Its 4:45am as I wipe the crust off my sockets and prep before we head to LAX for our 2-day trip to San Jos-EE. I attended San Jose State University (SJSU) from 1991-1993 to complete my bachelor’s degree in Journalism. My last visit to San Jose was in 2002 when I briefly visited a friend in San Jose for the purposes of a Napa wine tasting trip. We only had time for a five minute drive around part of the downtown area before he dropped me off at the airport.
There were a lot of changes in those first nine years since I graduated and I expect many more over the last nine years. It should prove fun (mostly for me as Bella isn’t a sentimentalist or into nostalgia) showing Bella my old “stomping grounds” and reminiscing over the memories of my youth.
New Downtown Housing
We arrive in San Jose and in accordance with the weather report it is raining consistently. We take a shuttle to the rental car center where my lovely wife has selected a mid-size car for her 6’1” husband. I opt for the 2010 Kia Optima as I’ve test driven the 2011 and the legroom is excellent for tall people. We make our way to breakfast at Bill’s Café (A: 2089 The Alameda, San Jose, CA 95126. P: 408-244-9085. W: billscafe.com).
I feel like I may have eaten at Bill’s at some point but as usual my memory escapes me. The menu features enticing options like Croissant French Toast or Bread Pudding French Toast but my health conscious side selects a side of buckwheat pancakes and apple wood chicken sausage. Bella rolls with her standard eggs over easy and sausage links.
After breakfast we make our way to her cousin Peter’s house where we meet the kids (both born since the last time we saw them during our SF mini-honeymoon in 2007) before heading to lunch at Korean restaurant Jang Su Jang (A: 3561 El Camino Real, #10, Santa Clara, CA 95051. P: 408-246-1212). We order a variety of dishes including my standard Galbi beef ribs which have a slightly sweet marinade and the meat is much thicker than the bulgogi beef which I don’t care for.
We walk a couple of stores down to Paris Baguette (A: 3561 El Camino Real, #75, Santa Clara, CA 95051. T: 408-260-0404). I pick up two vanilla bean milk puddings (in mini “classic” milk jug jars). The taste is very milky, moderately sweet, has a smooth texture albeit not creamy and closes with a finish of caramel sauce scooped off the bottom.
Vanilla Bean Milk Pudding
Bella and I drive towards the SJSU campus with her cousin Peter trailing behind. I drop Bella off at the Radisson where most of her school’s students are rehearsing and staying while competing in the 12th Annual International Russian Music Piano Competition.
Peter and I park our cars a half a block off campus directly across the street from a location I used for one of my student films, “Theft of a Shopping Cart”, in the vein of Vittoria DeSica’s “The Bicycle Thief”. It used to be a Lucky’s grocery store and is now a Hispanic grocery which by appearance may not be in business.
Location: “Theft of a Shopping Cart”
Location: “Theft of a Shopping Cart”
We walk past what was the “new” library (the Instructional Resource Center) when I attended the university, Morris Daily Auditorium, the Journalism building, the Radio/TV/Film & Theatre Arts building, the dirt lot which will be the new student union and the new Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library. A half dozen squirrels are running rampant, climbing trees and rose bushes which waver with the sheer weight of these well-fed rodentia.
Rodentia on Campus Lawn
Afterwards we say our goodbyes and I drive back towards the Radisson to pick up Bella. On the drive over I spot a funky looking character riding a bicycle with a tent style baby carrier attached to the back and a piece of twine attached to the carrier with a tiny Chihuahua in tow. I wish I could have captured that photo.
Bella and I drive to the Yard House (A: 300 Santana Row, San Jose, CA 95128. P: 408-241-9273. W: yardhouse.com)to meet Bella’s high school classmate Jennifer. I recall this area being an older shopping plaza with the dark brown wood look popular in the 70s’. Now it is one of those (popular in California) upscale live, eat, shop and entertainment centers. I order a walnut pear appetizer salad with field greens, blue cheese, candied walnuts in a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. I enjoy my favorite beer, Pyramid Hefeweizen with a lemon slice.
Around the corner we stop in Olin Avenue Market (A: 355 Santana Row, Suite 1030, San Jose, CA 95128. P: 408-753-9136. E: olinavenuemarket@yahoo.com) for a cannolo pastry and a bottled water. The cannoli has a pretty decent “tang” (cream cheese sourness) factor, a fairly firm shell, not crisp but not soggy. The cheese tastes pretty good but the texture is a tad funky looking since they were clearly made some time ago. Also, the powdered sugar was clearly overdone on the shell.
Olin Avenue Market: Cannolo
We drive back towards downtown San Jose to check in at our hotel Four Points by Sheraton San Jose Downtown (A: 211 South 1st Street, San Jose, CA 95113. P: 408-282-8800. W: fourpoints.com). Bella naps while I use the small fitness center around the corner from our room.
