Starbucks opens store in new housing tower
SAN JOSE >> A newly opened Starbucks in a downtown San Jose housing tower is poised to be one of the key retail anchors in a complex of two residential highrises.
The store also can help revitalize that section of downtown and expand the traditional boundaries of the city’s urban core, city officials and a real estate executive believe.
The ubiquitous coffee house leased 2,500 square feet on the ground floor of Miro, a mixed-use housing, restaurant, retail and commercial complex on East Santa Clara between North Fourth Street and North Fifth Street that has 630 residential units.
“Starbucks is great for us, it’s great to get our first retail tenant,” said Ted Mcmahon, chief investment officer with Bayview Development Group, developer of the new Miro towers.
“We are pleased to see Starbucks investing in our East Santa Clara corridor and look forward to having a good neighbor at a downtown corner that needs activation,” San Jose City Councilmember Raul Peralez said in an email.
The coffee shop, with entrances on East Santa Clara and on North Fifth Street, employs about 25 people, “mainly San Jose State University students,” said Kelly Kline, chief economic development and land use officer with the office of San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo.
Miro has 19,000 square feet of commercial space that’s expected to include a restaurant. Its second-floor commercial site could be offices or retail.
“Miro extends the boundaries of where we consider the downtown to be,” Mcmahon said. “It adds to and extends the vibrancy of this neighborhood.”
Just because you may be stuck at home during the pandemic doesn’t mean you can’t explore the greater world. Here’s a sampling of family-friendly in-person and virtual Bay Area shows, concerts, activities and other events over the next several weeks.
All Together Now! — A Global Event Celebrating Local Theatre: 2 p.m. Saturday and 8 p.m. Sunday (with a livestream simulcast Nov. 14), 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. Enjoy a musical revue featuring songs from beloved shows such as “Les Miserables,” “Rent,” “Frozen,” “Guys and Dolls” and more. $15 to $50. paplayers.org
Berkeley Chamber Performances — Milou Trio and Friends: 7 p.m. Nov. 22 through Dec. 5. Hear a program that includes Milhaud, Poulenc and Ravel. $20. Berkeley Chamber: bit. ly/2zpbjeb
Berkeley Playhouse — ‘Into the Woods’: Nov. 19 through Dec. 23, 2640 College Ave, Berkeley. Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine weave classic Grimm’s fairy tales together in this musical full of depth and magic. Playhouse: bit.ly/3fqndj4
Berkeley Symphony presents Stuart Canin & Friends: 4 p.m. Nov. 21, Piedmont Center for the Arts, 801 Magnolia Ave., Piedmont. Hear violinist Canin and pianist Helene Wickett performing works by Shostakovich, Stravinsky and Beethoven. $35. berkeleysymphony.org
Fall Family Festival: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, 535 South Shore Center, Alameda. Enjoy family friendly activities, food trucks, live music, face painting and more. Off The Grid: bit. ly/3k1xnt4
Historical Walking Tours of History Park: 10 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. A museum guide will lead small groups of visitors through San Jose’s History
Park discussing the historical and architectural background of each building. $0 to $12. historysanjose.org
If a Tree Falls — Art of the Boundary Oak: Now through Feb. 13, Bedford Gallery, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. A memorial to the city of Walnut Creek’s signature 325-year-old Valley Oak, which fell during a windstorm in October 2019. bedfordgallery.org
It’s A Wonderful Life — A Live Radio Play: Dec. 1-26, Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. This holiday production offers the 1946 film as a 1940s-era radio play presented in a fun and theatrical style. Video streaming will be offered also. Ticket prices start at $30. theatreworks.org
Let Us Entertain You — Vintage Amusements from Earlier Eras: Now through Feb. 13, Museum of American Heritage, 351 Homer Ave., Palo Alto. moah. org
Mason Razavi Organ
Trio — Fall for Wes: 7 p.m. Tuesday (and on demand Nov. 17 through Dec. 5), Tabard Theatre, 29 N. San Pedro St., San Jose. Hear jazz guitarist Mason Razavi and his organ trio play standards, originals and some of the jazz greats’ most memorable tunes. $10 to $25. www. tabardtheatre.org
Mission Chamber Orchestra of San Jose Concert: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Scottish Rite Center Auditorium, 2455 Masonic Drive, San Jose. MCOSJ will perform three new works by California composers. Free. missionchamber.org/eventstickets
Murder Mystery Dinner Fundraiser: Saturday, Holy Rosary Church Dominican Hall at 1313 A St., Antioch. An Old West-themed murder mystery show will be presented by Caught in the Act Theater. Dinner includes barbecue chicken and pulled pork with appetizers, sides and dessert. Prizes will be awarded for the best detectives and best costumes. $65 to $75. knights-of-columbus-108281.square.site
Palo Alto Players — “The Revolutionists”: Now through Nov. 21, Lucie Stern Theater, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. A comedy about four women who try not to lose their heads as they fight for equality and attempt to save the soul of France. Streaming ondemand Nov. 18-21. $20 to $57. paplayers.org
Patterns of Intimacy Art Exhibit: Noon to 6 p.m. Saturday through Dec. 13, Omiiroo Gallery, 471 Ninth
St. in Oakland. This exhibit is about the representation of bodies of color. Opening night 6-8 p.m. Saturday. monashomali.com
St. Paul’s Concert Series: 7 p.m. Saturday, 1924 Trinity Ave., Walnut Creek. Hear violinist Heeguen Song and cellist Peter Myers in a live performance. The concert will also be broadcast online. $10 to $20. stpaulswc. org/concert-series
Swift Justice: Live now through Nov. 21 and on demand Nov. 22 through Dec. 5, Tabard Theatre, San Pedro Square, San Jose.
