Archive for October, 2010

Chris Gulker, Hyperlocal Hero

Friday, October 29th, 2010

Chris Gulker Self Portrait. Copyright Chris Gulker.
Copyright Chris Gulker

I was saddened to learn that one of the founders of InMenlo passed away this week. Chris Gulker founded Menlo Park’s excellent hyperlocal web site with his wife Linda Hubbard Gulker in June 2009. I don’t know the Gulkers but I discovered InMenlo this past summer and thoroughly enjoyed its professional design, personal touch, and beautiful portrait photography as I scoured it for El Camino Real news. InMenlo immediately became an inspiration for AllCamino. Chris was an avid technologist and talented photo-journalist, and it shows in the web site.

As it turns out Chris is cited as being influential in the development of blogging.  Through Gulker.com, the personal web site he started in 1995, he pioneered the ideas of the blogroll and link attribution, two elements which contributed to blogging becoming the inter-networked, mutually beneficial phenomenon that it is today.

Chris succumbed to brain cancer on October 27, 2010. He was 59. He will be missed not just by his family and friends but by the beloved Peninsula community he served so well. The global community of bloggers—hyperlocal and otherwise—owe him a debt of gratitude.

[Source: InMenlo]

El Scare-mino Skull-endar

Thursday, October 28th, 2010

EL DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS

San Jose Museum of Art
October 30, 2010

11 AM — 5 PM

Free admission all day!

Celebrate El Día de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) at this fun family event with hands-on art activities, demonstrations, and performances that reflect the ever-evolving communal traditions associated with this lively holiday. SJMA’s annual inter-cultural, modernized festivities for El Día de los Muertos have become a community favorite.

110 South Market Street
San Jose, CA 95113
http://www.sjmusart.org/event/community-day-el-dia-de-los-muertos_2010


El Camino Calendar

Thursday, October 21st, 2010

CIMG0535

We’re a little light on Calendar entries this week, and oddly enough all three are in Palo Alto. Maybe it’s not surprising since Stanford Homecoming is this weekend. In any event, be sure to check out the El Camino Calendars page for a list of venues which always have a variety of activities going on.


Huang Engineering Center Open House, Tours, and Reception

Visit the new home of Stanford Engineering: the Huang Engineering Center in the Science and Engineering Quad.

Friday, October 22, 2010
3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

We hope you will join us for self-guided tours to see exhibits featuring the School’s rich history, learn about access to “intelligent information” in the new Terman Library; and to visit with the Stanford Technology Ventures Program, Management Science and Engineering, and the Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering.

Light refreshments will be served.

Admission is free, no RSVP required.

Huang Engineering Center
475 Via Ortega
Stanford, CA 94305-4121
http://soe.stanford.edu/visit/huang_center/index.html


Sportissimo Running Clinic

Sportissimo is hosting a Running Clinic Oct 27 at 6:30pm. Refreshments will be provided. Please RSVP by Oct 22. Also did you know that throughout the month of October – Sportissimo will donate 10% of your purchase to Breast Cancer Connect when you mention them at the register? Look good while getting in shape and support a great cause!

Sportissimo
855 El Camino Real
Town & Country Village #36
Palo Alto, CA 94031

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=5025796&id=188493769636
http://www.sportissimo-us.com/


Blood Drive

The #Stanford Blood Center mobile will be at PAMF’s Palo Alto Center on 10/22 from 10am-2pm. Pls sign up to donate at https://www.sbcdonor.org/index.cfm


Olive Fest

Monday, October 18th, 2010

CIMG0514

Earlier this month I dragged my family up to the Mission San Jose annual Olive Festival in Fremont. I say I dragged them because they don’t even like olives. Me, though, I love ’em. I was a wee bit disappointed then that I didn’t get to taste any.

CIMG0518The Olive Festival is put on by the Mission San Jose Chamber of Commerce. The mission was founded in 1797 by Fr. Fermin Francisco de Lasuen. It sits today right on Mission Road in Fremont. As the literal road to the mission, Mission Road is the nexus of El Camino de San Jose, my name for El Camino Real’s eastern branch. In the last century the area around the mission has developed into a charming little district. In 1909 the businesses, landowners, and residents of the area formed the Mission San Jose Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber holds two big annual events at the mission: the Olive Festival and the Christmas Tree Lighting. This was the ninth year for the Olive Festival, which occurs the first Saturday of every October.

Why olives?  It turns out the Franciscan padres and native Ohlones planted olive trees at the Mission, taking advantage of California’s famous Mediterranean climate. Some of the trees are still there, having lasted over two hundred years.

We arrived that Saturday after lunchtime. We parked at Ohlone College and walked the long block to the grassy slope behind the mission. A shaded bandstand anchored the festival which was enclosed by a ring of vendor booths. About a third were selling arts, crafts, and jewelry. About a quarter offered food, raffle tickets, and kids’ activities. The rest (don’t ask me to do the math) were selling a variety of olive-based products. I saw olive soaps, literal olive branches, and some beautiful objets d’art carved from wood from the mission olive trees (dead wood only). I saw everything except olives, meaning fruit ready to eat. I found out later on Twitter from @aroundfremont that the mission itself did sponsor a booth with olives to taste but somehow I missed it. If you ask me, one booth isn’t enough. I arrived with my palate all set to sample a variety of olives in a rainbow of flavors: garlicky, spicy, au naturel, you name it. I was ready to spit some pits, but it wasn’t to be. All was not lost however because what the festival lacked in olives, it more than made up in its culinary essence: oil. Olive oil, that is. Greek gold. Tuscan tea.

