San jose, where how what?

tsk1979

Hi guys,
I am a resident of India. I will be visiting San jose on a business trip and will be staying there for 4-5 months. Now accomodation etc., has been arranged, but since I am on a shoestring budget, I would be buying a used bike of craiglist and using Bus/Tram/rail etc., roam around. I will be carrying my 350D with me and would love to shoot lots of stuff.
So any tips from the locals? What all to see, how to go there etc.,?
On weekdays I will be free at 6pm and would like to roam around till 9-10pm, so what are the places I can see.
On weekends I wont mind travelling to places which are 3-4 hours by public transport. Planning to return in evening.
I googled for sight seeing near San jose, but as you know every web link that comes up tells me that the place they mention is the best. So I wanna ask some residents. What are the best places from photgraphy point of view, hangout point of view. Where to shop electronics or just visit those mega stores etc., etc.,
Any tips fellas!

ian408

The good news is you will have plenty of time to explore

VTA Lightrail will take you from the Mt. View area as far south as San Jose.
It also connects you to Caltrain which will take you as far south as Gilroy and
as far north as San Francisco (you can also hook up with BART at SFO
which will get you around the East Bay). There are varying bus routes to
get you around with in cities. Visit www.vta.org for more into.

You want electronics? Go to Fry's. There are many of them in the area. If
you want to buy something, there are better deals on things on the net. But
you need to see Fry's--it's huge.

Hard to know what qualifies as "the best" place to hang out. There are a lot
of places the meet that need. Same with photography--there are many places.
Including downtown San Jose, the parks surrounding the bay, the coast area.
Too many to list.

Enjoy your visit.

Ian

Andy

Take a bus or to Santa Cruz. Take a train to San Francisco.


http://www.moonriverphotography.com/gallery/634937
http://www.moonriverphotography.com/gallery/160514
http://www.moonriverphotography.com/gallery/280605

Angelo

Don't forget Cherry Ripes:

http://www.aussieproducts.com/

aktse

The public transportation in the south bay isn't the best, but it's good once you get into the city. As mentioned before, there is light rail (VTA) and a bus system. Cal Train is your best best to get into the city, and you can take Muni (the bus system in the city) everywhere else. You might want to pick up a tour book or and it should provide you with lots of things to see/shoot.

North of San Jose
Some of my favorite places in the city:
Angel Island (from a ferry)
Golden Gate Park
Sausalito
China Town
Palace of Fine Arts
The Presidio
<url ="http://gocalifornia.about.com/cs/sanfrancisco/a/sfbest.htm"&gt;Sight seeing in San Francisco</url>

For some of your weekends, you should rent a car and hit Yosemite and maybe Lake Tahoe (yes, it's beautiful even in the summer!). Napa Valley and Sonoma Country are also great (don't forget to pick up some bottles of wine!).

South of San Jose:
Santa Cruz Info
Monterey Bay Aquarium

Since you won't have access to a car, I suggest meeting people such as through craig's list (very big here) and maybe meetup or something similar.

After work, I suggest spending the evenings in the various towns.
downtown San Jose,
Stanford + downtown Palo Alto
Shoreline Park in Mountain View

Do you hike? Mountain bike?

Dee

What kind of photography?
What are you interested in? City scenes, architecture, wildlife, nature, beach, mountains, etc.?

Where in San Jose will you be working/living (San Jose is a huge place!). Maybe you can make friends with co-workers who have cars.

I would say that transportation isn't the best -- but there are ways of getting around.

San Jose has the "city" itself, with a mix of modern and old architecture. Some neat water fountains that shoot up from the pavement (the children love to run thru them), Children's Discovery Museum, other museums, an old theater that is being renovated, there's the Guadalope river.

You might enjoy riding your bike on the "levees" at the bayland parks where you may see some birds like egrets and herons. Alviso is an interesting area for this. It's on the bay just north of San Jose area.

Try this site: http://www.bahiker.com/ which has photos showing the hikes. Some of these may or may not be appropriate for bike riding.

