Archive for the ‘Palo Alto’ Category

Lost in Los Altos

Tuesday, May 17th, 2011

Do you know what’s embarrassing? Getting lost on El Camino Real. I don’t mean “lost” in the poetic sense, as in getting so enraptured by the sights and wonders that I lose all sense of time. I mean “lost” as in not having a perfectly clear notion of either where I am, where my destination is, or the precise relationship between the two. “How could you possibly get lost on El Camino?” you protest. “It’s a street, a one-dimensional line!” This is true, but after 200 years the road has developed a few idiosyncrasies which can snare the unwitting traveler. One of them is the city of Los Altos.

Border Road

The first tricky thing about Los Altos is something that residents know but it took me a while to figure out: Los Altos does not cross El Camino Real. The city flows down from the hills but in its northernmost section it abuts El Camino. That means if you’re driving down El Camino, Los Altos exists only on one side of the street. El Camino borders Los Altos for about a mile and a half.

This is unusual. As far as I can determine, there’s only one other city in the Bay Area that touches but does not cross El Camino: Hillsborough, and that’s only for about two blocks.

Tri-City Area

CIMG0382Los Altos doesn’t exist in a vacuum. For that mile and a half stretch of El Camino, the other side of the street is either Palo Alto or Mountain View. There is a spot on El Camino between Del Medio and Los Altos avenues where Los Altos, Palo Alto, and Mountain View all meet in a single point. No wonder it’s easy to lose track of where you are! The border between Mountain View and Palo Alto is marked only by the fence, bush, and break in the low wall in this photograph. Really they are the property line between the Country Inn Motel (Palo Alto) and The Hotel Aria (Mountain View), which used to be a Holiday Inn. Cryptically there is a signpost right here pointing to Los Altos (Avenue, that is) which takes on new significance.

Numbers Game

Granted, maybe it doesn’t really matter to you what city you’re in unless you’re challenging the jurisdiction of the speeding ticket you just received from the other city’s Police Department. What really matters is the street address right? Well that’s where things get really crazy. Take a trip with me.

Say you’re on El Camino in Palo Alto, heading south. As you cross Arastradero Road you’re on the 4200 block of El Camino with even addresses on your right and odd addresses on your left. The addresses increase as you go. As we all know, one of the cornerstones of modern civilization is that even and odd addresses are on opposite sides of the street, and that street addresses are ordered monotonically. You pass the Crowne Plaza Cabaña Hotel at 4290 ECR which is the last Palo Alto address on that side. You cross Adobe Creek and your side of the street is now Los Altos, though the other side of El Camino is still Palo Alto. Still with me? Fear not because the addresses still make sense. Both sides are now the 4300 block; the Motel 6 Palo Alto on your left is 4301 and the Courtyard Los Altos on your right is 4320. (There are a lot of hotels here.) You roll on and cross Los Altos Avenue. You’re still in Los Altos on your side but as we said, soon the other side turns into Mountain View. Your side is the 4400 block but the other side, the Mountain View side, is suddenly 2700! What?! That’s right, the addresses take a quantum leap on that Palo Alto/Mountain View side of the street.

Remember that the border between Palo Alto and Mountain View lies between the Country Inn Motel and The Hotel Aria. They are neighbors, but here are their addresses:
CIMG0381 CIMG0379

4345 El Camino in Palo Alto, 2700 El Camino in Mountain View, literally next door to each other. Not only  do the numbers jump, but the Palo Alto addresses are odd and the Mountain View addresses are now even. The Los Altos addresses on your side are also even. This is madness! But wait, there’s more. As you keep driving, your Los Altos addresses continue to increase, but your Mountain View addresses get smaller! They run in opposite directions. You get to the end of Los Altos and cross over into all-Mountain View a little past Rengstorff Ave. On your side the last Los Altos address is 5150 El Camino Real and their neighbor in Mountain View is 2065. Even addresses become odd. The 5100s become 2000s. Enough said.

