[conspire] Moving to the area

Fri Mar 15 15:52:29 PDT 2013

Quoting Robert Keizer (robert at keizer.ca):

> Very brief bit about myself for context: I'm an avid unix user. I'm
> a Systems Administrator by title. I'm the President of MUUG (
> Manitoba Unix Users Group ). I live in Winnipeg.
> 
> I'm going to be moving to the bay area this coming fall - my fiance
> has been accepted to Stanford.

Welcome, Robert.  If you're in the market for a Linux SA position, my
firm in Sunnyvale is hiring, as is my wife's.  (Talk to me in private
mail.) 

> I'm planning a trip this coming week ( March 17-23 ) to the area to
> familiarize myself and make some contacts in the local unix world
> before the move.

Glad to hear.  You won't need to wait for the 23rd to visit my house,
though.  Please give me a call on my mobile (+1 650-283-7902) when
you're in the area, and we can at least have a beer or cup of coffee
together.

> Does anyone have any suggestions as to sights or people I should see
> or contact? So far I've got:
> 
>  * The Computer History Museum
>  * CABAL on the 23rd

I can suggest a few.

The greater San Francisco Bay Area has many places worth a visit. 
One oddity about the 'South Bay' area aka Silicon Valley that runs from
roughly Menlo Park southwards through San Jose and Gilroy is that that
_specific_ area mostly lacks major tourist landmarks, unlike, say, San
Francisco itself.  A cynic might call Silicon Valley 'Los Angeles north'
in the sense of being an area of suburban sprawl without a centre -- and
with the additional burden of being populated by stressed workaholics.
;->

I hope you will have use of an automobile, as many options will then
open.  The South Bay has several quite good transit systems useful for
_particular_ uses, of which my favourites are Caltrain (heavy commuter
rail -- runs San Francisco to Gilroy) and VTA Light rail (several lines
in Santa Clara County, the heart of Silicon Valley) that are
particularly useful in conjunction with a bicycle, _but_ they only take
you near some places and not others.

The quirks and advantages and failures of Bay Area public transit could
make for a very long discussion on its own.  Suffice it to say, for now,
that the most successful (speed, cost, frequency, reliability, hours of
coverage) public transit corridor runs between Berkeley/Oakland and 
downtown San Francisco.  The second most successful is the subset of
Silicon Valley served by VTA light rail.

If you have a car (in no particular order):

1.  Roaring Camp and Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad, Felton (inland
from Santa Cruz).  http://www.roaringcamp.com/  You take a leisurely
steam-locomotive railroad ride in open cars through virgin first-growth
redwood forest with a knowledgeable forester as a guide.  Bear Mountain,
visited by the main route, is I believe one of the very few completely
uncut primordial forests of Coast Redwoods still in existence.

Why that attraction?  Because it's unique.

2.  Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.  The eastern half of this 5km-long
municipal park is packed with attractions, some indoor (Asian Art
Museum, California Academy of Sciences, Conservatory of Flowers) and
most outdoor.  I particularly like the gorgeous Victorian Conservatory
of Flowers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservatory_of_Flowers) and
the nearby Tree Fern Dell
(http://www.faroutflora.com/2010/05/31/tree-fern-dell/).  Also the
Japanese Tea Garden
(http://www.golden-gate-park.com/japanese-tea-garden.html).

3.  There is also a very old Japanese tea garden at Hakone Gardens in
Saratoga (west side of Silicon Valley, in the hills): 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakone_Gardens

3.5.  San Mateo also has an excellent Japanese Tea Garden, having likewise a
historical Japanese presence:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g33031-d145181-Reviews-The_San_Mateo_Japanese_Garden-San_Mateo_California.

4.  Likewise in Saratoga is Villa Montalvo, an Italianate mansion now
devoted to public events including summer concerts, and with a
world-class set of botanical gardens and arboretum.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_Montalvo_Arboretum

5.  Walking in the northeast part of San Francisco.  Just spend a few
hours walking up and down Russian Hill and Nob Hill.  Park your car on
the east side of Telegraph Hill and climb up the Filbert Stepts, tour
the Coit Tour, admire the view, and then descend again.  Note the
colonies of cats who live either in the gardens along the staircase or
in the houses fronting onto the wood-planked streets.
http://louisapickering.blogspot.com/2010/06/not-much-of-guard-kitty-this-telegraph.html
http://www.yelp.com/biz/filbert-steps-san-francisco
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filbert_Steps

6.  Marin Headlands and Muir Woods National Monument..
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60713-d103182-Reviews-Marin_Headlands-San_Francisco_California.html
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60909-d124638-Reviews-Muir_Woods_National_Monument-Mill_Valley_Marin_County_California.html
Tip about Muir Woods:  Get there early.  'Early' in this context means
being there right at the minute of opening, before buses full of
tourists arrive.