Here's a link for bike riding suggestions: http://home.pacbell.net/leewaysf/thebike.html

Here's a link with photos: http://pages.prodigy.net/rhorii/baybike.htm

San Jose is considered "south bay" for your reference.

San Jose itself is sort of a flat valley between the Santa Cruz (to the west) and the Diablo range of mountains to the east.

A visit to the Sunnyvale Library will give you access to all sorts of transportation pamplets and schedules as well as information on things to see and do in the area. These are free and are inside the door to the right (near the restrooms). There's plenty of parking for bicycles with bike racks.

Also a visit to the Chamber of Commerce (google it, I don't know where it is) might be helpful for maps and information.

Before you leave the area it's definitely worth it to go to Monterey, Santa Cruz, and on a holiday, a bike ride to Big Sur would be fantastic if you like hilly mountains and sea.

I see bike groups all the time, as well as lone bike riders on Highway One, and some of the smaller highways like Highway 9 which goes into Santa Cruz. I'm hopeful, connecting with some of these bike riding resource groups on the internet will provide the information you need to bike safely in the area. There are two "hostels" where one can make a reservation to stay inexpensively overnight while biking. One is in Montara (closer to San Francisco) and the other is at Pescadero (closer to Santa Cruz). Both are at light houses, Montara and Pigeon Point. There are probably other hostels along the way.

Biking is one of the best ways to see the area, and you can easily stop anywhere to take a photo -- unlike us who drive cars and find there's no safe place to pull off to take photos.

I can't help you much with city life, night clubbing, etc. But at the Sunnyvale library (and other places) there are free newspapers with listings of clubs and activities. One is called "The Wave" and the other if it's still being published is "Metro."

One of our design interns was from Hong Kong and he rode his bike everywhere (not having a lot of money nor a license). So if you are in good shape and used to riding long distances you will have a fine time in San Jose.

tsk1979

thanks everyone.
I like to do landscape photgraphy esp night photography with urban/non urban landscapes. Due to the high level of dust from thar desert, its been ages since I have seen what a clear sky looks like. How are the skies in San Jose?
I will definately see San fransisco! Want to get the Golden Gate in my 350 along with the Golden gate bridge

Dee wrote:

What are you interested in? City scenes, architecture, wildlife, nature, beach, mountains, etc.?

Where in San Jose will you be working/living (San Jose is a huge place!). Maybe you can make friends with co-workers who have cars.

I would say that transportation isn't the best -- but there are ways of getting around.

San Jose has the "city" itself, with a mix of modern and old architecture. Some neat water fountains that shoot up from the pavement (the children love to run thru them), Children's Discovery Museum, other museums, an old theater that is being renovated, there's the Guadalope river.

You might enjoy riding your bike on the "levees" at the bayland parks where you may see some birds like egrets and herons. Alviso is an interesting area for this. It's on the bay just north of San Jose area.

Try this site: http://www.bahiker.com/ which has photos showing the hikes. Some of these may or may not be appropriate for bike riding.

Here's a link for bike riding suggestions: http://home.pacbell.net/leewaysf/thebike.html

Here's a link with photos: http://pages.prodigy.net/rhorii/baybike.htm

San Jose is considered "south bay" for your reference.

San Jose itself is sort of a flat valley between the Santa Cruz (to the west) and the Diablo range of mountains to the east.

A visit to the Sunnyvale Library will give you access to all sorts of transportation pamplets and schedules as well as information on things to see and do in the area. These are free and are inside the door to the right (near the restrooms). There's plenty of parking for bicycles with bike racks.

Also a visit to the Chamber of Commerce (google it, I don't know where it is) might be helpful for maps and information.

Before you leave the area it's definitely worth it to go to Monterey, Santa Cruz, and on a holiday, a bike ride to Big Sur would be fantastic if you like hilly mountains and sea.

I see bike groups all the time, as well as lone bike riders on Highway One, and some of the smaller highways like Highway 9 which goes into Santa Cruz. I'm hopeful, connecting with some of these bike riding resource groups on the internet will provide the information you need to bike safely in the area. There are two "hostels" where one can make a reservation to stay inexpensively overnight while biking. One is in Montara (closer to San Francisco) and the other is at Pescadero (closer to Santa Cruz). Both are at light houses, Montara and Pigeon Point. There are probably other hostels along the way.