CIMG0389 CIMG0385

This address nonsense used to trip me up from time to time. Back in the old days before online maps and GPS units, I would look up a business in the phone book (remember those?). Maybe I was going to El Torito at 4470 El Camino Real, Los Altos. (Don’t bother looking for it now; it’s gone.) If I made the mistake of approaching through Mountain View, the addresses around me would be no help at all—somewhere in the 2000s when I’m looking for 4470, and odd when I’m looking for even. This confusion is part of the reason I started AllCamino.com. I felt a need to understand these addresses and help my fellow sufferers. Don’t even get me started on West El Camino, East El Camino, South El Camino, and North El Camino.

Reading Signs

It’s not all bad. Even without wireless navigation technology there are plenty of hints to keep you oriented. There are well-placed “city limits” signs, and the light posts have handy civic banners hanging from them. Los Altos Patch Editor L.A. Chung pointed out a useful trick. Los Altos city street signs are brown and Mountain View signs are blue. I figured out on my own that Palo Alto signs are white, but the Palo Alto trash cans are blue.
CIMG0386 CIMG0398 CIMG0377 CIMG0374  CIMG0375 CIMG0378 CIMG0349

I still get lost on El Camino every now and then which is especially humiliating since I have this blog and all. Technology helps but I can’t always rely on it, so I’m learning that a little knowledge and good ol’ powers of observation go a long way. And if those fail me there’s always the last option of a desperate man: stopping to ask for directions.

Patch a Match, Natch

Sunday, May 15th, 2011

Patch.com Screen Grab with Missions
I first heard of Patch.com from Ryan Sebastian of Treatbot. A few months back we were chatting at a South FIRST Fridays event and he told me Treatbot had been interviewed by Adelaide Chen of Milpitas Patch, and that Mayra Flores de Marcotte was preparing to launch a new Campbell Patch. I knew Mayra’s handmade Kerfufle jewelry and her husband Josh’s Lost San Jose photography from exhibits at The Usuals. Treatbot…South FIRST Fridays…The Usuals…these are all luminous bodies in the AllCamino firmament, so let’s say Patch.com came to me well-recommended by these indirect El Camino connections.

I immediately checked it out and learned Patch.com is a slick, coordinated, AOL-owned network of hyperlocal news sites about communities across the country. Several are in California so I subscribed to all the Bay Area Patches for cities that lie on El Camino Real or have mission connections. I figured this would be an excellent way to catch news stories about the road. My current, growing list of Patches to follow is:

Back in November, as I was embarking on the the Shellmound Peace Walk through Milpitas, I contacted Adelaide in the spirit of networking and to my surprise got signed on as a freelance contributor. Since then she has given me the opportunity to write three articles for Patch—my first experience in journalism. It was a blast writing with a professional voice and (full disclosure) it was quite cool to be paid for those pieces.

Recently, however, she let me know that all Patches are adding a new feature: blogs. They are offering space for bloggers to write in their own voices about local topics they are passionate about. Patch bloggers don’t get paid, but they gain expanded exposure to a wider audience while retaining independence and ownership over the content. I knew right away this was a natural fit for me. Freedom!

I contacted the various Patch editors and so far the response has been quite positive. This is new for everyone so I’m still figuring out how it will work, but here’s the vision. AllCamino.com will continue to exist independently exactly as it does today; I’ll still do what I do. But if I write a post that might interest a particular Patch’s readers, I may cross-post to that Patch’s blog. Or I might write a standalone piece at Patch and just link to it here.

I’m taking baby steps now. I  just published my first Patch blog at Los Altos Patch. The editor there, L.A. Chung, was the first to activate my Patch blog and she’s been very supportive and helpful so to her go the spoils. Click the link to read it:

An El Camino Real Journey

By Bill Moore | May 10, 2011
El Camino Real is an important part of California history and Bay Area life. AllCamino.com is a blog that celebrates the past, present and future of The Royal Road.

