I want to see the real silicon valley for several days, which city should I live?|149652

I want to feel Silicon Valley atmosphere, see some famous IT companies, which city should I live? Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, San Jose or others?

I already booked a hotel in San Francisco for 5 days, and would like to spend several more days in the real Silicon Valley.

San Jose is considered the _capital_ of Silicon Valley. Like a previous poster said, Silicon Valley is just a term used in association of the _product_ put out there. I_ve lived in San Jose (suburb: Campbell) for 20 years. It_s a GREAT town to live in. Freeways are much nicer than L.A. and easier to get around on. People don_t drive 105 mph like in L.A. Maybe 95, but not 105, he-he. In San Jose you are within an hour or two or almost anything you_d like to do. Redwood trees and camping up on the Santa Cruz ridge (San Mateo County Campground), Santa Cruz and the beach, San Francisco for fancy restaurants and opera, The Bay, within a couple of hours of snow skiing, when it_s the season. As far as BIG towns go, the Bay Area is IDEAL. Very beautiful and lots of shopping. I LOVE IT HERE!!!

I_m not sure how _satisfying_ your visit will be to stand outside the Adobe Software headquarters in San Jose, or walk around the parking lots of some of the Intel buildings in Santa Clara. Do you expect to get some of that Silicon Valley _atmosphere_ driving by the eBay or the Google signs?

Silicon Valley is made up of sprawls of bedroom communities, a few high rise sections, here and there, vast industrial parks, stretching from San Francisco, down the Peninsula all the way down to Gilroy. Plus similar landscapes on the East Bay. You_ll find severel mega malls and hundreds of strip malls. McMansions and severely depressed areas.

You want some of the current Silicon Valley atmosphere? Drop in on one of the many Employment Development Department offices to see people lining up to collect unemployment benefits and get job search help. Drive up and down some of those big housing developments and count the _For Sale_ signs. Take a side trip to one of the seveal _Auto Malls_ to see the empty car dealerships.

I guess it depends on what it is, exactly, you WANT to see. One suggestion: visit the Tech Museum of Innovation in downtown San Jose. It, at least, gives you an optomistic vision of what Silicon Valley has been and what it could be.

I_m not sure what exactly you expect to see in Silicon Valley. What makes it _Silicon Valley_ is that many computer/technology companies are there, such as IBM, Apple, Google, Cisco, etc. Maybe you can drive past the corporate offices, but there isn_t much to see besides boxy buildings. And they won_t let random visitors in, due to security and secrecy. If you must see the companies, just take a few hours driving around past select companies.

Still, if you have to stay there, the best place would be Palo Alto, which is really the heart (or rather, brains) of Silicon Valley. While you are there, check out Stanford, take a trip or two to the redwoods, and eat some good food.

I would suggest you start from downtown San Jose_s Adobe building. You can even go into the lobby and use their incredibly fancy bathroom. While you_re there, you might want to check out the tech museum. But it_s mostly for kids. From there, grab a day pass on the VTA and take the trolley to Mtn View. The trolley will take you through North San Jose where eBay, Cisco, KLA Tencor, BEA, and host of other companies exists. The trolley will take you to Mtn View where Google calls home. Of course, during the trip, you_ll see INTEL in Santa Clara, Yahoo in Sunnyvale, and zillions of other small start up companies who wants to be the next _Google_. Once you get to Mtn View, check out the computer history museum and the Microsoft campus. Microsoft has HUGE presence in Silicon Valley. And googleplex is walking distance from the Microsoft campus. Of course, once you get to Mtn View, you can than take CalTrain to Palo Alto and check out the facebook building. Check out the house where HP started as well. That_s where I would stop. You can keep going north to redwood city and go to the Oracle campus and say _Hi_ to Larry Ellison ;). Actually, their campus is actually quite nice. They have cafeteria in every building and each of them serve different ethnic food. And yes, it is open to public. Keep going north and you can run into Twitter in SF. I mean, the list of companies are endless and that is why I_d suggest you stop in Palo Alto. Otherwise, you_ll never end the trip.

In short, do the commute that an average engineer would do if they were taking the trolley. Of course, most of them drive to work but if you_re not in a rush to go to the 8:30 meeting, take the trolley and enjoy the view.

Palo Alto because it is by Stanford.

Please help
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What is the emptiest beach on the Jersey Shore?|146870

I_m just looking for some peace and quiet while the weather is still warm!! I_m more familiar with northern Jersey, so I_d appreciate hearing about the south a lot!

