What is THAT beer doing under my tree?

This morning after dropping a fare at SJC, I passed by the new BevMo on Lincoln Avenue in Willow Glen. Noticing a Grand Opening banner on the storefront I wondered how the business was faring.

Any chain store opening in Willow Glen is met with trepidation. When Longs announced wanting to locate here alarms sounded throughout the village. Everything from too much traffic to shopping carts hanging out on every corner would be the ruin of us all. Longs is now a fixture and so far Willow Glen has suffered no curses.

  BevMo went through much the same. Overheard in the Glen the quivering voices–What will become of the wine shop up the Avenue?– We already have a liquor store!–Dirty men will be sitting in the gutters tossing back little brown bags. Hide the children! Hide the dogs!
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Photo by DC Metroblogger

Look at that little sticker on the back of this San Jose taxi: CNG.

So that’s a natural gas powered taxi. How odd. Why is this taxi burning cleanish fuel while the next dozen are using the usual gasoline?

I heard a rumor it has something to do with the San Jose airport, or maybe it was SFO. That CNG taxis could go there every day while others only every other day. True?

Is this San Jose being more green than San Francisco too? Might there be a SJ vs. SF rivalry after all – on the environmental front even?

Better yet, do you know a CNG taxi driver or ridden in one? Was it different? Or cheaper? Or did you even care?

At dinner the other night in San Jose I met some very interesting, politically active San Jose residents. They had lived 1 block from me in the Mission in the 90s, then relocated to San Jose. As Chester pointed out in an earlier comment on an SJ post, yes, some people do desire to live in San Jose, when given a choice to life in SF! So my dinner companion shared this bit of information with me.
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There’ll be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight–The Tech Museum will present the 2006 Tech Award Laureates.

The awards will honor the achievements of 25 people. Their ideas, using  technology to benefit humanity, were selected from the 951 entries received from 98 countries.

For Wayan, our visitor from DC Metroblogger, if you see someone in San Jose who looks like Bill Gates, it may very well be him.

Tonight in San Jose, at The Tech Museum, Bill Gates will receive the 2006 James C. Morgan Global Humanitarian Award for his philanthropic support of global humanitarian projects.

And The Honorees Are:
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My gilded cage

This week I am down in San Jose and although I’ve never been here before and I’m not even a San Francisco resident (I’m a DC Metroblogger) I note there is a little Jose-Frisco rivalry.

For any of you in San Francisco that could be possibly worried by your southern neighbours:

chill.

San Jose is LA North at best – way too much hype, too many freeways, and too little of anything that resembles a worthy lifestyle.

I am currently trapped in the Fairmont San Jose and after the concierge actually laughed when I asked what fun might be had within walking distance, I have acquiesced.

I am confined by geography until freedom on Friday – the freedom of ‘Frisco.

..the citizen who thinks he sees that the commonwealth’s political clothes are worn out, and yet holds his peace and does not agitate for a new suit, is disloyal; he is a traitor.
- A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court

My 18 year old daughter called me from college the other day, saying that there had been  anti-war protesters on campus. They were spouting the proverbial, impeach Bush, and other anti-war slogans. But, then she heard things that really bothered her.
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I thought I would give an office view update, inspired by Poormojo’s post. My mood is so much better this past week, ever since I moved back into an office with a window. And this is the best view that I have had in the five years I have worked at (that big tech company in San Jose).

While it doesn’t compare to the San Francisco office view, looking out over orchards and cows isn’t a bad way to spend the day if I have to be hunched over my computer working.

The juxtaposition between the pastoral scene outside and the high-tech work that we are doing inside still makes me stop, reflect, and think of words like “juxtaposition.”

On Friday night, October 20th, the Montgomery Theater in downtown San Jose hosts the 6th Annual Asian Comedy Night.

Go to the 7:00 P.M. PG-rated show or the 9:30 R-rated show, both shows headlining the talents of Amy Anderson, Tony Dijamco, and Paul Varhese.

For more information, visit www.asiantheater.org.

To quote The Mamas And The Papas, “Monday Monday, so good to me, Monday Monday, it was all I hoped it would be…”

I’m not in the habit of looking forward to Mondays, but as a taxi driver, this particular Monday has been on my hurry-up-and-get-here list for awhile now.

The new direct connector ramp from Airport Boulevard to southbound I-880 was opened to the public today making exiting the Mineta San Jose International Airport much easier.

Armed with an intense desire and my SF-Metroblogging card, I was able to gain access to the I-880/Coleman Avenue Interchange Project Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. I stood outside of the clear plastic tent listening to a few short speeches. Those in attendance were then offered a VTA bus ride to view the new route.

I asked a fellow who looked as though he might know if the bus tour invitation was open to everyone. As he was thinking over my question, I again flashed my Metroblogging card and began to explain blogging, when he said that I could follow him.

By following him, I found myself on the bus sitting behind Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez and U.S. House of Representative Zoe Lofgren. Across the aisle was U.S. House of Representative Mike Honda. Not bad company.

The group boarded onto two VTA buses, and our tour began. Our driver made a skillful u-turn and we started our decent down the new ramp. At the entrance to the tunnel we got off of the bus for the official Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.

There is still much work to be done at the airport, but at least the new I-880/Coleman Interchange will make every day of the week, not just Monday, more enjoyable.
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Do you avoid downtown San Jose at night because of the cops or the thugs? It is a toss-up for me, but Studio 8 is betting on the cops. They have sued the San Jose Police Department for driving away patrons.

Now I will make a confession: I had my last birthday at Studio 8 (way back in December, so a girl can change, right?). We didn’t want to go to San Francisco that weekend, so the options were very limited. There are many reasons why I haven’t been back: bad music, the bad crowd, the fact that they shut down at 1:30…oh, and the closed down streets and cops everywhere when you leave, making you feel like your life would be in danger if you were allowed to drive down 3rd Street or walk to your car without a cop staring at you.

If you haven’t been to downtown San Jose lately (and that’s most of you, I bet), you probably haven’t seen all of the baracades, closed-off streets, and police that appear weekend nights. Let me tell you, it really adds to the fun, fun-filled, big-city atmosphere. I guess they are trying to reduce crime and all of that. But isn’t San Jose supposed to be the safest big city in America?

Anyway, San Jose Inside has a whole thugs v. cops discussion because of the lawsuit. If you want to get the Silicon Valley geek crowd to downtown San Jose, open some martini bars that stay open late, and don’t act like we are on the verge of riots every Saturday night at 2AM. We don’t really care about the thug or cop scene.