It’s a fairly generic piece. My intention is to use it as an introduction on every Patch. See, I can do that. Freedom!

bell_scuDo you like my profile photo there? It took me many takes and half an hour to get it right. It’s a trick-shot self-portrait and all I had as a guide was the little mirror on the back of my cameraphone. It was a lot harder than I expected and I got some funny looks from drivers whizzing by on El Camino. Can you locate that bell?

I think this Patch relationship will be a lot of fun. The symbolism is irresistable. AllCamino is the virtual link among the various Patches, just as El Camino Real is the concrete link that joins the real cities. These Patches are stitched together by a common thread that together make up the fabric of Northern California. Um, too much? Sorry about that.

I love the breathless tone of press releases—they’re invariably so thrilled!—and I always wanted to write one, so here we go:

Today AllCamino.com is thrilled to announce a new partnership with Patch.com. Blogger Bill Moore says, “This is the dawn of a new era of Bay Area hyperlocal storytelling. AllCamino and Patch create unique synergy and an enhanced value proposition for our combined readership along the El Camino Real information superhighway.” Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post and recent addition to the AOL family, remarks, “We are thrilled to roll out one of the most exciting offshoots of our turbo-charged web presence. This week we launch a great new chapter for Patch.com.”

That’s a real quote from Arianna, by the way, just not about me specifically. A real journalist wouldn’t take a quote out of context like that, but hey I’m a blogger. Freedom!

Under El Camino

Friday, December 10th, 2010

CIMG0248CIMG0247CIMG0246

InMenlo.com has published a really cool story about the El Camino Real bridge over San Francisquito Creek on the Santa Clara – San Mateo county line. There are several such bridges where El Camino crosses over all the creeks that flow out of the mountains into the Bay. They offer unique opportunities to literally get under the road and experience it from a completely different perspective. The creeks are frequented by the homeless and by graffiti taggers. Generally I’m not in favor of public graffiti, but tucked away down here it seems wholly appropriate. Click the headline below to read the article and see some of InMenlo’s celebrated photography.

Under Menlo: El Camino Real crosses San Francisquito Creek — InMenlo

AllCamino Gift Guide

Thursday, December 9th, 2010

I had this great idea for a blog post: the AllCamino Gift Guide. This is the season for a lot of things, not the least of which is giving. I thought I’d make a little list of lovely El Camino gifts, either stuff related to or available on our favorite road. That’s when I hit a snag. Whom is this list for? If, like me, you have an abiding affection for The Royal Road, then of course you read this blog avidly and you’re reading this post at this very moment, which means the surprise will be ruined for you if you are lucky enough to receive anything on this list. All I can suggest is that you stop reading now, but we both know that’s not going to happen. On the other hand, if you’re shopping for the El Camino enthusiast in your life, then you’re probably married to me, and remember we agreed on a dollar amount limit this year, Dear.

Joking aside, these are some items off the top of my head that I think would make great gifts now or anytime. It’s limited in geographic scope because I do spend most of my time in Santa Clara County, so that’s what I know. Over time I hope to find treasures in other regions. I’ll let you know in next year’s list. These are presented in no particular order.

I ♥ SJ Gear

CIMG0734Get your tee shirts, sweatshirts, and hoodies at The Usuals on The Alameda in San Jose. This iconic design by Mike Millares of Deadstök is blowing up; don’t miss the excitement. Here’s a challenge: upload or email to The Usuals an unusual photo of yourself wearing your shirt. We’re trying to start a movement. (This picture of me doesn’t count as unusual; the movement hadn’t started yet when we took it.)

As it just so happens, The Usuals is hosting a party Friday, December 10 from 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM showcasing favorite Deadstök designs. It’s a sign! Beats by The Bangerz and grub by the WOW Truck.

