Checking out an ’80s microchess game at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View.
LIKE the high-tech companies that give this lush region its name, Silicon Valley thrives on reinvention. Situated just south of San Francisco Bay, the valley was once an agricultural cradle, home to orchards and vineyards. These days, of course, it bears fruit of a different sort, as the home of tech giants like Apple, Google and Intel. Buoyed by the resilience of tech companies, the valley’s dozen or so cities, which include Mountain View and Palo Alto, have managed to sidestep the recession, continuing their shift from corporate strip malls to urban hubs. The valley now buzzes with cultural spaces, lively restaurants and a hyper-educated workforce that has no problem keeping up.
Friday
4 p.m.
1) BETTING ON BOUTIQUES
San Jose may still call itself “the capital” of Silicon Valley, but the picturesque town of Los Gatos is emerging as its trendier “downtown,” with its historic cottages and upscale boutiques. Fashionable shoppers flock to Salt (78 West Main Street; 408-395-0800; shop-salt.com), a women’s boutique that carries California labels like Vince and Black Halo, and Infiniti Boutique (120 West Main Street; 408-399-7071) for its mix of European clothes and accessories. The people cruising the streets in Los Gatos give off a vibe that matches the bright, charming town, which is full of surprises off the main drag.
6 p.m.
2) BARSTOOL PITCH
Sand Hill Road is one the valley’s main arteries, cutting through Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Stanford University. As the weekend gets under way, follow the stream of Prius hybrids, Mercedes coupes and the occasional Tesla electric car to Madera, a new restaurant and bar at the Rosewood Sand Hill hotel (2825 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park; 650-561-1500; rosewoodsandhill.com). The indoor-outdoor bar is a hot spot for venture capitalists to unwind and gossip, as they survey their domain on a terrace that looks out on the surrounding mountains. Down a cocktail or three, and find your pluck to pitch that brilliant Web idea you had.
8 p.m.
3) AMERICAN FARE 2.0
St. Michael’s Alley (140 Homer Avenue, Palo Alto; 650-326-2530; www.stmikes.com) seized a page straight out of the valley playbook last year by reinventing itself and moving to an ambitious new home, a few blocks off crowded University Avenue in Palo Alto. Two and half years in the making, the restaurant now has three elegant dining areas, including a bar anchored by an artful hunk of walnut. The business casual attire matches the informal cuisine, which leans toward Californian and American fare. Dishes include a cider-cured center-cut pork chop with chipotle barbecue sauce and buttermilk mashed potatoes ($27).
10 p.m.
4) NUTS AND CIGARS
Shame on Stanford University’s students for allowing such tame bars along their home turf, University Avenue. For a more energized crowd, head to nearby California Avenue. A favorite among Silicon Valley’s young titans is Antonio’s Nut House (321 California Avenue, Palo Alto; 650-321-2550; antoniosnuthouse.com), a low-key neighborhood bar where patrons can chuck their peanut shells on the floor, scribble on the walls and take a photo with a caged “gorilla.” Down the road is La Bodeguita del Medio (463 California Avenue, Palo Alto; 650-326-7762; labodeguita.com), a Cuban-style bar and restaurant that serves tall glasses of rum, along with hand-rolled cigars.
Saturday
9 a.m.
5) GOOGLE STREET VIEW
Unless you’re the next Mark Zuckerberg, the high-tech campuses that dot the valley are off-limits. But there are ways to sneak a look. For a glimpse of the Googleplex (1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View), the headquarters-cum-playground of Google, drive north on Shoreline Boulevard until you see a pair of colorful towers rising on your left. There’s a small public park next to the entrance that peeks inside the laid-back campus. Grander views can be found through Airship Ventures (Building 20, South Akron Road; Moffett Field; 650-969-8100; airshipventures.com), a tour company that offers rides aboard a 246-foot-long airship. Tours, starting at $199 for a 30-minute ride, glide over geek hot spots like Apple’s shimmering headquarters and Larry Ellison’s 23-acre Japanese-style compound. The airship travels all along the West Coast, so check its Web site beforehand for schedules.
Noon
6) CAFETERIA FOOD
Some chefs parlay a reality show into a restaurant. Charlie Ayers used his stint as the top chef of the Googleplex cafeteria — and a few of his Google shares — to open Calafia Café (855 El Camino Real, Palo Alto; 650-322-9200; calafiapaloalto.com). The restaurant echoes the locally sourced philosophy that Mr. Ayers espoused at Google. It is split down the middle between a sit-down restaurant and to-go counter. Try the “really angry” pork tacos with minced habanero peppers and queso fresco ($12) or the tempura-battered chicken and waffles with bacon-studded pancakes ($13).
