'''Mountain View''' [http://www.ci.mtnview.ca.us] in California is located in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Mountain View is one of the major cities that make up Silicon Valley, and has many notable Silicon Valley companies either headquartered there or with a large presence, including AOL, Google, Nokia and Microsoft.
Get in
By air
Mountain View is reachable from all three Bay Area airports:
San Francisco: Take a short ride on the BART train to Millbrae station, then take Caltrain southbound service.
San Jose: Take a free shuttle to Caltrain's Santa Clara station and then take the northbound train service.
Oakland: Take a shuttle van service. This is the least desirable of the three airports in terms of distance.
By train
Caltrain service connects Mountain View to San Francisco and San Jose. There are two stops. Most trains stop at downtown (Castro St) stop.
It is possible to connect to Amtrak trains via San Jose Diridon station via Caltrain.
There is also a VTA light rail service that connects downtown to several suburb locations in the south bay.
Get around
For travel within Mountain View itself and the neighboring area, The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority [http://www.vta.org/] (VTA) operates bus and light rail service. The Caltrain [http://www.caltrain.org/], which runs all the way from San Francisco to Gilroy stops in Mountain View as well. Caltrain also provides relatively easy access to both San Francisco and San Jose Airport.
See
Computer History Museum. 401 N Shoreline Blvd. ear Highway 101. 1-650-810-1010. ttp://www.computerhistory.org. ,F,Su 1PM-4PM Sa 11AM-5PM. omputer,museum,technology. World's largest and most complete computer history museum, documenting the area's primary industry. Free entrance.
Castro Street. Castro Street is a charming district full of ethnic diversity and interesting local businesses. Although there is a strong Asian prescense among restaurants and shops, many different cultures are represented along these blocks. There is a weekly farmer's market and on certain Thursdays it is home to a great street fair with vendors and a classic car show. Also convenient access from public transportation by way of several trains and busses. If you live near this area or in most of Mountain View, Google provides free Wi-Fi internet all over (it's fast too).
Shoreline Wildlife Refuge Area and Trail. n Shoreline Park at the end of Shoreline Boulevard, Mountain View. 50.903.6392. horeline@ci.mtnview.ca.us. Once the site for dumping trash, Mountain View closed this area as a dump and turned it into a park instead. Now it's a lovely a beautiful 700-acre park with a saltwater lake, golf course, rolling grassy hills, and bay trails.
Do
http://www.shorelineamp.com/. horeline Amphitheatre. Amphitheatre Parkway. ff Shoreline Boulevard near Highway 101. -650-967-3000. Outdoor concert venue with huge tent cover, location for many large Bay Area concerts as well as community events.
Century Cinemas 16. 500 N. Shoreline Blvd.. 1-650-960-0970. Large movie theater with ample parking showing recent big movies.
http://www.shorelinelake.com/. horeline Aquatic Center. 160 N. Shoreline Blvd. n Shoreline Regional Park at the end of Shoreline Blvd. 1-650-965-7474. Water sports center with boating, windsurfing, and other aquatic activities. Equipment rental available.
Go to the '''Farmer's Market''' [http://www.cafarmersmkts.com/mtnview.html] on Sunday mornings.
NASA Ames Research Center. offett Federal Airfield, off Highway 101, Mountain View; visitor Center. 50.604.6497. on-Fri 8am-4:30pm. Founded in 1939, Ames Research Center has evolved into one of the nation_fs premier research labs. Ames provides the products, technologies and services that enable NASA missions and, in turn, expand human knowledge.
Reach new heights and go '''Kite Surfing''', where the wind in Mountain View is free! Go here to check it out: Shoreline Park at Mountain View, 3070 N. Shoreline Blvd.
Buy
Mountain View is the home of many big box stores including REI, Best Buy, and Costco near the Hwy 101 Rengstorff exit and Walmart, Sears, Target, Ross, in the San Antonio shopping center.
Eat
'''Castro Street''' is the main downtown area with many restaurants and bars. East and South Asian food is available in abundance, but it is by no means the only choice. Watch the hours of operation; most restaurants in Mountain View are not open very late. A good list of restaurants in Downtown Mountain View can be found here [http://www.mountainviewca.net/].
