Los Altos' 60th Birthday Concert A Groovin' Success!

Last Saturday, hundreds turned out to help celebrate Los Altos' 60th year of incorporation by kicking off their shoes to dance and play on the streets of downtown Los Altos. Called "Groovin' On The Green," the event featured an entire block of synthetic turf rolled out on State Street between Second and Third Streets. On the turf were lounge chairs, tables, giant blue foam Imagination Playground blocks for kids to play with, bike racks, a free bike fix-it station, and a stage on which the Alison Sharino Band rocked people's socks off - literally! Check out some great photos from the evening here, a daytime video and a nighttime video, and also be sure to read the Los Altos Patch article. If you enjoyed yourself, please write a thank you to Mayor Val Carpenter who is spearheading the 60th Anniversary Committee - vcarpenter@losaltosca.gov. [gallery columns="2"]

Photos, Feedback, and Lessons Learned from Los Altos' Inaugural PARK(ing) Day Celebration

Thanks to all who came out to visit Los Altos first ever PARK(ing) Day installation last Friday, Sept 21! It was a grand success, with people enjoying the seating, bike parking, chalk and magnet art, shade, bike fix-it station, and general community ambiance all day from 6am 'till 10pm. Check out some photo highlights here, make sure to read the Los Altos Town Crier's article on it this week, and learn more about the inspiration and design for this PARK(ing) Day installation here. Setting up bleary-eyed in the dark at 4:45am, I had no idea how successful this PARK(ing) Day project would be. A small crew of three of us (thanks Kent and Eldon!) had spent the day before prepping the planter boxes, arranging the plants, setting up the bike racks and fix-it station, and unpackaging the tables and chairs. With the help of the turf installer, who had to buy a blowtorch to get the turf adhesive to stick because it was too cold outside, we had the installation assembled just before dawn, and had just enough time to enjoy a steaming coffee at one of the tables before people started wandering in to see what was going on. There was an early morning crowd of coffee-drinkers, moms with little ones waiting for school to start, and cyclists out for their morning ride. Some had heard about this pop-up park from the Town Crier's article the week before the event, and others were simply curious as to what was going on. By 9:30am the place was packed, with all of the bike racks and tables occupied, and artists of all ages starting to draw on the chalk walls. Lunchtime was also packed, and then the crowd thinned out in the early afternoon - perhaps in part due to the fact that the seating was unshaded and it was a relatively warm day. Mid-afternoon the after-school crowd arrived, and the chalk and magnets saw quite a bit of use. People came after work as well, and many more showed up for the evening's festivities at the 359 bike shop. PARK(ing) Day was still hoppin' with people by the time our 10pm take-down began, and I felt bad to pull tables and chairs away from the parents watching their kids make sidewalk chalk art, and the young adult crowd listening to the live DJs rocking the house inside. An exhausting yet exhilarating 18-hour day!

We are trying to learn people's opinions of the Los Altos PARK(ing) Day installation, so it would be extremely helpful if you could take 2-3 minutes and fill out this feedback form for us. We will publish the results next week once we've gotten as many responses as possible, but thus far the feedback is overwhelmingly positive, with the only critiques being that we could have advertised more and that the planter walls were a bit tall (we agree).

If you visited the installation while it was up on Friday, please fill out this PARK(ing) Day Visitor Feedback Form

If you are a downtown merchant, please fill out this Downtown Merchant PARK(ing) Day Feedback Form

This PARK(ing) Day installation is featured on the international PARK(ing) Day website map, LadyFleur's blog, the Town Crier,  and the San Jose Mercury News. Please let us know if you see more mention of it!

Come Groove on the State Street Green to Celebrate Los Altos' 60th Birthday, Sept. 29 5-8pm!

On Saturday September 29th, State Street between Second Street and Third Street in downtown Los Altos will be temporarily transformed into a downtown “green” featuring synthetic grass stretching down the entire block, playspace and seating, and a free live concert for all to enjoy. Starting at 5pm, a pop-up playground will be open for kids of all ages to enjoy, including Imagination Playground oversized foam blocks, chalk and magnet art, bike racks, and a free bike Fix-It station! After a brief ceremonial cake-cutting by Mayor Pro Tem. Jarrett Fishpaw, the live music kicks off at 6pm by the Alison Sharino Band, a Bay Area dance band that appeals to every age group. All are welcome and encouraged to pick up a dinner at a local Los Altos restaurant and set up a picnic or take a seat in the Adirondack chairs that will be provided. (Remember that Los Altos has no open container prohibition so you are welcome to bring and responsibly consume your own wine or beer on the green!)

