San Jose Goes Virtual

Posted on April 18, 2020 by Jordan

Believe us. We know more than anyone that these days you’re desperately sad to not be able to go out into San Jose and experience the wonders of our fine city in person. But while we all shelter in place together for…however long we’ll be doing this…you don’t have to miss out on the best that San Jose has to offer! Avoid the parking garages, traffic, and crowds and let San Jose come to YOU!

Pick a few of these virtual experiences and paint the virtual town red.

THEME PARKS

Take a ride at California’s Great America

Not only can you virtually ride some of your favorite attractions from our beloved theme park, you should definitely follow their Twitter account too. You’ll find a bunch of activities for kids to do (including a Great America word search) and nostalgic pictures of the park that will have you reminiscing about, well, times when we could be within 6 feet of each other.

Get wild with Happy Hollow Park and Zoo

Here again, following Happy Hollow’s Twitter will lead you into a delightful array of animal videos and pictures from around the park, plus you’ll get live, critical updates around such important events as Vintana the black and white ruffed lemur’s pregnancy and imminent labor. If that’s not enough, Happy Hollow is ready to make your Zoom meetings more enjoyable with an array of virtual backgrounds you can charm your co-workers with–including one of Danny himself.

MUSEUMS

History San Jose online exhibits…and super-weird pics from their warehouse

Who doesn’t want to time travel out of 2020 right now? Visiting any of History San Jose’s online exhibits is your chance to escape COVID-mania and see San Jose in eras of DIFFERENT viral outbreaks! Plus, on their Twitter account they’re posting some of the very bizarre historical artifacts from their extensive archives including:

This old but probably still totally delicious can of soup from 1883:

This assortment of frogs from their “very large frog collection”:

…and this EXCEPTIONALLY upsetting Chuck E. Cheese animatronic:

Get artsy on a Thursday

The San Jose Museum of Modern Art is offering “Virtual Views” on Thursdays — tours through virtual exhibits led by curators who will be answering your questions and fortifying your tour experience with videos, audio playlists, and articles. They’ve got sculptor Donald Judd and photographer Dorothea Lange on exhibit for the remainder of April with more to come in May.

All-ages field trip through The Tech

Children in your house getting antsy? Let two virtual buddies lead them on a virtual field trip through the Tech and get 30 valuable minutes to regain your sanity. It’s really well done and will get your kids excited for their next trip in person. As a bonus, once they’ve done the tour, give them a chance to solve a cyber crime in 8 different activities from coded communication to scam alerts and the Internet of Things.

A tour through the house of the world’s #1 social distancer

What San Jose virtual experience is complete without a trip to the Winchester Mystery House? They’re offering virtual, guaranteed ghost-free tours of the mansion where you’ll see a selection of some of the 200 rooms and thousands of architectural oddities that make Sarah’s house one of the premier destinations in San Jose and in the nation.

OUTDOOR ADVENTURE

Walk it out

If you need a break from walking around your neighborhood, or if you’re unable to go for a walk during quarantine, check out these virtual walks sponsored by Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful. Upcoming events include a virtual walk at Shady Oaks Park and another at Almaden Quicksilver — with live Q&A chat if you have questions about the flora and fauna you discover.

FOR THE BOOKWORMS

Rhyme time with Hicklebees

Everyone’s favorite local bookstore, Hicklebees in Willow Glen, is serving up all kinds of fun events from storytimes to challenges. April is Poetry Month (who knew?) and if you follow Hicklebees on Twitter you can join in on all kinds of poetic adventures.

Read and win with San Jose Public Libraries

People are dusting off their piles of “to-reads” while we’re shut in, so if you’re doing it anyway, why not go for a prize while you’re at it? Log your reading minutes during the Spring into Reading challenge, and–depending on your age group–you can win anything from backpacks with school supplies (for Fall, naturally!) to airpods. (And while this contest ends April 30, keep an eye on the library website; we’ll likely see more fun events like this in the coming months!)

And speaking of the library…

Get an eLibrary Card

While libraries are shut down, SJPL is offering new eLibrary Cards with access to online learning, electronic checkouts, streaming services, and downloads for any resident of San Jose.

MUSIC

San Jose Jazz: Live from Home

Nothing more soothing for the soul than smooth jazz while we obsessively wash our hands to the beat. These 30-40 minute live streams of local San Jose musicians are truly delightful, and give you a chance to find some new favorites that you’ll want to hear live when the world starts spinning again.

