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City in California, United States
Photo: James the photographer, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Mountain View 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.
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The world's largest and most complete museum on computing history, documenting the area's primary industry. Be prepared for a massive collection of room-sized computers, vacuum tubes, entangled wires, and devices large and small. A geek's delight and a must-see in Silicon Valley.
Castro Street is a charming district full of ethnic diversity and interesting local businesses. Fully pedestrianized from the Caltrain station down to California Avenue, it's a lively, popular area with the community atmosphere of an old-fashioned downtown. Although there is a strong Asian presence among restaurants and shops, many different cultures are represented along these blocks. There is a weekly farmers' 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 both Caltrain and VTA light rail (Mountain View station) as well as buses.
Googleplex
Drive around the large campus of buildings to see where all the geeks work and get a taste of the mischievous Google corporate culture. The campus is also a 10- to 30-min walk from the Computer History Museum depending on where exactly you want to go. Make sure to take a picture in front of the huge bunch of Android statues on the Google Android lawn on Landings Dr. They are located right next to the company store, which sells a wide range of rather affordable swag and has a Google bike to take pictures on. On your way, have fun spotting the colorful bikes (easy), the "Noogle" propeller hats bestowed upon new employees (less easy, but worth it!), and the various Android statues hidden between the buildings. Google is arguably the friendliest of all tech giants with tourists—the Googleplex's courtyard, complete with a dinosaur skeleton, is open for selfie takers. Google opened a visitor center in 2023 called the Google Visitor Experience that features a café, pop-up shop and various events. As with the rest of Silicon Valley companies, no public tours of its offices are generally available. However, some tech events advertised on Meetup are held at the Google campus.
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 beautiful 700-acre park with a saltwater lake, golf course, rolling grassy hills, and bay trails. Good place to see shorebirds and jackrabbits in the early morning.
hackerspace
Non-profit community center for geeks.
Outdoor concert venue with huge tent cover, location for many large Bay Area concerts as well as community events.
Large movie theater with ample parking showing recent big movies.
Water sports center with boating, windsurfing, and other aquatic activities. Equipment rental available.
Good for walking or riding a bike.
Founded in 1939, Ames Research Center has evolved into one of the nation's premier research labs. Ames provides the products, technologies and services that enable NASA missions and, in turn, expand human knowledge.
Italian ice cream. A local favorite, with long lines out the door during peak hours.
Bagels, sandwiches, crepes, and grilled panini.
Cheap Mexican food in a low-frills setting
Mexican supermarket with an attached food court. Best tortas in Mountain View.
Chinese bakery operating for more than 40 years with delicious and affordable desserts. Cash only.
Mexican food truck offering tacos, burritos, and quesadillas (choose your own meat) with vegetarian options too.
Good Thai food. Also has branches in Santa Clara and San Jose.
Korean BBQ and ban-chan
Two restaurants in one; one serving Mediterranean fare, the other serving German favorites. Also serves delicious desserts and has a number of German brews on tap.
Pan-Indian cuisine with a focus on Himalayan specialties
Delicious Indian food with signature naan wraps. Also has branches in Redwood City and Palo Alto.
Turkish food
Delicious deep dish pizza with signature cornbread crust
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.
Vegetarian (Vegan) 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.
Mexican food
Only certified authentic Italian pizza in the South Bay. An experience.
Relatively inexpensive all-you-can-eat Mongolian BBQ (fill a bowl with ingredients and sauce, and it will be cooked for you).
Mexican food. Excellent tacos, and many other choices. Very inexpensive for the Castro St. area.
Excellent tonkotsu ramen and other Japanese fare.
Italian food, served in a restaurant with substantially-Italian-speaking staff
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.
Korean all-you-can-eat hot pot restaurant.
Excellent Latin American Tapas, particularly good for sharing food in groups.
Swanky, Michelin-starred restaurant.
Updated American comfort food. It has a great bar with unusual, craft selections of American distilled spirits. Also, good soups, salads, and appetizers. Main courses are inconsistent but many are quite good.
Boutique Japanese Restaurant serving à la carte and Omakase. Omakase consists of many courses of sushi and traditional Japanese fare. Expect to pay $150 per person for Omakase. Also has an extensive sake list.
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.
Local Pub frequented by tech workers with good bar food.
Laid back dive bar with relatively cheap drinks.
Features fresh produce and prepared foods from farmers and small food producers in the area. On '49ers game Sundays, the market is relocated to the corner of Bryant St. and California St. a few blocks away.
Branch of a local chain of bookstores (now owned by Barnes and Noble).
For travel within Mountain View itself and the neighboring area, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) operates bus and light rail service. MVgo also provides limited free bus service.
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San Jose · International · SJC
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