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.