7.  Golden Gate Bridge.  Walkable (about 1.8km)!

8.  Alcatraz.  It's now a park with ranger tours. 

8.  Twin Peaks.  For the view.  Bring a windbreaker.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60713-d105363-Reviews-Twin_Peaks-San_Francisco_California.html

9.  Cable Car Museum, San Francisco.  The relic cable car system itself
tends to be mobbed and is priced to fleece tourists (unless you have a
monthly Muni Pass, IIRC).
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60713-d104939-Reviews-Cable_Car_Museum-San_Francisco_California.html

10. Angel Island.  Historic and also now a state park.  Bring lunch and
a good pair of walking shoes.  Ferries take you there, same as with
Alcatraz.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60713-d208341-Reviews-Angel_Island_State_Park-San_Francisco_California.html

11.  Grace Cathedral, top of Nob Hill.  Pretty Episcopalian/Anglican
cathedral and also has a wonderful organ, but I like it for the outdoor
walkable maze on the patio.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60713-d116450-Reviews-Grace_Cathedral-San_Francisco_California.html

12. Sawyer Camp Trail (no-cars paved trail, 5 miles, near the major
reservoirs).  Includes the Jepson Laurel, largest laurel tree in the
West.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g33020-d146953-Reviews-Sawyer_Camp_Trail-San_Jose_California.html

13.  Monterey Bay Acquarium, Monterey next to Pacific Grove.  Famous
enough that I probably don't need to say much.  'Ware of hordes of
schoolchildren.

14. Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve.  Right east of Oakland/Berkeley
is a dormant major volcano that makes a really excellent and easy
walking tour.

15. San Mateo County's ocean beaches.  I personally love Pescadero,
Pomponio, and Arroyo Frijoles (Bean Hollow) beaches -- and then you can
go a few klicks inland to the town of Pescadero and have a memorable
fish meal at Duarte's Restaurant.

16. Jack London State Historic Park.  This was the ranch and settlement
author Jack London and his second wife Charmian created. and is both
beautiful and historically interesting.  Glen Ellen, southwest end of
Sonoma Valley.

16.  Sonoma Valley wineries.  Skip snooty and overpriced Napa Valley to
the east.

17.  Parts of Stanford University, Palo Alto.  Sure, it's spread out and
some of the architecture is variously bizarre or outright regrettable,
but there are lots of highlights such as the Rodin sculpture garden and 
Papua New Guinea Sculpture Garden.
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/visitorinfo/plan/guides/visit.html

18.  Mt. Tamalpais, west of Mill Valley.  Wonderful hiking, my favourite
being the Steep Ravine Trail.  Stunning views.

19.  Castle Rock State Park, at the west crest of the Santa Cruz
Mountains above Los Gatos.  Hiking, rock-climbing.  Waterfall.

20.  Apple Computer main campus, Infinite Loop Drive, Cupertino -- but
just to shop at the store and gawk, because the firm is too paranoid to
let you inside the campus's buildings otherwise.

21.  Big Basin Redwoods State Park.  It's huge, has stands of old-growth
redwoods plus a great deal of second-growth forest, and has a very 1950s
old-time feel.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g32100-d127946-Reviews-Big_Basin_Redwoods_State_Park-Boulder_Creek_California.html

22.  San Andreas Fault Trail, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
Administrative Office, Los Altos.  The only better place to really see
the San Andreas fault is Olema Valley, Pt. Reyes, western Marin Coutny.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g32653-d2299554-Reviews-San_Andreas_Fault_Trail-Los_Altos_California.

23,  Sunset Magazine Headquarters & Gardens, Menlo Park (my town).
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g32704-d127870-Reviews-Sunset_Magazine_Headquarters_and_Gardens-Menlo_Park_California.html
While you're there, just north of it you can visit the US Geographical
Survey western headquarters's Map Store.

24.  Kepler's Books, Menlo Park (my town).  It's not huge (it's no
Powell's Books), but it's a beloved local institution.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g32704-d269811-Reviews-Kepler_s_Books-Menlo_Park_California.html

25.  Musuem of Pez, Burlingame.  Nothing else like it anywhere.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g32124-d265152-Reviews-Burlingame_Museum_of_Pez_Memorabilia-Burlingame_California.html

26.  Pulgas Water Temple.  Deirdre and I held our wedding there.
Nick Moffitt best explained why:
http://crackmonkey.org/travel.html#CHAPTER2 
It's west of Redwood City.

27.  Exploratorium, San Francisco.  It's a hands-on science museum
founded by Frank Oppenheimer, Robert Oppenheimer's brother, and
re-opening at a better location April 17, 2013.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60713-d102775-Reviews-The_Exploratorium-San_Francisco_California.html

28.  Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, not far from downtown San Jose.
Despite the unpromising name, it's a real historical museum, and has
many evocative bits including the grounds.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g33020-d156816-r124370403-Rosicrucian_Egyptian_Museum-San_Jose_California.html

I hope that helps.  There's a lot mroore to find:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g33020-Activities-San_Jose_California.html
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g60713-Activities-oa30-San_Francisco_California.html
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g28926-Activities-oa420-California.html