Biking is one of the best ways to see the area, and you can easily stop anywhere to take a photo -- unlike us who drive cars and find there's no safe place to pull off to take photos.

I can't help you much with city life, night clubbing, etc. But at the Sunnyvale library (and other places) there are free newspapers with listings of clubs and activities. One is called "The Wave" and the other if it's still being published is "Metro."

One of our design interns was from Hong Kong and he rode his bike everywhere (not having a lot of money nor a license). So if you are in good shape and used to riding long distances you will have a fine time in San Jose.

tsk1979

wow, thats a ton of info. I have trekked for 10 miles long time back, and I think this is a good oppurtunity to get my stamina back! Never done any mountain biking, but I guess I will try that too!

aktse wrote:

The public transportation in the south bay isn't the best, but it's good once you get into the city. As mentioned before, there is light rail (VTA) and a bus system. Cal Train is your best best to get into the city, and you can take Muni (the bus system in the city) everywhere else. You might want to pick up a tour book or and it should provide you with lots of things to see/shoot.

North of San Jose
Some of my favorite places in the city:
Angel Island (from a ferry)
Golden Gate Park
Sausalito
China Town
Palace of Fine Arts
The Presidio
<url>Sight seeing in San Francisco</url>

For some of your weekends, you should rent a car and hit Yosemite and maybe Lake Tahoe (yes, it's beautiful even in the summer!). Napa Valley and Sonoma Country are also great (don't forget to pick up some bottles of wine!).

South of San Jose:
Santa Cruz Info
Monterey Bay Aquarium

Since you won't have access to a car, I suggest meeting people such as through craig's list (very big here) and maybe meetup or something similar.

After work, I suggest spending the evenings in the various towns.
downtown San Jose,
Stanford + downtown Palo Alto
Shoreline Park in Mountain View

Do you hike? Mountain bike?

tsk1979

I am in San Jose now. Lovely place, but a pain to go around if you dont have a car. Tried light rail, but its very tiring. Have to walk 1 mile + between stops if you are going away from the main stations! And many buses dont run on weekends! phew. Looks like I better get the bicycle soon.

tsk1979 wrote:

Hi guys,
I am a resident of India. I will be visiting San jose on a business trip and will be staying there for 4-5 months. Now accomodation etc., has been arranged, but since I am on a shoestring budget, I would be buying a used bike of craiglist and using Bus/Tram/rail etc., roam around. I will be carrying my 350D with me and would love to shoot lots of stuff.
So any tips from the locals? What all to see, how to go there etc.,?
On weekdays I will be free at 6pm and would like to roam around till 9-10pm, so what are the places I can see.
On weekends I wont mind travelling to places which are 3-4 hours by public transport. Planning to return in evening.
I googled for sight seeing near San jose, but as you know every web link that comes up tells me that the place they mention is the best. So I wanna ask some residents. What are the best places from photgraphy point of view, hangout point of view. Where to shop electronics or just visit those mega stores etc., etc.,
Any tips fellas!

ian408

tsk1979 wrote:

I am in San Jose now. Lovely place, but a pain to go around if you dont have a car. Tried light rail, but its very tiring. Have to walk 1 mile + between stops if you are going away from the main stations! And many buses dont run on weekends! phew. Looks like I better get the bicycle soon.

This is the sad thing about public transport in this area. I live about an
hours walk from work. To take the bus would take about 90 minutes. Most
of it spent waiting. I can drive in about 15 and bike in about 30/40 minutes.

If you are looking for a second hand bike, you might find one on craig's
list. Alternatively, there are a couple of places in Palo Alto that specialize
in used bicycles.

aktse

tsk1979 wrote:

I am in San Jose now. Lovely place, but a pain to go around if you dont have a car. Tried light rail, but its very tiring. Have to walk 1 mile + between stops if you are going away from the main stations! And many buses dont run on weekends! phew. Looks like I better get the bicycle soon.

