Damkier's Travels: October 2015

Allenwood Drive in San Jose, AZ

Everyone was born somewhere. I was born in a little town called San Jose, California. You may have heard of them by now with the whole Silicon Valley thing, but the area used to be more famous for orchards instead of Internet millionaires. San Jose and Silicon Valley are the core of the modern Bay Area with lots of computer industry which has greatly transformed the area.

Mineral Springs in Alum Rock Park

On my recent trip, I was able to arrive early enough for a hike through Alum Rock Park - a large park nestled in a valley on the east side of San Jose. I lived near this park for the first seven years of my life, and my mother was a park ranger his as well. This park was also where I was baptized. Besides holding a special part of my childhood, the park itself is gorgeous with a lot of history and near wilderness near one of the biggest cities in the United States. Hiking here was a treat, even with the strong sulfur smell from the mineral springs!

Cambodian Beef Kabobs

My old neighborhood has seen a wave of new immigrants and different communities since we left nearly 30 years ago. San Jose has always been a cultural melting pot with large communities of Latino, Asian, and Eastern Europeans coming for a better life and more opportunity. Old school burger joints are now all night Pho restaurants, but the neighborhood still brings back memories of the shopping malls, churches, and other fragments of my childhood memory.

Apple Corporate Headquarters

After reliving some memories, it was off to experience the current state of San Jose. Most of the big tech companies - Apple, Google, Facebook - are not located in San Jose, but rather in the western suburbs of Mountain View, Sunnyvale, and Cupertino. My first stop was the Apple Headquarters which is located on the former site of one of my father's early Silicon Valley employers. Growing up in San Jose with a parent in the computer industry put me front and center in its development and explosive growth. We always had an Apple computer at home and at school, and I still write this blog on an iMac. Due to all us fans, Apple has set up a special Apple Store at the facility, and their attractive campus is always a fun stop for tourists.

Are you a Mac or a PC?

The Computer History Museum in Mountain View has become one of the best museums in the world displaying and showcasing the advance of computing technology in the world. I toured this museum on a free museum day, saving my admission for a tasty espresso in the lobby. The museum has a tremendous amount of historical archives and equipment, from early mechanical computers, through the punch card and tape days, all the way to present video games and Internet. If you are a tech person, this is the hall of fame.

Game Day at Avaya Stadium

The San Jose Earthquakes have been playing soccer since 1974, and are one of the teams in Major League Soccer. This is their first year in the new Avaya Stadium, so I decided to see at least one of their games in the inaugural season. I like watching our local Sacramento Republic FC, and the hope is that Sacramento will eventually land a MLS team with a new stadium. Hopefully, Sacramento will have a stadium like Avaya. Even on a chilly and windy night, the design of the stadium was modern and clean with great views and an eclectic mix of food trucks and pre-game activities. Our stadium should be much closer to rail though, since parking and getting out was more challenging than settling for a 1-1 tie for the game.

Hiking Trail in Alum Rock Park

San Jose is not the most interesting place in the universe. While it has its history and culture, many other California cities have a more storied past and present. As the capital of Silicon Valley, San Jose settles for the industrial hub and major suburban destination more similar to Houston or Phoenix. Still, it is my hometown, so I will always have a special connection to San Jose and the whole Silicon Valley experience. Please enjoy the rest of my pictures below: