New listing at The Plaza in downtown San Jose. This condo for sale includes 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and is approximately 1235 square feet. The condo is listed for $300,000 as a short sale. The condo features hardwood floors and plenty of space in the living room and kitchen. The Plaza is located in downtown San Jose just minutes away from the San Pedro Square Market, HP Pavilion, and many other restaurants and theaters.

If you would like more information about this condo for sale at The Plaza, please contact Silicon Valley Lofts & Condos at (408) 297-5638. This property is listed by Janet Houde, Broker. For more information about other condos for sale in downtown San Jose, contact the top downtown real estate agents at Silicon Valley Lofts & Condos at (408) 297-5638.

Have you been out to the San Pedro Square Market recently? If you haven’t, you’re missing out on one of downtown San Jose’s most unique venues. Vino Vino Wine Bar, Pizza Bucca Lupo, Crewners, and the San Pedro Market Bar have all been open for a while now. Vino Vino features wines-on-tap and a delicious menu of panini and other small bites. Pizza Bucca Lupo serves authentic Neapolitan-style pizza served searing hot from their gorgeous imported pizza oven. The San Pedro Market Bar recently started their $4 happy hour weekdays from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm and all day Sunday. And Crewners Barbershop is serving customers in their vintage single chair shop.

Several other food shops have recently opened in the San Pedro Square Market. B2 Coffee serves custom brewed coffees as well as traditional espresso drinks. Little Chef Counter is a micro-bistro serving fresh California-style cuisine. And Robee’s Falafel serves a wide-variety of authentic Mediterranean food. On a recent weekday lunch hour, the market was hopping! Other shops coming soon include Treatbot (ice cream), Veggie Box (locally grown produce, dairy, and eggs), Crepe-Paris (crepes and Belgian waffles), Loteria Taco Bar, Blush Raw Bar & Lounge, and The Little Cheese Shop (selling cheese, charcuterie, and other gourmet foods).

Venture out before a San Jose Sharks hockey game for pizza and beer, stop by for a weekday lunch, or enjoy a drink with friends after work. You just may discover your new favorite place to hang out in downtown San Jose.

What: San Pedro Square Market

Where: 87 N. San Pedro Street
In downtown San Jose across from City Heights high-rise condominium complex

For more information check out their website at http://www.sanpedrosquaremarket.com/

The 2012 Silicon Valley International Auto Show starts Thursday and runs through Sunday at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in downtown San Jose. Come test drive a Ford, Toyota, Chrysler, Chevy, Buick or GMC. See the latest electric vehicles such as the Ford Focus Electric, the Chevrolet Volt, the Nissan LEAF™, the latest from Fisker, and the CODA EV Sedan. Vehicles making their debut at the Silicon Valley Auto Show include the Fiat 500, the Hyundai Velostar, and the Mazda3. Other highlights of the show include: the Exotic Vehicle Collection featuring Bentley, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Rolls Royce and Lotus; the Sony Digital Link Sound System (DSP) Demonstration; Main Hobbies RC Exhibit; and Corvette and Ferrari Club Displays. For more information visit www.motortrendautoshows.com/sanjose.

What: 2012 Silicon Valley International Auto Show

Where: San Jose McEnery Convention Center
150 W. San Carlos Street in downtown San Jose

When: Thursday, January 5 – Sunday, January 8
Thursday – Saturday 10:00am – 10:00pm
Sunday 10:00am – 6:00pm

If you’re still looking for something to do on New Year’s Eve, there is still plenty of time to plan a fabulous night out in downtown San Jose. From comedy to clubs, there’s something for everyone to do.

ComedySportz
288 So. 2nd Street
10:00 pm show will feature a countdown to midnight, party favors, and dessert. Visit comedysportzsanjose.com for more information.

Agenda Lounge
399 So. 1st Street
New Year’s Eve Explosion – 2 levels of New Year’s Eve fun – great DJs, live countdown, party favors, balloons, champagne toast. Hotel packages with Club entrance available. Visit www.agendalounge.com for more information.

Fahrenheit Ultra Lounge
99 E. San Fernando Street
New Year’s Eve Celebration featuring a live countdown and balloon drop at midnight, champagne toast, hosted open bar and buffet. Visit www.fahrenheitsj.com for more information

Poor House Bistro
91 So. Autumn Street
New Year’s Eve Party Inside the House – Drinks, dinner and dancing to live music. Reservations are required. Visit www.poorhousebistro.com for more information.

The San Jose Fairmont Hotel
170 So. Market Street
The New Year’s Eve Black Tie Gala – Celebrate in style at the Fairmont Hotel. Your evening starts with a champagne reception, followed by a 5-course gourmet dinner with wine pairings. You’ll enjoy dancing and a champagne toast at midnight. Other packages available. Visit www.fairmont.com/san jose for more information.

