01.19.2024

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Today’s Forecast

62º | Rainy afternoon | 80% chance of rain | Sunrise: 7:19 a.m. | Sunset: 5:17 p.m.

🗽 Concretely, San Jose

Honest reviews of San Jose’s iconic statues

The 30-foot tall statue of Chuck E Cheese sitting on a purple block, seen from ground level, with a man looking impressed in the bottom corner of the screen. The man is wearing a hat with the NASA symbol.

While the design has changed a few times over the decades, the statue’s impressive size has remained consistent. | Photo by SJtoday staff

Fiberglass, bronze, stone, and a dream. Our statues offer a glimpse into San Jose’s past, highlighting cultural touchstones, feelings, and insights from yesteryear. But we’ve got to be honest — some statues in the great 408 are more iconic than others.

Today, we’re taking a look at — and reviewing — the most well-known monuments around town.

“Victory Salute,” San Jose State University

SJSU Black Power statue — The “Victory Salute” statue at SJSU encourages viewers to “Take a Stand.”
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Photo via Wikimedia Commons

By Rigo 23, 2005
With two fists in the air, “Victory Salute” honors a moment in the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City where gold and bronze medalists Tommie Smith + John Carlos protested injustices faced by Black Americans in the 1960s. All three men on the podium received public backlash because of their actions — but the two SJSU alumni were honored with this iconic statue in 2005.
Rating: Still relevant/10

“Plumed Serpent,” Plaza de Cesar Chavez

SJtoday_QuetzalcoatlStatue_SanJose_1 — The Plaza de Cesar Chavez statue has drawn criticisms for its unique shape.
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Photo by SJtoday staff

By Robert Graham, 1994
This statue of Quetzalcoatl has been controversial for decades. Some were upset that it was replacing the firefighter’s memorial bell. Others didn’t like the deity it’s depicting. And others were frustrated that the statue’s massive price tag didn’t match the original design of the plumed serpent with outstretched wings.
Rating: Sitting at the corner of the plaza looking very misunderstood/10

Charles Entertainment Cheese, Tully Road

By Jeff Tritel, early 1980s
This massive, mousy monument to pizza parties and germy arcade games was commissioned by Chuck E. Cheese creator Nolan Bushnell, who also invented PONG, and was a founder of Atari. It currently holds the record for world’s largest rat (structure).
Rating: San Jose is the Pizza Rat Capital/10

Know of any other statues we should review? Let us know.

Events

Friday, Jan. 19

DeRay Davis | Friday, Jan. 19 | 7:30 p.m. | San Jose Improv, 62 S. Second St., San Jose | $35-$95 | This comedian-turned-actor has been seen on some of your favorites — like FOX’s “Empire” and “21 Jump Street” (2012) — and is now starring in FX’s “Snowfall.”
Bohrer Brothers Trio + Pachex | Friday, Jan. 19 | 8 p.m. | The Art Boutiki, 44 Race St., San Jose | $15-$20 | Dance along to this San Jose-based hard-hitting, improvisational funk trio.

Saturday, Jan. 20

San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers | Saturday, Jan. 20 | 5:15 p.m. | Levi’s Stadium, 4900 Marie P. DeBartolo Way, Santa Clara | $300-$1,852 | This NFC Divisional game is the NFL-record tenth playoff matchup between the two teams.
2024 ZaiGeZaiGu Chinese New Year Gala | Saturday, Jan. 20 | 7 p.m. | San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, 255 S. Almaden Blvd., San Jose | $28-$68 | Celebrate the Year of the Dragon with a fusion of modern and traditional Chinese performances.