Kirin. 1 AM-midnight every day. n Castro Street. astro_street,chinese. Look past the fish tank crawling with lobsters outside and look in for some cheap and tasty Chinese food. Parking is accessible and the service is quick.
Fu Lam Mum Sea Food Restaurant. 1 AM-2:30 PM, 5 PM-midnight every day. n Castro Street. astro_street,chinese,seafood. Dim sum is the staple of this restaurant, so come here hungry! Most dim sum plates cost between $3-5, and with the endless parade of food being served, you're guaranteed to walk away full. The shrimp and pea sprout dumplings come recommended.
Spice Islands Cafe. ttp://www.spiceislandscafe.com/. n Castro Street. astro_street. Authentic Singaporean food although the service can be inconsistent.
Godavari. 16 Castro St. astro_street,indian. The restaurant formerly known as Sue's, is now under new management with Sue's brother taking over the reins. Superb Indian food with many vegetable and meat options. Interesting art decor with eclectic pieces adorning the walls and the staff are very friendly.
http://www.st-stephens-green.com/mv/mview.html. t. Stephens Green. n Castro Street. astro_street,pub. Stiff drinks, good pub food and plenty of standing space available, St Stephens Green is perfect for happy hour drinks or just a casual meet up with friends. Although an Irish pub, it seems that hip hop is the vibe of choice here.
Bangkok Spoon. n Castro Street. astro_street,thai.
Gelato Classico. n Castro Street. astro_street,italian,ice_cream. Italian ice cream.
The Posh Bagel. n Castro Street. astro_street,bagel.
Taqueria Los Charros. n Castro Street. astro_street,mexican(excellent wet burritos). Mexican
Taqueria La Bamba. n Castro Street. astro_street,mexican,burrito. Great burritos.
Chef Liu. n Castro Street. astro_street,chinese. Excellent, inexpensive, Taiwanese Chinese food
Hong Kong Bistro. n Castro Street. astro street,chinese,hongkong. Western-style food from Hong Kong, vestiges of a colonial era.
There are some wonderful Mexican restaurants in the area serving ''Poblano'' style food.
http://fiestadelmar.com. iesta del Mar. 005 Shoreline Ave. oblano,mexican,seafood,chicken. Serves delicious sea food dishes as well as the famous and elusive Enjococado chicken.
Fiesta del Mar Too. owntown.
Vive Sol. 020 W. El Camino Real. 1-650-938-2020. uebla,poblano,mexican,patio,outdoor. Specializes in cuisine from the Pueblo region of Mexico. An outdoor seating area makes this a great place to go on a warm summer evening.
There are other great eateries in Mountain View not on Castro Street:
http://www.originalkrungthai.com. rung Thai. hai. Thai.
http://www.amber-india.com/. mber. ndian. Indian.
Garden Fresh. 245 W El Camino Real. -650-961-7795. egetarian,chinese. Vegetarian Chinese.
http://www.tiedhouse.com. ied House Cafe and Brewery. merican,brewery,cafe. American.
http://www.chilis.com. hilis Grill & Bar. 560 W El Camino Real. 650)941-2227.
Sleep
Best Western Mountain View Inn. 300 W El Camino Real. 1 800 785-0005" fax="+1 650 962-9011. ttp://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do?propertyCode=05355.
Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites. 3 W El Camino Real. 00-445-7774. ttp://www.hitowncenter.com. owncenterres@yahoo.com. 50-967-4834.
Holiday Inn Express – Mountain View. 700 W. El Camino Real. 1-650-559-9115. 1-650-559-9045. ttp://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ex/1/en/hd/mtvpo. :00 PM. 1:00 AM.
Quality Inn & Suites Hotel. Fairchild Dr. 1-650-934-0155. 1-650-968-9562. ttp://www.qualityinnmountainview.com/. :00PM. oon.
Ramada Limited. 5 Fairchild Dr. 1-650-967-6856. ttp://www.ramadasiliconvalley.com. PM. oon. belamar@wynhg.com. 1-650-964-4542.
Comfort Inn Mountain View. 561 West El Camino Real. 50-967-7888. ttp://www.hotelmountainview.com/.
Super 8 Mountain View. 665 El Camino Real. 50-969-9641. ttp://www.s8mountainview.com.
Get out