Most of CA requires a car unless you are in the city (SF) itself. I have taken the light rail once in my life when my car was in the shop and vowed never to do it again. However, it does have spaces on it very you can store your bike. This city is not made for walking, and it can be biked if you're very good shape and love to ride.

If you want some sky, check out the dish at stanford. I don't know the hours, but I have been there late at night looking at the stars. Most people just run or hike it.
Dish

On a clear day you'll get panoramic views of the bay. Also, it's a wildlife preserve so you'll see lots of little animals and birds.

If you're in the city, don't forget BART (different from CalTrain) in the city.

Seefutlung

tsk1979-

Three suggestions:
1) team up with a local photo group - they will get you to places public transportation won't and make your trip/stay more enjoyable;
2) one way or another get to Yosemite ... considered by many as the most beautiful place in the world (google Ansel Adams for pixs); and
3) rent a car and drive down Highway One through the Central Coast, considered the most beautiful/scenic road in the world.

A trip to Yosemite and Highway One and you will have memories and incredible photos for the rest of your life.

-Gary-

Dee

Welcome to California
I'm glad you arrived safely. Do you drive? Have a driver's license? Since this is our NON rainy season, why not consider a used motorcycle? I have no idea where to get one or how much they cost. But, check www.craigslist.org

There is all kinds of stuff including a "free" section. Also activities. There's a section for San Francisco, the Peninsula, South Bay (your area) if you want to keep things close to your area.

In San Jose itself, downtown, other than the downtown area, I really can't think of anything worth photographing! Sad... If you had a mototcycle you could get to the bay to Alviso, or ride thru the hills (very pretty) or up to Mt. Hamilton, and all sorts of places.

I'm just not really sure a bicycle is going to work for you.

Maybe someone in the south bay can be of more help to you -- Ian408 or Steve C...

Angelo

tsk1979 wrote:

I am in San Jose now. Lovely place, but a pain to go around if you dont have a car. Tried light rail, but its very tiring. Have to walk 1 mile + between stops if you are going away from the main stations! And many buses dont run on weekends! phew. Looks like I better get the bicycle soon.

Welcome to the USA and to California. I hope you have an enjoyable stay and that you get the opportunity to visit every place on your wish list.

I'm a bit too far south (about 500 miles) to be of much help but you've gotten some great advice in this thread.

tsk1979

Bringing up the old thread....
Hi guys,
I am doing fine here, saw LA etc., and got the hang of VTA. Now a question about the fourth of July. I came across a website which tells where all fireworks will be happening. It seems they happen 9:30pm and the nearest location is Great Mall(milpitas I think) for where i live.
But it also says that the San Fransico fireworks show is the most spectacular. But my worry is that late at night will I get a transportation to Great Mall since that is nearest to where I live(Brokaw, near fry's).
If there is no late night special transport available for that night, Great mall is the only show I will be able to see. Any tips?
thanks
tsk

tsk1979 wrote:

Hi guys,
I am a resident of India. I will be visiting San jose on a business trip and will be staying there for 4-5 months. Now accomodation etc., has been arranged, but since I am on a shoestring budget, I would be buying a used bike of craiglist and using Bus/Tram/rail etc., roam around. I will be carrying my 350D with me and would love to shoot lots of stuff.
So any tips from the locals? What all to see, how to go there etc.,?
On weekdays I will be free at 6pm and would like to roam around till 9-10pm, so what are the places I can see.
On weekends I wont mind travelling to places which are 3-4 hours by public transport. Planning to return in evening.
I googled for sight seeing near San jose, but as you know every web link that comes up tells me that the place they mention is the best. So I wanna ask some residents. What are the best places from photgraphy point of view, hangout point of view. Where to shop electronics or just visit those mega stores etc., etc.,
Any tips fellas!

ian408

tsk1979 wrote:

Hi guys,
I am doing fine here, saw LA etc., and got the hang of VTA. Now a question about the fourth of July. I came across a website which tells where all fireworks will be happening. It seems they happen 9:30pm and the nearest location is Great Mall(milpitas I think) for where i live.
But it also says that the San Fransico fireworks show is the most spectacular. But my worry is that late at night will I get a transportation to Great Mall since that is nearest to where I live(Brokaw, near fry's).
If there is no late night special transport available for that night, Great mall is the only show I will be able to see. Any tips?
thanks
tsk

Where you are, you will see Great America's show as well. There is a place
up off of Page Mill Road (Palo Alto) that would give you a view of most of
the shows near the water. There is no public transport that goes up that
way though.