THEATER

Cure the blues with the best medicine

First of all, if you haven’t been to a ComedySportz performance live (with the whole fam OR for the 18 and over late show) you must put this near the VERY top of your post-quarantine to-do list. But the next best thing to seeing live improv comedy is a virtual show featuring our San Jose team. Check out their Facebook page to find showtimes and get guffawing in your living room.

CityLights: “Coded” on stage

CityLights Theater — like so many others– had to close down before opening night on their brand new show “Coded” — but the good news is they’re still welcoming theater patrons to watch a recorded performance of the show for free (though do be sure to make a donation if you can!)

A quick synopsis of this timely, virtual reality-themed show:

Jerrie was on her way to being a leader in the gaming industry, until a competitor armed with a legion of internet trolls launched an all-out assault on her, and she was forced into hiding. Now, she’s back with a hand-picked team and a plan to revolutionize virtual-reality gaming. If she can keep the trolls at bay and control over her staff, she might be able to dismantle the industry’s boys’ club. But when the virtual world begins to invade the real one, things get more surreal than she could have imagined.

SHOPPING

Show some love to local retailers

SJMade has launched an awesome storefront (perhaps in a timely nod to the Animal Crossing New Horizons craze?) called SJMade Town— a videogame-themed tour through some of our local artists’ and retailers’ virtual stores. Browse through and buy local from some really cool vendors you may not have known existed! (It’s possible I’ve already purchased an “Emotional Baggage” tote from Dollgirls and have my eye on a beeswax candle from Dandy Roots).

What San Jose-themed virtual experiences are you finding? Share them with our readers (and us — we can’t get enough!)

The 7 Wonders of the San Jose World

Posted on January 26, 2020 by Jordan

The Taj Mahal. The Great Wall of China. Chichen Itza. And…Lick Observatory?

Okay, it might be a BIT of a stretch to say that San Jose houses any world wonders, but we certainly have distinctive landmarks that leave visitors thinking “hmmmmm,” historically significant buildings, and structures that “inspired” (were stolen) other, arguably more famous structures (how dare you, Gustave Eiffel).

With that in mind, we humbly offer up to you the 7 Wonders of San Jose that represent South Bay heritage–if not world heritage.

1. The Winchester Mystery House
I don’t think anyone could legitimately argue that this confounding “beautiful but bizarre” mansion of eccentric heiress Sarah Winchester should be at the top of the list of wonders in San Jose.

Designated #868 on the National Register of Historic Places (though #13 would have been more apropos), Sarah’s place is 24,000 square feet of utter weirdness featuring 10,000 windows (including an incredibly expensive Tiffany stained glass window through which light will never pass), 2000 doors (including one that leads to a 2-story drop to the ground),160 rooms (including a seance room with 3 ways in but only 1 way out), 52 skylights, 47 stairways (one that leads to nowhere, and one that takes you up 44 steps and 7 sharp turns to go just 9 feet up), 47 fireplaces, 17 chimneys, 13 bathrooms, 6 kitchens, 3 elevators…and just one shower.

2. Mt. Umunhum
The spelling of this San Jose wonder is a wonder in itself, let alone its intriguing stories where Native American culture meets military history. “Mt. Um” is the 4th highest peak in the Santa Cruz mountain range, and sitting atop it like a Christmas tree angel is a cement structure known as “The Cube”–a radar tower that operated from the late 1950’s to 1980 and was used to keep an eye out for enemy airfighters in the Cold War.

Perhaps the thing that San Jose natives remember most about Mt. Um is that it was closed off to the public for many years due to hazardous materials, hazardous footing, and just hazards in general. But, in 2017, the newly hazardous-waste-free land was opened to the public and has become a popular hiking, biking, and gorgeous-view-taking-in destination. If you dare, you can hike or bike to Mt. Umunhum by way of Hicks Road (9 miles)…but, as we’ve explored before, venturing out onto Hicks road isn’t for the faint of heart. (Especially if you’re anxious about a run-in with the “faint of skin pigment” colony of hostile albinos rumored to hide along the roadside). Our pick? Drive up to Bald Mtn. Parking, and hike the more accessible 3.5 mile trail to the summit.