This event is one highlight of the greater Los Altos 60th birthday celebration taking place over the weekend, which also includes a historic bike tour of Los Altos on the 29th and a “Hidden History” downtown walking tour on the 30th. For more information on Los Altos’ 60th birthday and these additional events, please check the City's 60th Anniversary website.

Check out more info here regarding “Groovin‘ On the Green,” or contact Brooke Ray Smith at brookeray@passerelleinvestments.com.

This event is also listed in the San Jose Mercury News event calendar.

Free concert in downtown Los Altos Sat Sept 29 5-8pm!

PARK(ing) Day Comes to Downtown Los Altos September 21st!

 

For the first time ever, downtown Los Altos will be a participant in a worldwide annual event called PARK(ing) Day, which this year falls on Friday, September 21. On PARK(ing) Day, citizens transform urban parking spaces into temporary public parks, to raise awareness of the need for more pedestrian-friendly green space in our communities. The concept originated in 2005 with a single installation by a San Francisco art and design studio called Rebar. Their idea was simple: of the roughly 25-30% of a city's land area that is occupied by roads and parking spaces, couldn't some of this publicly-owned land be converted for higher and better use as public gathering space? This first "parklet," or mini-park, was so successful that in addition to PARK(ing) Day becoming a regular annual event that now has participation from over 162 cities in 35 countries over 6 continents, San Francisco has codified a permanent parklet program called Pavement to Parks - read more for details.

Check out downtown Los Altos' PARK(ing) Day installation description on the PARK(ing) Day interactive map, and see where other installations are being built nearby!

Our downtown Los Altos PARK(ing) Day installation will feature many materials generously donated by local businesses. Furuichi Bothers are lending potted plants, and Pete Moffat Construction will provide a series of modular planter walls that protect people from passing cars. Passerelle will be providing bike racks and a green space featuring SynLawn with movable seating and tables. There will also be a free bicycle Fix-It station where you can tune up your bike with tools and mount provided! And, make sure to bring your creativity, because there will be chalkboard walls where anyone from the young to the young at heart can draw to their hearts’ delight. The space will be completely open to the public all day for use by anyone: kids, grown-ups, well-behaved pets, bicycles, you name it!

Come check out downtown Los Altos’ inaugural PARK(ing) Day installation (designed by Base Landscape Architecture), and be sure to spread the word by liking / +1-ing / tweeting this post!

When: 6AM – 10PM Friday, September 21, 2012

Where: 359 (bike shop), 363 (Christian), and 367 (Peet’s) State Street, Los Altos CA 94022

What: A 3-stall parklet with 1 bike rack stall and 2 seating pod stalls, with walls for chalk and magnet art, and a bike fix-it station.

Why: It’s fun, and our community needs more green and pedestrian friendly space!

In addition, 359 State will also be holding Los Altos Bike & Art Charity event in conjunction with the PARK(ing) Day celebration. Click on the link for more information. We hope to see you there!

Downtown Los Altos Intercept Survey Results

This summer, Passerelle hired an internationally renowned survey company, EMC Research, to conduct an on-street intercept survey in downtown Los Altos. The intent was to learn more about how people get to and from downtown, who uses downtown and why, and what they'd like to see downtown become. So from Thursday June 7 through Saturday June 9, third party interviewers stood on the streets of downtown Los Altos asking passers-by to fill out a one-page double-sided questionnaire. In exchange, participants received a voucher for complimentary drinks and pastries at Bumble.  In total, 502 responses were collected which represents a 34% participation rate - quite high as far as surveys go. Attached are the results of this survey, both with responses from the entire population of respondents, and also with just Los Altos resident responses culled out. This way, the Los-Altos-only responses can be more easily compared with the results of the City-sponsored phone survey of residents conducted in May 2012. We hope you find these data useful!  

Downtown Intercept Survey June 2012_Los Altos Responses Only

Downtown Intercept Survey June 2012_Aggregate Responses

Denmark's 11 Mile Cycle Super Highway

 

In Denmark, there is a super highway created solely for cyclists. Copenhagen hosts an 11 mile stretch of smoothly paved bike path meandering through the countryside. This highway offers cyclists a safer and faster way to commute. “The cycle superhighway, which opened in April, is the first of 26 routes scheduled to be built to encourage more people to commute to and from Copenhagen by bicycle”.

The world has been looking for cleaner and greener ways to get around and we congratulate Denmark's authorities for undertaking this project.

Click here to read a great New York Times article about Denmark's bike superhighway. Or click here to see an entertaining video about this.

