The New Guadalupe

By Holly Hayes, Mercury News
Thursday, September 8, 2005

For decades, San Jose has turned its back on the Guadalupe River, largely ignoring the sleepy waterway unless it was overflowing its banks in winters with heavy rainfall.

That's about to change with the official opening of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens on Saturday. Not only does the park offer miles of hiking and biking trails, picnic and play spots, it also provides a whole new way to get to know San Jose.

The park is a work in progress. Construction on Highway 87 near West San Fernando Street, for example, will keep that part of the trail closed for a while -- although it will be open for Saturday's festivities.

Fences that currently block the trail where it crosses the Union Pacific railroad tracks between Coleman Avenue and Julian Street also will come down for the grand opening. But they will be back up immediately after, and a long-term solution -- a pedestrian overpass or underpass -- is still being worked out.

We recently took a stroll along the river with the park's education coordinator, Kary Wilson, a wildlife biologist.

Our tour started near the park's northern boundary, at Interstate 880, and ended a little over two miles later, at Woz Way Plaza just south of the Children's Discovery Museum.

GUADALUPE GARDENS AREA

One of the jewels of the new park also is one of its most familiar, the Heritage Rose Garden along Taylor Street. With nearly 4,000 rose bushes, the garden is organized according to type, with antique roses and miniatures getting their due along with the more modern hybrids. The gardens are maintained by volunteers, who also keep up the other features of this 120-acre section of the park, including the Historic Orchard, with 250 fruit trees and drought-tolerant rock gardens. Plans call for community gardens to be completed next spring and for much of the existing turf to be replaced with native grasses and other plants indigenous to the Guadalupe River. The new Visitor & Education Center, at 438 Coleman Ave., initially will house park staff but after the renovations will have classrooms and meeting areas.

Something to discover: The entire Guadalupe River Park & Gardens is irrigated with recycled water. Look for the lavender-purple sprinkler heads.

FLOOD CONTROL FEATURES

When vegetation matures, many of the flood-control aspects of the new park will be camouflaged. For now, though, you can easily see the bones of this huge water-diversion project. In years with heavy rain, two huge underground bypass tunnels will channel water from flood-prone areas to the south to discharge areas near Coleman Avenue to the north. Wilson said the tunnels can handle 17,100 cubic feet per second (she coaches children on school tours to envision ``17,100 basketballs'' emerging each second). Along the river's edge, giant steps made of rocks enclosed in heavy wire (called gabions) provide stability but also serve as a way to reseed the banks naturally. ``These will catch seeds flowing down the river, where they can re-establish on the river bottom,'' said Wilson.

Something to discover: At the Coleman Outlet Plaza, which overlooks the discharge area, look down. Etched in the pavement are the dates of San Jose's major floods -- the most recent being 1995.

CONFLUENCE PARK EAST

Two of the park's most intriguing artworks are in this area south of West Julian Street. The Braided Path Plaza celebrates the ethnic diversity of San Jose with swirls of concrete ribbons representing various cultures that have converged in the city. The paths meet around the Pool of Genes, which contains river rocks etched with common first names given to children of these ethnicities. The Crossing Paths monument weaves the names of the earliest European settlers with the names of American Indians. The effect is a sort of walkable crossword puzzle.

The adjacent River Street Historic District contains homes of some of the city's early working-class Italian immigrants. Lowry's Irish Coffee House now occupies the building at the corner of West Julian and River streets that once was a grocery store; the venerable Henry's World Famous Hi-Life Restaurant, once the Torino Hotel, anchors the other end of the block facing West St. John Street.

Something to discover: As you walk south toward Confluence Park East, look to your left to see a vintage sign painted on an aging brick warehouse. It touts the long-shuttered Hart's as ``San Jose's Big Department Store.''

ARENA GREEN AREA

The Arena Green Carousel and playground areas have been popular with children and families for years, but if you're unfamiliar with the area be sure to check out the special animals on the ride that relate to San Jose or the river. There are two sharks, representing the local hockey team, plus a pink salmon, a howling coyote, an eagle and a hummingbird.

Cross the bridge to Confluence Point to see the giant replicas of Ohlone baskets in a monument called ``The Weaver's Gifts.'' Take the trail down to the river to stand at the spot where the Los Gatos Creek joins the Guadalupe.

Something to discover: The hummingbird on the Arena Green Carousel has a hidden charm, a little hummingbird nest in its tail.

PARK AVENUE BRIDGE AREA

A tribute to the Muwekma Ohlone people makes this area rich in symbolism. Look up to see colorful hummingbirds atop the flagpoles and sculptures of howling coyotes and an eagle. These represent the tribe's creation story, which is inscribed on the bridge. On the south side of Park Avenue is the striking Veterans Memorial, a field of 76 white flags that symbolize peace. Etched glass panels tell the moving stories of those who have represented the United States in various conflicts -- through letters they sent home.

Something to discover: North of the Park Avenue Bridge, down along the west side of the river, is a giant map of the park with the river detailed in bright blue tile. Note: This area will be accessible for the opening festivities Saturday but closed again soon after so that construction can continue on the new carpool lanes on Highway 87.

DISCOVERY MEADOW AREA

Follow the trail south under the West San Carlos Street bridge and emerge in one of the park's most recognizable spaces, the sprawling grassy meadow that frames the imposing purple Children's Discovery Museum. This area can accommodate 20,000 for a festival but also has some surprisingly intimate spots.

Something to discover: Six bronze sculptures, known as the Parade of Animals, in the area near the Monopoly board. Don't miss the little mouse hiding from the hawk.