The new San Jose edition of Monopoly was released Monday, and the most coveted spots on the board — what would normally be Boardwalk and Park Place — went to two local landmarks with more than 150 years of history between them: the Winchester Mystery House and Original Joe’s.
Fittingly, the game — which is now on sale for $39.95 on Amazon, at CVS and other retailers — was unveiled at the Winchester Mystery House, where Mr. Monopoly himself posed for photos with Original Joe’s co-owner Brad Rocca, Winchester Mystery House Executive Director Walter Magnuson and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, among others.
“San Jose has so much history, so much to be proud of, so much to celebrate and this is just one more great opportunity to do that,” Mahan said. “I know we’re all very excited to see many of our local landmarks and local history and culture be memorialized on this game board for generations to come.”
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, left, and Winchester Mystery House Executive Director Walter Magnuson pose with Mr. Monopoly at the official release of the San Jose edition of the popular board game on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)
Rocca, Original Joe’s owner, said he was proud that the landmark downtown restaurant had such a prominent placement on the board — and quite frankly expected nothing less. Mr. Monopoly must agree as he planned to swing by the South First Street restaurant Monday night to greet diners.
The board has some pleasant surprises, too: Longtime San Jose businesses Peters’ Bakery occupies one of the properties and $15 Sewer and Drain, a San Jose company founded in 1983, has the utility spaces. VTA has a monopoly on the four railroad spaces — though they all feature buses instead of light-rail trains.
Popular hangouts like Santana Row, San Pedro Square and Plaza de Cesar Chavez get their due on the board, made by Top Trumps and licensed by Hasbro. Downtown attractions including the Tech Interactive, the Children’s Discovery Museum, the California Theatre, the Civic Auditorium, Center for the Performing Arts and Christmas in the Park all have a spot, as does San Jose State.
The game board for the San Jose edition of Monopoly was released with an event at the Winchester Mystery House on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)
Nature lovers will appreciate that Alum Rock Park, Coyote Valley and the Japanese Friendship Garden are all represented, too, and the board even goes well beyond the city limits to include Año Nuevo State Park, Santa Cruz Beach and Natural Bridges State Beach.
So what didn’t make it? The Sharks and SAP Center appear to be sitting this game out, the Richard Meier-designed San Jose City Hall didn’t pass go, and the Electric Light Tower at History Park was left in the dark. There’s also no Signia by Hilton hotel and no mention of tech companies headquartered in San Jose like Adobe, Zoom, Cisco or eBay — or other valley giants like Google, Apple …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
