You know those people who always come back from fabulous vacations bragging about how they “had the whole place” to themselves? Next time, summon a smirk of your own and direct them to your Instagram feed, where they’ll see you cavorting in a beautiful park right here at home with NO CROWDS AT ALL, because you got a permit or arranged a special tour to get there. “We could have ...
Read MoreWhatever you want to say about the traffic Stanford causes or the tuition it charges, it’s the mid-Peninsula’s central park: free, open to all and full of little surprises. You’ve done the Rodin Garden, the Cantor and Anderson, Memorial Church and Hoover Tower. So here are five spots to learn, lunch, think and chill we bet you haven’t discovered yet. And, yep, free and open to all. Herbert Hoover Memorial Exhibit Pavilion Sitting in ...
Read MoreIt’s the train’s time again in Silicon Valley. Caltrain electrification. High speed rail. Renewed interest in the dormant Dumbarton rail corridor. Railroads are more than transportation: they’re a visceral, ground-shaking, ear-splitting, whoop-whooping link to what brought people out West in the first place. All you need to see is the look on a kid’s face when one whooshes by to know why railroads still inspire bold ideas and big hopes in all ...
Read MoreNegroni Week is a real holiday or, if not, at least it raises real money for charitable causes. It started Monday and runs through this Sunday (June 5–11) so you have ample time to join the fun. Luckily, with the SF Peninsula’s craft cocktail scene flaring up, plenty of local bars and restaurants are joining in. While the classic drink has but three ingredients (Campari, gin, vermouth), we found a few that ...
Read MoreHalf Moon Bay’s coolest new eatery operates out of a train car Written by Elena Kadvany // Photographed by Michelle Le Former Saison chef Scott Clark and Alexis Liu opened Dad’s Luncheonette together so they could spend more time together as a new family. For evidence that work-life balance is relative, look no further than Scott Clark. On a recent afternoon, the tattooed, 30-something chef was constantly moving in and out of a 100-year-old red train caboose in ...
Read MoreAl pastor tacos and a cheese quesadilla from El Charrito in San Carlos. Lunch on the Peninsula can sometimes feel like a negotiation in which you hold no leverage. You’re pressed for time, looking for parking near downtown and when you find it you’re often treated to the kind of meal that prompts a discussion about how high the rents must be. Well, cheap, good food does exist in Silicon Valley and ...
Read MoreMixing it up at Voyager Craft Coffee: @amadeu_cruz We’ve all had “third wave coffee” (trust us, you have) but how do you build on a cappuccino with grass-fed cream-top milk and heart-shaped foam art? The owners of Voyager Craft Coffee in Santa Clara, Sam Shah and Lauren Burns, think they have an answer: unusual flavor pairings and homemade ingredients on a base of top-notch beans. These are not your average cups ...
Read MoreFollow the neon lights to Fred’s Place (photo by @jthepirate) Pauli Partti doesn’t serve fancy, craft cocktails. The owner of Fred’s Place on Old Middlefield Way in Mountain View has intentionally kept his place old school: sports memorabilia covering the walls, pinball machine up front, billiards in the back, and a spirits list that’s not trying to impress anyone. Martinis and Manhattans are about as fancy as they’ll get. “We don’t ...
Read MoreRows and rows of weird stuff. Where to begin? When Chuck Schuetz started his own business reselling corporations’ unwanted electronics in 1986 he had no idea that his Sunnyvale shop, the WeirdStuff Warehouse, would become a destination not just for tinkerers, but for visitors searching for the “real” Silicon Valley. A former engineer at floppy disk drive maker Shugart Associates, Schuetz recognized a business opportunity unfolding in front of him in the ...
Read MoreDio Deka via IG: sloams If you long for the good ol’ days where people dressed up to eat out, Dio Deka is calling your name. The last restaurant (we think) in Silicon Valley that still requires formal dress, Dio Deka in Los Gatos looks intimidating with a business-like atmosphere. The staff dresses impeccably, with men sporting wearing suits, ties, and golden rings, and women in elegant black dresses. Dio Deka’s owners don’t want the formal ...
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