Nice little district here in San Jose…read more The "village" is a mixed use area that includes, retail, food, and businesses. It is centered around a medium sized park. As it is a downtown type area, parking can be a challenge at times. The park also hosts a farmers market on the weekends. All of this within easy proximity of each other.

Such a pleasant surprise to find this back-to-the-future style square in San Jose! We were in the…read moreBay Area this week and wanted to take our uncle and aunt out to dinner. For something different, we chose ramen. Yelpers led us to try Seiki Ramen, which sits in Evergreen Square. From brownstone-emulating residences, to a central fountain and park area, this neighborhood enclave seems charming. A mix of architecture abounds in the square, giving a timeless look to a newer space. From what I read later, the intent was to create a gathering space where families can live, shop, dine, and find entertainment all within walking distance. Love the concept!

The Almaden Winery Community Center (AWC) is located at the Old Almaden Vineyards site which was…read moreCalifornia's oldest winery* (est.1852). Here Charles LeFranc made the first commercial planting of European Wine Grapes in Santa Clara Country from cuttings he had brought over from his native France. Almaden Vineyards still exists today but it has relocated to Madera, CA (go to http://www.almaden.com for more info). The Community Center Building is the old residence building and the actual winery itself is still there, but is fenced off and unavailable for tours, at this time. The AWC received California Historical Landmark status in 1953. The AWC isn't open for anyone to just saunter into despite the "Community Center" moniker; it's only available for party and event rentals (please see my tip or the CSJ website for rental info). The grounds surrounding the AWC have a relatively well-manicured garden; interesting architecture; and a children's park (http://www.yelp.com/biz/almaden-winery-park-san-jose) There are also some picnic tables on-site if you want to enjoy a meal at the Vineyards. I visited the AWC during the Winter but need to definitely come back in the Spring; there's a Rose Garden and Grape Vines that would be really neat to see in full bloom. Unless you've been lucky enough to have hosted, or been invited, to an event at the AWC I would still recommend for you to come down here on a Spring day and enjoy this hidden, and historical gem. The whole thing can be done in about an hour and I recommend you bring a lunch. *CA State Historical Landmark #505

Great venue here for our Nurse's Day for Santa Clara County Public Health Nurse. The amenities are…read moreawesome..full kitchen and great hall! . Garden and brick structure. The place has 283 maximum occupancy. WiFi works !!

This wonderful park, is located next to the Los Gatos Library. We often come here for a picnic on…read morethe weekends when we don't want to make the drive over the hill to the beach. It's a very serene spot for watching classic cars drive by on Saturday evenings. That tradition started during Covid for entertainment and has continued since. There's parking located right on Main Street in front of the park. There's lots of shade to take cover on a hot day. This place is also well known for 'Music in the Park' on Sunday afternoons during the Summer. Los Gatos also holds their Art and Wine festival in September. Walking distance from many restaurants on Main Street as well as a convenient 7-11 down the street. A memorable place for us during Spring and Summer. On 9/11 they hold a special memorial service. You'll find many special commemorative bricks in the ground near the light statue commemorating those who lost their lives and loved ones on 9/11. A definite symbol of Los Gatos' support for the 9/11 tragedy.

On April 11, 1853 the paddle Steamboat Jenny Lind departed San Francisco for the port of Alviso. As…read moreit neared its destination it suffered a boiler exposure. Passengers had just set down for dinner. The majority of the 31 killed were women and children. The explosion was the impetus to build a railroad between San Francisco and San Jose. That rail line is the present CALTRAIN trackage. The memorial is the only reminder of this disaster forgotten to history. It is located in the western part of the parking lot of the Alviso Marina County Park. The views of the Bay looking north are fantastic however, and it located at the entry point to the trail system. As with most things like this it is better part of a larger trip than a destination untoo itself

