Located in heart of Silicon Valley, Moffett Field is a catchall for a variety of business and…read moregovernment facilities. Its more notable residents are NASA Ames, Moffett Federal Airfield, The Moffett Field Historical Society, and a burgeoning Google presence. The field was founded in 1931 when residents of Santa Clara Country raised just under a half a million dollars to purchase the farmland to then sell it to the U.S. Government for the princely sum of $1 dollar in order to build what was then known as NAS Sunnyvale in 1933. The US navy wanted to use the base for Airship operations. Upon the death of Rear Admiral William A. Moffett, who was a huge proponent of Airship operations, the base was changed to NAS Moffett Field on 1 September 1933. To support airship operations the massive Hanger One was built. The Hanger which at the time was one of the largest freestanding building in the world covered a whopping 8 acres. After the tragic los of the Airship USS Macon, the navy turned control over the base to the US Army. Following WWII the navy regained control of the base and during the Cold War was one of the primary West Coast bases for anti submarine aircraft such as the P-2V and the P-3 Orion. In 1939 NACA the precursor to NASA opened up research facilities on the base including the ARC Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel, and the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex. Following the military drawdown during the post Cold War period the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) identified the base as unneeded and thus was decommissioned and turned over to NASA) The base now is run by NASA and they have actively rented out space to a variety of companies like Google etc. Lockheed martin Space Systems is collocated on the base as well as the 129th Air national Guard Squadron. There is also housing and other projects. In a nod to its Navy roots a Navy Commissary remains on the site and is open. Visitors are allowed on base with government issued ID if they have business there. In addition there is a museum on site that you can visit as well. Its hours are limited so check the website for more information. Also as a note traffic laws are STRICTLY enforced by the NASA police and that goes for bikes and vehicles so behave yourselves.

This review is based on the experience of my boyfriend being sworn in at Moffett Field to join The…read moreNational Air Guard/Air Force branch. Not to be sappy and cheesy but I am humbled to say that I am a very proud Air Force girlfriend :) It's crazy because you may just be passing by Moffett Field casually when you are driving the freeway. However, actually being on the Field itself is just a whole new experience. You will honestly never look at it the same during your casual drive, (in an AMAZING great way) once you experience being out on the Field. So many of the Airmen/women were very nice, respectful, and very informative with the process of joining the branch. They all definitely treat each other like family whether you are a new or old member. It's funny in a great way how many of them try to convince you to join Air Force as well haha! It truly was an honor being able to be out on the field and meet many Airmen/women who are serving our country. It makes me so happy knowing my boyfriend is following his dreams and now a part of such a strong/passionate branch. Shoutout and many thanks to them all for serving our country.

Went for a jog here while in the area, and took some time to explore the park and the historical…read morebuildings of Oracle... auditorium, mansion (Agnews State Hospital superintendent's residence), clocktower (formerly the treatment building), and visitor center. The info center had plenty to share about the history of Agnews as a state hospital for the mentally ill, destroyed in the 1906 earthquake killing 106 patients and 11 staff members, rebuilt and reopened 5 years later, and becoming the first modern psychiatric hospital in California. You can't enter the buildings (except the mansion and auditorium by reservation), but there's sufficient signage near each of the buildings, noting its history, to educate visitors. And there are beautiful trees and well maintained grassy fields with a few picnic tables and benches on site. Still, access to this park is very limited, as it's the location of the Oracle Santa Clara campus. Not the ideal park due to its inconveniences and lack of offerings, but still cool to learn a bit about its history, or just a simple peaceful spot for picnicking.

It's nice that they now have dog waste bags stations at the park. They also posted dog leash…read morerequired signs a while back. Can't wait for the Spring when all the flowers are blooming.

1 of only 3 Public Frank Lloyd Wright sites in CA and they only allow visitors twice a year so…read morecount yourself an architecture nerd and a lucky-one if you do get a spot on the tour. Older review from before Covid, you can email hannahouse@stanford.edu for next tour dates. You can take as many pictures as you want outside but no pictures of the interior so I added some I found online. This is what makes this design unique compared to other FLW works: -Hexagons/honeycomb, back in 1936 imagine the precision that had to be done by hand to make the huge structure a honeycomb as well as small details like the stone tiles. One cut slightly wrong would have snowballed into huge misalignments. -First FLW work in non-rectangular structures -First FLW work in the Bay Area It's not as epic and grand as Fallingwater or as contemplative as Taliesin West and it is smaller than some of the US public FLW sites but it's only 1 of 3 in Cali you can see the interior of and you get a more complete picture if you can see inside/out and hear the docents anecdotes about the design and house.

