July 1, 2008

Chamber Connection

Hot Summer Nights: downtown San Jose heats up

By Pat Dando
President/CEO, San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce
Special to the Times

Move over San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego, there’s a new hot spot on the West Coast. For those of us who live in Silicon Valley, there’s no need to fill up the tank or wait in long lines at the airport. As the thermometer rises on the summer season, downtown San Jose turns up the heat a notch and with it, an invitation to head to the city’s core for a bevy of hot summer nights.

Thanks to our Northern California latitude and a boost of daylight savings time, the downtown core will be bustling with concerts, festivals, gallery exhibits and live entertainment long after dusk surrenders to the dark. It is a summer schedule of nearly round-the-clock events for the entire family.

The vision of a revitalized downtown is starting to show, thanks to the diligence of the Downtown Association and 1stAct, two organizations comprised of private sector and non-profit sector leaders on a mission to transform it into the creative urban center of Silicon Valley. The end result will surface in the form of a thriving, mixed-use regional center of arts and culture.

Downtown San Jose will become a magnet for new residents, workers, vacationers and university students. The ripple effect generated by a fresh influx of people will fuel the economy as thousands of new apartments, condominiums and hotels rise to meet the demand. Outdoor cafes will start spilling onto sidewalks, along with a lively nightlife of galleries, restaurants, theatre, live music and dancing.

One of the most dramatic accomplishments is the formation of the Property Based Improvement District (PBID). This proposal for a “clean and green city scene” is funded through property-owner assessments that were overwhelmingly approved last August by downtown property owners willing to help keep their neighborhood clean, safe and well managed by supplementing the services of the city and private property owners.

Today, a platoon of green and orange uniformed Groundwerx ambassadors are regularly seen scrubbing sidewalks, removing graffiti, picking up trash and providing other amenities along downtown streets.

More impressive is their friendly spirit and knowledge of “everything downtown,” evident by their eagerness to greet visitors and steer them in the direction of more than 70 shopping venues, 130 eateries and 33 nightlife options, or the many galleries that reflect the diverse art and culture scene in Silicon Valley.

Add to that outdoor concerts in the park, classic movie nights under the stars, week-long festivals and a cluster of performing arts venues that offer everything from opera, symphony and ballet to musicals and stand-up comedy, there’s something to suite every taste.

Additionally, more than 23,000 spaces can now be found in public and private facilities. Downtown parking has improved dramatically and many of the entertainment venues will provide free or validated parking.

With Memorial Day and another school year in the rearview mirror, many of you are starting to plan the summer months ahead. Before settling for a day of sunbathing by the pool or scrambling to plan and pack for an island vacation, I encourage you to consider the abundance of offerings for the entire family to pass the hot summer nights (and days) in style—right here in your own backyard. Better yet, why not make a weekend of it and stay in one of the seven hotels within walking distance so you can truly enjoy what downtown San Jose has to offer?

It’s a win-win for everyone, because the money you spend here instead of at an expensive resort will not only help stretch your vacation budget, it will go a long way in bolstering the local economy. Hot summer nights are here. What are you waiting for?

For links to listings of downtown events and attractions, visit www.sjchamber.com.