CIMG0507Nearly every food vendor had a wide range of olive oils to taste. Some were plain extra virgin and some were flavored. The oils didn’t have to go it alone though. The vendors also offered matching samples of balsamic vinegars, olive oil’s favorite grape-based emulsion partner. I worked my way from one end of the festival to the other, dipping little bread chunks on toothpick skewers into oleic and acetic sample pots, savoring all. One booth, Lucero Olive Oil, was hardcore. They didn’t mess with bread chunks; you sip their wares neat, straight from their stainless steel dispensers. I made the mistake of chugging a sample of vinegar too fast, causing my throat to seize up and my nostrils to ignite, launching me into a fit of gasping and sputtering. Yeah, I’m a balsamic lightweight.

We purchased a basil/lemon/garlic olive oil gift sampler from Lucero and some hot Tuscan olive oil and dark cherry balsamic vinegar from Big Paw. We also purchased a dry salami from P. G. Molinari & Sons and some fresh pesto from Home Maid Ravioli Company. Yeah, life is good.

CIMG0509We finished out the afternoon bopping along with swing charts from Ohlone’s own Chops Big Band,  enjoying non-olive-inflected hot dogs and sodas from the only hot food seller, and stuffing raffle boxes for prize baskets donated by Chamber of Commerce member businesses. (I didn’t win anything. I rarely do.) We loitered in front of the mission while I took some pictures but we didn’t go inside this time, deciding to leave that visit for another day.

The Olive Festival was really  cute. It wasn’t like the monster street festivals we occupy ourselves with in the summertime; it was closer in spirit to a local church carnival. I loved all the tasting but I felt a little…lubricated…afterwards from the half pint of vinaigrette sloshing around my stomach. Next time I’ll bring my own baguette to sop my insides with. I would have liked to see more solid olives featured. The alcohol tent was selling beer with olives in it which was a nice touch, but martinis would have been fun. I’d like to see a signature dish, like maybe a simple olive sampler plate, or something gourmet like a lamb burger with olive tapenade. (I just made that up. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Ooh, I just found a recipe. Dang, sister, bring me my keys!) Still it was a great event and I have my calendar marked for next year. I hope to visit the area again sooner than that to patronize the businesses up there like the Olive Hyde Art Gallery or Mission Coffee. There’s a lot of heart and character in the East Bay’s kinder, gentler Mission District.

El Camino Calendar

Friday, October 15th, 2010

CIMG0393

Some great events coming up this weekend are listed below in geographical order. Be sure to check out the El Camino Calendars page for a list of venues which always have a variety of activities going on.


Sharks To Host Street Rally Saturday

Festivities will take place before first home game on Oct. 16
The San Jose Sharks will kick off their first regular season home game against the Atlanta Thrashers with a pre-game street rally on Saturday, Oct. 16. The rally will be open to the public from 5-7 p.m. and will take place next to HP Pavilion on Autumn Street between Santa Clara Street and St. John Street.

Festivities for the Opening Night rally will include performances by a BMX stunt team, carnival games, music and a live DJ from Sound in Motion, giveaways, face painting, slap shot booth and more.

http://sharks.nhl.com/



Live It Up at Plant 51

Sunday, October 17 · 12:00pm – 3:00pm
Plant 51
734 The Alameda

Experience Plant 51 living with an afternoon gathering in our expanded outdoor courtyard, along with some great food & drinks. It’s your chance to see this vibrant community in person and get a sense of its incredible energy and character.
http://plant51.com/


The Billy DeFrank Center 20 Somethings Coffee Night

Friday, October 15 is 20somethings coffee night at Crema Coffee! Join us, 8:30-10:30pm.
Crema Coffee Roasting Company
950 The Alameda, San Jose, CA 95126-3134
http://cremacoffeeco.com/
http://www.defrankcenter.org/



Breast Cancer Connections Fundraiser at Hobee’s

Hobee’s California Restaurants Please join us this Friday night (10/15) and help support Breast Cancer Connections. Simply enjoy a fabulous Hobeemade dinner at Los Gatos, Pruneyard, Palo Alto, Stanford or Sunnyvale and mention BCC. We’ll then contribute 20% of your bill to this vital charity. It’s easy to make a difference!
http://hobees.com/
http://www.bcconnections.org/


Dalai Lama at Stanford

His Holiness the Dalai Lama is on campus today and tomorrow! We will be livestreaming all of the speaking events, so you can follow the webcasts here: http://dalailama.stanford.edu/webcast/
Live Webcasts | Dalai Lama at Stanford
dalailama.stanford.edu
Schedule: Public Talk (Oct 14, 9:30 – 11 am PDT) | Rathbun Lecture (Oct 14, 2 – 3:30 pm PDT) | Conference (Oct 15, 9am – 4 pm PDT)


