THE BIGGEST PANCAKE IN SAN JOSE 

Go to Da Nang, a restaurant at the corner of Senter Road and Umbarger.  Order the Banh Xeo.  After a medium wait, you will be delivered a large plate, with a crispy yellow pancake as large as the plate.  It will be filled with shrimp, pork and sprouts.  It will be accompanied by another large plate filled with a mountain of mint, basil and other, mysterious greens.  Then there is a sauce for dipping.  We don't know the proper way to eat this--just dig in and enjoy!  Or ask the owner to explain:  it involves wrapping.

It is delicious.

Da Nang Restaurant
2649 Senter Road
San Jose

Treat Yourself to An Ice Cream Experience

You come to a corner of a busy street and a shady residential street.  You enter a parking lot behind some shabby buildings.  You pass some doors until you get to a door with a wooden screen.  Looking down a narrow corridor, you see men in tee-shirts stirring and pouring things into large vats.  Posted on a white board are the names of ice creams like mocha almond fudge and green tea.  These are the flavors of ice cream.  Some of these you never heard before, much less tasted, like macapuno and tigers tail.  You choose your flavor, you pay $5.50 and you walk away with one-and-a-half quarts of delicious ice cream.  You have now experienced Treat Ice Cream. 

11 S. 19th St., San Jose, off Santa Clara Street.

 

Six Sightings in Six Minutes in Downtown San Jose

Six sightings in as many minutes:  San Jose Public Library and later at Camera 7

1. man riding a bicycle on San Fernando with a large dog on the handlebars
2. man napping flat on his stomach between two book stacks in library
3. bridesmaids being photographed astride bicycles for rent in front of the library
4. a stretch limousine jeep parked in front of them
5. man forever walking up the down escalator on the first floor of MLK library - never got past the first step
6. man strumming a square guitar made out of plywood in front of Camera 7   

The Story Behind the Tiles on the Coyote Creek Bridges

Oct. 29. 2007  crowbar used to destroy tile artwork:  picture taken during the vandalism event

It's a long story and I can only begin to tell it here, but the tiles on three bridges across Coyote Creek in San Jose are by Sunnyvale artist (originally an art student at San Jose State) Richard Hawes.  For years, Karen and I had been enjoyed seeing the work on these three bridges:  Santa Clara Street, San Antonio Street, and William Street.  We had often seen Richard working on the bridges under an umbrella.   In a way, he is our own Antonio Gaudi.  Much of the story of Hawes and the story behind the destruction of some of the works by vandals can be found at these two sites, first an article in The Mercury News by Scott Herhold and second an interview of Hawes by Richard Whittaker.   Karen and I were actually the ones who confronted the vandals and scared them off by taking photographs of what they were doing.  Subsequently, Herhold wrote his Mercury news article.  The article by Richard Whittaker is a great followup.  Here is a photo of one of the works that survived (taken the day after the event).  

TL

SKETCHING IN PLAZA DE CESAR CHAVEZ

This first blog entry is a watercolor sketch of two young men enjoying the fountain in Plaza de Cesar Chavez.  I have been going to the plaza to paint the people there.  These sketches will be exhibited in a show at WORKS/San Jose in October 2014.  

Part of the exhibit will be an opportunity to take part in an urban sketching event at Plaza de Cesar Chavez!  It is planned for October 11, time TBA, starting place WORKS/San Jose.  Come join us at WORKS!

KH

by Karen Haas