Simon Malls Gift Card

Great MallI know, I know, gift cards are the last refuge of the uninventive and the desperate, but you know they work and they’re always appreciated. Here’s the beautiful thing: if you get a Simon gift card, the recipient can use it at either the Great Mall or Stanford Shopping Center, both of which are within the AllCamino jurisdiction. They’re good at Gilroy Premium Outlets too, which is pretty darn close to Monterey Road. How Camino is that?

Mixed Pastel Chocolate-Covered Fruits from Olson’s

C. J. Olson Cherries: Mixed Pastel Chocolate-Covered Fruits - 8 oz.:Ah, C. J. Olson Cherries, jewel of Sunnyvale. I’m crazy about the summer fruit they sell at the fruit stand, but when winter rolls around I’m all about their dried fruit. In particular I love the mixed pastels: Bing cherries, pears, blueberries, and Olson’s famous apricots dipped in creamy chocolate and sealed in a color-coded candy coating. Toothsome and tasty. Look for them at the San Jose and Oakland airports if you need to grab a quick gift on your way out of town.

The El Camino Book

California's El Camino Real and Its ... - Google BooksThis one is for the real El Camino afficionado: the book California’s El Camino Real and Its Historic Bells by Max Kurillo and Erline Tuttle. This is the only book I’ve read to date solely about the road and it contains history and photos you won’t find anyplace else. You can order it directly from California Bell Company.

Stanford A Cappella CD

Merchandising!Stanford University is a hotbed of collegiate a cappella music with nine diverse groups on campus at last count. They all have recordings available, and I’m pretty sure you can find their latest and greatest CDs at the Stanford Bookstore. If not, you can contact the groups directly, and some even sell their recordings through Amazon.com and other outlets. Check out “Through the Roof” by my old group, Fleet Street. Yes I’m shameless, but it’s my blog and I’ll plug if I want to.

See’s Candies Polar Bear Paws

Chocolates & Chocolate Gifts | See's CandiesAh, I just thought of something from San Mateo County! See’s Candies is headquartered in South San Francisco right on El Camino. Their retail stores, of course, can be found everywhere. I’ve actually never had their Polar Bear Paws but they sound awesome: white chocolate, roasted peanuts, and caramel. The perfect holiday treat.

Happy shopping!

El Camino Calendar

Thursday, December 2nd, 2010

CIMG0639

A chance to recharge after last week’s retail shock. Don’t forget to check out the El Camino Calendars page for a list of venues all up and down El Camino Real which always have a variety of activities going on.


South FIRST FRIDAYS Art Walk

December 3, 2010

JOIN US for the next South FIRST FRIDAYS art walk on DEC 3rd!
8pm ’til LATE — ART WALK venues are free and open to the public
SoFA District (So. First Street between San Carlos and E. Reed streets)
San Jose
http://www.southfirstfridays.com/


DIY Art: Festive Family Fun

December 4, 2010
12 — 3 pm

Free with Museum admission

Celebrate the season of lights by using LEDs to make a high-tech holiday decoration. Bring the whole family for festive art-making. Art materials will be provided.

San Jose Museum of Art
110 South Market Street
San Jose, CA 95113
http://www.sanjosemuseumofart.org/event/diy-art-festive-family-fun


29th Annual Holiday Parade

The San Jose Holiday Parade, the largest parade of its kind in Northern California, and one of the largest in the state, is ready to usher in the holidays with its giant helium balloons, over two dozen marching bands, creative floats, dozens of specialty units, clowns and Santa Claus.

This year’s parade is preparing to entertain millions of people on Sunday, December 5, 2010, beginning at 8:30 a.m., televised live on NBC Bay Area at 9:00 a.m. and streamed worldwide on nbcbayarea.com

The 29th Annual SAN JOSE HOLIDAY PARADE will showcase approximately 90 entries with 5,000 marchers, including giant soaring helium balloons, top marching bands, colorful floats, drill teams, equestrians, clowns and special guest celebrities!

