Hidden Lake is a great serene park for having lunch, watching ducks, and a great place to exercise…read more Get your steps in at this park by walking around the lake or if you go up the steps there is a pathway that is nicely paved. Ride your bike around the lake or if you have a little one have them burn their energy riding a bike, scooter, or roller skate. Plenty of people are there especially in the morning so I have always felt safe. I have seen some people fish here at different times of the day. It has a small parking lot located in a safe neighborhood. There are no bathrooms at this park.

***the lake itself is part of a community called HIDDEN LAKE as well***…read more OVERALL: Meh. Wouldn't go out of my way to drive here to walk; therefore the 4 stars rating. Due to being part of a community, there are a ton of guest parking (especially near the gates to this park) BUT if you keep driving, the parking lot for this "park" is on the outside (you turn in with the sign "HIDDEN PARK LAKE" in green lettering/tanish brown background and there are a few spots for you to pick from). Two stairways up to other flat cement ground trails. Very quarry lake vibes but not much water. Lake itself is a smaller circular flat cement ground leveled trail. Regarding up the stairs: One way does end up at another park whereas the other way just ends up in another neighborhood/main road. Lack of shade. Lots of ducks. There's few places to sit. Few trash bins. No visible toilets.

Cool ghost town visible from train - San Jose to Sacramento…read more It was so fun discovering this small ghost town in the middle of the South at wetlands. A raucous history clings to Drawbridge - hunting and maybe gambling at one time or another. Built in the 1870s and it became 'ghostly' after the last person left in 1979. I like the background of the town and how it spices up the history of the southern part of San Francisco Bay.

I found out about Drawbridge on Atlas Obsura and was fascinated. It's definitely one the better…read moreelusive urbex destinations. You technically can't go here so I won't go into detail on how to get there but it's best to find someone who's been here before to guide you as it can be tricky to find and some entrances might be blocked off. The abandoned buildings on the side of the train tracks are spread out and you can get some nice photos with the hills and marshland in the background. It's worth going but this is a production. It's about a 9-mile walk and yes you do have to watch out for the train. Most of the time it's fine but there is a small stretch when you need to cross a bridge over water and let's just say you don't want to end up like those kids on Stand By Me. If you don't want to do the walk you can take an Amtrak Train which goes through it.

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!

What a beautiful área!!! Absolutely loved strolling through this vibrant community for a few hours…read more This was my first time here & found so many stores, restaurants.such a nice to place to walk around. I loved that there's Benches you can sit on just about every block with a bit of history engraved on each bench. Super cute & clean town. Loved all the Art work. San Jose's Japantown is one of the last historic, authentic Japantowns remaining in the US. Definitely try to stop by & explore J town if you're ever driving through San Jose

This festival started out a couple of years ago as a really good one to enjoy. This year though,…read moreit was barely better than doing ones laundry. The amount of vendors selling crafts has gone way down and those participating here have to jack up their prices because the Milpitas Chamber was sucking 10% off the top for all money made by the vendor. This is a perfect way to keep the little guys away and to make the big guys really gouge the customers. As to beer or wine? What a joke. We are in the middle of Micro Brewery America and are offered Michelob and a couple of other tap choices. Wine was worse. If it wasn't for Schlossadler Wines being there as a booth trying to sell wine by the case but offering tastes of their great line, the fair only had Beringer which is about $13.50 a bottle. At the festival it was $5 for half a plastic glass. I go to an Art and Wine festival for the arts and crafts and for some wine. Milpitas lacked in every regard here. Try to do better next year. More variety for the wines and foods. Do something to attract as many vendors as you had three years ago.

This festival changed its name to Celebrate Milpitas. This was very packed and very…read morehappening...Then suddenly it wasn't so much...and cancelled it this year. The real story??? They changed the people planning the festival, and the traffic died and then no more...the economy probably added to it. The new people planning it didn't advertised it as much...it was a balloon over the Wells Fargo building on Calaveras...that was it! They didn't continue any of the signs all over Milpitas and in high traffic areas...real sad! Hopefully in 2010 they'll revive it...

Solid pedestrian bridge linking the cities of Santa Clara and San Jose…read more This red rust color bridge is a special link across the Guadalupe River. The only pedestrian bridge for miles. Not only is it utilitarian useful, but it also melds organically with the local landscape. One can appreciate its aesthetically pleasing form. I appreciate the views of the river, trees changing colors and view of golden hills in the east. Why does the sky appear bigger here?