I was on a walk around Willow Glen when I chanced upon this beautiful, older house. I paused to…read morelook at it when I saw the signs that said it's a landmark which made sense. From some online research... "The Buffington House on Lincoln Ave in the Willow Glen neighborhood of San Jose. Landmark No 35. Designated May 20, 1986. Dedicated Founders Day 1988. Inscription: Lulu and Howard M Buffington, police and fire chief, city of Willow Glen. Representative of residences that lined Lincoln Avenue. This residential complex included a house, carriage house and other structures when it was renovated in 1988. The Buffington House was converted to commercial office use in 1988. A 9,000-square-foot office expansion, designed in 1991-1992 and costing approximately $800,000, was added to the property c, 1995, designed by Bamburg."

I'm so sad! I just moved out after having lived at Twohy for the past 2 1/2 years. I wouldn't live…read moreanywhere else in San Jose, and here's why: It was built in 1917: this place oozes character and charm. Most of the apartments I found in San Jose are newer (which is fine!), but I wanted something with a more loft-y, artsy vibe to it. Twohy doesn't disappoint. The walls are super thick, too; I never heard my neighbors...only sounds from the street outside. Also, bonus: it's a small community, and management is very attentive and responsive. Everyone I ever met there was friendly and helpful. The location is fantastic. So much to walk to. Safeway's right there for groceries, plus tons of bars and food in all price ranges (from cheap mexican to expensive steakhouses) it's all right there! You also have a movie theater right next door and MUJI across the street, not to mention VTA literally right outside your front door. Amenity-wise, included in rent was a parking spot in the Safeway parking lot (not a guaranteed spot, but I never had to park on the street even during the busy Christmas season), a gym membership at the gym across the street, and water/sewage/garbage. There are no laundry hookups in-unit, but there is a laundry room in the basement which is nice. The units have a small but lovely kitchen with decent appliances and nice fixtures in the bathroom, wood floors (YAY), tall ceilings, and huge windows which means lots of light. It's not a huge space, but then again I didn't need much space, and preferred to live in a great area of town vs having a ton of room. Overall I adored living there. If my job hadn't taken me up to the north end of the bay, I wouldn't have left! I highly recommend Twohy to those looking for a unique space in downtown San Jose.

Twohy Lofts are a CIM owned property right next to the Camera 12 cinema with the entrance on the…read more1st street side across from the light rail station. The building is pretty old and has nice charm. All the units are studios of various sizes and include a real kitchen (with fridge, sink, dishwasher, stove, oven microwave)... something not all studios offer. Not to mention AC which is great. Overall the places are nicely remodeled with hardwood, high ceilings and big windows. Only problem is the windows are single pained, letting in a LOT of noise, especially on the VTA side. Another drawback is the TV situation. They are not wired for cable (comcast or ATT), dish network is available but wasnt wired down passed the 4th floor... and direcTV is available but NOT in HD...good grief! The rent is not cheap, i think the cheapest (when I moved in) was around $1280 and I believe that was with some discounts for a 12 month lease. However, my rent came with a Bally's membership (right across the street) and parking at the 2nd/San Carlos garage... not bad. If it wasn't so expensive I'd give it 4 stars. Add some dual pained windows and Comcast or ATT cable lines (or direcTV HD lines) and it could be 5 stars. Overall its ok, location is great but there are some drawbacks.

Early march is a good time to visit, go to the back of the building for parking and to enjoy the…read moreflowers blooming. There's a small park behind it, nothing fancy, it's a small neighborhood center.