The parade will step off on Santa Clara Street and Delmas Avenue, near HP Pavilion, at 8:30 a.m. proceeding east on Santa Clara Street. It will turn right on Market Street, marching south past Plaza De Cesar Chavez and ending at San Carlos Street. Join us to celebrate Toys, Treasures and Traditions at the San Jose Holiday Parade on December 5, 2010!
http://www.sanjoseholidayparade.com/


HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE

DECEMBER 5 : 12-3PM

We’re celebrating a great year with a Holiday Open House on Sunday, 12/5. Join us in the Plant 51 Mezzanine Lounge for some festive food, refreshments & model tours. This is also a great opportunity to drop off new, unwrapped toy donations as part of our annual Toys for Tots drive for San Jose’s children in need.

Plant 51
734 The Alameda
San Jose, CA 95126
http://plant51.com/


Just the Way You Are

Friday, December 3 · 7:00pm – 10:00pm
Billy DeFrank LGBT Community Center
938 The Alameda
San Jose, CA

A fashion show by The Usuals benefiting the LGBTQ Youth Space & Billy De Frank Center.

Music by:
Cutso (The Bangerz)

$5 donation at the door.

For more information:
http://www.defrankyouthspace.org/
http://www.defrankcenter.org/
Facebook event


14th Annual Guadalupe Celebration

Sunday, Dec. 5, 2010 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education
All are invited to be a part of this celebration in drama, dance, and song that tells the story of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The performance will be in Spanish with English commentary throughout.

A reception will follow in Benson Center. Admission is free and open to the public. Families are welcomed!

Location: Mission Church
Santa Clara University
500 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, CA 95053

http://www.scu.edu/events/?event=16428


Holiday Fun at Town & Country Village

Saturday, December 4 · 12:00pm – 3:00pm
Town & Country Village
855 El Camino Real
Palo Alto, CA

Santa’s Elf is at Town & Country Village to help children write letters to St. Nick. Plus, make ornaments and dreidels, face painting by the Snow Princess and performances by the Palo Alto High School Madrigal Singers.
http://www.tandcvillage.com/
Facebook event


Night of Holiday Lights, Downtown Laurel Street

Downtown Laurel Street, San Carlos
12/3/2010 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Mark your Calendars for a New Holiday Tradition!
6:30 Lighting Festivities
Kickoff the Holidays * Family Fun *
Shop *Eat * Toy Drive * Food Drive *
Music * Special Surprises *
Businesses Open Late
Event info


Christmas Tree Lighting

Join us the first Saturday in December for the annual Mission San Jose Christmas Tree Lighting at the Old School

Date: December 4, 2010

Location: Mission Blvd. & Cedar Street, across from Ohlone College

* 5:30 pm – Gathering
* 5:30 – 6:00 pm – Entertainment by StarStruck Theatre & The Canyon Band
* 6:00 – Tree Lighting and Arrival of Special Guest
* Refreshments will be served
* Balloons & Face Painting

We will be accepting donations of canned goods for the Tri-City Volunteers Food Bank, as well as Toys for Tots.
http://www.msjchamber.org/events_christmas.html


One (Shopping) Day at a Time

Friday, November 26th, 2010

Friday 

The Thanksgiving holiday weekend always fills me with some anxiety and dread. It’s not Thanksgiving that bothers me; I love Thanksgiving Day and the time spent with family and turkey and friends and pie and strangers and stuffing. It’s the incessant pressure to shop ’til I drop immediately after that stresses me out. I don’t begrudge our intrepid retailers the opportunity to sell me a good or service. I only resent the insistence that it happen right now.

A lot of it is my own inferiority complex. I’m a chronic procrastinator. (I intended to write this post last week.) I have been known to gleefully and frantically do the bulk of my holiday gift shopping  on Christmas Eve. So when I start seeing the ominous Black Friday notices in early November, it makes me feel bad that Halloween came and went and I didn’t even start making my lists and benchmarking pre-discount prices. Black Friday to me is all about preparation, and the day after Thanksgiving I am never prepared.