Drumroll...... For…read moremy widely anticipated 500th review, I present to you the upside-down airplane!!! Now I had a hard time agonizing over whether or not I wanted to put this little known local curiosity up into the spotlight, but I figured that it would be worth it for you yelpers! So, what exactly is the upside-down airplane? Well, it's exactly what it sounds like. You gather a bunch of friends with a heady sense of adventure and get in the car. Start out in Fremont on Morrison Canyon Road and go past the residential area and then go up into the mountains and wind around for a bit and choose the right forks in the road, and you'll reach a dead end. At this dead end, you can see some gates barring you from entering any further into private property. If it's a sunny day or you just happen to have good eyes, you can spot this little airplane that is built upside down on top of this tower. How curious... If you're out at night or if you're unlucky, an old man with a big light will come out of his trailer and chase you away. That means RUN FOOLS!!!!! With your heartbeat thudding wildly in your ears, you drive down the windy mountain road, your demise only an arms width away, until it somehow dumps you off in Sunol. Don't worry...680 is nearby, so you can hop back on the freeway and mosey on home. If you're here for other reasons, there are lots of private little spots to pull off on the side of the road, and you'll often see cars parked off to the side with the windows fogged up. I wonder what they could be doing in there? Hm. There you have it Yelpers! You have torn from me the one spot that no one has ever heard of. Don't abuse it too much! So what's the story about this place? I guess since I'm writing an expose, I should go all the way... Apparently the upside down airplane is the location of a test antenna site for a company called TRW. The wire mesh model of the upside down airplane is supposed to act like an antenna. There are lots of antennas set up around here for whatever purposes, who knows? Supposedly they are still in use. They've been up here for many many years, and been the source of entertainment for many high school and college kids. This spot is passed down through word of mouth and car rides at night...until now. Watch out, they have security here year round and will chase you away. Why? Because you're not supposed to be here. If you would like to pursue this curiosity some more there are many pictures for your entertainment. And if you're lucky, maybe I'll take you up there myself one day ;)

Ride your mountain bike up there ...... You'll need to stop a time or 2 to stuff your heart & lungs…read moredown ..... Have fun on the way down!

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).

You can see it from the road, but you can't drive to it (at least not that we could tell). It…read moreappears to only have a bike path leading to it. It was smaller than I was expecting. My husband and I quickly stopped on the side of the road so I could take a picture. I would have given it 4 stars if there would have been a parking lot where we could stop and take pictures and walk around. Still a cool structure though.

One of the best parts of Fremont. The area most people go to is a one block area. It is lined with…read moremostly antique shops and a mix of retail and food.There's plenty of free street parking. We came for the weekend farmers market.After we went for breakfast then coffee. For the next couple of hours we broused though the many antiques. Didn't know that they had a silent film museum. Something to try next time

It's a must do for fans of California history and/or silent film fans. So many points of…read morearchitecture just on the Main Street. Be sure to stop in to the free Essanay Silent Film Museum and walk past the train station. A great Saturday farmers market. Free parking lot.

Located at Edith Morley Park in Campbell, near the percolation ponds, this wall sculpture is…read morecomprised of symbols of nature as portrayed by the artist, Glen Rogers. Her works focus on elements representative of feminism, spirituality, and living earth. This particular piece presents shapes and images that support this theme. And the setting features lovely trees along the wall that complement the steel sculpture beautifully. It's worth checking out if you're in the area.

This is a temporary art exhibition at Plaza de Cesar Chavez, featuring oaxacan animal sculptures…read moremade of fiberglass and metal construction and painted with colorful and imaginative designs. My faves were the lionbull, the happy alien, and of course, the rabbit (by artist María Jiménez). A couple of the artworks are located across the street, near the SJ Museum of Art and in front of Bijan Bakery, but the rest are scattered throughout the park, a lovely sight to see among the beautiful trees and decorative lights in the plaza. Supposedly the statues themselves light up after dark. But perhaps they were broken during my recent visit, or maybe these creatures partied too hard over the weekend during the Pride festivities, cuz only one was illuminated with color-changing lights at nightfall. It was still enjoyable to explore these creative pieces during the day, especially on a Monday afternoon without the distraction of annoying crowds. Plus it's free to view, unless there's a special event happening which charges an admission fee. San Jose Jazz and its partners are hosting various community gatherings and activities in the plaza through the end of September as part of this exhibition, including cultural festivals and movie & music nights. These are great opportunities to check out this fun and unique art display and celebration of Mexican tradition and heritage. And just maybe, if you're lucky, you'll get to see all of the sculptures lit at night during these events.

The three stars is for the Coco movie shown last night, next to the Art Museum. The problem was…read morethat the view of the movie screen was faded, because of a city sidewalk spotlight which was aimed directly at the movie screen. This made the movie harder to see. Because one of the palm trees cast a shadow over the right-third of the screen, the right side of the screen was easier to see than the left side of the screen, which suboptimized the experience, because our eyes keep reminding us that one side of the screen is faded, while the other side is not, which forces the mind to continually have to adjust for the whole hour and a half. But the black statue at the other end of the park lit up well in the dark: