Downtown Hotels and Events

San Jose - The Right Route - Courtesy www.pme-math.org

Chuck Reed is a man with a mission. The 60 year old Mayor of The City Of San Jose is committed to improving the quality of life in the City. What was largely farming land of undulating orchards is now the global center of computer technology. However thanks to a far-sighted civic administration none of the influx of modern technology has affected the natural pastoral setting of the region. In fact, Mr Reed is all out to make things better.

San Jose remains home to the largest concentration of tech-experts in the world with more than 6,600 technology companies employing an astounding 254,000 people. Demographics mark out nearly one third each of Whites, Hispanics and the techno-savvy Asians settled here. Its location within the booming local technology industry has turned it from Prune Capital to the Capital of Silicon Valley.

The short Guadalupe River runs from the Santa Cruz Mountains to flow through San Jose. A three miles downtown stretch from Interstate 280 to Interstate 880 has been turned into a humongous urban park as part of the River Park and Gardens Development, one of the largest in U.S. Farther inland the city lies protected on three sides by mountains to flourish in the huge expanse of the low lying valley areas. With little rainfall San Jose gets good sunshine all through the year. The onset of the dry summer days now has all the vegetation drying up lending the rolling hills a golden hue.

It’s a town of great many contrasts where the traditional mixes with the modern and of course you can’t escape the strong Spanish influence. You get a sense of old Spain in the heart of San Jose. In fact, at times you feel that you are almost in a timeless Spanish setting. With the advent of its technocratic environment San Jose got its world-renowned downtown along with a wide variety of exciting cultural, recreational and entertainment options. The marvelous ethnic diversity and the beautiful climate mark it out as a tourist destination par excellence.

What is truly futuristic about this flat city is its response to ‘go green’. Starting this July the city is committing itself to a 15 year ambitious plan to get all electricity from renewable sources by 2022. Additionally, it is to add 25,000 green jobs, keep all waste out of landfills, and renovate 50 million square feet of office space to green standards. This does not really look impossible for a city that has stuck to its guns to keep skyscrapers at bay.

Healthy living seems to be a way of life here. It is one of the few places where steps to reduce light pollution are on by way of replacing outdoor lighting with low pressure sodium lamps. July 1st has also seen the launch of a new program to sort through garbage from all multi-family complexes and extract everything that can be recycled or composted. On the anvil is the campaign against single-serve bottled water! Yes it is an environment conscious city – no doubts there.

The City of San Jose has a rich history, one that is apparent over the years by its changing landscapes and pulsating community life. Diversity co-exists amicably in this vibrant society that celebrates life and living as seriously as it does every thing else. They know how to work hard and to play hard. As the hub of Silicon Valley, San Jose has become a popular destination for tourists and business travelers alike. Events held at the 425,000-square-foot San José McEnery Convention Center draw people from throughout the world. Visitors find many amenities in the City’s revitalized downtown area including fine accommodations, world-class restaurants and shops. You have umpteen opportunities for exploring the many many Arts and Culture venues and the Parks and Recreation facilities.

Besides regularly hosting tech-savvy conventions and seminars there is a whole lot of recreational agenda that keeps a visitor happy. Come August and you have events galore to keep everybody busy. Children are heading for the Musical Theater for the West Side Story performance. For adults the DUB Show, CDN Live and the Philippine Folk Dance Show besides the 33 Annual Tapestry Arts Festival offer lively entertainment. In fact the fun never stops here. The many museums, wineries, restaurants, shopping complexes, the night life, the sporting events-all will keep visitors happily engaged.

Not to be missed is the San Jose Flea Market located in the heart of the city. It is the largest open-air market in the U.S. and has become a California landmark with over four million visitors each year.The diversity of people, food, and music at the San Jose Flea Market epitomizes the melting pot on which the Bay Area prides itself. From an agrarian community raising apricots, walnuts, cherries and plums to have emerged as a renowned high-tech center housing Hewlett Packard, IBM, Hitachi, Adobe Systems, Cisco, BEA Systems, Lockheed Martin and Flextronics among others, San Jose is now the tenth largest US city.

Anytime you’ve had it with the cloistered machines, you can escape to this one-of-a-kind city. The Downtown San Jose hotel site will guide you all the way and as you stand on the city outskirts you will marvel the natural scenery. Step out to watch the rolling knolls against the backdrop of the Silicon Valley. Fresh air and open skies is all that will surround you out here along with the most picturesque view. Breathe in. Breathe out. Ummmm you’re gonna love it here.