SFO is a crap shoot because of the weather. Fog that rolls over the
coastal range can spoil everything. I'd hang around the South Bay. However,
I will be in Colorado

tsk1979

ian408 wrote:

Where you are, you will see Great America's show as well. There is a place
up off of Page Mill Road (Palo Alto) that would give you a view of most of
the shows near the water. There is no public transport that goes up that
way though.

SFO is a crap shoot because of the weather. Fog that rolls over the
coastal range can spoil everything. I'd hang around the South Bay. However,
I will be in Colorado

Thanks for the info! Hmm I can catch no 60 to great america and shoot from the parking lot etc.,
But I heard pier39 show is the biggest show on west cost. Is this true? Are you aware of how good is the Great Mall(Milpitas) show?

aktse

tsk1979 wrote:

Thanks for the info! Hmm I can catch no 60 to great america and shoot from the parking lot etc.,
But I heard pier39 show is the biggest show on west cost. Is this true? Are you aware of how good is the Great Mall(Milpitas) show?

I've lived here for a few years and never heard of the Great Mall fireworks. I think the two main one are in downtown San Jose (or near it) and the Great America one.

The best viewing location for Great America is on the 101 overpass on Great America/Bowers. I don't know what streets etc. that are closed off, but parkings lots will be restricted. I work near Great America and I need to bring special ID if I want walk into my campus that day, and I'm not allowed to park after a certain hour.

I think the largest fireworks was done a few weeks ago at the free concert sponsored by K-Fog (kbloom) in the city. I think it's considered one of the largest displays in the world.

ian408

tsk1979 wrote:

Thanks for the info! Hmm I can catch no 60 to great america and shoot from the parking lot etc.,
But I heard pier39 show is the biggest show on west cost. Is this true? Are you aware of how good is the Great Mall(Milpitas) show?

Honestly, I didn't know the Great Mall had fireworks. I watch the Great
America show from one of the many pedestrian bridges along the CalTrain
route.

One of the better shows was a few weeks back. Put on in the city by radio
station KFOG. It's near the pier as well and just spectacular. As I say, the
weather can be iffy there. So if you plan to go, stay flexible if you can.
It's definitely a good show and worth seeing.

tsk1979

where to shop around
I am back to bug you guys again
I was thinking of hitting some good photography stores. I went to fries, best buy, compuplus, circuit city etc., but none of them are "Photographers stores"

I am looking for a store accessible by public transport, preferebly light rail which is like a one stop shop for photographers with SLR backpacks, Filters, lenses etc., availalbe at a somewhat reasonable price.
Am I asking too much? Does such a store exist in San Jose? If yes then where.

PS: I am planning to buy lots of stuff online, but only a store can give me the first hand expirience of the product you see

tsk1979

ian408 wrote:

Honestly, I didn't know the Great Mall had fireworks. I watch the Great
America show from one of the many pedestrian bridges along the CalTrain
route.

One of the better shows was a few weeks back. Put on in the city by radio
station KFOG. It's near the pier as well and just spectacular. As I say, the
weather can be iffy there. So if you plan to go, stay flexible if you can.
It's definitely a good show and worth seeing.

This pedestrian bridge thing sounds good. There is bus no 60, which is called the "Great america". It takes you to, well Paramount".
Now if I get on this bus(I have to catch it from Railroad and Railroad) station, where should I get off. Any more tips? Also am I safe on foot at night. Dont want to be mugged and losing my 350D!

tsk1979

Shoreline park?

aktse wrote:

Shoreline Park in Mountain View

Do you hike? Mountain bike?

No bike over here, tough I am not averse to buying a used one, but craigslist prices are almost as much as the store prices(me not going above 20$ at any cost).