3. The San Jose Light Tower
In 1881 a gentleman by the name of Gustave Eiffel visited San Jose to marvel at, well, the wonder that is San Jose naturally, but also to take a gander at an incredible structure that had been built there — the pyramid-shaped San Jose Electrical Light Tower, meant to eliminate the need for expensive gas street lamps. Eiffel took a gooooood hard look at the design of the 237 foot tower looking something like this:

And wouldn’t you know it! Something BIZARRELY similar ended up in Paris less than a decade later looking something like this! :

Je sens un SCANDALE.

The original tower deemed “too dang bright” for farmers and San Jose dwellers of the late 1800’s ended up collapsing in 1915, but today, you can visit a smaller replica at History Park in San Jose and decide for yourself if the urban legend of one of the greatest thefts of IP in all of history is, perhaps, ultimately true.

4. The Oldest Residence in San Jose — The Peralta Adobe

Right smack dab in the middle of some of downtown’s best nightlife in San Pedro Square stands a lone adobe structure — the historical centerpiece of the public market. This humble abode is the Peralta Adobe, built in 1797 by an Apache Indian who was also the first resident of San Jose. Luis Maria Peralta, who served in a high position as commisioner of the community, moved in after him in 1808.

After a series of Peraltas lived in that house, it at different points served as a storage facility for wine, fruit, and even plumbing supplies. The City of San Jose bought the “fixer upper” in 1966, restored it, and got it placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

San Jose celebrates its birthday annually through festivals around the adobe house (we turn 244 this year!), and–perhaps in its greatest claim to fame–it was featured on a California postage stamp in 1977. If that doesn’t say “you left a legacy,” I don’t know what does.

5. Lick Observatory

Nestled high atop Mt. Hamilton is an observatory that has been serving seasoned and aspiring astronomers since 1888.

Owned by the University of California now, it was originally founded by…a well-known astronomer? No. A starry-eyed, planetarium-dwelling, space-obsessed academic? Incorrect. It was founded by James Lick — real estate investor, carpenter, piano builder, and–as it happened– one of the wealthiest men in California (THE wealthiest, at the time of his death).

He was also, evidently, totally full of it; sources say at one point he wanted to build enormous statues of himself and construct a pyramid resembling the Great Pyramid of Giza in his honor (World Wonder tie in!). While not an astronomer, he was a science nerd, and allocated the largest portion of his fortune to Lick Observatory, which at the time housed the most powerful and biggest telescope ever built. Today, visitors can tour the observatory, hear a variety of lectures, enjoy special events including symphonic music under the stars on warm summer nights, buy a pair of Lick Observatory Celestial Socks, and yes–even get married.

And while Lick didn’t end up using his hard-earned cash to erect pyramids or statues to celebrate the wonder that was himself, he did manage to secure an out of this world honor: Lick Crater on the moon? That’s all James.

6. Heritage Rose Garden

Spanning 5 acres, featuring 4000 plants and 2,800 varieties of “heritage, modern, and miniature roses,” it’s hard to believe that The San Jose Heritage Rose Garden was once a weed-covered dirt lot blemish on the outskirts of downtown San Jose. According to the official website,

“A joint venture of the City of San Jose, the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy, the South Bay Heritage Rose Group, and the many dedicated civic volunteers who continue to propagate, plant, fertilize, prune, weed, catalog and care for our precious collection of roses.”

And, if that’s not enough, they also compellingly add,

“We’re on the list of Top Fun Things to Do in San Jose!”

This lovely oasis is dripping with charm and beauty. Meant to be a version of New York’s Central Park in the heart of San Jose, the garden is bowl-shaped with a middle that’s 5 feet deep, and sources say from that vantage point a visitor could see every plant from any point in the garden. You can adopt a rose for $50/year, but even if you’re overcome with amorosity don’t pick one whatever you do or you’ll be out $500 for the most expensive bouquet you’ll ever give.

7. The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

Step through the doors of this museum established in 1927, and be prepared for a legit blast from the past. In fact, the experience starts well BEFORE the doors on the karnak-style front entrance to the museum featuring grand columns, statues, and plenty of photo opps to feed your Instagram need.

The museum’s claim to fame is that it houses the largest collection of Egyptian artifacts in the Western US, and among the most popular exhibits (through which over 100,000 visitors tour each year) are a variety of mummies, a full replica of a rock-cut tomb that visitors can walk through featuring gorgeous artistic scenes from The Book of the Dead, an extensive alchemy exhibit, and galleries featuring artifacts pertaining to daily life, rulers, religion, and Egyptian beliefs regarding the “great beyond.” Take a walk through the gardens outside to encounter koi ponds, a fantastic labyrinth, sphynx statues, and–once again–plenty of areas to pose for Insta-perfect pics.