Walkable Communities

   

America Walks just released an article, PopulationShifts and Implications for Walking in the United States by Peter Tuckel, which talks about the “walking revolution” in America by measuring three different demographic shifts:

1. Aging of the baby boomers;

2. Different transportation priorities of young people;

3. Decline of the outer suburbs.

These demographic shifts are affected by the changes in American’s attitude and behavior towards walking. This will result in the increase in both recreational and utilitarian walking.

The first demographic shift towards the “walking revolution” comes from the baby boomers generation. The baby boomers are those who were born between 1946 – 1964 and composes over one quarter of the total U.S. population. Many boomers are known to be physically active throughout their adult years and want to maintain an active lifestyle after their retirement. To continue a healthy and active lifestyle, some are expressing interest in living in “smart growth” communities (characterized by mixed housing, ample sidewalks, and access to business and public transit), where the trend is towards pedestrian friendly neighborhoods. A recent survey, conducted by the National Association of Realtors, shows that boomers prefer to live in “walkable” communities; Peter Tuckel, author of this article, summarized that, the “younger adults between the ages of 18-29 and adults 60 years and over (i.e., the boomers reaching retirement age) opted for the “smart growth” community more so than any other age group.  This preference to live in more pedestrian-friendly communities has important implications for promoting walking”.

The second demographic shift is affected by the “Generation Y,” which is the segment of the population born between 1980 and 1999. According to a report released by the Frontier Group and U.S. PIRG, this generation has a different set of priorities towards transportation. The cost of owning a car, higher gas prices, stricter state laws to obtain a driver’s license and the impact of new communications technology on social behavior has led to a decline in driving among young people. Among these reasons Tuckel mentions that, “owning or driving a car may have lost some of its appeal among young Americans because they view cars as adversely affecting the environment”. These factors provide a powerful complex of reasons for the younger generation to walk more than previous generations.

The third and final shift leading to an increase in walking, according to this article, is the “decreasing attractiveness of the suburbs”. The increase in growth of the metropolitan areas means that fewer people will be relying on driving and more people will be using public transportation, walking and biking. Economic factors such as the drying up of the credit market and high prices of gasoline are dissuading people from moving to the suburbs. However, these are not the only factors; a decrease in the crime rate of many major U.S. cities and an increase in service oriented businesses also contributed to the shift. These factors coupled with the proximity to grocery stores, schools, parks and public transportation allow people to walk more on a daily basis, thereby making cities more attractive places to live in.

According to research by Leinberger and Mariela Alfonzo, real estate in walkable neighborhoods – where people can shop, go to work, or run errands without having to get into a car – have the highest values. This translates to a broad and diverse group of Americans indicating a strong desire to live in communities which are more walkable. Tuckel effectively summarizes that, “the graying of the baby boomers, the lifestyle choices of Generation Y, and the rejuvenation of our own downtowns are likely to translate this commitment into makings of a walking revolution.”

Click here to get more details on PopulationShifts and Implications for Walking in the United States by Peter Tuckel. 

Care about Los Altos?

Care about Los Altos? Take a few online surveys to provide feedback that will help make our town better!
One is a GreenTown Los Altos  online survey about a potential bike share program - take this survey here.
Also the Los Altos Environmental Commission is running two online surveys: one asks about travel patterns for anyone who lives or works in Los Altos - take this survey here. Their other survey is for residents only and asks about residential energy and water use patterns - take this survey here. Please make sure to finish these surveys by August 10, 2012.
Thank you so much for your time and support!

Play! Los Altos, CA

   

 

 

Play! in Los Alto is a fun, engaging indoor place for children to enjoy with their parents says Aubry in Town Crier’s article A business that’s all child’s play. Come interact with other parents in the community while your children participate in fun activities that stimulate their creative abilities. With free form art classes, science classes and "move and groove" music and dance classes to name a few!

 

Visit Play!’s website for more information.

An Arcade in Los Altos Downtown? Yes, its coming soon!

 

Mary Hefferman plans to open a boardwalk-style game arcade, named Area 151, in about one month! Area 151 will provide the Los Altos community with an exciting fun filled environment for adults, teens, and families. "It will be a safe place to gather and play teamwork games and redemption games, mixing vintage and the newest technology" said Hefferman.

Last week, the Los Altos Planning and Transportation Commission unanimously approved this cool new business on First Street next to Bumble - see this week's Los Altos Town Crier article.

For more information and updates on Area 151 like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter!

Stride, Ride, and Roll

Happy Wednesday Friends!