Four Points Sheraton: Lobby
Four Points Sheraton: Room
An hour plus later Bella retrieves me and we walk down the street where I take exterior photos of Original Joe’s (A: 301 S. 1st Street, San Jose, CA 95113. P: 888-841-7030. W: originaljoes.com). This was a pricey (for a college student budget) Italian steakhouse where I only dined at once during my college days. This place is an institution in downtown and has been here since 1956. I wish we had more time or more “belly space” to dine here on this trip.
Original Joe’s Restaurant
Original Joe’s Restaurant
A couple stores down we enter Caffe Trieste (A: 315 S. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. P: 408-287-0400. W: caffetriestesj.com)which is known to have cannolo per Yelp. Unfortunately, they’ve run out and inform me that they won’t have any for the rest of the weekend. Apparently a local bakery makes these in advance for them. Bella orders a hot vanilla latte which tastes like hazelnut coffee with vanilla syrup added. And Francis Ford Coppola worked on the script for “The Godfather” here (the photo is on wall)? Hum…that was then, this is now.
We walk by the Fairmont Hotel (likely the fanciest in downtown), a bake shop, my art-house movie theater and a coffee house from my college days. The downtown feels “fairly” safe but it is still really darkly lit and there are some questionable looking citizens traversing the streets. When I attended SJSU the downtown was deader than a 30 pound housecat caught on a German autobahn. Also, it wasn’t known for being very safe but city officials were attempting to improve that.
Four Points Sheraton: Night
Four Points Sheraton: Bocce Ball
Four Points Sheraton: Bocce Ball
Its morning and I could “eat a horse’s face off”. We park our car near the music competition site and walk to Flames Eatery & Bar (A: 88 South Fourth Street, San Jose, CA 95112. P: 408-971-1960. W: flameseatery.com) for breakfast. Bella and I cannot turn down the Italian sausage and eggs with hash browns and toast. Bella goes with eggs over easy and I select scrambled.
Flames Eatery & Bar
Flames Eatery & Bar: Dining Room
Italian Sausage & Eggs Breakfast
Stuffed and satisfied we walk to the competition passing the very modern “New City Hall” building.
“New City Hall”
The “12th Annual International Russian Music Piano Competition” is being held at the Le Petit Trianon Theatre (A: 72 N. Fifth Street, San Jose, CA 95112. P: 408-995-5400. W: trianontheatre.com). The students competing range in age from 6 to 32 and represent the following countries: Argentina, Armenia, Canada, China, Israel, Japan, Macao, Mongolia, Russia, South Korea, Taiwan and the USA.
Le Petit Trianon Theatre
Bella’s student George Hu looks nervous as he heads to the back stage area. I tell Bella I’m going to talk to George and see if I can get him to relax somewhat. I do my best to quickly show George some yoga breathing exercises. Unfortunately he is pretty nervous and having trouble focusing on what I’m explaining to him. I suppose it’s similar to a gynecologist waiting to explain how to breathe to an expectant mother until she has gone into labor.
Le Petit Trianon Theatre
Bella and I enter the theater and take our seats. George enters and begins to play his pieces: Chopin Etude op. 10 No. 8; Beethoven Sonata Op. 90 No. 27, 1st movement; Prokofiev Sonata Op. 14 No. 2, 4th movement. Unfortunately, he is playing the pieces like a trained cross country runner who wants to be a sprinter. Given his inability to achieve the right pacing Bella anticipates that he’ll end up winning nothing.
Nearly three hours have passed and we’re now in the lobby meeting Bella’s friend Joseph and his wife Diana. We take a walking tour of the San Jose State University (A: One Washington Square, San Jose, CA 95112. W: SJSU.edu) campus past the Instructional Resource Center (formerly the “new library”), Dwight Bentel Hall (Journalism Department), Hugh Gillis Hall (Radio, TV & Film Department), the new Dr. Martin Luther King Library, the San Jose State Event Center & Sports Club, Morris Daily Auditorium, Royce Hall, Joe West Hall and Campus Village.
Per Wikipedia, the 1968 Olympics Black Power salute was a notable black power protest and one of the most overtly political statements in the history of the modern Olympic Games. African American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos gave the Black power salute at the Olympic Stadium in Mexico City, regarded by most experts as historic. While most people believe the salute was a Black Power salute, it was in fact a human rights salute, as stated in Tommie Smith’s autobiography, “Silent Gesture.”
Tommie Smith & John Carlos Statue
Dwight Bentel Hall is where I took public relations, mass media and news writing courses.
Dwight Bentel Hall: Journalism Dept
Hugh Gillis Hall is where I completed my radio television and film theory, production and writing courses. This building “may” have received a now faded coat of paint to the exterior since I attended the university but that interior hasn’t sniffed pigments since 1991 or earlier. I swear I can see a scuff mark my “hoof cover” left on the wall 18 years prior.