The site also features the 5th planetarium built in the US housed in a building of Moorish design.

An…8th wonder?

HONORABLE MENTION: The infamous Quetzalcoatl statue in Cesar Chavez park downtown. As in it’s a WONDER we paid for this. (Nailed it).

Take the “7 Wonders in One” Challenge! We bet you can’t visit all 7 Wonders in one day!

Orchestria Palm Court: Where the players play

Posted on December 18, 2018 by Jordan

Close to the convention center, a hop, skip, and a jump away from Cesar Chavez park, and right next to The Stage Theater (also a new SJ favorite haunt–more on that in a future post!) you’ll hear the delightful, twinkling sounds of a multitude of pianos…but only a couple nights a week for a few hours a day.

The hidden San Jose gem we’re featuring today is the truly unique Orchestria Palm Court, a walk back in time to the early 1900’s where the comfort food is outstanding, the waiters wear sleeve garters, and you’re entertained by player pianos that come to life one-by-one, providing a merry soundtrack for your meal.

Surrounded by invisible musicians

Orchestria features music written in the ‘teens and 20’s of last century, played as you would have heard it then—on music machines. Fitting, really, that these machines, considered “high tech” in their day, are now at home one of the world’s most important birthplaces of modern technology. The owners plan their musical selections based on seasonality, including French music for Bastille Day, specific composers’ music for their birthdays, and carols for the whole of December. That said, they’ll also take your special request for your favorite jazz or ragtime song from the era—you know you have one.

Is that a…phone booth?

The decor and ambience is like nothing you’ve ever seen before—especially in San Jose. The building itself is a refurbished brick building from 1910, and the inside is made to look like a bar or restaurant from the early 20th century—complete with kitschy lamps and chandeliers, travel posters, rolls and rolls of player piano music stacked high, and–of course—the aforementioned plethora of pianos. Also featured is a self-playing violin from 1925, the “Violano-Virtuoso” which uses electromagnetic technology to play along with a piano accompaniment.

Tips:

RESERVE, RESERVE, RESERVE: Because they’re only open about 6 hours a week, they’ll likely be fully booked if you try to walk in.
Order the Austrian Goulash. Your life will be changed for the better.
Don’t just dine and dash! Get up and look around—this place is like a museum, restaurant, bar, and concert all in one.

The Fight for the Swine Sign

Posted on March 1, 2018 by Jordan

Across the street from Poor House Bistro and Diridon Station is a pig not quite as famous as Wilbur, not quite as well known as Babe, but to San Jose, is his own special, porcine celebrity.

The Dancing Pig on the vintage Stephen’s Meat Products sign has been proudly hoofing it since the 1950’s…even after the business closed. But, contrary to what people believe, weather happens in San Jose, and the iconic sign fell into disrepair. Cue pigpen jokes.

This didn’t sit well with the Preservation Action Council of San Jose (PAC*SJ) who has been trying to raise money to revitalize the sign for quite some time. And with “Google Village” slated to move into town riiiiiight around Montgomery, they’re working even harder to raise awareness.

Ideally, they note, Google would absorb this piece of San Jose history and physically feature it in some way. (Or digitally– it would make a HECK of a Google Doodle).

We caught up with John from Preservation Action Council of San Jose (PAC*SJ) during their most recent fundraiser at Poor House Bistro on February 25, where 25% of food and beverage sales went to perking up the pig. Here’s what he had to say about why they’re doing this at all:

Landmarks. In a city that could easily be seen as just corporate buildings and suburban sprawl, there’s still a need to “find yourself” in this place. Some find themselves in our history, even with something so ordinary as a vintage meat products sign. Others find themselves in looking ahead to the future, with new businesses and buildings that facilitate the constant innovation happening here.

And there’s certainly enough room here for both. No snout about it.

A bet, a beating, and a basket: Mayor Liccardo’s San Jose-themed gifts to Pittsburgh’s mayor

Posted on June 30, 2016 by admin

By: Vaughn and Jordan

As many of you know, the Sharks didn’t bring home the Stanley Cup. (I know, I know–sorry to reopen the wound). What you might not have known is that Bill Peduto, the Mayor of Pittsburg and our very own Mayor Sam Liccardo had a friendly bet riding on the series. First, the losing mayor had to take a picture in the opposing team’s jersey and post it to social media. (It’s too painful to repost here. We’re sorry. We just can’t do it). Second, the losing mayor would send a gift basket full of treats representing his city to the winning mayor.

