Football could score big in San José if developer Lew Wolff’s plans for a new facility are realized. A shared stadium would be a win-win for both Major League Soccer and the San José State University Spartans. Lew Wolff would bring Futbol back to town with a new team to be called the San José Earthquakes.

The SJSU contribution would be the University owned land on East Alma Avenue at South 10th Street. The dual-use facility would be built by Wolff. This sweetheart deal would include up to six community soccer fields near Kelly Park.
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Specialized Angel

The 2007 Amgen Tour of California began today on the streets of San Francisco with the 1.9-mile individual time trials.

Monday morning, at 11:00 AM, the almost 100 miles of Stage 1 will begin in Sausalito. The cyclists will head north where enthusiastic crowds are expected to welcome the racers to Santa Rosa.

Tuesday, sometime just before 2:00 PM, the the cyclists should be giving it their all as they make a grand entry into Sacramento. Crossing Tower Bridge they will get their first view of California’s Capitol Building.

Tuesday night the local 1590 KLIV will present an interview with Greg LeMond, the first American to win the Tour de France Championship. I believe the program may be taped.
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Happy Lunar New Year actually. The Year of the Pig (or Boar).

Celebrated by the Chinese, Koreans, and Vietnamese, among others. These countries use the Lunar calendar for their traditional holidays and the Gregorian calendar for other day-to-day activities. The Japanese celebrate New Years on January 1. Before the late 1800’s the Japanese celebrated the Lunar New Year.

Joy, Harmony, and Good Fortune!

Dan

A dazzling blue sky, a slight breeze, and with the temperature floating between 65° and 70°, it was a perfect morning in San José for a bike ride.

The “WEBCOR San José King-Of-The-Mountain Ride” is one demanding segment of the upcoming 2007 Amgen Tour of California. Sierra Road is a 3.7-mile, 1830-foot climb, with an average gradient of 10%. Today’s preview climb gave local cyclists a chance to compare their endurance and times against that of the professional racers.

Participants in this mornings race met at City Hall for a pre-ride breakfast, where I spoke with one of the cyclists, Dan of Low-Key Hillclimbs. He was able to answer some of my questions concerning the race.

With the announcement of the May 2008 “San José Classic,” I got the feeling that San José, which was once known as the Valley of Heart’s Delight and is now called the Heart of Silicon Valley, would one day be known as The Heart of California Cycling.
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There, I’ve said it. It is the type of show that can be used as a tool to ease your mind, make you forget your hectic workday, and it is just fun. If you are too busy playing with your Decitrig (Slide Rule) to watch TV, make an exception and catch the next Idol.

If you live in Saratoga you just might see where your pool boy, Paul Kim, is spending his time. Paul is one of the 24 semi-finalists on “American Idol”

Paul’s MySpace

I’m not a Dixie Chicks fan, and I couldn’t even begin to hum a Mary J. Blige tune, so why was I so mad that I missed The Grammys? One name, Sting. If that means the “Police”, so be it. I felt hopeful when I heard that, in celebration of the band’s 30th anniversary, a concert tour would begin on May 28th in Vancouver. I almost wore out Google looking for San José, or a city near by.

The cities that had been chosen so far were Vancouver, Seattle, Denver, Las Vegas, Manchester, Phoenix, Dallas, New Orleans, St. Louis, Toronto, Montreal, Boston, and New York. What? Nothing planned for the San Francisco’s Bay Area? San Francisco was not on the list, no Oakland, and they couldn’t find San José? I gave up and shut down my Mac.

Then this morning, I heard the good news! The “Police” are coming to the *HP Pavilion. Way to go San José.

* UPDATE It looks as though I received some bogus information–The Police will still be preforming in the Bay Area, but not in San José. On June 13 we will have to drive up 880 to the Oakland’s McAfee Coliseum.