If Black Friday shopping is your thing, get out there and get your grind on. The universe of shops on El Camino Real is waiting for you. My father-in-law Harold often visits us from New Jersey for Thanksgiving and for many years he and my wife Paulette had a Black Friday tradition of heading out to Learning Express on El Camino in Sunnyvale to take care of the high-priority kids’ gifts. Sadly that store has closed and those same kids now have grown more interested in Game Stop and American Eagle.

Retail on El Camino is anchored by its regional malls. Great Mall in Milpitas opened at midnight Friday morning, luring shoppers with discounts up to 60% and a scratch-and-win gift card lottery. Stanford Shopping Center opened at 8:00AM and gave goodie bags of holiday loot to the first 250 shoppers to join their email list. The Shops at Tanforan in San Bruno opened at 6:00AM. They also have goodie bags—one lucky one of which is worth $500—and you’ll get a $15 gift card if you spend $150. Oddly Hillsdale Shopping Center in San Mateo shows remarkable restraint. They don’t tweet, they don’t Facebook, and there’s precious little mention of Black Friday at all on their website. That’s just their style I guess.

There’s a whole lot of shopping to be done in the spaces between the malls. Every national chain store on El Camino, big box and otherwise, is vying for your business. There are too many to name. My email inbox is bursting with offers. Just swing a dead cat and you’ll save some money. Dead cats are 50% off at Necro-pet-a-porium today only, by the way, if you mention this ad.

Black Friday belongs to those who make the most noise and Cyber Monday is a clever recent nod to online shopping, but this year there’s a new named day on the fiscal calendar: Small Business Saturday. Pithy it ain’t, but its aims are noble: to call your attention to your local small businesses which depend on your patronage even more than the national chains. It’s a two-way benefit because small businesses are very efficient at re-investing money directly back into your local economy. They are a critical part of our economic recovery. November 27, 2010 is the first Small Business Saturday. It’s sponsored by American Express and if you register your Amex card at http://smallbusinesssaturday.com/Enroll, they’ll rebate you the first $25 you spend at eligible small businesses on Saturday. I don’t have a comprehensive list of participating shops on El Camino but two I know about for sure are:

Enjoy your shopping season, and may your discounts be deep. Just save some good merchandise for me. I’ll be out looking for it on my own Red Friday…December 24, 2010.

Good Food, Good Causes

Monday, November 8th, 2010

This week you have two opportunities to help your neighbors in need while enjoying a delicious meal at a number of terrific Bay Area restaurants.

logo

Tuesday, November 9, 2010 dozens of restaurants are participating in the first annual Bay Area Dine Out. This benefits Meals on Wheels which serves meals to over 8,500 seniors throughout the entire region. Simply dine out at any of the restaurants and let them know you’re there for Dine Out, and they’ll donate part of the proceeds from your meal to this worthy cause.

The full list of restaurants grouped by county is on their website: http://dineoutnow.org/. Of course I know you are primarily interested in restaurants on El Camino Real, so I’ve taken the liberty of extracting the establishments that meet your discerning criteria.

  • Lizarran Tapas Restaurant | 7400 Monterey Street | Gilroy
  • Amici’s East Coast Pizzeria | 225 W. Santa Clara Street | San Jose
  • China Stix Restaurant | 2110 El Camino Real | Santa Clara
  • Country Inn Cafe | 2008 El Camino Real | Santa Clara
  • La Paloma Restaurant | 2280 El Camino Real | Santa Clara
  • Pizz’a Chicago Santa Clara | 1576 Halford Avenue | Santa Clara
  • Celia’s Mexican Restaurant | 3740 El Camino Real | Palo Alto
  • Hobee’s California Restaurants | 4224 El Camino Real | Palo Alto
  • Hobee’s California Restaurants | 67 Town & Country Village | Palo Alto
  • British Bankers Club | 1090 El Camino Real | Menlo Park
  • Cedro Ristorante Italiano | 1010 El Camino Real #140 | Menlo Park
  • Celia’s Mexican Restaurant | 1850 El Camino Real | Menlo Park
  • Oak City Bar and Grill | 1029 El Camino Real | Menlo Park
  • Round Table Pizza | 1225 El Camino Real | Menlo Park
  • Chantilly Restaurant | 3001 El Camino Real | Redwood City
  • John Bentley’s Restaurant | 2915 El Camino Real | Redwood City
  • Max’s of Redwood City | 1001 El Camino Real | Redwood City
  • Mountain Mike’s Pizza | 390 El Camino Real | Belmont
  • The American Bull Bar & Grill | 1819 El Camino Real | Burlingame
  • Celia’s Mexican Restaurant | 201 El Camino Real | San Bruno