If you missed Mayor Liccardo’s basket on social media, here it is:

Looks like a great assortment, but what IS all of that in there? And more importantly, WHY is it in there? And most importantly of all, what’s missing that should have been included?

Let’s take a closer look at the contents:

Schurra’s Fine Confections

Schurra’s has been in business on the Alameda for over 100 years providing fine confectionary treats to young and old alike. A strong choice from the Mayor regardless of if he went with chocolates, brittle, or the delightful Beethoven Bon Bon’s (and why not, as readers know San Jose is home to the Beethoven Center). See’s Candies might be the first shop people think of concerning Bay Area candies but do yourself a favor, skip the chaos and go to Schurra’s instead.

La Vic’s Orange Sauce

La Vic’s has become so synonymous with their oddly addicting and widely adored orange sauce that they proudly proclaim themselves as, “the home of the orange sauce” and after Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto polishes off the bottle of J. Lohr and the sixer of Gordon Biersch he too will undoubtedly fall in love with the delightful concoction. While Liccardo can share the La Vic’s orange sauce he’ll never be able to tell about its ingredients. La Vic’s, who claim that the sauce originated in their first restaurant near the SJSU campus, continues to keep the recipe secret to this day.

Greenlee’s Bakery Best Cinnamon Bread

Liccardo continued his stroll a bit further down the Alameda to visit Greenlee’s Bakery and pick up a loaf of their nationally renowned cinnamon bread. Greenlee’s has been baking in San Jose for over 90 years and thanks to QVC, Amazon, and Costco the delightfully tempting and aromatic bread has become available beyond the South Bay. It’s unclear how Greenlee’s cinnamon bread earned the honor of being the best but take one bite and I’m sure you’ll agree.

Gordon Biersch beer

Arguably, the most popular brewery in San Jose is the beloved Gordon Biersch brewery and bottling facility, opened in 1997 and designed by Dan Gordon himself. It’s state-of-the-art, uses San Jose water so you get a taste of San Jose in every sip, and offers fact-filled tours of the brewery throughout the week. Not to mention a few other secrets we’ve uncovered as well. A perfect addition to the basket; we can see Mayor Peduto pairing it with one of those Pittsburgh pierogis now…

Fruit cocktail

Yes, ladies and gentlemen: the familiar go-to serving of canned fruit from our childhoods has its origins here in fine city of San Jose. The first reference to delicious, syrupy pear, peach, cherry, and…whatever other chunks are in there being referred to as “fruit cocktail” was right here in San Jose in 1930. Ignore that this can is Raley’s brand; the original San Jose fruit cocktail was produced by Herbert Gray of San Jose’s Barron-Gray Packing Company. (Though the jury is out on this. For a rundown of the great “Fruit Cocktail Mystery” check out the online History San Jose exhibit).

J. Lohr wine

First of all, if you’re not having a sip of J. Lohr wine as you read this, stop right now and go pick some up. I’ll give you a few minutes…

…

Back? Okay good. And cheers.

J. Lohr Winery, established in 1974, has become a local favorite in a city not known for its fine wines. In 2013, it was named Tasting Panel Magazine’s Winery of the Year. It’s become so popular, the mayor’s basket wouldn’t have been complete without it. You can find their wine in most grocery stores around the city, as well as at the winery itself. (Which you should definitely plan to hit up for your next date night; check their events calendar to see when they have live music and special pairings/tastings).

Chiaramonte’s Sausage

We reached out to the Mayor’s office to find out Liccardo’s sausage of choice from Chiaramonte’s Deli & Sausages however aides declined to comment (ok, fine they didn’t even reply)*. It doesn’t really matter if it was the Italian hot sausage or the Portuguese smoked sausage, we know regardless that Chiaramonte’s is San Jose’s go to for handmade sausages. Contrasting the burgeoning La Vic’s, Chiaramonte’s has quietly remained a South Bay staple of sausage for over 100 years from its quaint deli just outside of Japantown. Come for a taste of Sicily, stay for the cool collection of antiques and the beautiful vintage sign outside.

*Mayor Liccardo responded to confirm that it was the spicy Italian sausage. A fine choice indeed.