Light the Night Walk, Palo Alto

Now entering its 12th year in the Silicon Valley, the Light The Night Walk has been an inspirational evening of healing and hope for local patients and families affected by blood cancer.
Saturday, October 16, 2010

Palo Alto High School
50 Embarcadero Road
Palo Alto, CA

Walk Distance: 2 miles
Festivities begin at 5:00 PM
Walk begins at 7:00 PM
http://www.lightthenight.org/sj/



14th Annual Menlo Park Sidewalk Arts and Crafts Fall Fest

October 15-17, 2010 in Downtown Menlo Park

Menlo Park plays host to the 14th Annual Sidewalk Fine Arts and Crafts Fall Fest Friday, October 15 through Sunday October 17 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This art-filled family event will give visitors the opportunity to browse and shop among the many one-of-a-kind creations perfect for home, office or gift giving displayed by a variety of talented artists.

Taking place along Santa Cruz Avenue off El Camino Real, the Sidewalk Arts and Crafts Fall Fest is free to the public and features an exciting array of original works perfect for holiday shopping by more than 90 artists and craft makers including paintings, jewelry, photography, unique wood sculptures, clothing, accessories, toys and much more.
http://www.menloparkchamber.com/news/93-14th-annual-menlo-park-sidewalk-arts-and-crafts-fall-fest


Live Music at Cafe Borrone

A must to put on your calendar–THIS FRIDAY, October 15–LIVE MUSIC–Clint Baker’s Dixie Land Jazz celebrates 20 years at Borrones! Gaucho will be featuring singer Tamar Korn!! Both will take turns with sets from 6:00 pm-10:30 pm. This is going to be a memorable night!!! Dinner specials start at 5:00 pm.

Cafe Borrone
1010 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, CA, 94025
http://www.cafeborrone.com/


A New (to Me) Morgan Hill

Monday, October 11th, 2010

On Saturday, October 2 I drove down to Morgan Hill to attend a community meeting planning a redesign of the stretch of Monterey Road which passes through downtown. The initiative is dubbed “A New Downtown” and is currently in the planning stages, accepting community input on ways to improve the appearance, strengthen the identity, and support the businesses on Monterey Road. This was only the third time I had ever been to Morgan Hill outside the confines of US-101 so I took the opportunity to try and make the acquaintance of our South County neighbor. Downtown was charming, but it was the residents who made a distinct first impression I’ll always remember.

For those unfamiliar with Morgan Hill, as I must admit I was, it’s a small town of 33,000 residents (as of 2000). I always thought it was adjacent to San Jose but I just learned as I’m writing this that there’s an unincorporated town called Coyote in between. Who knew? If there’s one thing you need to know about Morgan Hill, it is this: there is no hill there named Morgan. The town is named for a fellow named Hiram Morgan Hill who eloped with the granddaughter of Martin Murphy in 1882. Their ranch on Monterey Road, inherited from the Murphys, was often referred to as “Morgan Hill’s Ranch” and the name stuck for the railroad depot and town which developed around it. The name is ironic because the most visible CIMG0492_croppednatural feature of the area is a large hill west of downtown called El Toro, but which uninformed visitors would naturally assume to be the town’s namesake.

I drove down US-101 to get there. I needed gas so I hopped off the freeway an exit early to fill up which worked out well because I could cruise into town on Monterey Road which I consider to be El Camino Real in South County. CalTrans put El Camino Real bells on US-101 down there but there’s no question they missed the mark. Monterey Road was exactly that, the historic road from Monterey to San Jose and by extension, from Mission San Carlos Borromeo in Carmel to Mission Santa Clara.

As I drove through downtown Morgan Hill, I was met by a surprise: a couple political demonstrations on opposite sides of Monterey Road at Third Street. One was very quiet: four ladies dressed in all black simply standing and holding signs promoting peace and a desire to bring the troops back home. The other was larger and louder with people waving anti-Democrat and anti-incumbent signs: a Tea Party.

CIMG0480I had never witnessed a Tea Party rally so I parked my car and went down to check it out. Tea Partiers are of course politically conservative activists who have become known for their energetic demonstrations and activities in the last year or so. The group I saw are the Gilroy-Morgan Hill Patriots and they will be holding these Saturday rallies until the election on Tuesday, November 2. One of the sign-waving Patriots, a woman named Jean, saw that I was carrying a community meeting packet so we got into a pleasantly civil conversation about past and proposed Monterey Road development in Morgan Hill such as the newly renovated intersection at Third Street where we were standing. She expressed concern about tax dollars being spent on wasteful projects and about the evils of eminent domain. Her opinions were of course valid and reasonable and included important issues which need to be addressed in public affairs. I’m politically liberal and have found many national Tea Party positions dangerously extreme and objectionable, spanning the gamut from sinister to cynical to ridiculous. So my first face-to-face Tea Party encounter was refreshingly palatable and even beneficial. Are Bay Area conservatives kinder and gentler than their counterparts elsewhere? Or is Jean just a moderate exception? It’s difficult to say. She did express to me that her participation in the Tea Party is motivated by desire for fiscal responsibility, not race. I’m sure she was anticipating concerns I might have had (she was right; I did) and I believe her sincerity. Still I wonder if she doth protest too much.

