I love the Triton Museum of Art. Definitely a pillar of the Santa Clara Community. Free admission!read more

This was actually my second time ever at this museum, I came a couple years back when they had a…read morechalk festival. If you ever get the chance to come show up both days so you can see the artist outlines, and when they start everything, and then day two to see the finished product!! This particular day I went with my dad and Brother to check out what new art pieces they had. We spent about an hour walking through and looking at everything. My brother, major in art and could tell us about different types of oil/paint that was used and how it would last over certain decades or fall off and crack ! Lol so I found the history of how well each artist project with withstand the time of life very interesting as well. I will definitely come back when this gallery changes to another theme! It also has a very nice park. I just wish there was a coffee shop or Matcha shop nearby! Hee

A very clean, spacious and plentiful resources for books, puzzles, games, you name it~…read more It's nice and peaceful to come here to do work and get some productivity in.

I love libraries. This one is in the upper quartile. Very big, great selection and I loved the high…read moreceilings. It is also right by a large park. Wonderful and friendly staff.

"As my artist's statement explains, my work is utterly incomprehensible and is therefore full of…read moredeep significance."―Calvin San José has a long line of, shall we say, questionable Public Art (PA) projects; everybody knows about the giant dog turd statue Quetzalcoatl―or as I like to call him Quetzacaca ( goo.gl/lvswBr )―in the Plaza de César Chávez. Let's also not forget the Fallon Statue debacle ( goo.gl/wKEv0g )―and don't get me started on the mangled shopping carts (goo.gl/vbB6NE) passing for a statue on the corner of Alma Ave and Almaden Rd. Need I go on?! So, whenever CSJ does something right I love to point it out. I first read about Ursa Mater (aka Mama Penny Bear) in the Merc from my buddy Sal Pizarro's column. Ursa Mater is a gigantic piece of coin art that was put together by Hayward-based artists Mr & Mrs Ferguson. She first made an appearance at last year's Burning Man festival and is now prominently displayed in Paseo de San Antonio―just east of Plaza de César Chávez, right by Bijan Bakery. The statue of Mama Bear and her two cubs sits at least 10-12' tall and is completely covered in 200,000 pennies ($2,000 worth) to make up the bears fur. It's pretty cool to look at from afar, and even cooler up close. I suggest getting here quickly to check her out, as she will only be on display until the end of May. And then we'll be back to staring at Quetzacaca forever. FOL...

I like to think that these represent the bear on the California flag. The name Ursa Mater…read more Is an excellent play on words by the artist. Ursa Major is Latin for "greater she bear" So Ursa Mater translates roughly to "She bear of matter" ( I only understand a very small amount of Latin so this may or may not be the exact translation). The bear and her cub are made of pennies so it seems the artist's intention was to make a realistic mother bear out of " matter" , hence the name. Also behind the pennies is a concrete core. It's as if these bears have a real fur made out of metal. As the previous reviewer said, there are are a lot of bad San Jose art pieces, but this one is fantastic. Just an edit: it seems to be gone now. Very sad.

As small business month is quickly approaching I was thinking how wonderful and vibrant a community…read moreJapantown San Jose is. There so many seasoned and new diverse small business owners here in the heart of Japantown. Classic Loot, Zonkey, Roy's, Santo Market, Taqueria Corona, Minato, Hukilau, Kazoo are among my families favorites. We have also enjoyed and welcomed new businesses too like Banne (yummy sourdough) and Furbaby Fancy petgrooming (the most posh and elite pet grooming experience) into our rotation as well! I should have just listed all the businesses here! So proud of the businesses that contribute to our community!

There's definitely a lot of history, community love, and shops and restaurants here. It's smaller…read morethan the other Little Tokyo in LA and Japan Town in SF (I think), but because we came around midday lunch time on a Tuesday after Fanime, not many stores or restaurants were surprisingly open? Maybe it's due to being after Memorial Day or because most of them were night time dinner service only restaurants. Either way it's much cleaner than Little Tokyo in LA and with less jump scares and trash everywhere. Easier to find parking and more affordable, in a sense, than Japan Town SF. Stopped by the Japanese grocery store and Santo Market while we were here. Fun to kill a couple of hours, I suppose. I just gotta come back here again when more things are open !

For a free museum, this place is pretty cool. Especially if you are interested in microchips. They…read morehave a few interactive displays, which I appreciated. The little gift shop is a cool addition, but I was expecting them to have some fun stickers. Parking is easy, just follow the signs. The employees are also friendly and helpful. Not pet-friendly.