So what’s missing? While it poses shipping issues, Eggo waffles invented in San Jose in 1953 (and a LOVELY accompaniment to fruit cocktail, I might add) would be a critical addition to this basket. Also burnt almond cake from either Dick’s Bakery or Peters’ Bakery (don’t even get us started on THIS rivalry!) has become a food synonymous with the city. And, seeing that San Jose was the first commercial producer of broccoli, for good measure—and a pop of color—a nice heap of broccoli would top this whole basket off.

And perhaps a challenge to a rematch next year.

The Sarah Winchester Movie: A Former Winchester Tour Guide Weighs in on What Should be Included

Posted on May 31, 2016 by Jordan

Winchester_Mystery_House_(door_to_nowhere)

Will the Sarah Winchester movie be a hit? Or will it go…nowhere?

As many of you San Jose enthusiasts already are well aware, Helen Mirren is slated to play our beloved Sarah Winchester in a movie sometime in the next year. We’re already dying of curiosity to see what type of angle this movie takes.

So what should the movie include? We thought that the best person to ask is someone deeply familiar with the Winchester story, and the mansion itself. Cue our resident Winchester expert Brian, former Winchester Mystery House tour guide. Here are his thoughts on some ways Hollywood can maximize the story.

The earthquake
“If there’s one scene that I would love to see put to screen, it would be the 1906 earthquake. The mansion used to be considerably larger than it is now, and the most spectacular piece was the large, 7 story tower. Following the earthquake it was so damaged that it had to come down (and an entire wing of the mansion was sealed off to boot), but it’d be very slick to Hollywood that up. Add in the shrieking of angry spirits and so forth as the gigantic 7 story tower goes toppling down to the path below. And it should also probably explode.

In seriousness, though, it seems like the earthquake had a pretty profound effect on Sarah. She was trapped in an unfinished room for several hours, and while I’m not sure that she blamed the spirits for the earthquake, she definitely blamed them for her being stuck in that part of the mansion. She boarded it off (basically the entire front part of the mansion, aka the only part of the mansion that actually looks a little bit nice) and focused more on cheap, rapid, eternal building. That’s one of the reasons for the varied designs you see when you walk through the house. You have her initial, crazy stage where she’s trying all sorts of fun, kooky stuff (the secret passages, traps, and so forth). Then she gets to the, “Oh… wait… I’m rich…” portion, where she tries to make things look like a rich person’s home. Then the earthquake hits and suddenly she goes into the “clearly I’m not building fast enough” phase, where she just builds as cheap and fast as humanly possible.”

The supernatural

Meet Brian!

“If they’re going to go with the ghost angle, it might be fun to have the workers (who are supposed to be the current ongoing residents of the mansion, not Sarah) start developing their unnatural connection to the place. Like you could have one of them quit and move away, but the work crew continues to see him around the site. They could even telegraph him to make sure he’s not still around, but he’s just sort of left this permanent imprint. Or you could have them develop their own superstitions and paranoias about various portions of the house.

There was one spot in there that always freaked me out at the end of the day. When we would shut the lights off and begin to close up, there was a long hallway that had an intersection with another long hallway. No matter which way you looked: in front of you, behind you, to the left or to the right, the hallways stretched straight away into dark eternity. I HATED that part of the mansion. I can’t help but imagine that the workers would develop their own aversions, maybe particularly to the sealed off front part of the house.”

The Winchester rifle victims
“Another supernatural angle: what if the ghosts of the people killed by the Winchesters forgot how to be human, and so they started imitating the workers whose routines were predictable and constant? So the ghosts at the mansion today are actually the same ones Sarah was afraid of, only they behave like the workers they observed for so long.”

What do you think should be included in the movie?

San Jose – Where Beer and Baseball Met

Posted on April 4, 2016 by Vaughn

It’s opening day and a great time to remember just how well baseball and beer go together. In 1997 Dan Gordon and Dean Biersch were in dire need of space. For nearly 2 decades Dan and Dean had been successfully brewing their Gordon Biersch beer out of a small restaurant facility in downtown Palo Alto but the pair was finally ready to hit the big leagues of bottling and distribution. One problem, brewing and bottling mass quantities of beer takes a massive amount of space, something that was sorely lacking in Palo Alto. Enter Mr October; Reggie Jackson. By this point the hall of famer was enjoying retirement and his hobby of collecting classic cars, many of which were housed (along with an alleged mistress in a top floor penthouse as the tale goes) in a large warehouse facility on East Taylor and 9^th just outside of Japantown in San Jose. Fortunately for Dan and Dean, Reggie had found a new space for his vehicles in Monterey and was vacating the San Jose warehouse. Gordon and Biersch snapped up the space (presumably without said mistress) and the South Bay’s largest brewery remains there to this day.