Also Brigantine, right next to Atlantic City. It_s small and right when you get over the bridge on the island, right past Harrah_s casino, are a lot of tourists and a pay beach but if you keep going all the way down to the North Shore, where the ocean meets the bay, that_s a great beach with hardly any people.

If you drive in opposite direction from Sandy Hook, and pass Sea Bright Public beach and a couple of Beach clubs. Then park on the street, cross the road... and here you go, nobody is on the beach and you are all by yourself!

When moving to a new city how do you find out what parts of town are good?|168460

I_ll be moving soon for the military (not sure where yet) and I_m wondering how I find out good living areas. Is there a website with neighborhood reviews, or do I look at school reviews? How do I know that I_m not about to rent a place in a bad neighborhood?

If you can get a hold of a local realtor. Ask about the disparity in home prices in one part of town versus another part of town. Usually, home prices are a key indicator of affluence. This might translate to what is the good part versus the bad part of town. It_s not always the case though, so probe a little and see if the realtor _will open up_. Good luck.

just by asking around and getting to know ppl good... go looking around and experimenting..you will found out whats good 4 u.. dont worry

Does the rules regarding a permit or driving age change from long island to upstate ny?|168355

i just recently moved from long island, to upstate NY and my dad is saying that in rural areas, the rules for driving and such change. does the age you can get a permit change? do the restrictions change? thank you.

The rules for GETTING a permit stay the same throughout the state. As for actually USING it, there are varying rules for junior drivers in different parts of the state:


http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/youngerdriv��

If you have NYS learner_s permit you can drive with a licensed adult. I_m not sure what he thinks will be different about that. Once you get your license if it is a class DJ, then you have not drive after 9 in the evening or before 5 in the morning.

I believe that NYC has rules concerning junior licenses, but that the rest of the state is the same.

What is the best way to cope after snowfall?|134268

I am 68 years old and live on my own. I find it very difficult to go out and get any shopping done when there has been a snowfall like recently. Is it possible to buy special footwear that would make it easier to cope with walking on a slippery surface?

I_m from Canada where it snows frequently in winter.

Boots with a very rough, bumpy surface are best for snow and ice. Anything smooth is going to let you slip easily and possibly fall.

If you have some kind of hiking or hunting boots, that should do good enough.

It is getting more common in my area for stores to sell strap-on cleats or spikes to get even better traction.

First off it is not snowing in Phoenix. It_s about 52 degrees at 5:15pm and is very windy.

This question is probably written by someone who lives north of Phoenix around Flagstaff, Williams, Show Low or Payson. They are getting loads of snow right now.

So I second all the boot comments made above. Walk carefully and don_t slip. Also don_t wear your golf spikes.

Well, my first response would be to stay home when it snows. If the forecast calls for snow, go out before it snows to get groceries. Boots are a great thing to have, but really nothing is going to help you if it is really icy out. You need to walk slowly and watch carefully. But I would suggest staying home for a day or two. When did it snow in Phoenix recently?

I don_t know why this is in the Phoenix section, but having lived in Chicago most of my life, my suggestions is to buy snow boots. The thick striated rubber soles will keep you from sliding and falling. The lining will keep your feet warm.

What time does the mail NORMALLY come for all people of Lexington, Kentucky in Masterson Station?|144780

I have a friend in Alabama leaving for China on June 8th. My letter , sent June 5th, is supposed to get there on June 7th. But, I want to know what time the mail person normallly gets here so that I know if I have enough stamps and what-not. I live in Masterson Station. Can you help?

You don_t know what time your own mail person comes???

1. You could ask other members of your family who may be more observant than yourself.
2. You could ask neighbors who may be more observant than yourself.
3. You could have everything ready to go first thing in the morning and watch for the mail person to come. Run out to meet them and ask.
4. Go to the post office and get the postage determined there. You_re close to the post office on Nandino Blvd. which is open later than some of the other post offices.
5. Go to
http://www.usps.com/
and calculate postage online.

What kinds of things have you heard about wisconsin?|143420

I_m just curious, becuase that is where i live. What kinds of things are associtated with WI and why?

Well, I am an ex cheddar head. I live in Washington now, and people really never say anything. But here is a joke for you.

How man Illinois people (FIBS) does it take to eat a raccoon?

Three. One to eat the raccoon, and two to watch for cars.

Cheese, snow, the Packers - and the St. Croix National River!

Other than being cold....nothing.