With time to kill this past Friday, my bf and I made a stop at this museum to check out the…read moreexhibits while in the area to watch a movie at the theater nearby. The museum offers free admission, easy visitor parking in the Intel lot, and friendly and helpful staff at entry who gave us an overview of the place before we perused the various displays on our own. The entire room was clean and organized, and even for such a small space, it didn't feel cluttered. I'm not really into tech, but I still took my time exploring the various items being showcased, while engaging with some of the interactive exhibits, like learning how Intel makes computer chips. There were quite a few hands-on stations such as the augmented reality photo booth and a card matching game allowing guests to see a processor in action. I also got to wear a bunnysuit and view Intel's gaming history, with video game consoles on display and arcade machines like Space Invaders available for visitors to play. The adjacent Intel store offered blankets, mousepads, and "floating bunny person" pens among other miscellaneous products. And we were able to get through everything (both museum and gift shop) within an hour. Nothing too exciting about this place, but if you're into tech or gaming, you'll probably appreciate it more. Plus, it doesn't cost a thing to visit.

Lupe the Mammoth is a cool (not so) little structure on the Guadalupe River Trail about 4 miles…read morefrom Alviso. There's not much around the area, so unless you are biking or jogging on the trail, it might seem out of the way to view such a simple little-known monument. But it has a neat little story behind it for anyone interested in art, science, history, or nature, or even just cool quirky attractions that are free of cost. A guy came across the collection of bones while walking his dog along the trail back in 2005. How awesome is that, it's like finding a dinosaur in your backyard! The actual remains can now be found at the Childrens Discovery Museum in San Jose where they can inspire kids to "dig for fossils" and explore the past, but the unique sculpture on the Guadalupe River Trail marks the setting of this magnificent discovery. And it is far from ordinary. It's beautifully crafted out of bent steel pipes, and almost twice the size of the actual baby mammoth remains. The area and the exhibit itself are not run down by trash or graffiti or shady characters, so it makes for a pleasant experience and worth checking out. The area is actual pretty quiet and scenic, besides the Trimble Road highway (there's an underpass that connects the trail if you're looking to cross the busy street). It's surrounded by business parks, with private parking only. So there is no parking at the exact location of the mammoth statue. However if you're driving, there is free street parking on Seaboard Ave (6am-10pm), next to the nearby 76 gas station, within walking distance... Though the sculpture can easily be viewed from Trimble Road, please don't stop on the street (illegally) and block traffic. This isn't the most exciting attraction in San Jose so you shouldn't have too high of expectations. But if looking for a low-key outing that won't cost you a penny, this is a great option (to appreciate this work of art in person, not just through photos).

Columbia mammoth spotted along the Guadeloupe Trail! Ok, actually it is only the whiff of a memory…read moreof a memory locked in a skeleton fossil over 12,500 years old. A sculpture of a mammoth made of what looks like curved metal bars sits under a tree waving at commuting cars trundling along the street. It is massive and I think quite cool. I hope the city makes it a habit of putting more sculptures and works of art along the trail. There is a small information board that gives you the low-down on Lupe, her discovery, and how old it is. A cool snippet of one of the coolest cousin to elephants that used to wander in Silicone Valley in the Pleistocene period. Tres cool! The large metal structure isn't in the best location, but can easily be visited by joggers, walkers and bicyclists wandering along the Guadeloupe trail where is passes through the city of Santa Clara.

This 2023 aluminum metal sculpture, located in front of the Sunrise Senior Living facility in…read moreSunnyvale, is surrounded by a couple benches as well as a small garden of flowers and plants (and even a couple fruit trees) creating a simple but beautiful setting for relaxing and appreciating the artwork. The artist, Michael Kalish, is known for his unique license plate collection including portraits of iconic figures such as Albert Einstein and Superman, as well as impressive artworks (particularly roses) made of car parts. But his Floral Sky design and creation is just as impressive and beautiful, the Sunnyvale version, Sunflower Sky, creating a nice outdoor space I was able to take advantage of on a sunny Monday afternoon. There's also easy street parking on Manet Drive, adding to the convenience of checking out this lovely art piece.

I had a ghost experience!!! And that never happens... so worth it if you're into that kind of…read morething. Our tour guide Courtney was awesome, especially for being 103 yrs old! she made it super fun, kept a good pace, answered lots of questions and had the perfect vibes for hosting. Anyways, my ghost story was somewhere between the transition from the 1st and 2nd floors, just after the room with the piano music playing, my cousin and I were chatting not even during one of the guided portions it was literally during the walking part and someone clear as day shushed me right in my ear, but there wasn't anyone next to us, and my cousin didn't hear the aggressive "shhhhhh!!!". It was weird and freaky, but not scary. Super fun experience, great to learn so much about Sarah and her eccentric life - she's my kind of heiress!