Fortunately for Mr October, if he’s missing his San Jose digs Gordon Biersch offers free tours of the brewery and bottling facility Monday through Thursday by appointment. The tour is a fantastic way to learn more about the colorful history of Gordon Biersch (followers of 16^th century German beer purity laws), the brewing process (Gordon Biersch uses San Jose water!), and the business of beer (Gordon Biersch restaurants are not actually owned by the brewery). Check out the Gordon Biersch Brewery website to learn more and to schedule your group’s tour!

The Penultimate Frontier

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Steve

A long time ago, in a neighborhood actually very near, there existed a place where children’s imaginations could run wild like the mustangs and frolic in the memories of bygone eras. No, I’m not talking about the Children’s Discovery Museum. That’s still there. You should maybe take the children in your life there sometime. I’m also not talking about Happy Hollow. That’s also still there. In fact, not too long ago, it got a pretty great face lift. Might want to put that on the to-do list also. No, I’m talking about a little land of wonder called “Frontier Village”. If you haven’t heard of it, and aren’t over the age of 35, don’t fret. It left this Valley before you arrived. And yet…something survived.

Frontier Village was first built in 1961, the brain child of Joe Zukin after he visited Disneyland, and decided San Jose also needed such an attraction. It had gunfights and burro rides, and even a roller coaster. What it didn’t seem to have, unfortunately, was enough visitors. In 1980, after 19 years of operation, it sadly closed its gates to the children who had played there. But as it happens, some of those children didn’t feel going along with that version of the story. Shaughnessy McGehee was 16 when Frontier Village finally succumbed to the pace of life in the Valley, and missed the magic he felt there. And so, when the park was parceled out and and sold at auction, he began what was to become a lifelong passion for collecting bits of it. He managed to get miniature cars and toy horses and signs, and the things he couldn’t get, or couldn’t fit into his sizable backyard, he decided to recreate, on a more manageable scale. And a very impressive collection it became.

But like the park itself, all good things must come to an end. McGehee will be moving soon. His collection may not be. He can’t take it with him, and those to be the new owners of his house don’t share his love for this particular piece of history. Thankfully, Great America and New Museum of Los Gatos have both agreed to take some pieces of his collection for their displays. And Frontier Village will live on, at least a little longer. Of course, if you would like to see it for yourself, there will also be an opportunity for that. New Museum will be holding their first showing on Nov 7th 2015. The exhibits taken by Great America will open some time later. But the last viewing of these relics in their second home, the Final Frontier, as it were, will be an open house (really an open backyard) being held by the McGehees on Halloween, Oct. 31st 2015. Come and experience this second-hand piece of San Jose history first-hand!

Great Scott! San Jose has a Back to the Future Connection!

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Vaughn

Back to the Future Day may have come and gone however its celebration allowed us here at SearchlightSJ to go back to the past and find an interesting San Jose connection to the film. The bonus features include commentary from Bob Gale, the Co-Creator of the trilogy. In the commentary Gale describes the first public screening of the film in which movie-goers entered the theater not knowing what to expect and left not wanting the fun to end. Steven Spielberg remarks that other than E.T. the first screening of Back to the Future was the greatest preview he had ever seen. Where would such an enthusiastic and fun audience come from? From San Jose of course! In May of 1985 Back to the Future received its first test screening at the Century Domes Theater Complex off of Winchester (the dome has since been granted historic building status by the City of San Jose saving the now defunct theater from the wrecking ball). The screening went so well that the release date was moved up from mid-August to July 3^rd in order to capture larger summer audiences. It also resulted in the removal of over 6 minutes of footage which are now available as bonus scenes in the DVD and Blu-ray releases of the trilogy.

One question remains unanswered surrounding the screening; what prompted the creators of Back to the Future to hold their first screening in San Jose and not at Universal? Spielberg, with his South Bay ties, may have had familiarity with the dome which was completed in 1964, a year prior to his graduation from Saratoga High School. Perhaps more importantly, the creators of Back to the Future wanted an initial screening to occur without the presence of studio executives to maintain creative control over the film. Following the screening several minor tweaks were made before a formal screening at Universal Studios which included studio executive who gave their immediate approval of the film. Regardless the reason of how the sneak peek ended up at the Century Domes it just goes to show that whether back to the future or back to the past, we can always bring it back around to San Jose.

