Virago

This is a great street filled with houses that were built as early as the 1920's and as modern as last decade. Charming bungalows next to monster houses means you should pick your home carefully. My 1927 mother-in-law home was only 700 square feet and cost over $200,000 but that's Silicon Valley for you.

The street (and surrounding streets) are tree lined, peaceful, and safe. I would walk my dog as late as 11:00 pm without a problem. Sitting on the porch, neighbors would pass by and say hello. Living downtown gave me access to all the stores and restaurants as well as the public library (Mercy & Franklin) with it's state of the art building and great collection.

One of the best things about this area is that the entire city is wi-fied thanks to Google. You can get free wi-fi in your home with no limits. If you have a large house you may need to buy a small booster device to project the signal through your home, but that's it.

One of my favorite things was the MV Art & Wine Fair which always occurs on the weekend after Labor Day. Step outside and shop! Literally hundreds of booths were there. I would invite friends to drop by throughout the day, providing a bathroom and a place to stash their goodies.

One word of advice...put out a trash can in the front yard on festival days if you don't want your yard to be littered with paper plates and soda cans!

Shamrock Drive is very near the border of San Jose but is actually considered part of Campbell. This unincorporated area of the county consists of older family homes. The neighbors are extremely friendly, doing an annual neighborhood wide yard sale each year, with people of all ages living there.

Parts of the street don't have sidewalks and look a little more rundown. You probably want to look around in the 300 or 400 block to find the nicer homes. Also, since this area is unincorporated you get your utilities from the county rather than the city.

Backyards are huge in this neighborhood so even though your neighbors seem close on the left and right you get a sense of space when you look out your back door. There are lots of trees and most of the yards are very well kept.

The street is located off of Bascom and near San Tomas Expressway. This will get you to highway 85, 17, or 280 pretty quickly if you need to commute out of the area. There are plenty of restaurants on Bascom including my favorite Indian restaurant, Taj Mahal.

This shopping center isn't like most you'll see. There is a combination of residential and commercial property within the same area. You can get a townhouse or flat in the center and live where you shop! A pretty cool concept, but being in the Silicon Valley, a pretty expensive one as well.

There are over 70 stores, almost two dozen restaurants, and a hotel in the center as well. If you like Indian food then don't miss "Amber India" which has some of the best Indian food you'll ever try. Have the 'rogan josh" (lamb curry) if you enjoy spicy Indian food.

And while the "Crate and Barrel" there is one of my favorite stores, it can't top the experience of "The Container Store" which is also located in Santana Row. If you love to organize or if you are in the process of 'nesting' your home, RUN to this store now.

Many of the stores are open until 9:00 with the restaurants open even later. There's also a six screen theater in the center with those nice comfy stadium seats.

I lived on North 4th street for several years and cannot recommend this as a place that any one would like to reside. I should have had a clue when I saw the bars on the windows of each apartment, even the ones on the second floor!

While I was only robbed once, several of my neighbors were robbed on more than one occasion. The streets are dirty and traffic is heavy on this four lane road. The neighborhood is an odd mix of businesses and residential housing. The businesses aren't the kind you shop at, but more industrial type. It made me wonder what kind of stuff they might be dumping in the ground although to be fair nothing has ever been discovered.

Being a main thoroughfare in a heavy crime area made for a lot of sirens, both police and ambulances, along with all the other street noises. I was very happy to leave this neighborhood once I could afford something better. It's one saving grace was very cheap rent.

Downtown Campbell centers on East Campbell between Winchester Blvd and Campbell Park. It's about eight blocks long and two blocks wide. A lot of it has been rebuilt or newly built. So it's not as small or old towny as some areas such as Willow Glen, but there are a ton of neat shops there that make it worth visiting.

One of the best breakfast places in the San Jose metropolitan area is in this area. Check out "Stacks" for an awesome dining experience. Be prepared though because the secret is out and you will most likely have to wait for a table.

There are a number of very nice art galleries in this area including the Sonya Paz Art Gallery which features some really colorful pop art. My other favorite gallery is the Terra Polaris Original Art Gallery. Oh, and if you love books, don't miss Recycle Books for that hard to find, out of print book you've been seeking for years!

And they have a ton of festivals or celebrations going on there including: a farmer's markets, Bunnies & Bonnets Parade, Boogie on the Bayou, a Summer Concert series, Sundown Cinema, an Oktoberfest, Carol of Lights, and Christmas In Campbell. It seems like there is always something going on there.

Willow Glen is a neighborhood in San Jose that centers on Lincoln Avenue from the 1000 block to about the 1300 block. It's an amazingly sleepy little area in a city of almost a 1,000,000 people. This is a great place to visit day or night.