Sarah Winchester is an interesting woman in local history, so we decided to tour San Jose's…read moreWinchester Mystery House. Booked and paid for our reservation online. I received an immediate confirmation and additional info, like parking, etc., which I appreciated. They also texted a reminder 24 hours ahead. Parking was a breeze and their lot wasn't full, but that may have been due to it being a dreary Sunday in April. The grounds are nice and we enjoyed walking around a bit before our tour. Lots of vibrant flowers and everything appeared well cared for. There was a private wedding party going on, so some of the grounds were blocked off. Our tour guide, Savanna, was very knowledgeable and seemed to really understand and care about the history of the house. The only problem we had was the size of the group we were put in. Most of the rooms are quite small, as are the hallways and staircases. We couldn't all fit in the room to hear her speak so missed some of what she said. There was another group right behind us, and sometimes I could hear that guide better than my own. They offer discounts for seniors and kids 12 and under, but otherwise is a bit pricey at $48 for adults to spend an hour walking through the house. I was disappointed that none of the furnishings are original. It's just been staged with furniture from the approximate period. We also paid for the basement access, and at $13 each (no discounts) it was an absolute waste. Very little to see there. It's just a basement. The cafe was closed while we were there, which was disappointing. Interesting to read about Sarah Winchester and her house, but not really worth the price to visit.

TLDR: Nice stroll for adults, good rides for kids. Overall worth checking out at least once…read more Good for an hour distraction, plus lots of restaurants nearby. Ambiance (4/5): * Lots of lit and decorated Xmas trees. * Heavier on the high schoolers than I expected, mostly around the churro vendor at the end. * Overall a pleasant setup. This is my second time going. I'll likely go back again in future seasons. Service (2/5): * Website and/or phone number given says you can text and get a reply with an answer to a question. I never received a reply. Offerings: * Lots of rides for kids 3 ft or taller. Four rides for kids under 3 ft. * Alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages available. Good looking churros for sale.

It was nice to get out and get some fresh air and hang out with family. Unfortunately, the…read moreambiance wasn't up to normal par. The big tree was a little disappointing and the trees on the outside weren't lit up, so they were difficult to see. My next opinion carries two thoughts. I was so happy to share Christmas in the Park with my 7-year-old nephew and my sister who lives in Southern CA. We were all super excited. Then at once we came upon a tree with a photo of the cutest child. Then I noticed wings on the tree. Actually, I noticed the wings first and then the child's photo. Initially I was like, oh, that's cool to put angel wings on the tree. Then I saw the photo and my heart sank. My niece who was closer was able to read that the child had passed away. It totally ruined my vibe. Was this appropriate for a festive park? That entire section had photos of people who had passed away. So, here's the other thought on my opinion. I saw a picture of an adult female and then I thought, "What a wonderful way to memorialize her for the season." I had missed emotions, but I would have preferred to overlook this section altogether. For years we would come and my small child would get this plastic Rudolph that would be on a stick. I probably got him that thing 3-years in a row. I was hoping to grab one for my nephew this year...ha ha, it's been over twenty years, and they didn't have any of the plastic blow ups for sale, but they did have hot chocolate. I'm not sure if the vendor now is the same as the one over twenty years ago, but this hot chocolate was clearly Swiss Miss or Nestle. It was basic, but the exciting part were the toppings... we had whipped cream, sprinkles, a candy cane and a little plastic snowman's head. We got the large, which was totally unnecessary and not just because of the $11 cost. Noticeably missing were the snow machines throughout the park, but my nephew was probably too young to enjoy it anyway. Also parking around the perimeter is impossible because they block all the parking. You can circle around to find a park or do what we did and just park in the lot next to the skating rink, which is across the street. I believe it was $2 per 20 minutes. Here's What I Think... If you've never been, check it out. It's nice to see the efforts the children and organizations put into decorating their trees. For me, it'll be another few years before I go back.

If your a 49er fan this is a must. All the history and memorable moments are on display. The movie…read moreat the beginning is absolutely incredible and a must if you visit. Even if you aren't a loyal 49er fan it is still really cool to see all the super bowl trophies and rings for each championship on display. Every team in every sport should have their own HOF to showcase their players and founders for fans to attend. Afterwards we visited the 49ers team store and loaded up on Niners gear. Love this place.

There is a very rude elder Woman who takes the Money in the Front screaming and yelling $49 dollars…read morein a rude unnecessary fashion and was cursing out a Guard for preventing Thefts? Maybe she should consider Helping seeing how the Museum has more employees than Visitors! Exactly why it shouldn't be $49 dollars overpriced and Definitely too many Employees! Removing her would increase the Likelihood of More Visitors‼ Can We get a Suggestion Box Please ASAP or Reduce the price back to $20 dollars . FYI: The more Employees Loitering in the Front is a Sign of a overpriced Venue & 13 employees only to have 3 visitors‼ They Have to Create a better Atmosphere and Environment or Reinvent the Museum! The most dull & boring aspect of the Stadium