Wanted to enquire about shoreline park. The light rail goes till mountain view. So I was thinking of catching it this saturday. I was wondering wether I can reach shoreline park by walking. Any good pics of the place?

Steve Cavigliano

tsk1979 wrote:

I am back to bug you guys again
I was thinking of hitting some good photography stores. I went to fries, best buy, compuplus, circuit city etc., but none of them are "Photographers stores"

I am looking for a store accessible by public transport, preferebly light rail which is like a one stop shop for photographers with SLR backpacks, Filters, lenses etc., availalbe at a somewhat reasonable price.
Am I asking too much? Does such a store exist in San Jose? If yes then where.

PS: I am planning to buy lots of stuff online, but only a store can give me the first hand expirience of the product you see

San Jose Camera is decent. It's located at the corner of Hamilton and Winchester in SJ/Campbell. Good prices, not a lot of inventory and the sales people aren't all that bright. The best place to go would be Keeble and Shuchat on California St, in Palo Alto. You'd probably have to use Cal Train to get there and back. I believe it is located within walking distance of the train station. Huge store, large inventory, prices are a bit higher than SJ Camera (it's in a ritzy area ) and more knowlegdeable, if a bit snooty, sales staff....lol

Downtown SJ also shoots off fireworks on July 4th. It's right downtown and near lightrail stops. The cool thing about shooting from there is that you can get those "from below" shots AND some shots with people in them too

Ian is right that Great America's fireworks are the best in the area. SF would be a gamble, as he mentions, but they shoot their fireworks over the water. So if you do have a nice high sky and clear weather, the reflections add a bunch to your shots. The only way I would recommend this is if you plan to spend the night in the City. Public transportation back down the East Bay can be iffy after 10pm.

Or, maybe you can ride up there on the back of Ian's motorcycle

Steve

aktse

tsk1979 wrote:

Wanted to enquire about shoreline park. The light rail goes till mountain view. So I was thinking of catching it this saturday. I was wondering wether I can reach shoreline park by walking. Any good pics of the place?

I don't think any of these sites have good pictures. Shoreline park has access to various trails that take you around the bay. There is a concert venue near by (also near google too), a golf course around it and it is near Moffet Field and NASA Ames. The area has a marsh perserve on side, and on clear days, you should be able to see the dumbarton bridge. If there is enough wind, you can spot wind surfers, etc.

shoreline
shoreline more
more shoreline

As for walking from cal train, I don't suggest it, but it is possible. On the days that I run, I basically take off near CalTrain station (note: cal train and VTA are the same station in mtn. view), take the Steven's Creek Trail and head toward the park (~4 miles one way). I have read that there are other entraces to some of these trails near the VTA, but I don't know which station or which trails.

Since Shoreline Amphatheatre is close by, there should be a bus that take you near there and I think I have seen them before.

As for camera stores, I heard that K&S in Palo Alto is good.

For the fireworks, Paramount and Great American are the same thing. There is also a light rail station (Tazman) and it's also near another running trail ( San Thomas Aquino). You should check their web site for fireworks info since it's not always on the 4th.

ian408

tsk1979 wrote:

No bike over here, tough I am not averse to buying a used one, but craigslist prices are almost as much as the store prices(me not going above 20$ at any cost).

Wanted to enquire about shoreline park. The light rail goes till mountain view. So I was thinking of catching it this saturday. I was wondering wether I can reach shoreline park by walking. Any good pics of the place?

Shoreline from the light rail station? It's a long walk and public transportation
doesn't really go down that way (with any regularity if at all).

If you want to go to K&S, it's open Saturdays and you can walk up the
street from the CalTrain station (it stops at California Street which is where
K&S is).

