10th Annual Viva CalleSJ: walk/bike/skate around & exclusive deals @local stores

previous one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNRCoEQgrUY
first one of 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMd9S6Fp73Q

ABOUT THE EVENT
Viva CalleSJ is not just a bicycle event, it is an open streets event! Feel free to walk, bike, skate or just come play in the streets! They also have an interactive map you can play with at https://vivacallesj.app/ (See the official page at https://www.vivacallesj.org/the-event/featured-event)
The San Jose Parks Department puts on this event a couple times a year, and Sunday, September 7 will be the last Viva CalleSJ of 2025.

NOTE that this event will likely have thousands of people!
Good news: You'll find at least a couple interesting people.
Not so good news: If you don't find us (the meetup group) at the beginning, you will have a very hard time finding us later.

We'll meet near Voyager Coffee near St. John & Market Street and hang out there until 10:30 to give people some buffer time to arrive. You've been warned, if you arrive late, it will be VERY hard to find us after. My goal is to visit all the hubs, so I'll have a bike, but we won't go too fast so having a scooter/skaetboard/roller skates (or an electric version) should be fine, but walking is probably going to be too slow if you want to join the group. There's plenty of stuff to do though, so you won't get bored even if you do walk around. If you want to join us going to al the hubs but don't have any alternative modes of transportation, get a Bay Wheels bike (see the HOW TO GET THERE section below)

HOW TO GET THERE
I'd suggest taking VTA, since that'll get you directly into downtown SJ.

If you're further away/don't have VTA nearby but have Bart, I'd recommend taking BART down to the Berryessa station, since that'll get you within 3 miles of the hubs. If you have your own bike/skateboard/e-bike/whatever, it'll probably take ~15 minutes to get to the hubs. Otherwise, you can hop on a Lyft bike - there are 2 Bay Wheels/Lyft Bike stations next to the Berryessa BART station at Newbury Park Dr @ King Rd and Berryessa BART (https://www.lyft.com/bikes/bay-wheels/explore). The day pass includes unlimited 30-min classic bike rides within a 24-hour period with any ride longer than 30 min costing an extra $0.30/min. Upgrading to an ebike is also $0.30/min.
If you want to drive, there are a bunch of parking lots around the area: https://parksj.org/ - keep in mind roads might be closed for the event.

ACTIVITIES
Address for the main hubs:
Municipal Rose Garden: 1649 Naglee Ave, San Jose, CA 95216
Watson Park: N 22nd St, San Jose, CA 95112
Downtown Willow Glen: Lincoln Ave near Minnesota Ave (here's a local page)
Youth Empowerment Alliance: W San Carlos St near Bascom Ave

Local Food Trucks:
- Chubby's Chick'n [Watson Park]
- Grillzillas [Watson Park]
- La Patrona Cocina Mexicana [Watson Park]
- Luv's Brownies [Watson Park]
- Kona Ice San Jose [Watson Park]
- Shrimp'n Aint Eazy [Watson Park]
- Cousins Maine Lobster [Municipal Rose Garden]
- Travelin' Tom's Coffee [Municipal Rose Garden]
- Princess Fruit [Municipal Rose Garden]
- Barya Kitchen [Municipal Rose Garden]
- Chick N' Bros [Municipal Rose Garden]
- Kona Ice [Municipal Rose Garden]
- Paleta Planeta [Municipal Rose Garden]

Entertainment & More:
- Culture Night Market: Local Vendor Market [Watson Park]
- Live music: San Jose Jazz [Watson Park]
- San Jose Earthquakes [Watson Park]
- Community Resources [Watson Park]
- DJ TooTall [Municipal Rose Garden]
- Grupo Folklorico (Danza Que Vuela) | 12 p.m. [Municipal Rose Garden]
- Bay FC [Municipal Rose Garden]
- Community Resources [Municipal Rose Garden]
- Youth and Family Services [Youth Empowerment Alliance]
- ClimbOn Rock Wall: Free Rock Climbing Wall Activity [Youth Empowerment Alliance]
- Interactive community collage by artist Steven Nizzotes Rubalcaba [Youth Empowerment Alliance]
- Live music: The Graystones | 10:15 am - 11 am [Downtown Willow Glen]
- Live music: Pearl Alley Band | 11:30 am - 12:35 pm [Downtown Willow Glen]
- Live music: VCSJ 10th Anniversary Remarks | 12 pm - 12:20 pm [Downtown Willow Glen]
- Live music: Grace & the Grit | 1pm - 1:45 pm [Downtown Willow Glen]
- Live music: Surf Monster | 2:10 pm - 2:45 pm [Downtown Willow Glen]

Minor Bike Repairs:
- Good Karma Bikes [Municipal Rose Garden]
- Bike Teacher
- Community Cycles [Youth Empowerment Alliance]

Local Restaurants:
- Chula Puebla [Youth Empowerment Alliance]
- Chick N' Bros [Youth Empowerment Alliance]
- Cali Cool Hawaiian Shave Ice [Youth Empowerment Alliance]
- Paleta Planeta [Youth Empowerment Alliance]
- Boast Coffee Co. [Youth Empowerment Alliance]
- Old Greenwood BBQ [Youth Empowerment Alliance]
- a bunch of restaurants in Willow Glen: (Google Maps, Yelp)

Local business exclusive deal for the day
From Watson Park Hub to Rose Garden Hub
- Pau Hana Shave Ice 248 Jackson Street
- Roy's Station Coffee & Tea 197 Jackson St
- Spread 170 Jackson Street
- La Corona Taqueria 601 N First St
- Stone Stew #2 205 N 4th St
- Voyager Coffee 111 W St John St 100
- Bibo's Pizza 320 W St John St
- Hannah Coffee 754 The Alameda Suite #80
- Luna Mexican Kitchen 1495 The Alameda
From Rose Garden hub to Downtown Willow Glen hub
- Luna Mexican Kitchen 1495 The Alameda
- Las Cazuelas 55 Race Street
- Eduardo's #2 255 Race Street
- Puerto Azul 1072 Lincoln Avenue
- Manley's Donuts 1080 Lincoln Avenue
- Stretch Lab 1100 Lincoln Ave Suite #140
- Waxing the City 1110 Lincoln Ave Suite #150
- Glow Candle Lounge 1140 Lincoln Ave
- Morning Crane Healing Art 1314 Lincoln Av Suite 2D

OTHER EVENT INFO
- Maintain a safe speed! Stay in control, go with the flow of traffic, pass on the left, slower traffic please keep to the right.
- Be aware of your surroundings! Never Stop in the middle of the route and keep your eyes sharp to avoid accidents and obstacles.
- Wear a helmet! We care about your safety and so does the law! Participants under the age of 18 must wear a helmet and everyone is encouraged to wear one.
- Viva CalleSJ staff, volunteers, and public safety officers can be found on route and in activity hubs, ask for help!
- Take public transportation. Parking will be difficult in the areas around the route, avoid the hassle by taking VTA!

SAFETY DISCLAIMER
The organizers of this meet-up are unpaid volunteers and not expert guides. All participants agree to assume 100% responsibility for their own safety, conduct, and well-being and recognize that possible hazards exist while participating in outdoor (or any other) activities, and agree to participate solely at their own risk. If you RSVP “Yes” and/or attend any of our events, it shall be conclusively presumed that you understand and agree to this policy.