This week’s Peek of the Week takes you behind the security door and up the elevator to the 21st floor of The 88 in downtown San Jose.  Often one equates high rise living with Manhattan or Chicago, but this condominium brings a taste of that swankiness to Silicon Valley – complete with a concierge named Sarah, phenomenal views from the observation terrace and a state of the art gym.  The building’s art sets the tone by being modern and having clean lines, yet provocative.  For example, the lobby chandelier is made up of dozens of clear glass spheres; simple and elegant.  The "party room" features a cast iron wall sculpture series which seem to dance along the wall, emphasizing sophisticated playfulness.

The penthouse suite featured floor to ceiling windows, making this 2 bedroom and 2 bath home feel much larger than it was.  We Californians spend a lot of time outside with our great weather and this unit did not disappoint.    The patio on this particular unit has enough space to entertain at least 100 people, a small quartet and set up a bar.  One could probably have all that and  have a bocce ball court.  Overlooking the city, it provided a bird’s eye view of many of downtown San Jose’s landmarks – St. Joseph’s Cathedral, the Fairmont and the Paseo de San Jose.  It is easy to imagine what the view is like at sunset or on a quiet night.  Simply Spectacular. 

As one would expect, there was an expansive closet. Interestingly enough, each buyer in the building works with a closet planner who helps determine what features are needed – shoe racks, pull out drawers, tie racks and split bars. Then it is built to suit your needs. One’s inner Carrie Bradshaw could build the ultimate show closet to match the ultimate penthouse in San Jose. 

The building also has an outdoor lounge and entertainment area on the 12th floors complete with gourmet kitchen, outdoor BBQ, cushy lounge chairs and stunning view.  It is not hard to imagine yourself hosting a Super Bowl party with 50 of your closest friends with the gigantic big screen TV and leather couches or spending your day pool side.   

Overall The 88 lived up to its self description of being "urban, vibrant and rich with amenities".  It felt chic, yet comfortable, like a cozy cashmere sweater.  From beautiful kitchen cabinets to the stone chosen for bathrooms, the building emphasized high quality detailing over quick and cheap.  Units range from $400,000 to over $2M.  Within walking distance to fine restaurants and cultural centers like the San Jose Repertory Theater, one could have dinner catch a show or see live music and be in bed before most folks leave the parking lot.  How is that for having it all? 

Here’s the complete slideshow:

This entry was posted on Monday, August 11th, 2008 at 1:30 am and is filed under Downtown Living, Peek of the Week, San Jose, Sheila. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.