And just for the kids…

Children’s Discovery Museum
180 Woz Way
Noon Year’s Eve – make noise makers, decorate party hats, and participate in a countdown. For more information visit www.cdm.org.

Most important, please be safe – Don’t Drink and Drive.
VTA will be offering free service on all light rail and bus lines from 7:00 pm Saturday until 3:59 am Sunday.

At the San Jose Downtown Association’s (SJDA) winter board meeting last Friday, the long-rumored decision was finally made and the plug was pulled on downtown San Jose’s Music in the Park.

The popular concert series started out in 1989 as a Friday lunchtime series. The following year it moved to Thursday nights. Music in the Park has hosted such acclaimed acts as Tower of Power, Pete Escovedo, Smash Mouth, Greg Kihn, and Third Eye Blind, just to name a few.

Downtown residents and merchants were becoming more and more frustrated with the types of crowds some of the acts were drawing. What was once a family friendly environment had recently turned into an old Day on the Green atmosphere, with a smoky haze wafting over the crowd, and groups of hooligans congregating at the south end of the park. A stabbing in the downtown McDonald’s parking lot in June seems to have sealed the fate of the downtown San Jose musical institution.

The SJDA will continue to support other summer events such as Starlight Cinemas, the Downtown San Jose’s Farmers’ Market at San Pedro Square, South First Fridays, and Dine Downtown restaurant week. They also announced plans for new programming that will be aimed at downtown San Jose professionals, residents and families. Some of the new programming includes:

• HER city – An after-work event aimed at women that will include downtown social activities built around food, beverages, networking and beauty and spa services.
• FUNday SUNday – Perfect for families, FUNday SUNday will take advantage of our perfect California weather and will combine music, dance and interactive activities.
• Sounds of Summer - events aimed to take downtown San Jose’s emerging status as a live music destination to new levels. The SJDA will partner with other groups and producers and use its promotional expertise to help promote new and existing marquee events like Left Coast Live.

And while we’ll miss Music in the Park, as a downtown San Jose high-rise condo resident, I’m looking forward to some new and exciting events.

Hip hop fans are in for an early Christmas present this week when both the Watch the Throne Tour and The Triple Ho Show 2.0 come to downtown San Jose’s HP Pavilion.

Kanye West and Jay-Z bring their wildly popular Watch the Throne Tour to the HP Pavilion on Wednesday, December 14. The elaborate stage show features both rappers performing hits from their Watch the Throne album, as well as solo performances by both artists. Tickets are still available. Visit www.hppavilion.com for more information or to purchase tickets.

The night before, Tuesday, December 13, radio station NOW 99.7 presents the Triple Ho Show 2.0. The concert features performances by Pitbull, Taio Cruz, LMFAO, Selena Gomez, Gym Class Heroes, Breathe Carolina, and Jessie & the Toy Boys. Tickets are still available. Visit www.997now.radio.com for more information or to purchase tickets.

There are so many great holiday-themed productions happening in December in various downtown San Jose venues, it’s hard to choose which one (or two, or three) to attend. Here’s a sampling of some of the great entertainment available this holiday season.

A Christmas Carol
San Jose Repertory Theater
Now thru December 24

Relive Charles Dickens’ merry olde England in this classic play about redemption and the holiday spirit. The Rep’s version is a “feast for the senses” and features traditional carols and lavish period costumes.
Ticket prices range from $12.50 - $79.00. For more information, visit www.sjrep.com.

The Santaland Diaries by David Sedaris
City Lights Theater Company
Now thru December 18

An irreverent and outrageous portrait by beloved satirist David Sedaris, the Santaland Diaries tells the story of an out of work slacker who takes a temporary job as a Macy’s elf. He shares his observations about badly behaving parents, even worse behaving children, and even drunk and lecherous Santas.
Ticket prices range from $15.00 - $28.00. For more information, visit www.cltc.org.

The Nutcracker
Ballet San Jose – Center for the Performing Arts
December 10 – 23

The classic Tchaikovsky ballet returns to downtown San Jose. The holiday season wouldn’t be complete without a visit to see Maria and her beloved nutcracker. Even the theater itself is a wonderland of holiday surprises with lavish decorations, a boutique filled with holiday goodies, strolling carolers, and the “Pocket Lady” passes out free toys to the kiddies.
Ticket prices range from $30 - $100. For more information, visit www.balletsj.org.

Every Christmas Story Ever Told
The Stage
Now thru December 18

Every holiday pop culture icon from Frosty to the Grinch is featured in this fast-paced, irreverent rendition of everyone’s favorite Christmas stories.
Ticket prices range from $14.00 - $40.00. For more information, visit www.thestage.org.