CIMG0487By the time I finished talking with Jean the other, quiet vigil was over so I didn’t get to talk with them. I suspect they were the Gilroy Women in Black, part of an international movement of women who demonstrate silently for peace and justice. It was time then to put politics aside. I headed back to the repurposed storefront where the community meeting was being held to contribute my two cents. The meeting was not a meeting per se but rather a self-paced gathering of input on ways to improve the street. It was hosted by the city and staffed by individuals from Callander Associates, the urban design firm facilitating the planning process. They had different stations where we could share broad ideas on what constitutes a successful and unsuccessful downtown, and where we could vote for our favorite proposed changes. CIMG0484The best activity involved a scale drawing of a Monterey Road cross-section over which we could lay design elements of different sizes such as sidewalks, parking and traffic lanes, and landscaped medians. The challenge was to get everything to fit. Wide sidewalks, bike lanes, and a median large enough to hold a coffee kiosk would be wonderful but if it’s not going to fit, it’s not going to happen. I thought Jean would have liked that exercise in spatial responsibility. My end solution was to widen the sidewalk, shrink the existing median, and give up on having a bike lane.

They provided a free lunch. There is of course no such thing so while I was enjoying my roast beef sandwich from Ricatoni’s Delicatessen, I felt obligated to fill out an extensive questionnaire about everything from street parking configurations to my purchasing habits. I felt a little out-of-line making suggestions for a downtown I don’t live in but then I reminded myself that as a tourist my input was valuable. Downtown Morgan Hill has plenty of shops and restaurants that I’m sure would love to attract visitors from out-of-town. Their Tea Party isn’t racist, so I doubt the chamber of commerce is xenophobic.

CIMG0488My last assigned task in the process was to take a walk up and down Monterey Road and complete an additional questionnaire along the way. As if the “free” lunch weren’t enough, they also gave me a voucher for a free ice cream cone from BookSmart a block off Monterey Road. Full disclosure: it was the enticement of free ice cream which drew me to the community meeting in the first place. I brilliantly opted to get my ice cream up front and enjoy it during my walk so a short detour to BookSmart was my first stop. In front was a gigantic red pull-wagon which gave me a hint what was inside. BookSmart is a fun place with loads of books, educational toys, a small cafe, and of course an ice cream counter. I ordered a scoop of tin roof sundae on a sugar cone, left a tip, and made my way back to and down Monterey Road.

CIMG0495On my walk I enjoyed surveying the downtown businesses, scanning a few menus and shopping in a few windows as I went. I tried picking out with a critical eye design features I liked and disliked about Downtown Morgan Hill. I liked the abundance of trees, the visual variety and interest of the architecture, and the authenticity of the place, being heavy on small local businesses and light on generic national chains. I disliked the narrow sidewalks, some unsafe-feeling pedestrian crossings, and the relative lack of racial and cultural diversity in the population and businesses. I was ambivalent about the street art: a series of whimsically decorated fiberglass mushrooms up and down the street. I generally enjoy this type of civic icon pop art which has been quite popular for the last decade, but simply put I hate mushrooms, so there. I was happy to see that a farmer’s market was going on at Third Street, the apparent edge of Downtown. On the whole the street seemed cozy, well-apportioned, and thriving. I didn’t see anything blatantly amiss, but there’s always room for improvement.

CIMG0501I finished my walk, turned in my questionnaire, entered a drawing for some local goods and services (apparently I didn’t win), and bade farewell to Downtown. I have now participated in El Camino redesign community meetings in three different cities, the others being Menlo Park and San Jose. I think that officially makes me an El Camino wonk.  On my way out of town I stopped at the Morgan Hill House, the  former residence of the aforementioned Hiram Morgan Hill and his bride Diana Murphy. It’s now home to the Morgan Hill Historical Society. I stopped to take pictures of the El Camino Real bell in front, the only one I saw on Monterey Road. At the community meeting I actually recommended adding more bells downtown to enhance the historical identity. Someone has to represent the Royal Road! I suppose that makes me a special interest lobbyist.

I told you this was my third visit to Morgan Hill. The first was for a child’s birthday party many years ago during which I saw very little of the city. The second was earlier this year when I took a long drive up Monterey Road all the way from San Martin up to San Jose with the specific intention of laying rubber and eyes on the South Valley El Camino. That was when I first discovered the unexpectedly inviting Downtown stretch. I literally just passed through (though I did stop at an ATM) but I liked what I saw and made plans to return. This most recent visit was gratifying as I got to interact with residents, dabble in local politics, and even sample the ice cream. Having taken a deep dive into Downtown, the old cliche proved true: the third time’s the charm.

El Camino Calendar

Thursday, October 7th, 2010

Pumpkin Pyramid

More great events coming up this weekend are listed below in geographical order. Be sure to check out my El Camino Calendars page for a list of venues which always have a variety of activities going on.