Two weeks ago, On Your Mark, the Los Altos City Economic Development Department and 40+ merchants sponsored the inaugural Stride & Ride event. The goal of this event was to promote health & fitness in the Los Altos community.

The city of Los Alto’s central parking plaza, located at Frist and Main streets, was turned into a skate park and play ground. Teens displayed their skating skills while locals participated in Zumba dancing and tested their flexibility with yoga classes.

To view more pictures on the event, click here.

This amazing video was produced by GriendOutHunger.

Vertical Green Walls!

 

Green walls are vertical arrangements of plants and other organisms that help reduce toxins and unhealthy contaminants from the air that we breathe. These beautifully displayed pieces of art also promotes a healthy environment. The walls improve air quality and reduce dust in our environment and they also help to reduce local wind speeds and traffic noise. Additionally they can mitigate localized temperature extremes by shading and converting liquid water to water vapor which cools the air.

Green walls, a form of living art that is being integrated into trendy designs more and more by architectures and designers. You can spot these walls at restaurants, bars, hotels, airports, universities, hospitals, offices, gardens, and many more places.

Check out this edible living wall outside a Los Angeles pizza joint - they grow the herbs they use for the pizzas on their wall.

You can also see a local Los Altos example of a living wall in Passerelle's lobby! The plants shown here are called Tillandsia and they are epiphytes, meaning they draw water directly from the air and do not need soil to grow.

To see some more cool examples of geen walls click here, some built and some just designs.

If you would like to learn more about Living Walls you can visit Greenwalls, LivingWalls, Wikipedia, GrowingAGreenWall, and DesignEcology, to name a few. 

Los Altos Arts and Wine Festival

 

If you're into food, art, crafts, wine, and music, you may want to come on over and check out Los Altos's 33rd Arts & Wine Festival in downtown this weekend! This year Passerelle is sponsoring the Family FunZone (located in the Los Altos Grill parking plaza between Third Street and San Antonio), and there will be free valet bike parking so there's no need to drive on what's shaping up to be a gorgeous summer day. Join us for an all day long weekend party!

Saturday & Sunday, July 14th & 15th
From 10AM to 6PM
Main & State Streets
Downtown Los Altos, CA

The Parky's Peddlers

Last Friday I got the opportunity to meet a group of extraordinary people: the Parky’s Peddlers. The Peddlers are a multigenerational team of sixteen cyclists who this month rode nearly 1,100 miles from British Columbia to San Francisco to raise awareness of and funds for research on Parkinson’s Disease. On June 8th they started out from Victoria, the capital of British Columbia (not to be confused with Vancouver!) riding 60 to 80 miles a day for 15 days down the Pacific coast towards their finish line at the Golden Gate bridge. When staff at the Parkinson’s Institute and the Parkinson’s Patient Support Group learned of the Peddlers’ endeavor, they decided it would be wonderful to usher the Peddlers in to San Francisco with a “welcoming committee” of local cyclists. But where could one find such local cyclists? Here is where I enter the story. Back in April, Passerelle had helped host a Parkinson’s Institute event in Passerelle’s bicycle shop at 359 State Street in downtown Los Altos. (As a side note, this April 24th reception was quite moving - Dr. Bill Langston, founder and CEO of the Parkinson’s Institute in Sunnyvale was celebrated by both the mayors of Los Altos and Los Altos Hills for his award of a Pritzker Prize for his research on the disease). Through this connection, it was established that I: a) care about Parkinsons (my grandfather had PD) and b) am a local cyclist. They asked if I would be interested in organizing the welcome ride, and I willingly obliged.

So, on Friday June 22 I set out in blustery weather with two hardy compatriots, Ken and Sean, to welcome the Parky’s Peddlers to San Francisco after their gorgeous yet grueling ride down the coast. They had been staying in Tomales Bay the night before, so had around 60 miles to ride before getting to the Golden Gate. Our welcoming posse started out in Crissy Field, biked over the bridge, and then up along their ride route until we found them. Since they weren’t familiar with their surroundings (and had over 1,000 miles worth of fatigue in their bodies at that point!) it became an adventure to find them, an unintentional game of “Marco Polo” or “Hot & Cold”: Us: “Where are you guys now?” Them: “We’re coming down a big hill...?” (We bike to the big hill). Us: “Where are you now?” Them: “We’re near a running track...?” (We bike to the running track, they’d already passed). We finally spotted the group up ahead near the Sausalito houseboats, all in white and blue Parky’s Peddlers jerseys, hooray! We rode with them through Sausalito, hanging out for a brief coffee break before tackling that last big hill leading up to the Golden Gate. At the vista point, overlooking San Francisco gleaming white and silver in the distance, and with the Golden Gate rising nobly into the swirling fog, the riders hugged with euphoria and took grinning and triumphant pictures with bicycles raised above their heads. They did it! All the more impressive because of the group’s diversity: two of the riders have Parkinsons, others had never ridden long distances before, and the age range spanned from teenagers to grandparents. It was an honor to witness the strength and perseverance of the Parky’s Peddlers - let it be a lesson to all of us that even in the face of adversity or disease, anything is possible with enough heart and determination.