Sunday, Jan. 21

Oakridge Farmers Market | Sunday, Jan. 21 | 9 a.m.-1 p.m. | Westfield Oakridge, 5420 Thornwood Dr., San Jose | Free | Get fresh produce, live entertainment, and more at this year-round market.
“Queen Rock Montreal” | Friday, Jan. 19-Sunday, Jan. 21 | Times vary | The Tech Interactive, 201 S. Market St., San Jose | $18-$20 | Sing along to the legendary rock ‘n’ roll group’s classic hits on the larger-than-life IMAX screen.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Weather

The national weather service is anticipating this weekend’s storms to be the wettest four-day period this season. Santa Clara Valley Water District is bracing for as much as 2-4 inches of rain in the South Bay. You can pick up free sandbags at any of SCVWD’s distribution sites. (The Mercury News)

Ranked

San Jose is the No. 2 city in the US for coffee-lovers. The great 408 has the most coffee shops per capita, relative cappuccino affordability + high average Yelp scores, landing us second, behind Portland. You don’t want to be percolate to your date with these spots. (ListWithClever.com)

Development

San Jose’s Little Portugal may soon get more housing, pending City Council approval. The pitch includes 305 residential units at 1279 E. Julian St., near the site of the proposed BART station. The timeline is still unclear, but developers also plan to include an unspecified number of affordable units. (The Mercury News)

Legacy

Dejan Milojević, assistant coach of the Golden State Warriors, died this week at 46. Milojević was a former player in his native country Serbia, mentor to NBA MVP Nikola Jokic + had been with the team for the past three seasons. The Warriors game against the Mavericks tonight has been postponed. (NBC Bay Area)

Plan Ahead

Find somewhere you belong next month… Linkin Park tribute band “In The End” is coming to The Ritz on Saturday, Feb. 10, at 8 p.m. The group partners with non-profit organizations such as To Write Love On Her Arms to support mental health awareness at their shows.

Community

More tiny homes will be coming to San Jose. Under new guidance from the governor’s office, six companies are being contracted to develop 70 to 120-sqft homes for people struggling with housing insecurity in San Jose, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Sacramento. The timeline + scope of the projects are still unclear. (San Jose Inside)

Finance

Erasing interest on purchases and balance transfers into 2025 can really make a difference. Throw in no annual fee, and there’s no wonder why thousands are lining up for these cards.*

Tech

ICYMI, registration is open for The 2024 Tech Challenge, presented by Amazon. The challenge invites teams of students in grades 4-12 to use the engineering design process to solve a real-world problem. Interested? Learn more + register.*

Answered

🌯 The best part of waking up

Answered: San Jose’s favorite breakfast burritos

Side-by-side comparison of two breakfast burritos: one bisected and showing off a smorgasboard of cheese, meat, eggs, and dripping sauce, and the other jam-packed with chorizo, salsa, and hash browns.

Not all breakfast burritos are made the same, but all are mouth-wateringly delicious. | Photos courtesy Canva

After featuring a few local breakfast burrito spots, we asked for your suggestions. So, grab another handful and nosh on these breakfast recommendations from our readers.

Taqueria El Abuelo in Willow Glen, specifically the chorizo burrito with orange sauce. Recommended by @bebesperez, @cs.haller, @demboyz408, and @polish_joe: “And they run those breakfast burritos all day like #yeet.”
Chavez Market on Monterey Road, including that scrumtious-looking al pastor breakfast burrito. Recommended by Lita K: “Excellent burritos expertly made. Huge and costs $15 or so.”
iJava Cafe in Delmas + Willow Glen. We love to see businesses supporting other businesses — Hop & Vine gave some love to their favorite spot: “Best breakfast burritos in San Jose. The fully loaded is fire.”

Know another local breakfast burrito spot that should be listed? Let us know.

Even more brekkie recs

The Buy

The Buy 1.19.23 (Affiliate + Six & Main)

“The 5-Minute Gratitude Journal.” Written by happiness and relationship coach Dr. Sophia Godkin, this journal inspires gratitude with prompts to answer every day — and it only takes five minutes.

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Gregg

From the editor

My pooch had literally the best day in the world yesterday. We went on a nice, scenic walking tour of downtown, where he got a super special treat at Voyager Craft Coffee in San Pedro Square. Lots of spots in San Jose are impawsibly great for dogs.

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