20th Annual Giant Pumpkin Weigh Off

Uesugi Farms Pumpkin Park
14485 Monterey Rd. • Morgan Hill, CA 95037

SATURDAY, OCT. 9, 2010 at 1:00PM
awards immediately following
CHECK IN: 9:00am-11:00am
http://www.uesugifarms.com/


World Zombie Day Movie Night

Sunday, October 10 · 6:00pm – 9:00pm
SLG Art Boutiki & South First Street Billiards

World Zombie Day is the day that all undead across the world join together as one to help fight world hunger. Almost every city that has ever hosted a zombie walk will be joining together on October 10 to shamble along for world hunger.

Zombie-o-rama central are going to put our own unique spin on things, so we will be having a World Zombie Movie Night. Get in your favorite zombie attire and come by South First Street Billiards for an early evening of dinner, drinks and pool. The shamble on over to the SLG Art Boutiki for a zombie movie screening.

No make-up required, just bring yourself and a canned food item which we will donate to a local food bank.

What better way to spend 10.10.10

South First Billiards is at 420 South 1st St, SoFA District, San Jose, CA 95113.
The SLG Art Boutiki & Gallery is located at 577 S. Market Street, San Jose CA 95113.

Facebook | World Zombie Day Movie Night


Downtown San Jose Zombie Crawl

Thursday, Oct. 7th, 2010

Dress in your zombie finest and get killer drink specials with the purchase of a $3 VIP wristband

8-9pm- O’Flaherty’s, 25 N. San Pedro Street, San Jose CA 95110
9-10pm- Old Wagon Saloon, 73 N San Pedro St. San Jose, CA 95110
10-11pm- Dive Bar, 78 E Santa Clara St, San Jose, CA 95113-1804
11-12am- Voodoo, 14 S 2nd St, San Jose, CA 95113-2501
12-1am- Johnny V’s, 31 E Santa Clara st, San Jose, CA 95113

$500 Costume Contest
Facebook | 2nd Annual Downtown San Jose Zombie Crawl


Silly Bandz Pizza Party

Create It! Ceramics and Mosaic Studio
Town and Country Village
855 El Camino Real, Suite 108, Palo Alto, CA
6:00 to 8:00 pm, Friday, October 8, 2010
$36/child & includes all of the SILLYNESS you can handle!

Your kid(s) will love our special silly bandz pizza party! We are going to press the Silly Bandz as a technique to paint with to a silly bandz jar, play silly bingo games, win silly prizes, eat silly pizzas and drink silly juices!
http://www.createitceramics.com/


3 Minute Game Show

Great Mall
447 Great Mall Drive
Milpitas, CA 95035

The Great Mall is hosting Disney Channel’s “3 Minute Game Show” this Sunday, October 10, 2010. Bring the kids down and join us from 1 PM – 3 PM at entrance 2 court. Children from the audience will be chosen to participate in games and given a chance to win prizes!
http://www.greatmallbayarea.com/


Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration!

10/8/2010
Join The Shops at Tanforan and La Kalle 105.7 to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month via an exciting display of cultural dance performances. We hope you can join us!

Also enter to win a $500 mall gift card; must be present to win.

LOCATION: Lower Level, in front of Old Navy

TIME: 5:30 – 7:30 pm
The Shops at Tanforan | 1150 El Camino Real | San Bruno, California 94066
http://www.theshopsattanforan.com/


The Best of El Camino Real

Saturday, October 2nd, 2010

On September 22, Metro, Silicon Valley’s weekly newspaper, put out their “Best of Silicon Valley” issue, 2010 edition. It contains the readers’ choices and editors’ picks of the best locations, goods, and services available in Santa Clara County and beyond. Of all the “Best of” lists out there, Metro’s is the one I’ve always valued the most partly because it always brings the wacky with unique categories like “Best Place to be a Scarecrow”and “Best Place to Buy an Accordian,” but mostly because it delivers. Some of my favorite joints in the South Bay proudly display coveted Metro “Best of” placards. They have weight with me, and they’ve earned my trust.

It’s no surprise Metro is so in tune with quality in the Valley. As it so happens this is their 25th annual list, a noteworthy milestone. They know what they’re doing and they do it well. You might even say too well: the sucker is pretty large. This year the printed list is 80 pages long. I scanned every page with glee but quickly realized what the problem was. They covered the entire Valley including, shockingly enough, businesses and locations that are not on El Camino Real. Yeah, I know, right? I understand their reasoning. Conceivably someone could find themselves on, say, San Carlos Street and they can’t easily get to El Camino and they desperately need to buy some sporty sunglasses. In such a scenario a two-dimensional “Best of” list could hypothetically be handy. All the same I took it upon myself to scour the list and extract for you the best of the “Best of,” the winners which are located on extended El Camino Real.

The list is below, presented not by category but in rough geographical order. Winners that are tagged with “#2” or “#3” came in second or third in the readers’ polling; otherwise they came in first or were simply awarded by the editors. This was a big copy-’n’-paste job so I apologize in advance for any errors I might have injected.

As I was putting this together I noticed that the list is heavily weighted towards Downtown San Jose. Then I remembered: Metro Silicon Valley is headquartered on El Camino, at 550 South First Street, in San Jose’s SoFA district. Now we know why the list is so good.