This play is based on the historical true-crime book by Harry Farrell about a
1933 abduction in the quiet town of San Jose, when a young man named Brooke Hart was kidnapped while leaving his father’s department store. $16 to $45. tabardtheatre.org
The Mill Valley Chamber Music Society Concert Series: 5 p.m. Sundays through May 15 at Mount Tamalpais United Methodist Church, 410 Sycamore Ave. in Mill Valley. This series includes five performances featuring local and internationally-known classical musicians. $40. chambermusicmillvalley.org
Tri-valley Artists Studio Tour: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday-sunday. Visit more than 55 local artists in their studios during this weekend event at Darcie Kent Vineyards’ Almost Famous Wine Lounge, 2271D S. Vasco Road, Livermore. TVASTART. com
ZOPPÉ — An Italian Family Circus: Now through
Nov. 21, 1044 Middlefield Road, Redwood City. This one-ring circus honors the history of the Old World Italian tradition and stars Nino the Clown and other thrilling acts. Prices vary. www. redwoodcity.org/zoppe
VIRTUAL EVENTS
BATS Improv Online Shows: This San Franciscobased improv group will stream free shows each week to bring a little improv magic into homes via Zoom. At 7:30 p.m. on the night of each show, click the link next to the show you want to see to connect to the BATS virtual theater. improv. org/online-shows
Bay Area Children’s Theatre Creativity Corner:
This virtual “playborhood” offers kids stories that unfold via video, plus followup activities they can do on their own, inspired by the make-believe they’ve seen. Parents can submit their children’s creations to BACT, which is planning to share examples online. bactheatre. org
Beat the Lock Escape Room: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Solve a virtual escape room with your friends via an audio/video call and live feed that lets you play by instructing a game master to search for clues. $25. beatthelock.com
Bringing BADM to You:
Bay Area Discovery Museum offers a series of fun, engaging learning experiences to enjoy as a family. Explore three different themes — science and math; body and brain; and talk and play — designed to develop skills for children to succeed in school and life. Within each theme, you’ll find step-bystep videos and activities with instructions written out. bayareadiscoverymuseum.org/bringing-badmto-you
Broadcast Platform, Marshstream: 7:30 p.m. nightly. Programming varies by night with offerings including short performances, book/writer discussions, singalongs, storytelling, game nights and more. Find more information online at themarsh.org.
Concord Couch Concerts:
8 p.m. first Friday of the month. This showcase for local indie bands and artists will be streamed on Facebook Live and Youtube; facebook.com/concordcouchconcerts and youtube. com/c/concordcouchconcerts.
Diablo Symphony Orchestra Virtual Concerts:
First Thursday of each month, featuring works that have been performed and recorded at Lesher Center for the Arts in past years. diablosymphony.org
18 Reasons Cooking School: Check out a slate of new online classes. You may not have everything listed in the equipment and shopping list, but instructors will give you guidance on how to adapt their recipes to what you have access to. Learn new recipes and techniques. 18reasons.org
Festival Napa Valley’s Remote Ensemble Project:
This virtual performance of the “Va, Pensiero” chorus from Verdi’s opera “Nabucco” features instrumentalists and singers from 26 states, eight countries and five continents. They represent two dozen orchestras, ensembles, opera companies and music conservatories, such as the Juilliard School, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and San Francisco Opera Orchestra. The performance can be seen on Festival Napa Valley’s Youtube channel: youtu.be/
JHV9WLVNYXA.
Full Moon Fridays — Live Cabaret Series: 8 p.m. Fridays. Featuring live cabaret style performances. facebook.com/42ndstreetmoon
Funkmode Dance Studio Digital Workouts: Offering free dance videos, including breakdance, hip hop, youth dance party and more. Find the videos at youtube.com/ USER/FUNKMODE.
Lamplighters Music Theatre Multimedia: Lamplighters brings their wit and musicality to the virtual stage with an inside look into the company and the rich history of Gilbert and Sullivan. The monthly assortment includes new interviews and video essays, alongside archival vignettes highlighting the best of the company’s 68-year performance history. Free. lmt. lamplighters.org/patreon
Livermore Shakes Educates: A Shakespeare resource webpage for kids and parents, this is an extension of the company’s “So Wise So Young” program for second, third and fourth graders. livermoreshakes. org/educates
Mount Diablo Peace & Justice Center 2020 Art & Writing Challenge: Middle and high school students in Contra Costa County are invited to submit visual art (any medium), creative writing and essays on the topic of “Our Connected Planet.” No fee. tinyurl.com/mdpjcartandwriting2020
Persian and Central Asian Dance Classes: Take daily classes on Zoom with teachers from nations and regions all over the world including Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, China’s Xinjiang region and more. $10 to $20. pomegranategardendance. com
Square One Yoga: Stay fit and grounded practicing live, interactive yoga. Check out the schedule of classes available at bayareane. ws/2yfh3oc.