If these don’t suit you, do peruse the full list for someplace that does. You can be excused this one time for patronizing eateries not on El Camino. It might be wise to call ahead for reservations.

bannerIf you’re in San Francisco, don’t eat too much on Tuesday because on Wednesday, November 10 you have the opportunity to do it again. An organization called Mission Graduates is putting on an event called Food for Thought at various restaurants in the Mission District. Proceeds from your meal will benefit the Mission Graduates program which works with kids from the Mission and prepares them for college. Demographically these kids are disadvantaged so this program provides crucial help for them to reach their goals through higher education. Thanks to the good folks at Stark Insider for alerting me to this event.

Find participating restaurants on Mission Graduates’ web site: http://www.missiongraduates.org/foodforthought/. Again let them know you’re there for Food for Thought.  The restaurants are not all on Mission Street or Dolores or other streets that qualify as El Camino in San Francisco, but they’re close enough that again, I’ll grant you a free pass. Thinking about all these great restaurants has put me in a charitable mood.

Bay Area Dine Out

benefiting Meals on Wheels
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
http://dineoutnow.org/

Food for Thought

benefiting Mission Graduates
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
http://www.missiongraduates.org/foodforthought/

El Camino Calendar

Thursday, November 4th, 2010

CIMG0454

I’m still trying to catch my breath from the crazy start to this week. Halloween! Giants! Election! Oh my! Take it down a notch and relax at some of these upcoming El Camino events this weekend. As always, be sure to check out the El Camino Calendars page for a list of venues which always have a variety of activities going on.

Tragically somehow I accidentally deleted my “El Scare-Mino Skull-endar” posting from last week, which listed a bunch of Halloween events. C’est la vie. In the future I’ll be more careful.


South FIRST FRIDAYS Art Walk

November 5, 2010

JOIN US for the next South FIRST FRIDAYS art walk on NOV 5th!
8pm ’til LATE — ART WALK venues are free and open to the public
SoFA District (So. First Street between San Carlos and E. Reed streets)
San Jose
http://www.southfirstfridays.com/


Modern Primitive Cocktail Society and Tiki Art Show

Friday, November 5 · 8:00pm – 11:00pm
SLG Art Boutiki
577 S. Market Street
San Jose, CA

The SLG Art Boutiki and Gallery, home of Club Tiki Press publishers of the famed Beachbum Berry Tiki Drink books, celebrates November with a Tiki art show celebrating, well, tiki’s and our love for them.

Live music and all of the normal South First Friday Art Boutiki good times.

Event on Facebook
http://www.artboutiki.com/


ArtRage

Thursday, November 4 · 6:00pm – 9:00pm
San Jose Museum of Art
110 S Market St.
San Jose, CA

Hang with friends (and meet new ones) at ArtRage. Do some in-person social networking! Admission $5.