Rosso’s Furniture

#3 Best Furniture Store
6881 Monterey Road, Gilroy

Tony Di Maggio’s Pizza

Best Stromboli
3852 Monterey Hwy., San Jose

Road Rider

#2 Best Motorcycle Shop
2897 Monterey Hwy., San Jose

Southern Lumber

#2 Best Alternative to Home Depot
1402 Monterey Hwy., San Jose

San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art

Best Art Gallery
560 S. First St., San Jose

San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles

#3 Best Art Museum
520 S. First St., San Jose

San Jose Stage Company

#2 Best Theater Company
490 S. First St., San Jose

WORKS/San Jose

CIMG0292Best Gallery for Weird Art
#3 Best Art Gallery
451 S. First St., San Jose
I’ve been to WORKS three times in the past month, every two weeks, and each time the exhibit has been completely different. They turn this place over fast and frequently. I loved the most recent (OP)Space installation.

South First Billiards

Best Place to Play Pool
420 S. First St., San Jose

Miami Beach Club

#2 Best Latin/Salsa Club
417 S. First St., San Jose

Bayonne

#3 Best New Restaurant
399 S. First St., San Jose
This is high on my list of places to try, featuring lighter Southern fare.

Agenda’s Wednesday salsa night

#3 Best Latin/Salsa Club
399 S. First St., San Jose

Wet

#3 Best Big Dance Club
396 S. First St., San Jose

Cherri Lakey & Brian Eder

Best Cultural Guerillas
Anno Domini, 366 S. First St., San Jose
I was unaware until now that this pair deserves a lot of credit for the cool, creative vision which San Jose’s SoFA district has become recently.

Brix Nightclub

#2 Best Gay or Lesbian Bar
349 S. First St., San Jose

California Theatre

Most Romantic Movie Watching Spot
345 S. First St., San Jose

Symphony Silicon Valley

Best Symphony/Classical Group
325 S. First St., San Jose, performances at the California Theatre

Original Joe’s

Best Moderately Priced Italian Food
Best Late Night Eats
Best Martinis
301 S. First St., San Jose

Four Points by Sheraton

#3 Best Boutique Hotel – San Jose/Los Gatos
211 S. First St., San Jose

Soula Power Yoga

Best Yoga Studio
200 S. First St. #70, San Jose

San Jose Taiko and the Bangerz

Best Collaboration
SoFA District, San Jose
So sad I missed this live. Check it out on
YouTube.

SubZero Festival

Best Urban Uprising
San Jose

Children’s Musical Theatre San Jose

Best Children’s Theater
271 S. Market St., San Jose, performances at Montgomery Theater

Tech Museum

Best History/Specialty Museum
201 S. Market St., San Jose

Tech Museum Store

#3 Best Toy Store
201 S. Market St., San Jose

San Jose Museum of Art

Best Art Museum
110 S. Market St., San Jose

San Jose Museum of Art Museum Store

#2 Best Gift Store
110 S. Market St., San Jose
Dang, now my Christmas gift-buying secret is out!

McCormick and Schmick’s

#2 Best Seafood Restaurant
#2 Best Happy Hour
170 S. Market St., San Jose

The Fairmont

Best Hotel
Best Luxury Hotel – San Jose/Los Gatos
170 S. Market St., San Jose

Fairmont Hotel Lobby Lounge

#3 Best Jazz/Blues Club
#3 Best Hotel Bar
170 S. Market St., San Jose

The Grill on the Alley

#2 Best Martinis
172 S. Market St., San Jose

Music in the Park

Best Local Festival
Plaza de Cesar Chavez, San Jose
A couple years ago I took my son to Music in the Park to see his first live rock band, Smash Mouth. He’ll always cherish that night.

San Jose Jazz Festival

CIMG1444#2 Best Local Festival
Various venues, downtown San Jose

Linda Ronstadt

Best Official South Bay Cultural Treasure
Mexican Heritage and Mariachi Festival artistic director
I include her as an El Caminoan because the 2010 San Jose Mariachi Festival culminated at Plaza de Cesar Chavez, which I also count as El Camino. It’s a long story.

Bill’s Beer Steamed Hot Dogs

Best Bacon Hot Dogs
Market and Santa Clara streets, San Jose

Hammer & Lewis Fashions

Best Name for a Downtown Store
19 S. First St., San Jose
It’s a San Jose thing. You wouldn’t understand.

Good Karma

Best Vegetarian Overall
#3 Best Asian Vegetarian
37 S. First St., San Jose

E&O Trading Company

Best Asian Fusion
#2 Best Malaysian Restaurant
96 S. First St., San Jose
Mmm…corn fritters…

Umbrella

#2 Best Hair Salon – San Jose/Sunnyvale/Los Gatos
2 N. Market St. #100, San Jose

Erik’s Deli

Best Deli/Sandwich Shop
2 North Market St., Suite 105, San Jose
717 E. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale
1350 Grant Rd., Mountain View
Multiple locations

Ballet San Jose

Best Dance Company
40 N. First St., San Jose

Picasso’s

#3 Best Tapas/Small Plates
62 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose

San Pedro Square Farmers Market

Best Farmers Market
San Pedro and Santa Clara streets, San Jose. Fridays, 10am-2pm

O’Flaherty’s

Best Irish Pub
25 N. San Pedro St., San Jose

Peggy Sue’s

#3 Best Local Burger Place
29 N. San Pedro St., San Jose

Sonoma Chicken

Best New Restaurant
Best Dining Value
Best Family Restaurant
31 N. Market St., San Jose
Multiple locations
I’m not sure how this counts as new, but I don’t argue the other awards. Apparently they dropped the “Coop” from the name.