Now and Then: The Ghosts of Roller Rinks, Restaurants, and Amusement Parks Past

Posted on May 14, 2015 by Jordan

A moose-themed arcade/restaurant.

An amusement park straight out of the Old West.

A roller rink where you probably had your birthday party at least once and wore an L.A. Gear shirt and a denim vest (yes, VEST), and hoped that the boy you liked would hold your hand even though he was surely playing pinball and eating greasy pizza instead.

Whether you love or hate change, it happens. And, as San Jose continues to morph and develop, some of the places you just assume will always be there suddenly become a distant memory (And maybe the denim vest should REMAIN a distant memory…)

Let’s look at some historic (and some NOT so historic…one just closed this past year) San Jose fixtures and what now stands where they once were.

THEN: Bullwinkles

Opened: 1981

Closed: 1996

I remember visiting Bullwinkles as a kid and even then feeling like it was Chuck E Cheese done more upscale. (I mean, what’s more appetizing anyway: a mouse or a moose?) Based on the beloved cartoon characters of the ‘60’s, Bullwinkles was designed to look like a woodsy edifice on the outside, and inside was a cornucopia of arcade games, climbing structures, and even a show with animatronics that would run a couple times per hour. Other Bullwinkles locations exist today, but sadly the NorCal birthday go-to couldn’t keep its doors open.

Now: DaVita Santa Clara Dialysis/D1 Training Center

In 1996, Bullwinkles closed and was replaced by a nightclub. And then another nightclub. And then I’m pretty sure one more nightclub before it finally landed in the hands of a completely different industry: healthcare. There isn’t a discernible trace of the old family entertainment center (or smarmy club scene) here anymore, but at least it’s moved on to a place where people can maintain health and happiness—even without the help of a cartoon moose.

THEN: Aloha/ Roxy’s/ Golden Skate/ San Jose Skate Roller Rink

Opened: 1977

Closed: December 2014

Even though everyone agrees that it was a “bit” run down, the place consistently smelled like a foot, and the employees seemed like they would rather be doing anything…ANYTHING… than refereeing an organized game of Shoot the Duck, everyone also agreed that this place also just reeked of memories. The ultimate personality crisis, this rink went through at least 4 name changes but people generally fondly remember the original Aloha Roller Palace days where you DEFINITELY weren’t in paradise, but you got a little slice of roller heaven for 2 hours. Then get off the rink dangit. It’s roller derby practice.

NOW: ACO Furniture

Sigh. From a place that stood for pure, sheer, unadulterated fun to a chain furniture store that will probably be claiming that it’s going out of business and everything must GO, GO, GO! in no time, makes this one of the most depressing then&now’s in San Jose history. But all is not lost. If you stand in the middle of the concrete show floor, close your eyes, and just take the littlest whiff, you maybe—just maybe— might still detect the faintest aroma of skate sanitizer in the air.

THEN: Frontier Village

Opened: 1961

Closed: 1980

Some recent articles and videos (like this AWESOME one from Lost Parks of Northern California) have perhaps introduced you to Frontier Village, the Disneyland of San Jose back in the day. And from what I’ve learned, it was completely and utterly charming. Stories about the park abound, from the variety of rides and gunslinger shows, to canoe marathons, and even a Lutheran church that used to meet in the upper room of the Saloon. And overwhelmingly people that either worked in the park or visited it agree: IT SHOULD NEVER HAVE CLOSED. But you know, there’s still Happy Hollow.

NOW: Edenvale Park

Nestled just adjacent to Hayes Mansion, this park is a favorite for South San Jose residents and features beautiful walking paths, mature trees, volleyball and tennis courts, and multiple play structures including a giant climbing rock (which used to also be a slide). Also, the park nods subtly to the ghost of its past with old maps of Frontier Village in display cases, and the occasional homage to former park decor (like this little frontier house and others atop light posts in the park).

Depressed that it’s no longer a theme park? Go get a drink at the bar in Hayes Mansion, or join the groups of people that reunite every year to reminisce about the former Frontier.

Stay tuned for more “Now and Thens” coming soon!

Searchlight San Jose

Uncovering the "secrets" of The Littlest Big CIty!

Category Archives: History