San Jose

I was born here; don’t remember CA at all.

I was there for Thanksgiving 2008, as my wife was doing a seminar there.

I’ve lived in worse places and I’ve lived in better places. As it stacks up to everything else, its slightly more interesting but still has a way to go. It feels more like suburbia than it does a metropolitan area. Doesn’t matter though, because if you want to go metro go to SF which is only an hour away. I work during the week, and go to SF on the weekends. SJ is also driving distance to other beautiful parts of California like Monterrey and Napa. So yeah, I agree with the guy who points out that SJ is for those with jobs. Good paying jobs. But if you work in the tech industry like everyone else, that’s not really a problem. If you want to blow your money on rent, SF is the place for you. That’s the reason I moved here from NYC, living paycheck to paycheck isn’t worth having an interesting nightlife. That’s what weekends are for. And don’t get me started on comparing SF to NYC—there is no comparison.

I’ve lived in San Jose for a while and the only advice I have to give is…just skip it. No historic landmarks or interesting architecture. There are just big supermarkets and single-level housing. There are a few trashy clubs downtown but that’s about it. The only shopping district other than strip malls (just about on every block) is this place called Santana Row, which is supposed to resemble some European street, but it just feels fake. Honestly, everything there is and feels fake. It’s the Silicon Valley…metaphorically speaking. If you do end up there by some unfortunate and unavoidable twist of fate, you will need a car (and lots of $$$ for gas) since public transport is not even worth a try and cabs are overpriced. Someone said there are good taco joints…I guess that’s true. But whatever you do STAY AWAY FROM TACO BRAVO! I would recommend Santa Cruz instead. Better food, better atmosphere. Heck even downtown Campbell or Palo Alto (which are half the size) have more to offer.

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