Satori Tea Company

Best Place for a Destroyed Nervous System
37 N. San Pedro St., San Jose

Britannia Arms, San Jose

Best British Pub
#2 Best Sports Bar
#2 Best Pre-Sharks Game Spot
#2 Best Restaurant Patio
#3 Best Happy Hour
173 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose
Metro readers really really like this place. Can you believe I’ve never been there?

Hotel De Anza

#3 Best Luxury Hotel – San Jose/Los Gatos
233 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose

Hedley Club Lounge (Hotel De Anza)

#2 Best Hotel Bar
233 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose

Schurra’s

Best Chocolate Shop
840 The Alameda, San Jose
A surprise win, but well-deserved. It’s special to me because I stopped by Schurra’s for an ice cream cone the day I created this blog. Sadly Bill Mundy, former owner of Schurra’s and father of the current owner, passed away last month, another sad loss to The Alameda.

The Watergarden

#3 Best Gay or Lesbian Bar
1010 The Alameda, San Jose
Recently I walked by this place, heard water running, and wondered what it was. Now I know.

The Usuals

CIMG0391Best Boutique-Gallery Crossover
1020 The Alameda, San Jose
The now classic “I heart SJ” tee shirts made them a lock for this prize. Congratulations to Mari and Mike, friends of AllCamino!

Recycle Bookstore

#2 Best Local Independent Bookstore
1066 The Alameda, San Jose

J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines

Best Local Winery
1000 Lenzen Ave., San Jose
Also a great place to throw a party. We held my wife’s birthday party there a few years ago and it was a hit.

Tee Nee Thai

CIMG0141Best Thai Restaurant Beer and Wine List
1423 The Alameda, San Jose
Near and dear to me, the subject of my very first blog post.

Planned Parenthood

#3 Best Organization Making a Difference
1691 The Alameda, San Jose

YMCA

#2 Best Health Club
1717 The Alameda, San Jose
Various locations

KSCU-FM (103.3)

#2 Best College/Independent Radio Station
500 El Camino Real, #3207, Santa Clara

The Off Ramp

Best Bicycle Shop
2369 El Camino Real, Santa Clara
2320 El Camino Real, Mountain View
Funny how similar the two addresses are, but they’re nine miles apart. That’s El Camino!

Russell’s Furniture

Best Furniture Store
2645 El Camino Real, Santa Clara

Santa Clara Ballet

#3 Best Dance Company
3086 El Camino Real, Santa Clara

Orchard Supply

Best Alternative to Home Depot
3615 El Camino Real, Santa Clara
777 Sunnyvale Saratoga Road, Sunnyvale
Multiple locations

Fish Market

CIMG0964Best Seafood Restaurant
3775 El Camino Real, Santa Clara

Trader Joe’s

Best Budget Gourmet Selection
727 Sunnyvale/Saratoga Rd., Sunnyvale
590 Showers Dr., Mountain View
Multiple locations

Rooster T. Feathers

Best Open Mic Night
New Talent Showcase, Wednesday
#3 Best Comedy Venue
157 W. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale

Armadillo Willy’s

Best Barbecue
161 E. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale
Multiple locations

Peninsula Beauty

Best Beauty Supply
328 W. El Camino, Sunnyvale
642 San Antonio Road, Mountain View
1043 El Camino Real, Redwood City
Multiple locations

Beck’s Shoes

Best Shoe Store
711 Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road, Sunnyvale
Multiple locations

Adamson’s French Dip

#2 Best New Restaurant
806 W. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale
Now I’m really excited to try this place.

Palace BBQ Buffet

#2 Best Korean Restaurant
1092 E. El Camino Real #1, Sunnyvale

Hotel Avante

#3 Best Boutique Hotel – Palo Alto/Mtn. View
860 E. El Camino Real, Mountain View

Kabul

#3 Best Middle Eastern Restaurant
833 W. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale

Chaat Paradise

#2 Best Indian Vegetarian
165 E. El Camino Real, Mountain View

Home Consignment Center

#2 Best Furniture Store
141 E. El Camino Real, Mountain View

Amber India

Best Indian Restaurant
2290 El Camino Real #9, Mountain View
600 W. El Camino Real, Mountain View

California Billiard Club

#3 Best Place to Play Pool
881 E. El Camino Real, Mountain View

Lozano Brushless

Best Car Wash
2690 W. El Camino Real, Mountain View

Frankie, Johnnie & Luigi Too

#3 Best Moderately Priced Italian Food
939 W. El Camino Real, Mountain View
My favorite Italian family. Now I want bruschetta.