Hanna House is one of the few northern California buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Located…read morein a residential neighborhood within the boundaries of the sprawling Stanford University campus, the home is currently occupied by a private party and is not open to the public. However, it once served as the official residence for the Provost where the university regularly held alumni and fundraising events and one might reasonably assume the home may someday return to it's previous semi-public stature. Although visitors are discouraged from trespassing on the property, the house has been magnificently maintained and is visible from the street below. A relatively new arrangement with the Stanford Historical Society will enable the public to tour the house twice each year. Interested parties should contact hannahouse@stanford.edu to receive information about future tour dates and booking arrangements.

Please note that some maps and online resources call this the 'Alviso Environmental Education…read moreCenter', which is located in the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. It's been quite a while since I've been inside the educational center. The trails out on the wetlands are lovely. Always birds to see. Especially special are the migratory birds. Bring your binoculars. I often use this as a starting point for bicycling on the sloughs. Several trails will take you pretty far out into the wetlands. Very peaceful, but a bit windy.

Attended an event here this past Sunday, presented by Ceal Craig, President of the SF Bay Wildlife…read moreSociety: History of Drawbridge. This ghost town used to exist not too far from my neighborhood of Alviso which used to be a working port, at the creation of Drawbridge in the late 1800's. I was already familiar with the story, but I still learned a lot from this presentation. They actually used swing bridges not actual drawbridges, hand operated, then mechanical years later, and trestles by 1944. Drawbridge was a destination for hunting and fishing, the small town made up of marshland and boardwalks, only accessible by boat or by train. It is now illegal to visit Drawbridge, and there's not much left of it. But it's still fun to learn about its history and potential impacts on our future (ie. the long-term South Bay restoration project). The Don Edwards SF Bay Environmental Education Center is the setting for quite a number of interesting events on various topics like this, hosted by the SF Bay Wildlife Society, and free to the public. There are also educational displays in the building similar to museum offerings, especially related to the wildlife. And the surrounding area is beautiful, even with the current construction being done to raise the levee. The back side of the building opens up to lovely views, and walking the New Chicago Marsh boardwalk, it's peaceful out there. The parking lot is located right in front, but I've gone on runs out here too, so there are many ways to pay a visit.

We used to stop by fairly often when I was a little kid. I'm now 77. My sister loved peering over…read morethe edge. I thought it was creepy as hell but pride wouldn't let me show my fear. My sister Sharon knew how I felt and really got a kick out of watching me squirm. Even as I got older the creepy feeling never really left.

I've been wanting to take some pics here for a while, had to email the SF Public Utilities…read moreCommission to make sure it was open Monday 4/1/13. They don't get Cesar Chavez Day off so I was happy. It's FREE to enter & take pics. Open M-F 9-3 for the public. It's a nice drive in, with purple leaves in the California Redbud trees. Lilac bushes - didn't see them, Lombard Poplars - not sure if they are still there. You can read the history of the SWT & take pics. The ceiling wasn't finished, kinda neat to see. Spent about 20 min there. Website with more info: http://www.sfwater.org/index.aspx?page=94

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

This is a pretty great place to see the sunset in Cupertino! Nice spot to take a few photos if…read moreyou're in the area.

So this pedestrian bridge is pretty iconic as it passes across Interstate 280 in Cupertino. I don't…read morereally call it by it's real name and I just call it the Mary Avenue Bridge lol. It's nice to walk on in the daytime to watch the cars pass by and it's absolutely stunning during sunset and at night. Be careful though, there are a lot of bicyclists and sometimes if you're taking photos or just standing in the middle of the bridge, just be on the lookout. I kind of wish the bridge was a bit wider with a side for pedestrians and another side for bicyclists. But it's okay, it's like a mini Bay Bridge for pedestrians and bicyclists. This is a true Hidden Gem because I don't really see a lot of people visiting it even though people drive by it all the time on the freeway. When you get the chance, park on Mary Avenue on the south end and then take a nice walk across the bridge. You'll absolutely love it.

Historic Murohy avenue is a street that blocked traffic so there is no car and its full of…read morerestaurants for every taste like Indian, turkish, middle eastern, Mediterranean, Nepalese, Mexican, American, himalayan and ...+ pubs and bars. Today, i stopped for a short walk and bought a chocolate du pain from french bakery FM. while i always heard about this historic Avenue but in my previous trips we never stopped but today I had a chance to walk and enjoy. The parking was hard to find so when you are driving by weekend be hopeful that you'll a parking spot.

I don't know how you cannot like Historic Murphy Avenue!!…read more Located in Downtown Sunnyvale, it's only one block long, but I think this is the place to be here, especially in the evenings and on weekends! The street is blocked off from traffic, so all the restaurants, bars, breweries and assorted other stores are easily accessible. When I was here, all the places were setting up for the evening to get started. There is a parking lot close by, and also about a block up from here is the AMC theater. Definitely worth checking out!!