If you want to try some food that’s been smoked, come down to Smoke Tiki Lounge. I’ve been there twice - for lunch and for dinner. We got there for lunch at about noon. The lounge was only half full (or half empty). Between 12:30 and 1pm, more and more people filed in. I guess it was because of the amount of people to take care of, but the waitresses seemed to just grab your order and move on. Their patience was limited and, unfortunately, this was my first visit. Beyond that, the food is great! I had a 1/2 portion of smoked chicken breast (1/4 might have been enough for one), seasoned steak fries, and garlic bread.

If you read the reviews on Yelp, you may be discouraged to come in for dinner. On some nights, mainly Thursday, Friday, and the weekend, there is either live or DJ music. But looking passed the reviews about the bartenders, the badly planned dance floor, and whatever else, one thing always shines: the food. We got there at 6pm on a Tuesday. The restaurant was practically empty…perhaps the quiet before the storm. There were a few on the patio, one at the bar, and one eating at a small table. We were seated and welcomed. The service was outstanding. Maybe it’s beneficial to go on a week night before the dinner rush shows up. This time I had more of the same food I had had for lunch. But I also had some chicken on the bone and the Mac & Cheese. The meat just fell off the bone and the Mac and Cheese dish was good and a little spicy. The food was great, spicy but great. Yes, if you have a problem with spicy foods, you may want to check out their menu on their web site to see if something else tickles your fancy. If spicy is fine by you and it’s just you and one other person, I may suggest getting a 2-Way Smoke Combo Plate: 2 meats, 2 sides, and a piece of garlic bread. But you might want to order some extra garlic bread.

The food is great. The music had a jungley tiki theme to it. The atmosphere is fun and interesting. At one point, I felt like I was eating near the Jungle Cruise in Adventureland at Disneyland. Did I mention the Smoke Tiki Lounge is great?

I give the Smoke Tiki Lounge a 8 of 10.

The Smoke Tiki Lounge is located at the corner of Post and San Pedro in Downtown San Jose.

Our first MetroBlogging Holiday together-How sweet it is.

KUBO-pick up some Belgian chocolates, a lovely orchid and a candle.
1377 Lincoln Ave., Willow Glen

Schurra’s Candy Factory-Candy & Confectionery
840 The Alameda, San José

Shuei-Do Manju Shop
217 Jackson Street, San José
Manju are a Japanese delicacy. They come in all forms and colors, shapes and sizes. Some are baked, some put on sticks, some are made with sweet rice (mochi) and some made with rice powder. They are often filled with a sweet bean paste called “an”. Shuei-do was honored to have their manju served to the Emperor of Japan on their last visit to the United States.

Chocolate Affaire
603 E Calaveras Blvd, Milpitas

Kendon Candies- the oldest Lollipop Factory in the United States
460 Perrymont Ave, San José

Happy New Year! The Vietnamese Spring Festival & Parade is this Sunday afternoon downtown San Jose.

There will be the usual activities to help celebrate the New Year - arts and crafts, live performances, martial art demonstrations, games for the kids, and food booths. I am looking forward to the food! The pho, fresh spring rolls, barbecue pork, beef and chicken skewers, vermicelli noodle. Yum!

Be aware that there will be traffic problems due to the large number of people attending and the street closures due to the parade - Market Street between St. John and San Carlos.

Click here for time and locations.

One of my favorite radio stations here in San José is 98.5 KFOX. It is suitable for the majority of my taxi customers. This morning I was making my way back to the downtown listening to my favorite KFOX DJ, Greg Kihn of “Jeopardy” fame. He was speaking with a group of Leigh High students who have come up with a way to raise funds for the Leigh High School Madrigals, and at the same time make someones Valentine happy.

The Madrigals will show how much you care by surprising your Valentine at work with a Singing Valentine package. Think how special he or she would feel to receive all that love while their coworkers looked on with joy. This is something I would appreciate if only my office wasn’t on four wheels. (Business addresses only!)

Yes, there are always rules:
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