I dont know much ( about this Center) except Dad want come here back when they had Japanese Blossom…read morefestivity. Indoor area was huge but I got a little bored with the music. When I went outside there was impressive amount of Food Vendors ( the way it should be) so it was interesting ( the Japan Cherry Blossom in May??? I forgot). The thing is we were late ( this time) for July 4th. Celebration. There was some kind of Pancake Breakfast (Optomst Club?) but way too expensive...offer Pancake, Sausage, fruit cup, Coffee,Hot Choco for $ 15 dollars? $ 3 OJ. Since Mom is Diabetic & Dad has cancer, Dad & I decide that $ 15 is too expensive for just Pancake/Sausage. I was still curious if other people showed up, as in Cupertino $ 15 is cheap. So I was curious what other people had to say about the Breakfast July 4th. I also saw huge line for kids event. Of kids throwing DartBoard (not real darts) but it would be nice for someone to show Kids how to Throw it as most kids missed it ( maybe next yr, I will volunteer as it would be nice for someone to show kids how to throw the plastic thing to not miss the Dartboard even tho it was not real Darts) The thing that was disappointing ( only to me) is that on 4th of July it would have been nice to see tons of Food Vendors ( because its a holiday when families go out to have fun & most Families willing to spend money on Vendors). Maybe because only Pancake breakfast..I dont know if that was huge success or not. But it would have been nice to see many Food Vendors out as it can promote small businesses...and Im sure if the Center offer to Vendors that they would pay the Community to be able to put their Food Business out on July 4th. i was wondering what other people think? I just think $ 15 is way too much to charge for just Pancake. Dad & I brought Mom to McDonalds and spent $ 20 for breakfast instead of spending $ 45 dollars for pancake/sausage which we cannot eat because Mom diabetic. And at McDonalds you get free refill on coffee so Dad & I shared. Anyways, the Music for the 4th of July was awesome. There was a really great, awesome band playing. We went near the end of the concert. They were playing really Good Rock & Roll music and other American Classic music. It was really Good the Music, concert & band with really good electrice guitar music. I think to make the July 4th perfect tho, it would be nice to see Food Vendors offering both lunch & breakfast. Thing like BBQ chicken or wings, or even Tacos. Or anything that the Communiy wants. Would be nice to see what type of Vendors come there. Just would be Fun to see....Offering a whole Variety on Food as there are not enough buffet Nor MultiCultural type food places to go. Dad is a huge food fanatic but he gets sick of overpriced Chinese ( his favorite). I keep telling Dad to see Mexican Food Trucks as they are cheaper than Most overpriced restaurants. Even Pho ( one of my favorite foods) is expensive in restaurants these days (I love Vietnamese food as it is one of my favorite, next to Mexican is my favorite but I lived in California back in 1990 when Mexican food used to be cheap...Now the prices have sky Rocket...the only cheap Taco restaurant is Los Dos Compadres near Saratoga-Sunnyvale Rd & Prospect Rd ( DeAnza Blvd & Prospect Rd). Most of their Tacos are only 3.5 or maybe close to 3.75 by now and they give more meat than most Taco Trucks. Only one time their Carne Asada was less taste but majority of time, they have really good Taco and good Carne Asada. Only problem is they close at 3pm. Anyhow, it would be nice to see more Variety of Food ( not just Pancake). I wish other people would give their opinion too ( Because I value our country...Home of the Free !!!!!!!)

"In a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face."―Diogenes…read more Cool SJ Historical Landmark I stumbled upon the other day. You can't go inside and visit, just admire from afar. According to one friend, they used to put up a marvelous Christmas lights display in years past, but that tradition seems to have stopped. However, you can still see remnants of it such as the Leg Lamp from "A Christmas Story" in the front window. There's a plaque out front that reads: "City of San Jose Historical Landmark #201 W.W. Cozzens purchased 13.5 acres of land and built a on this site between 1873 and 1875. He was a pioneer of Santa Clara Valley who introduced a revolutinary process of drying prunes and apricots, that would eventually be shipped all over the world. Unfortuately, the house burned down in August 1889. The house you see before you was built in 1890. In 1976, the house was purchased by Anthony and Paulette Ornellas, who spent the next nine years restoring it. They lived here for 37 years until 2014. They are owed much gratitude for the major restoration of this property, both for our enjoyment and the generations that will follow. With affection, The Present Owner May 24th, 2014"