south bay A to Z:

did you ever play the alphabet game while you were driving? I was doing that recently, and I adapted the game to an alphabet list of all of my favorite things in the south bay area from A to Z. I was thinking of doing a blog for each of them, but I was too impatient:

A: almaden lake park. right across the street from my house. great for walking, running, and watching sunsets.

B: the boardwalk- over in santa cruz. I have so many happy memories of taking the family and the students there. it can be either sketchy or magical, or both.

C: children’s discovery museum- we had passes to this place for years. I loved to see my daughter light up with wonder and imagination. I was so sad to see her grow out of this special place!

D: diddams- jane and I used to go to diddams at 9am and roll a ball back up and down the aisles. the workers were so cool about it. I know all of them by name now. we have loved all of their toy displays and visit often.

E: erik’s deli- the food is good- and the atmosphere is even better. they were doing mason jar cups way before it was trendy. I’ve been to almost all of them across the bay area.

F: the flea market-this place makes me feel like I’m in another country. no one speaks English, and there is so much multisensory stimulation from all around: live mariachi music, fresh fruit and vegetables as far as the eye can see, vendors yelling out prices and unbeatable deals on everything.

G: G is for great: the great mall, great America, and the Great Bear in los gatos. the coolest coffee shop ever- and the CCC’s are heaven in a glass.

H: H-parks: history park, hakone gardens, and happy hollow. all 3 of these spots are beautiful fun, and full of history.

I: IMAX- especially the one at the tech museum- we love going to see those movies about nature and space. the entire tech museum itself is pretty awesome.

J: the jungle- my kid has been enjoying this place since before she could speak. she learned how to jump, slide, play videogames, and ride rides at this fun little spot for kids. it’s a great place to go when its raining outside.

K: Kelley park- this spot has 3 parks in it: the history park, happy hollow and the Japanese friendship garden- all are special places for us. jane rode her first roller coaster at happy hollow. we love their café and the climbing area. we love to feed the fish at the Japanese friendship garden.

L: los gatos- especially the downtown area- great shops, great restaurants, and always a great view of the mountains. this spot is rich in local history.

M: Malibu grill! my favorite restaurant. hands down. my second office. remember that show cheers? this is my cheers.

N: novitiate- this is a big white building that overlooks highway 17. it’s a retirement home for priests, and is full of old trails statues and breathtaking views. this is a good spot to go and think about things-

O: oak meadow park- possibly my favorite spot in the south bay. I have spent countless hours on these trails by myself, and on the playground, train and carousel with jane. so many happy memories here.

P: the pruneyard- I liked it more when barnes and noble was there, but this is a great spot to get some food or to go shopping.

Q: quicksilver park- this is another area rich in local history and natural beauty. I’ve hiked every step of every trail at quicksilver. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

R: railroads- san jose has the lightrail, the caltrain and the billy jones wildcat railroad- I love riding all of them!

S: sports- the south bay is close to san Francisco and Oakland, and now you can see the 49ers in santa clara! and I love to watch the sharks at the shark tank downtown. and don’t forget municipal park where the san jose giants play. this is such a fun activity for the family. inexpensive local baseball- great food, safe environment. I like it best at night- there is zero shade in the day!
it’s a great place to be a fan!

T: theme parks! we have great America, happy hollow, the boardwalk, and we’re not far from discovery kingdom. this is a great place to be a ride warrior!

U: mt. umunhum- I always know where I’m at if I can see that building on top of that hill- I heard that they will open it to the public soon-

V: venture church! my church and my work. great teaching and so many wonderful friends and memories there.

W: the weather. seriously. it’s the best anywhere.

XYZ: zoos! again, happy hollow has a fun zoo, so does Oakland and san Francisco.

there were so any of these spots where I wanted to say, “I have spent countless hours here.” where did I get so many hours? anyway, whether you’re new to the area or a local, go out and enjoy the most beautiful area in the world: the valley of heart’s delight, the garden city, san jose california!

God is love.

-rev-rob