Silicon Valley - a lot like NOVA
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Whenever I fly into Silicon Valley, I'm always a little disappointed.
Growing up, I dreamed it was a very different place - one that was much more urban and active. I imagined a community where everyone would chill outside on their laptops, ride segways to work, and get together regularly for late-night programming sessions.
Although there is definitely some of this going on (like at the SHDH), I'm generally surprised by how little activity there really is.
Instead, I find monotony - a mix between suburbs, office parks, and freeways - much like Northern Virginia. Nice if you're raising kids, but not the place you want to spend your twenties.
Contrast this to UVa's Charlottesville: I was only a few blocks from a dozen bars, numerous cafes, shops, and other generally cool places to hang out (such as the Lawn). And, of course, most areas had WIFI. I miss being able to walk 5 minutes to the lawn, where I can let Ringo play with other dogs while I chill with friends on our laptops.
Also, because the Valley isn't urban, everyone seems to have a car. Forget about getting around without one, unless you live near the CalTrain. My dream of geeks riding segways has been dashed, I've seen more of them (two) in Charlotesville, VA than I have here in the bay. *gasp*
Finally, the whole place seems to die after 8PM. Even Palo Alto, the closest thing they have to a university town, is remarkably quiet at night. At UVa, there would be something going on, regardless of the hour. The only time you might go out and not run into anyone would be between 4 and 5AM.
Anyone have similar experiences? Different ones? Tell me if I'm missing something, I hope I'm wrong about this...
Growing up, I dreamed it was a very different place - one that was much more urban and active. I imagined a community where everyone would chill outside on their laptops, ride segways to work, and get together regularly for late-night programming sessions.
Although there is definitely some of this going on (like at the SHDH), I'm generally surprised by how little activity there really is.
Instead, I find monotony - a mix between suburbs, office parks, and freeways - much like Northern Virginia. Nice if you're raising kids, but not the place you want to spend your twenties.
Contrast this to UVa's Charlottesville: I was only a few blocks from a dozen bars, numerous cafes, shops, and other generally cool places to hang out (such as the Lawn). And, of course, most areas had WIFI. I miss being able to walk 5 minutes to the lawn, where I can let Ringo play with other dogs while I chill with friends on our laptops.
Also, because the Valley isn't urban, everyone seems to have a car. Forget about getting around without one, unless you live near the CalTrain. My dream of geeks riding segways has been dashed, I've seen more of them (two) in Charlotesville, VA than I have here in the bay. *gasp*
Finally, the whole place seems to die after 8PM. Even Palo Alto, the closest thing they have to a university town, is remarkably quiet at night. At UVa, there would be something going on, regardless of the hour. The only time you might go out and not run into anyone would be between 4 and 5AM.
Anyone have similar experiences? Different ones? Tell me if I'm missing something, I hope I'm wrong about this...
Labels: silicon valley
posted by Sam Odio at 6:38 PM
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My brother said the exact same thing after working in Mountain View for a month. He said that it's less social than expected and you need a car to really do anything...much like NoVa. He too was disappointed that there wasn.'t more of a city life feel over there. He use to want to move to san fran, now he's all out on that plan.
ps. nice pictures. that friend of yours is hot ;)
You'll probably need to move to The City if you want a nightlife ...
You'll want to head to Downtown San Jose for a younger atmosphere at night and during the weekends. And of course to the city (SF) if you want to head out of the Valley.
Yes, SV is full of geeks. But it's still very much a business focused area.
That post was hilarious! You need to discover Berkeley. You need to discover San Francisco. The SF Bay Area contains "Silicon Valley" (Santa Clara Valley) but they are not the same thing (it's amazing how so many YC people think they are, even after being here for three months :). The bay area is huge; there are hundreds of areas of varying character within it. You have some exploring to do.
But the first thing you need to do, right this very moment, is drive to Big Basin and then to the beach. :)
See you at the next SHDH...
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