Ian

tsk1979

Steve Cavigliano wrote:

San Jose Camera is decent. It's located at the corner of Hamilton and Winchester in SJ/Campbell. Good prices, not a lot of inventory and the sales people aren't all that bright. The best place to go would be Keeble and Shuchat on California St, in Palo Alto. You'd probably have to use Cal Train to get there and back. I believe it is located within walking distance of the train station. Huge store, large inventory, prices are a bit higher than SJ Camera (it's in a ritzy area ) and more knowlegdeable, if a bit snooty, sales staff....lol

Downtown SJ also shoots off fireworks on July 4th. It's right downtown and near lightrail stops. The cool thing about shooting from there is that you can get those "from below" shots AND some shots with people in them too

Ian is right that Great America's fireworks are the best in the area. SF would be a gamble, as he mentions, but they shoot their fireworks over the water. So if you do have a nice high sky and clear weather, the reflections add a bunch to your shots. The only way I would recommend this is if you plan to spend the night in the City. Public transportation back down the East Bay can be iffy after 10pm.

Or, maybe you can ride up there on the back of Ian's motorcycle

Steve

Would sure love to ride with ian if he invites me
Thats a ton of info guys.
I did some digging myself and I am going to give up on the shoreline park thing. Instead I will go to alum rock park.
Reason :
1. i like hills
2. Easily accessible. the VTA will drop me right there

About the fireworks, this tasman thing I am worried about. I know how to gete to tasman station. Are Paramounts fireworks visible from there?
The reason I am so worked about fireworks is that in India we never have such mega fireworks show. Sure on Diwali night everybody lights fireworks, but getting something spectacular is not really an option, its all individuals you see.
If I am in LA for that weekend(10% chance) then I will go and see the disneyland fireworks, otherwise its downtown or Great america for me.

ian408

tsk1979 wrote:

Would sure love to ride with ian if he invites me
Thats a ton of info guys.

Hahahaha! I'll be in CO that weekend, about 1200 miles away

tsk1979 wrote:

I did some digging myself and I am going to give up on the shoreline park thing. Instead I will go to alum rock park.
Reason :
1. i like hills
2. Easily accessible. the VTA will drop me right there

Alum Rock Park is awesome! You will like it and there is some amount of
wildlife there too.

tsk1979 wrote:

About the fireworks, this tasman thing I am worried about. I know how to gete to tasman station. Are Paramounts fireworks visible from there?
The reason I am so worked about fireworks is that in India we never have such mega fireworks show. Sure on Diwali night everybody lights fireworks, but getting something spectacular is not really an option, its all individuals you see.
If I am in LA for that weekend(10% chance) then I will go and see the disneyland fireworks, otherwise its downtown or Great america for me.

Which Tasman station? There's more than one. The one nearest,
Santa Clara Convention Center, is probably best. It's on the back side
of the place so you should be able to see a lot from there. Also, you'll
want to arrive early. Maybe 7ish. Which means you will have a lot of
waiting to do so a book and a lawn chair would be a good idea. You can
find a lawn chair at Long's Drugs or Orchard Supply or some other home
center like place for pretty cheap. Even comes with a carrying bag

Ian

tsk1979

ian408 wrote:

Hahahaha! I'll be in CO that weekend, about 1200 miles away



Alum Rock Park is awesome! You will like it and there is some amount of
wildlife there too.



Which Tasman station? There's more than one. The one nearest,
Santa Clara Convention Center, is probably best. It's on the back side
of the place so you should be able to see a lot from there. Also, you'll
want to arrive early. Maybe 7ish. Which means you will have a lot of
waiting to do so a book and a lawn chair would be a good idea. You can
find a lawn chair at Long's Drugs or Orchard Supply or some other home
center like place for pretty cheap. Even comes with a carrying bag

Ian

Are you talking the one near the Cisco way/karina etc., stations? Thats the tasman station I was thinking about. If you can see fireworks from there, it will be great. I can catch the 10pm train to Great mall milpitas after shooting fireworks and catch the bus to Brokaw road(murphy road to be exact).

ian408

tsk1979 wrote:

Are you talking the one near the Cisco way/karina etc., stations? Thats the tasman station I was thinking about. If you can see fireworks from there, it will be great. I can catch the 10pm train to Great mall milpitas after shooting fireworks and catch the bus to Brokaw road(murphy road to be exact).

The one near Tasman and Great America Parkway.

tsk1979

ian408 wrote:

The one near Tasman and Great America Parkway.

Okay, its the green line over here

ian408

tsk1979 wrote:

Okay, its the green line over here

That's the one.