It’s a Wonderful Life
The Tabard Theatre Company at the Theater on San Pedro Square
Now thru December 18

Join George Bailey as he experiences the highs and lows of life on his way to redemption and finding the true meaning of Christmas as this holiday icon is staged as a 1940s radio play.
Ticket prices range from $10.00 - $35.00. For more information, visit www.tabardtheatre.org.

As a downtown San Jose business owner and high-rise condo resident, I have been eagerly anticipating a new ballpark in downtown San Jose. Several developments in the past few weeks point to a resolution to the A’s moving to downtown San Jose. Mark Purdy, a sportswriter for the San Jose Mercury News, wrote an article on November 21 that made the following points:

• In early November, MLB commissioner Bud Selig met with A’s executives in Arizona to discuss the downtown San Jose ballpark plan. A request to increase the seating capacity from 32,000 to 36,000 was discussed, with the A’s owner, Lew Wolff, agreeing to the seating increase. The city of Oakland’s latest proposal for a new ballpark was apparently never discussed.

• As reported by the Fox Sports website, the commissioner has scheduled a meeting with the San Francisco Giants to discuss the territorial rights to the South Bay.

• At a MLB owners meeting in Milwaukee, Lew Wolff voted in favor of Giants’ team president Larry Baer taking over operating control of the franchise after Bud Selig recommended a “yes” vote. Could Selig have asked Baer to be more amenable in regards to the territorial rights? We shall see.

• With the collective bargaining agreement between owners and players extended through 2016, and the Los Angeles Dodgers sales issue being resolved, the commissioner’s calendar seems to have room on it to discuss the downtown San Jose ballpark situation. Perhaps there will be some movement when the MLB owners meet in Phoenix in early January.

• The early January meeting could coincide nicely with San Jose’s ability to place a ballpark referendum on the spring ballot. Any ballpark proposal will have to be approved by San Jose voters.

And on November 8, the San Jose City Council, with a vote of 10-1, agreed to give Lew Wolff and the Athletic Investment Group, LLC, an exclusive right to purchase 5.5 acres of downtown San Jose land for $6.9 million – on the condition that the land sale be put to a public vote once Bud Selig and MLB agree to an A’s move to San Jose. Many local residents cried foul over the $6.9 million price tag, which is less than 1/3 of the cost the Redevelopment Agency spent to purchase the land. But Mayor Chuck Reed quickly pointed to the HP Pavilion as a shining example of the positive impact a new baseball stadium could have on the downtown San Jose economy.

Could the new year finally bring a shiny new ballpark to downtown San Jose? Keep your fingers crossed!

Kick off the holidays in style at downtown San Jose’s Fairmont Hotel. Join them Friday, December 2 for the Winter Wonderland Opening. From 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm there will be holiday entertainment for the whole family.

The festivities will start with the unveiling of the Fairmont’s two giant white chocolate Nutcrackers created by Executive Pastry Chef Fernando Arreola. Also on display will be the Gingerbread House City by Bijan Bakery. And the Fairmont’s famous Chocolate Train will be making stops throughout the festively decorated hotel lobby. Entertainment will be provided by the Leigh High School Marching Band, the Los Merry Mariachis, Ballet San Jose, and the Harker School Choir.

The Fairmont San Jose is also your place for fine dining this Christmas. Brunch will be served on Sunday, December 25, in both the Imperial Ballroom and the Fountain Restaurant. Later that day, an elegant plated four-course dinner will be served in the Fountain Restaurant. And if you prefer to celebrate at home, you can have the Fairmont chefs prepare a full turkey or prime rib dinner to go.

Make the San Jose Fairmont hotel in downtown San Jose your premiere holiday destination this holiday season.

Just in time for the holidays, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s (VTA) historic trolley makes its debut this Friday, December 2. The festively bedecked historic trolley only comes out once a year, offering free rides to all the downtown San Jose holiday merriment like Christmas in the Park and Downtown Ice. The Candyland Express will be draped with boughs of holly, and all the stops between the Civic Center and San Jose Diridon stations will be festively adorned as well.

The historic trolley will run hourly every Friday from 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 1:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. during the month of December. The trolley will not operate December 23 - December 25 in observance of the Christmas holiday.

A holiday kick-off event is happening this Saturday, December 3 at the Paseo de San Antonio and Santa Clara stations in downtown San Jose between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Free giveaways, including tickets to the Retro Dome’s You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, will be available. Arrive early at the stations as tickets are limited.

Car 2001, this year’s featured historic trolley, was built in Milan, Italy in 1928. It operated in Italy until the mid-1980s when it was donated by the Italian government to the San Jose Trolley Corporation.

For more details on the Candyland Express, visit the VTA website at www.vta.org.