3 p.m.
7) COMPUTERS 101
The term “Silicon Valley” may have been coined in the early 1970s but the region’s tech timeline goes way back. For a self-guided tour of computer lore, start at 367 Addison Avenue in Palo Alto, site of the humble wood garage where Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard started their company in 1939. Next, drive by 391 San Antonio Road in Mountain View, a squat, dilapidated produce shop that housed the first true silicon start-up — Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory — in 1955. Finally, swing by 844 Charleston Road in Palo Alto, an office building where Fairchild Semiconductor invented a commercial version of the integrated circuit in 1959. Much of that history is now lovingly captured at the Computer History Museum (1401 North Shoreline Boulevard, Mountain View; 650-810-1010; computerhistory.org), which plans to open a major exhibition on the first 2,000 years of computing next year.
8 p.m.
8) VIETNAMESE PLATES
Thanks to Google and its army of millionaires, Castro Street, the main drag in Mountain View, has undergone a culinary and night-life revival. Among the more bubbly spots is Xanh (110 Castro Street, Mountain View; 650-964-1888; xanhrestaurant.com), a sprawling Vietnamese fusion restaurant with a handsome patio and dining rooms bathed in green and blue lights. The playful names on the menu — Duck Duck Good ($24) — and cocktails — Good Ruck ($9) — fail to capture the elegance of the dishes, plated in delicate fashion with exotic sauces. On weekends, the bar/lounge turns into a quasi-nightclub, with D.J.’s and more cocktails.
10 p.m.
9) GEEK TALK
Sometime in April, an Apple software engineer lost an iPhone 4 prototype at Gourmet Haus Staudt (2615 Broadway; gourmethausstaudt.com), a German beer garden in Redwood City. Images of the prototype were splattered on Gizmodo, foiling the company’s well-known obsession with secrecy. The beer garden has since shaken off its notoriety and remains a low-key place for engineers to gab about new software compilers, their Python wizardry and Android A.P.I.’s.
Sunday
9 a.m.
10) LOCAL HARVEST
Farmers’ markets dot the valley on Sundays. One of the most bountiful is in the parking lot of the Caltrain Station in Mountain View (600 West Evelyn; 800-806-3276; cafarmersmkts.com), where flowers, fruits and vegetables are sold along with locally raised meats and artisanal cheeses. Vendors sell prepared foods as well, including homemade pork dumplings and fresh samosas.
11 a.m.
11) HEAD FOR THE HILLS
It’s called a valley for a reason. The Santa Cruz Mountains rise along the valley’s western edge and provide a treasure hunt for people willing to explore. Wineries like the Thomas Fogarty Winery (19501 Skyline Boulevard; Woodside; 650-851-6777; fogartywinery.com) sit atop the mountains, offering unrivaled views of the valley. Hikes abound. The Windy Hill Open Space Preserve (openspace.org), a 15-minute drive from Stanford University in Portola Valley, has a range of trails that cut through 1,312 acres of grassland ridges and redwood forests. By the end of the hike, you’ll be able to spot Stanford, NASA Ames Research Center and the mega-mansions like a valley pro.
IF YOU GO
The nearest commercial airport is Mineta San Jose International Airport. JetBlue offers daily direct flights from Kennedy Airport, starting at about $279 round-trip, according to a recent Web search. Another option is to fly into San Francisco, about 30 miles to the north. A car is needed to get around, although there is limited local train service.
The Avatar Hotel in Santa Clara (4200 Great America Parkway; 408-235-8900; avatarhotel.com) caters to geek travelers in name and spirit. Newly remodeled, the 168-room hotel has free Wi-Fi and iPod docking stations. Room rates start at $79.
The Rosewood Sand Hill in Menlo Park (2825 Sand Hill; 650-561-1500; rosewoodsandhill.com) opened last year with 121 rooms and a handful of villas, on a 16-acre estate with stunning rose gardens overlooking the hills. Room rates from about $335.
A version of this article appeared in print on September 5, 2010 in NYT*** Ace! is a member of the EducationUSA global educational advising network affiliated with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. We provide free EducationUSA counseling services to students in the northern provinces of Thailand; our faculty of U.S.-trained Test Prep Experts can help you with cost-effective result-driven training programs for SAT-1, SAT-2, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, GED, AP, IB, TOEIC, IELTS etc ***
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