Tweetily deetily deet!

South Bay Blog is now on Twitter. Get updates on things to do this week, things to do today, and reminders on upcoming and ongoing events. Follow us here:

http://twitter.com/Southbayblog

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http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?ref=sb#/group.php?gid=65698611932

It's all historical and stuff

Recently, a friend of mine went on a tour of California missions, and there are two in the Sillicon Valley area. When the weather's nice, walking around these missions is a fun experience, especially if you care about history.

Mission Santa Clara was named for a female saint, rare in her time, and some of the original structure still stands. After it was secularized, it became Santa Clara university, and the mission is now in the heart of campus. If you're driving, parking is free in the main entrance lots on weekends. If you're coming on public transit, Caltrain is the best way to get there. Go to the Santa Clara station and the university is right across the street. There's a lovely church, beautiful hanging flowers to talk under, and a really weird hole in the original wall of the mission. There is a rose garden on the right side of the church (as you face it from the front), check it out when it's in bloom.

Mission San Jose is in what is now Fremont, and used to be a self-sustaining village. Now it's a museum, a small gift shop, a church and of course a graveyard. It's not as big as Mission Santa Clara but is worth a look. Just don't shell out the $2 for the tour, it's self-guided and not worth the money. They'll look at you like they think you're a jerk, but hey, you kept your two dollars, and you can still roam around the mission. Make a day trip out of going to them both and exploring the nearby areas. Behind Santa Clara, there's a soft-serve ice cream shop called Blondie's where you can get super good pumpkin ice cream.

Mission San Jose website: http://www.missionsanjose.org/

Mission Satan Clara website: http://www.scu.edu/mission/

Win!

San Jose has some awesome, but expensive shopping. If you like to stretch your dollars, try one of the many thrift stores in the area. Some of them are trendy and upscale, but the one on this post is the good old Salvation Army. Located just behind a shiny new shopping center on Taylor, there's hidden a huge Salvation Army store on the corner of W Taylor and Stockton.

What makes this one special? All thrift stores are unique, but this particular Salvation Army has an amazing selection. Need a dog kennel for your great dane? You can get it here. How about antiques? Those too. A pair of snowboots? Yes! A wheelchair or a basket ball hoop for your yard or a new desk? win Win WIN! And, best of all, buying second hand is environmental and helps out a good cause. Oh yeah, and all their stuff is half off almost all the time.




Need to knows: You can't turn in to the parking lot from Taylor, so you'll have to turn around when possible or hang a left at Stockton and park on the street. Lots of parking is available. The store is usually open later than other thrift stores in the area, but hours can be a little sporadic. Call 408-282-4987 before you go.

Turn it on!

Know a place in San Jose that's awesome? E-mail Southbayblog@gmail.com

Best meal in town, hands down

Having a bad day? Get good food and a new mood at Good Karma. It's a vegan cafe with really good, low cost meals and awesome service. Three items and rice is just about $8. Even if you're not vegan, or don't like vegan food give them a try, and you might be surprised. The owner is super friendly, and if he's serving you, it's almost impossible not to smile by the end, especially if you become a regular.

South First Fridays!

South First Fridays has already made it on to the blog once, but it deserves another mention. San Jose hosts an art walk the first Friday of every month from 8 pm til late. The San Francisco art walk is the first Thursday night, so if you love art, you can fit both in!

The walk is mostly in the SoFa district, South First Street and San Carlos. Some of the bigger galleries include Anno Domini, Works, and ICA. There are also a couple of small galleries down William St. They have some unusual art, so don't miss out! There's also free concerts going on mosrt months and at more than one gallery, so you can check out the local indie bands. If you're getting hungry, you can head up to 4th and San Fernando for dinner and cocktails at the new Flames in the bottom of the parking garage. Right next door is a can't miss outlyer on the art walk, Kaleid. By far the biggest gallery participating, they have all types of art, paitings, collages, sculpture and modern art all in one space. Some of the galleries offer free snacks, and this one usually does. Kalied also offers affordable art, as low as $10 - $25. So take in the culture, and stock up if you have any bare walls!

mmm, mmm, pretty good

If you're in the 1st st and hedding area, say, for some business at the county offices, make your day a little more pleasant with a visit to Fantazia Thai Cuisine. San Jose boats some of the best Thai in the Bay Area, and this one ranks in the high middle of what San Jose has to offer. The decor is beautiful, better than most other locations in the South Bay. The service is friendly and the menu has a wide array of choices. It's easy to get to on light rail, and they might even give you a free appetizer of fried banana while you wait. Mmmm, mmm, pretty good.