The are a wide variety of shops in this area. Some of my favorites are: Petroglyph, Sew Beadazzled, Hicklebee's Children's Bookstore, The Thrift Box, and Park Place Vintage. The Children's bookstore has to be seen to be believed. It's huge and they have the best staff you'll find anywhere. There are a ton of restaurants, coffee places, etc so if you get hungry while shopping there's no need to leave the area. In particular you should try Casablanca's Cafe for some excellent Middle Eastern food.

The evening will find fewer things open but window shopping is still fun to do and there are plenty of people walking around so it feels safe to me.

I've been living in this mobile home park for almost four years now. It is one of the nicest parks in San Jose that you'll find at a reasonable price. Space rent as of 2008 runs about $700 with only 3% increases each year due to rent control. The park offers a swimming pool, a club house with a pool table, car washing facilities, an outdoor bbq & picnic bench area, and a small chapel. There is security on the grounds each night.

The owner and managers have invested a great deal of time and money to improve the landscaping and general look of the park. This includes new signage everywhere, new grass lawns, constant trimming of the many palm trees & cactus, and creating new lawn areas where weeds and dirt used to exist.

The managers offer a number of programs and events including bbqs for the holidays, potlucks, public safety lectures, a newsletter committee, and more. The managers live on the premises as do all the gardeners and office personnel so they have a vested interest in making the place look nice.

The downside is there are very stringent rules about the maintenance of your home that can make it difficult to buy or sell your property. Things seemed to have improved under the new management, but the owner is a real stickler for crossing every 't' and dotting every 'i' when it comes to passing an inspection. Cell phone access is a pain most of the time. You should also know that the train runs very close to the park. However, after about three weeks I no longer even noticed when a train ran through even though my home is directly in front of the tracks by about 200 feet or so.

Pets are allowed (one only) as are children. There are also a large number of retired people living in the park. Homes range from as little as $40,000 to as much as $110,000 so there's something for everyone.

I've been going to the Berryessa Flea Market for over forty years. This HUGE flea market is a must see for anyone who loves a good bargain. There is ample parking directly on Berryessa Road with large parking lots just across the street from the market itself. Parking is 6.00 on weekends (a bit steep) but there is no entrance fee to get into the market itself.

The flea market will take all day to get through so bring your comfy shoes and be prepared to walk. Rolling carts are allowed as are strollers. A large part of the market is made up of fixed 'stores' within openfaced buildings so much of it has a roof. The sun still gets warm (especially in the summer) so bring your sunscreen too.

The fixed stores are made up of sellers who buy wholesale at very cheap prices and sell to you at less than retail. You'll find furniture, toys, clothing, sunglasses, cds, dvds, videos, kitchen supplies, and a whole lot more. There is a very large section of fruit and vegetable stands as well. These offer a wide variety of foods that will also include a lot of Mexican related cuisine. The Mexican bakeries are awesome and shouldn't be missed.

There are food and drink booths there for lunch so you won't starve. There are a few arcade games for the kids (things like SkeeBall). The only downside to this flea market is that there is no longer a section of garage sale type people anymore. When I was a kid that was my favorite place to shop but those people have all disappeared.

Jackson Street and Taylor Street are the heart of Japantown in San Jose. They claim to be "over 100 years old and one of the last three remaining authentic historic Japantowns in the United States" so you don't want to miss it.

They have so many wonderful activities going on there. There's the Farmer's Market on Jackson between 6th and 7th St. every Sunday morning from 8:30-Noon. They always have a wide variety of fruits and vegetables including a great selection of Asian greens.

Every year they have the Spirit of Japantown Festival includes exhibits, performances, food, an ikebana exhibition, and more. This festival occurs in October and is a wonderful celebration of all things Japanese.

There is also the Obon Festival every July. They offer temple tours, a San Jose Taiko performance & Obon dance performances as well as a carnival.

Even when there are no festivals you'll find a nice variety of stores offering Japanese goods, both edible and non. During festivals parking can be a bit of an issue so be prepared to walk!

Castro Street in Mountain View is a great place to go for an evening. You can dine at any one of over 100 restaurants that include every variety of Asian food, Mexican, Italian, and more. Afterwards take a stroll down the street to window shop or to stop in a bookstore (there are three), Starbucks, or have dessert.

You'll see families, couples, people walking their dogs, and more throughout the evening. Some of the stores stay open late and it's certainly safe to walk there as late as midnight. The Performing Arts Center offers a wide variety of plays, concerts, and lectures as well. A great, low stress place to visit after you high stress day in your Silicon Valley Office.