose
Hammer & Lewis Fashions
Best Name for a Downtown Store
19 S. First St., San Jose
It’s a San Jose thing. You wouldn’t understand.
Good Karma
Best Vegetarian Overall #3 Best Asian Vegetarian
37 S. First St., San Jose
E&O Trading Company
Best Asian Fusion #2 Best Malaysian Restaurant
96 S. First St., San Jose
Mmm…corn fritters…
Umbrella
#2 Best Hair Salon – San Jose/Sunnyvale/Los Gatos
2 N. Market St. #100, San Jose
Erik’s Deli
Best Deli/Sandwich Shop
2 North Market St., Suite 105, San Jose
717 E. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale
1350 Grant Rd., Mountain View
Multiple locations
Ballet San Jose
Best Dance Company
40 N. First St., San Jose
Picasso’s
#3 Best Tapas/Small Plates
62 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose
San Pedro Square Farmers Market
Best Farmers Market
San Pedro and Santa Clara streets, San Jose. Fridays, 10am-2pm
O’Flaherty’s
Best Irish Pub
25 N. San Pedro St., San Jose
Peggy Sue’s
#3 Best Local Burger Place
29 N. San Pedro St., San Jose
Sonoma Chicken
Best New Restaurant Best Dining Value Best Family Restaurant
31 N. Market St., San Jose
Multiple locations
I’m not sure how this counts as new, but I don’t argue the other awards. Apparently they dropped the “Coop” from the name.
Satori Tea Company
Best Place for a Destroyed Nervous System
37 N. San Pedro St., San Jose
Britannia Arms, San Jose
Best British Pub #2 Best Sports Bar #2 Best Pre-Sharks Game Spot #2 Best Restaurant Patio #3 Best Happy Hour
173 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose
Metro readers really really like this place. Can you believe I’ve never been there?
Hotel De Anza
#3 Best Luxury Hotel – San Jose/Los Gatos
233 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose
Hedley Club Lounge (Hotel De Anza)
#2 Best Hotel Bar
233 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose
Schurra’s
Best Chocolate Shop
840 The Alameda, San Jose
A surprise win, but well-deserved. It’s special to me because I stopped by Schurra’s for an ice cream cone the day I created this blog. Sadly Bill Mundy, former owner of Schurra’s and father of the current owner, passed away last month, another sad loss to The Alameda.
The Watergarden
#3 Best Gay or Lesbian Bar
1010 The Alameda, San Jose
Recently I walked by this place, heard water running, and wondered what it was. Now I know.
The Usuals
Best Boutique-Gallery Crossover
1020 The Alameda, San Jose
The now classic “I heart SJ” tee shirts made them a lock for this prize. Congratulations to Mari and Mike, friends of AllCamino!
Recycle Bookstore
#2 Best Local Independent Bookstore
1066 The Alameda, San Jose
J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines
Best Local Winery
1000 Lenzen Ave., San Jose
Also a great place to throw a party. We held my wife’s birthday party there a few years ago and it was a hit.
Tee Nee Thai
Best Thai Restaurant Beer and Wine List
1423 The Alameda, San Jose
Near and dear to me, the subject of my very first blog post.
Planned Parenthood
#3 Best Organization Making a Difference
1691 The Alameda, San Jose
YMCA
#2 Best Health Club
1717 The Alameda, San Jose
Various locations
KSCU-FM (103.3)
#2 Best College/Independent Radio Station 500 El Camino Real, #3207, Santa Clara
The Off Ramp
Best Bicycle Shop
2369 El Camino Real, Santa Clara
2320 El Camino Real, Mountain View
Funny how similar the two addresses are, but they’re nine miles apart. That’s El Camino!
Russell’s Furniture
Best Furniture Store
2645 El Camino Real, Santa Clara
Santa Clara Ballet
#3 Best Dance Company
3086 El Camino Real, Santa Clara
Orchard Supply
Best Alternative to Home Depot
3615 El Camino Real, Santa Clara
777 Sunnyvale Saratoga Road, Sunnyvale
Multiple locations
Fish Market
Best Seafood Restaurant
3775 El Camino Real, Santa Clara
[Update] Whoa, I goofed big time. I posted details for last month’s ride, September 3. I don’t know if there’s a ride on Friday, October 1. If you’re interested, you might want to give the Sunnyvale Art Gallery a call first to confirm.
Yep, you read that right. Sunnyvale has its own Bike Party and the third one is happening this Friday, September 3, 2010. It embarks at 8:00 PM on El Camino Real at the Sunnyvale Art Gallery, which sponsors the ride.
Sunnyvale Bike Party bills itself as the “smaller, gentler” bike party, a clear reference to San Jose Bike Party which has been a victim of its own rapid growth the past couple months. The San Jose ride has become so large that they’ve had problems like drunken and disorderly riders, complaints from neighbors, and riders breaking laws by blocking lanes and running red lights. In August a rider was seriously injured when he collided with an SUV on Lawrence Expressway. Witnesses said the cyclist had run the light, and paid the price.
I think there’s room in the Valley for the two rides, the established juggernaut and the startup. San Jose’s ride is the third Friday of the month and Sunnyvale’s is the first so there’s no conflict there. However the Sunnyvale ride does coincide with San Jose’s South FIRST FRIDAYS art walk so for that one night you’re forced to choose between bicycles and art. It’s a nice dilemma to have.
Sunnyvale Bike Party #3
Friday, September 3 · 8:00pm – 10:30pm
Sunnyvale Art Gallery
251 West El Camino Real
Sunnyvale, CA
Got a Bike? Come ride! Facebook
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.
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 communitys help, several alternatives will be developed to address community priorities for this important segment of road. http://www.morgan-hill.ca.gov/
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/
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
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/
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/
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.
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
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
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 Calvins. The sandwiches are second-to-none, but what makes the place so very special to us is Mr. Aleeson. Weve been privileged to spend some time with him in his restaurant and get to know him and watch him interact with the community. Hes a remarkable guy, warm and generous. Hes also toughnot 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.
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 Calvinss 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
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.
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!
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
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
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.
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.
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.
If you’re in San Francisco, don’t eat too much on Tuesday because on Wednesday, November 10 you have the opportunity to do it again. An organization called Mission Graduates is putting on an event called Food for Thought at various restaurants in the Mission District. Proceeds from your meal will benefit the Mission Graduates program which works with kids from the Mission and prepares them for college. Demographically these kids are disadvantaged so this program provides crucial help for them to reach their goals through higher education. Thanks to the good folks at 