Crazy Lights and Music

Bowling is one of the few sports you can do without being in shape and make money from! Boost your average at 300, San Jose's lighted and musical bowling alley. Located next to the Oakridge Mall in South San Jose, 300 offers the chance to perfect the game while bowling under neon and blacklights and watching music videos. You can also get good, greasy bowling alley food and beers all night! There's a VIP room in the back, with a full bar, better music videos to laugh, dance, and bowl to, and the best part is you can just walk in. If you're not inclined to bowl there is also pool, and a small arcade. 300 is a little expensive, but definately worth a party or a weekend living it up.

Cinequest!

Film Festival! San Jose is known for festivals, and starting this Wednesday, Cinequest comes back to San Jose. It's an annual independent film festival, with documentaries and shorts thrown in. I tried to go last year, but was unsuccessful, so get your tickets early and show up early. There are tons of amazing movies being shown around town. Find all the info here: http://www.cinequest.org/indexCQ.php

Unique culture of San Jose

Right now, most of the culture in San Jose revolves around art and music. If you're in to jazz or blues, opportunities for free and cheap concert abound. San Jose is also a serious rival for San Francisco in terms of art. There are almost countless art galleries to check out. (For a full listing go to: metroactive.com and click the arts in the upper right hand menu. Then go to search upcoming San Jose area arts events and click galleries on the front page. Really convoluted, but it's a very thourough list. Mertro Active used to make it a little easier to find, but still keeps a good list). On the first friday of each month, check out South First Fridays. An art gallery crawl on S. 1st st, the town and city council are trying to make this part of downtown an art district. The more people go, the better it will get. Take a look at the calendar here: http://www.southfirstfridays.com/

There is also a great culture around plays and other theater arts. There are numerous live theaters in San Jose and many of them are more affordable than big playhouses in other cities. I saw 1776, a musical about the signing of the Declaration if Independence, at the Montgomery Theater next to the tech museum. One of my new favorite plays, I was able to see it for under $25, and because the theater was small enough, there is no nosebleed section! (See their calendar here: http://www.sanjose.org/meetings/facilities/montgomery.php?x=eventcalender).

San Jose and Silicon Valley can also be noted for their festivals. The list includes the Jazz Festival, Italian Family Festa, Gay Pride, and a Chili Cook off with free samples all day in Palo Alto. Something that may be suprising to note about San Jose is the wine. Santa Clara and the surrounding cities have excellent wineries, and wine tasting can usually be found somwhere in the city on any given day. Area wineries are experienceing the effects of the economy, so if you love wine, support our local wineries!

Museums in Silicon Valley are turly amazing, and much cheaper than in other large cities. All of the best ones, including the Tech Museum of Innovation, The SJ Museum of Art, The Children's Museum and the Egyptian Museum are all under $10, and some offer sliding scales or library card and student discounts. There are also some you can see for free.

San Jose is also a great place to raise kids. The Children's Museum has fun and interacitve exhibits, and there are always children's activities going on.

There aren't as many free events in San Jose and the Silicon Valley as there are in San Francisco, but if you're a resident or a visitor, there are so many quality opportunities for low cost outings, San Jose shouldn't be a town to pass by.

Books!

Love reading. If you feel the same, check out Recycle Bookstore.

You can buy or sell your books here, so you can make or spend money. Recycle Books has two locations, 1066 The Alameda, San Jose, and another on E Campbell Ave, Campbell. Both streets are fun to explore, so after you buy or sell your books, you can read and wander around checking out the avenues.

Each store has a unique collection, but the Campbell store is the one I photographed. Here, I found pretty good discounts on new books, and great discounts on hardcovers. You can also take a trip back in time to your childhood in the kids section with Babar and Richard Scary, if you grew up in the 80s and 90s. Or even a little bit earlier if you look closely.