Fry’s Electronics

Best Computer Store
340 Portage Avenue, Palo Alto
Multiple locations

Dinah’s Garden Hotel

Best Secret Garden
4261 El Camino Real, Palo Alto

Dan Brown’s

Best Vintage El Camino Bar
4141 El Camino Real, Palo Alto
And may I point out that this is the best category name ever!

Westin Palo Alto

#2 Best Luxury Hotel – Palo Alto/Mtn. View
675 El Camino Real, Palo Alto

Cantor Arts Center at Stanford

#2 Best Art Museum
Lomita Drive at Museum Way, Stanford

Hobee’s

Best Omelets
#3 Best American Restaurant
#2 Best Breakfast
3150 El Camino Real, Palo Alto
67 Town & Country Village, Palo Alto

Kirk’s

Best Local Burger Place
75 Town & Country, Palo Alto

LaBelle Day Spa

Best Hair Salon – Mtn. View/Palo Alto
Best Day Spa
95 Town and Country Village, Palo Alto
36 Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto

Lavande Nail Spa

Best Pedicure
240 Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto

Kepler’s

CIMG0505#3 Best Local Independent Bookstore
1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park

Beltramo’s

Best Wine Shop for Bargain Hunting and Splurging
1540 El Camino Real, Menlo Park


Get Your Kicks on State Route 82

Friday, October 1st, 2010

10-08-27 Women's Soccer vs Santa Clara 3

This is going to be a big weekend for women’s soccer on El Camino Real. Friday, October 1 the Ohlone College Renegades are leaving their home field above Mission San Jose in Fremont and traveling around the Bay to play the Mission College Saints in Santa Clara. Yep, it’s Mission vs. Mission. One can only assume the Renegades will be following El Camino de San Jose to get to Santa Clara. They may consider stopping at Penitencia Creek in Milpitas the way the padres did back in the day to confess their sins.

Brandi ChastainSaturday, October 2 American soccer legend Brandi Chastain is celebrating her retirement from professional play by hosting a testimonial all-star game at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara on El Camino Real. The game starts at 6:00 PM but festivities start at 3:00 PM with family activities and a sold-out youth clinic. It’s unknown whether Brandi will be ripping her jersey off at the final whistle Saturday as she did when she famously scored the penalty kick that won the FIFA Women’s World Cup 1999 for the U.S., but knowing her, anything is possible.

Menlo College will be quite busy. They’re showcasing their stamina by hosting not one but two women’s soccer matches this weekend on El Camino Real in Atherton: Saturday at 1:00 PM against the Bethany University Bruins (Scotts Valley), and Sunday at 12:00 PM against the Chapman University Panthers (Orange, CA). The mighty Oaks are looking to build momentum from their decisive 7-0 trouncing of the Mills College Cyclone last week, Menlo’s first win of the season.

Sunday, October 3 at 1:00 PM, in a marquis matchup the Santa Clara University Broncos are heading up The Royal Road to face off against the Stanford University Cardinal. Both teams are hot this year. The Cardinal are undefeated with a 8-0-2 record, but Santa Clara nearly matches at an impressive 7-2-2. ([Update] Here’s a great article about the history of the Santa Clara-Stanford rivalry.) The Stanford women are undoubtedly buoyed by the fact that four of their alums are on the hometown FC Gold Pride squad that won the Women’s Professional Soccer championship last week, defeating the Philadelphia Independence in Hayward. Actually that’s an accomplishment that everyone in the Bay Area can be proud of.

Sunnyvale Bike Party

Friday, October 1st, 2010

Sunnyvale Bike Party

[Update] Whoa, I goofed big time. I posted details for last month’s ride, September 3. I don’t know if there’s a ride on Friday, October 1. If you’re interested, you might want to give the Sunnyvale Art Gallery a call first to confirm.

Yep, you read that right. Sunnyvale has its own Bike Party and the third one is happening this Friday, September 3, 2010. It embarks at 8:00 PM on El Camino Real at the Sunnyvale Art Gallery, which sponsors the ride.

Sunnyvale Bike Party bills itself as the “smaller, gentler” bike party, a clear reference to San Jose Bike Party which has been a victim of its own rapid growth the past couple months. The San Jose ride has become so large that they’ve had problems like drunken and disorderly riders, complaints from neighbors, and riders breaking laws by blocking lanes and running red lights. In August a rider was seriously injured when he collided with an SUV on Lawrence Expressway. Witnesses said the cyclist had run the light, and paid the price.

I think there’s room in the Valley for the two rides, the established juggernaut and the startup. San Jose’s ride is the third Friday of the month and Sunnyvale’s is the first so there’s no conflict there. However the Sunnyvale ride does coincide with San Jose’s South FIRST FRIDAYS art walk so for that one night you’re forced to choose between bicycles and art. It’s a nice dilemma to have.

Sunnyvale Bike Party #3

Friday, September 3 · 8:00pm – 10:30pm
Sunnyvale Art Gallery
251 West El Camino Real
Sunnyvale, CA
Got a Bike? Come ride!
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