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Malia Mills Opening in Los Altos

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  

Award-Winning Designer, Malia Mills Opens Ninth U.S. Store in Los Altos, California

Acclaimed Swimwear Line Outfits Anxiety-Free Beach Bodies

Silicon Valley, Ca - (June 19, 2012) -Malia Mills, the American Made swimwear company best known for its well-engineered designs and its Love thy Differences™ philosophy, announces its newest boutique in Los Altos at 271 State Street, Los Altos, Ca. Opening Friday, June 22, the store commemorates Malia Mill’s ninth U.S. boutique. “At Malia Mills we strive to make the swimwear experience revolutionary. Everything from shopping for a suit to wearing a suit should be anxiety-free and liberating,” says Founder Malia Mills.

The Malia Mills collection of high-end signature swimwear separates are engineered to fit sizes 30AA to 40DDD and 2 to 16. According to Mills, “Rare is the woman who is the same size top as bottom. If we had to buy our underwear as sets there would be rioting in the streets!” Malia Mills also offers a complementary collection of high-end ready to wear. Like the company’s signature swimwear, Malia Mills ready to wear is known for chic, utilitarian details and luxurious yet functional fabrics. “We create what we want to pack in our dream suitcase so women feel like rockstars whether home or away,” explains Mills.

Malia Mills fitting trademarked mantra, “Love thy Differences”, is meant to encourage women to exude confidence and embrace her beauty at the beach and beyond. “At Malia Mills we are passionate about celebrating women. We don’t want to change your look. We want to change the way you look at yourself. Look in the mirror and smile at what you see,” says Mills.

Each Malia Mills store houses an extensive inventory of swimwear separates carefully constructed to fit and flatter a variety of shapes and sizes. Malia Mills “fit and philosophy” specialists are on hand to show you numerous options for mixing and matching. Imagine having too many fabulous combos to choose from! And to give you another reason to cheer, Malia Mills swimwear and ready to wear collections are lovingly made in America.

In addition to Malia Mills, the store will sell a curated collection of cashmere, jewelry, hats, bags and more from coveted brands like Inhabit, Kain, Patricia Underwood, Loup Charmant, and Repetto as well as California designers Claire Vivier, Raquel Allegra and Annie Costello Brown. .Visit the Malia Mills e-commerce store at www.maliamills.com for up to date products and information.

Malia Mills is the first of many new shops and venues popping up in downtown Los Altos with the support of Passerelle Investments. Passerelle was founded in late 2009 by two women, Taylor Robinson and Amanda Tevis, with a focus on creating retail and community projects that enhance livability in a downtown. “We are very excited to be a part of Malia Mills opening in Los Altos. Her vision and brand are in inspiration for all women.” Learn more at www.passerelleinvestments.com.

 

Malia Mills was founded in 1992 and currently has three stores in New York City, seasonal stores in East Hampton and Southampton, and a store in Los Angeles. In 2005, the company won a first place award for Business Success, Entrepreneurial Success and Contribution to Success for Women within New York City from the New York City Commission on Women's Issues.  In 2008, Malia Mills was inducted into the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

 

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Media Contact: For interview requests with Malia Mills , fact checks, or sample information please email Jessica Engholm, Jessica@essepr.com or call 415.606.2405 so that your inquiry can be directed appropriately .

 

 

 

 

The YMCA Brings Skateboarders to Town

There is no doubt that school is out for summer as evidenced by a colorful, boisterous group of kids happily milling about outside Los Altos Skateworks on State Street this past Friday.  The group of kids ranging from 6 to 12 years old are participating in El Camino’s YMCA summer skateboarding camp. All were suited up with their decaled decks in hand, in anticipation of the short bus ride to Sunnyvale’s Skateboard Park.  Their brief stop at Skateworks put them in the mood after seeing all the gear and watching riders demonstrate on the indoor ramp. Two more week long skateboard camps are being offered this summer by the El Camino YMCA.