The end is here for longtime downtown San Jose car wash
Water-conscious because of the drought, I don’t get my car washed very often. But I had to bring it this week to Pacific Hand Car Wash in downtown San Jose, which is shutting down its operation today to make room for a new development on the site. There have been plenty of similar stories lately, and there will be more to come.
What makes this one special — at least for me — is the history behind it. The spot has been a car wash since American Car Wash opened there in 1957. Back in the day, it was a Hanna tunnel wash that would bring your car through a series of brushes and water jets, but Pacific took out the machinery and converted it to a hand wash years ago, with crews of maroon-shirted guys vacuuming your vehicle, soaping it up and drying it off out front.
Pacific isn’t cheap — a full-service wash, including an interior vacuum and wipe down, costs $35 — and you can devote the better part of an hour there, or longer if there’s a big line. But a good car wash is like a good haircut — worth the wait and money if you want it to look spiffy. There are some very good car washes around the valley, but Pacific was the place to go if you lived anywhere near downtown.
Over six decades, downtown has sprung up around Pacific, with City Hall, a city parking garage and the new First United Methodist Church transforming the block from its grittier days. And now the car wash and the lot next to it will give way to SJSC Towers, a mixed-use project with two 28-story residential buildings, retail and office space.
But this isn’t an unhappy ending for Pacific, which is owned by Helen Tang and her family. The plan was for the operation to move directly into a new home at East Santa Clara and 22nd streets by the time closing day came. But delays connected to the recycled water system at that site pushed its completion date back by at least two months. In the meantime, Pacific’s employees will be working at the company’s other location on Bascom and Hamilton in Campbell.
FOOD, FUN AND FUND RAISING >> There are still tickets available for A Taste of Los Gatos, the annual fund-raiser for the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Foundation, which is Sept. 10 at McCarthy Family Estate Vineyards. As in the past, the benefit features bites from popular Los Gatos eateries, as well as wine and craft beer from the area, and tickets are available for $150 at lgmspf.org/taste-of-los-gatos.html.
Expect some lively bidding in the live auction given two of the items on the block. The first is a progressive dinner party for four with winep-aired courses at Bywater, Enoteca La Storia and Forbes Mill Steakhouse, along with post-dinner delights from Los Gatos Coffee Roasting and Icing on the Cake. And the second might be more interesting for non-foodies: A ride-along with Los Gatos Police Chief Michael D’Antonio. Who knows? Maybe he’ll stop at Happy Hound.
USE THE FORCE >> The Golden Gate Bridge is one of 20 global landmarks that will be part of an augmented reality experience this week for Force Friday, marking the launch of toys and other products tied to December’s “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” Through Sunday, fans within a mile of the Bay Area landmark can open up their Star Wars app, select “Find the Force” and see a 10-second augmented reality scene showing a Star Destroyer and two TIE Fighters over the bridge.