On the way out I got the book for Silicon Valley Reads, "Not a Genuine Black Man". (A really great bio about a black man growing up in then all white San Leandro, go locals!) SV reads is an annual event put on by the city libraries, office of education and county libraries. They've got book discussions and meet the author events through April. Check out their site here:

http://www.siliconvalleyreads.org/2009-10/aboutsvr.asp

The bookstore in Campbell has a kitty, so if you're allergic, try the one in San Jose. If not, pet away!

Fremont, India Good food and good films

Have you ever seem a 3 - 4 hour epic move that kept your attention the whole time? If you haven't, check out Bollywood, India's Hollywood. The films range from serious like Raaz to something truly strange (but good!) like Main Hoon Na with Slumdog Millionaire somewhere in the middle. An easy to get to place to see these awesome films is the Naz 8 in Fremont.

Located literally across the street from the Bart station, you can make a day of the nearby shopping. Take in a flick at the Naz 8, shop at the Indian hair salon/clothing store next door and have dinner at the Indian place all in one spot. The Naz 8 is cash only, so bring your wallet! In addition to the regular crazy overpriced movie foods, you can get really good samosas in the lobby. Movies are usually $8 - 10 dollars, but on Tuesdays they offer them for only $5!

The Indian restaurant near by offers some great food. The service isn't the best, but it isn't too expensive, and if you're hungry for more Indian media, they show movies in the seating area.

Check out the show times and film descriptions here:

http://naz8.com/

Yes you can has cheezberger

It might be a chain, but it's good. Johnny Rockets in downtown San Jose is a far out place to get a great burger. They're a 50's diner type place, with glittery chairs and booths, and all the great oldies on the radio. You can sing along while you eat! Once again, this post is the victim of computer crashes, otherwise, there's be some great interior shots, but if you like diners, this is a place to try.

The waiters are friendly, and if you're vegetarian, they serve one of the best gardenburgers of all the restaurants that serve them! They also have a kids menu where you can get cheap food, like PB&J or grilled cheese. Mmmm.

http://www.johnnyrockets.com/index2.php



Locations:

105 S 1st St
San Jose

840 Blossom Hill Rd
San Jose

1600 Saratoga Ave
San Jose

Photo Credit: Katie

Rock out with your cock out at the San Jose Flea Market

There was going to be a picture of a guy with a rooster statue near his crotch for this one, but my computer crapped out on me, so it's up to your imagination now. The San Jose Flea Market has been at 1590 Berryessa Rd for 49 years. It's one of the biggest, with it's own street signs inside, but it's gotten a little commercial these days. I used to go to the Flea Market in the north bay, where people sold what they had, what they could find, or what they bought out of their vans or on tarps. You could find some really unique things there.

But, with time, Flea Markets seem to have become a little more like malls, and the San Jose Flea Market is no exception. What you'll find now is mostly clothing booths, which sell typical "urban" type fashions from up to 10 years ago, crazy booths with bras as far as the eye can see, and booths that sell things for the kitchen, like pots and pans, ect. There's also some that are like mini hardware stores, and the cool thing about them is that you can get batteries for only $1. While these kinds of things abound, there are still unique finds at the San Jose Flea Market. Comapring it to the Capitol Flea Market, it has more unusual things if you look hard enough. You can spend all day here, but if you find your way to the back, you can still see people who sell what they can find on tarps ect. There are Luchador (Mexican wresting) masks, and you can buy musical instruments, like guitars, clarinets, or purple trumpets. Really.

Bargaining wasn't the easiest thing here, but if you walk around you can find a better deal. It's also a good place to buy fabric if you sew, and there's even a barber shop. You can eat, shop, and get a hair cut all in one weird outdoor market place. It's a great day activity for families, and a lot of fun to navigate the endless streets and booths.

What is there to do in Silicon Valley?

Hello all,

Lately, well, since I moved to San Jose two years ago, I have been hearing a lot of "there's nothing to do in San Jose!" Being a transplant from Daly City, with it's fog and sprawl, I love San Jose, and I think there has to be something to do here. There must be something unique about San Jose. So, getting sick of sitting on the couch myself, I started this blog to find out what there is to do in Silicon Valley.