The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library is ultra-modern and a thing of beauty. As we pass the library a tall lanky sketchy looking transient walks by us and out of the corner of my eye I see him giving us hard looks and rambling some form of nonsensical chatter.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library
For whatever reason, San Jose and San Francisco transients are oftentimes unfriendly and even frighteningly aggressive with pedestrians. From my college years we had unwritten rules regarding these transients: (a) never stare at a transient but always maintain eye contact (b) never offer a transient money, clothing or food (c) do not openly dismiss or ignore a transient, simply appear to be pre-occupied with something else. I was busy snapping off photographs but I believe the others in my party violated at least one of the aforementioned rules or the transient assumed my photo taking was an avoidance tactic.
He tracked us for about 5 minutes subjecting us to animated facial expressions, the loud uttering of incoherent phrases and mumbled nonsense. I maintained my eye contact and fortunately he didn’t get closer than about twenty feet. As a result, there was no – “throw-down at the OK Corral”. After the fact Bella was a bit perturbed that I appeared to be so oblivious to the antics of the transient. I now educate them regarding “The Transient Code”.
My other student film was titled “A Day in the Life of a San Jose Cockroach” which was a story about a cockroach on the quest for food in the big city. I did a subjective view by strapping a camera onto a little girl’s bicycle and riding it across campus. The cockroaches antennae (which appeared in the lens) consisted of bent wire coat hangers with balls of licorice attached to the ends. The intersection shown is where I impulsively decided to ride the bike through the middle of the four-way stop without alerting the four motorists of my intent. Needless to say, not smart, but great for the film’s finished product.
Location: “A Day in the Life of a SJ Cockroach”
I used to play basketball, work out and watch men’s basketball games and women’s volleyball games at the SJSU Event Center & Sports Club.
SJSU Event Center & Sports Club
Morris Daily Auditorium is where we film students premiered our student films. When I was on campus it was covered in ivy and as a result a more impressive looking structure and symbol for the university. It has clearly undergone a recent renovation to the exterior and thus lost much of the ivy.
Morris Daily Auditorium
Morris Daily Auditorium
My first dormitory experience was at Royce Hall.
Royce Hall Dorm (middle bldg)
Dining Commons
Near graduation I resided at what was the premiere student housing of the time, Joe West Hall. As I recall it was reserved for juniors and seniors.
Joe West Hall: Dorm
Campus Village is the new and improved premiere student housing and from the exterior clearly outshines the others.
Campus Village: New Dorms
Campus Village: Dorm
After the campus tour we stop at 4th Street Pizza Company (A: 150 E. Santa Clara Street, San Jose, CA 95113. P: 408-286-7500. W: 4thstpizzaco.com) for a slice of pizza and creamy pesto garlic bread sticks. The pizza isn’t sure whether it is “Chicago style” (thick crust) or “NYC style” (thin crust). The cashier doesn’t bother re-heating it in the oven as is customary at quality pizza establishments. I think the cardboard pizza at the campus Spartan Pub in 1991 was superior. Well, at least it doesn’t rival junior high cafeteria pizza fare. The breadsticks while not memorable are plenty edible.
We say our goodbyes and we’re off for a very quick driving tour of upscale downtown Los Gatos, http://www.town.los-gatos.ca.us/index.aspx?NID=50. This community with historic homes has had plenty of famous residents, past and present. When I was in school Bill Gates had a house in the hills here which featured underground tunnels. I used to spend a lot of time in this hood socializing over java at night and working at a local swim and racquet club as a fitness trainer.
Downtown Los Gatos
After the brief driving tour we take Freeway 17 to my college mentor’s house in Campbell. Doctor Irv, MD, was a member at the athletic club where I worked and mentored me on some of my writing assignments. He works part-time as a gynecologist and I still wonder when he’ll slow down enough to set a retirement date. I’m guessing no time soon as the doc looks great.
I take photos of the beautiful garden and entertaining space he’s constructed in his backyard.
Dr. Irv’s Garden Oasis
Dr. Irv’s Garden Oasis
Dr. Irv’s Garden Oasis
Dr. Irv’s Garden Oasis
We have a very stimulating conversation regarding travel, culture and the musical arts while drinking hot tea. Doctor Irv and his wife Irena have two canaries and a grey singing finch which sing throughout our brief visit. Bella played the piano piece Chopin Nocturne for us and one bird seemingly enjoyed the performance as much as we did.
After our visit we head to the airport, drop our rental car off and wait for the flight. As luck would have it we “earned” a one and a half hour delay stuck on the tarmac. The culprit was in-climate weather at LAX. “Good times”…fortunately we had plenty while in San Jo-SEE.
David J. Evangelisti, II 