Local neo-soul/funk/hip hop favorites “So Timeless” will get you moving.
Catch the “Glow Show” by Nocturnal Sunshine
Capture the ArtRage with your friends in the (free) photobooth
Ride Rebar’s “Juicecycle” and juice local fruit for your cocktail
DIY Art: make an LED light sculpture

http://www.sanjosemuseumofart.org/event/art-rage-0


Bay Area Dine Out for Meals on Wheels

Join Meals on Wheels organizations from seven Bay Area counties and fabulous partner restaurants throughout your community for the first annual Bay Area Dine Out for Meals on Wheels on November 9, 2010. Combined, these Meals on Wheels organizations provide nearly 3 million meals each year to over 8,500 local seniors in our communities in need of a hot, nutritious meal and companionship each day.
Multiple locations!
Celia’s Mexican Restaurant | 3740 El Camino Real | Palo Alto
Hobee’s California Restaurants | 4224 El Camino Real | Palo Alto
China Stix Restaurant | 2110 El Camino Real | Santa Clara
Country Inn Cafe | 2008 El Camino Real | Santa Clara
La Paloma Restaurant | 2280 El Camino Real | Santa Clara
Mountain Mike’s Pizza | 390 El Camino Real | Belmont
The American Bull Bar & Grill | 1819 El Camino Real | Burlingame
British Bankers Club | 1090 El Camino Real | Menlo Park
Cedro Ristorante Italiano | 1010 El Camino Real #140 | Menlo Park
Celia’s Mexican Restaurant | 1850 El Camino Real | Menlo Park
Oak City Bar and Grill | 1029 El Camino Real | Menlo Park
Round Table Pizza | 1225 El Camino Real | Menlo Park
Chantilly Restaurant | 3001 El Camino Real | Redwood City
John Bentley’s Restaurant | 2915 El Camino Real | Redwood City
Max’s of Redwood City | 1001 El Camino Real | Redwood City
Celia’s Mexican Restaurant | 201 El Camino Real | San Bruno

http://www.dineoutnow.org/


Sunnyvale Art Gallery

“Two Man Show”

Hsing-Yao Tseng & Albert Ramos
Opening Reception:
Sat, November 6
2:00-5:00 PM

People’s Photo Contest

Reception:
Sat, November 6
7:00-9:30 PM

Sunnyvale Art Gallery
251 W El Camino Real
Sunnyvale, CA 94087
http://sunnyvaleartgallery.com/events.html


Bobbi Brown

Meet Bobbi Brown, the world’s most celebrated makeup artist and bestselling author.
Thursday, November 4th
5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Stanford Bookstore, Textbook Level
Give her 5 minutes. She’ll show you how to break some rules.
Come meet Bobbi Brown, who will be at the Stanford Bookstore to sign her new book, Beauty Rules.
Stanford Bookstore


Annual Holiday Open House

Ah Sam Florist
Celebrating 77 years serving our community.
Come join us for our annual holiday open house

November 5th – 7th
Friday: 6:30 – 9 pm
Saturday: 9 am – 6 pm
Sunday: 11 am – 5 pm

2645 S. El Camino Real
San Mateo, CA 94403
http://www.ahsam.com/


3rd Annual Children’s Talent Show

Saturday, November 6 · 2:00pm – 4:00pm
The Shops at Tanforan, Lower level in front of Old Navy

Children will compete and perform for a chance to win mall gift cards. First place will receive a $150 mall gift card! Come and support these talented rising stars!

To participate in the talent show, visit the mall management office or call 650 392 1631 to request an application. The application deadline is November 4th.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=156362661069720
http://www.theshopsattanforan.com/


Simon GamePlay

The Ultimate Gaming Experience!
Get your hands on the hottest games and more.
Be the first of your friends to play some of the most talked about unreleased games.

Great Mall
Sat, November 6, 10 AM – 9 PM
Neiman Marcus Last Call Court
447 Great Mall Drive
Milpitas, CA 95035
http://www.simon.com/mall/?id=1250


Diwali Gala Buffet

Vedas Indian Restaurant Presents the Diwali Gala Buffet
Nov. 5, 6, 7
Come Celebrate the Light
Handmade Sweets by Chef Kumar
560 N. Abel St., Milpitas
http://www.vedasrestaurant.com/


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


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/