My day in San Jose.

I ended up in Downtown San Jose for a training Friday, and wanted to share the places I visited.  This is my old stomping ground, 18 years ago, when I worked with Virginia Street Project and we were movws to Down Town Mental Health.


I got off the train at 7:40 and walked to Santa Clara Street where I took a picture of the "Arena."  I know they call it something different now but I like the "Arena."  I then took the 522 express, which travels up and down Santa Clara street,  for downtown.  I got off on 20th street, and walked to the **** "The Chaparral" super market.  This is one of my favorite markets, because it is where you can get Dulce de Batata.  I don't know anyone else who has dulce.  It is great with cheese.  They have other Argentine products, alfajores and mate, but I stick with the dulce.  I also picked up a couple of orejas, a Mexican pastry that I really love.

The Argentine food is in the second row.  The store is located at Santa Clara and 21st.  The store has Mexican pastries, which would be better with chocolate milk, but they only have coffee.  They also have a taqueria, produce, and groceries with a Latin flavor.

I attended the training in the service center.  This is where I worked for six months way back when.  Virginia Street Project had its own entrance and lobby.  This place had both sad and happy memories.  It was while we were located there that our supervisor, Nikke Chrisman succumbed to cancer.  We were then folded into Down Town mental Health and became a part of their program.  Also while there I I got a pink slip.  It was one of those periods of budget crunch and down sizing.  The pink slip was rescinded.  Then a couple days latter I was transferred to Access, and from there became a Callcenter worker where I still work.

Lunch time I visited the *** "Mi Tierra" Taqueria and Carneceria.  It is at 24th and Santa Clara.  The burritos are great there.  The burrito I had was carne asada.  It had a special sauce with a beautiful flavor.  The flavor stayed with most of the afternoon.  I also tried the radishes at the sauce bar, as well as the pico de gallo.  The food was great, but the environment has something to be desired.  I few tables in a corner of the store.  The store prices seemed expensive.  I bought a bottle of water to go with the burrito, and it was almost as expensive as the burrito.

I visited the library after.  I had to kill some time, because it didn't open on Friday until 1 p.m.  Everybody builds fancy libraries, and then cuts back on the hours for budget problems.  This is an old Dale Carnegie library, which is now just a front for the new library.

After the training, I took the bus to the San Jose State, San Jose City Martin Luther King Library.  I visited special collections to read a book.  The library closed at 6, I guess another cost saving measure. I did see a PIcasso book on display and another painting I liked.   It is funny that San Jose State honors the two angry black men from the 1968 Olympics.  I can remember when they tried to embarrass our country.  I am grateful our country's racial attitudes have changed, but I don't think these two men promoted any change, change came despite of them.
Coming out of the rally there was a peace rally.  There are those who would like Ghadafy to kill all his citizens.  Just like there are those who think Saddam's sons should still be grinding people up feet first.

However they mentioned the Tea Party rally, so I headed over there, and shook Bryan Sussman's hand. 

A couple more items of note.  I saw another Picasso, on a restaurant.  I took a picture of the Great America Building, at one time the only tall building in San Jose, but now dwarfed, I got a shot of Saint Josephs, and the art museum next door.  I also got a shot of where Charity performed in a few musicals with San Jose Children's Theater.  And what visit to San Jose would be complete without a picture of Quetzalcoatl.  Although many people refer to this art as something else.  One last thing.  I sw a plan fo the new baseball stadium, just a couple blocks from the arena.

Life in Manteca 1

We have now been in Manteca three weeks, and I personally am finding the life her very relaxing.  We of course are still finding our way around.

Caleb and I went home teaching, visiting two of three families before it became too late.  It gave us a change to pick the families we visit for information about the area.  Turns out both families are long time residents of the area.  From an inactive brother we got a lesson on the early history of the branch in Manteca.  Seems when his family moved into the area some 50 years ago the branch was meeting in a rented upstairs office space.  It has changed considerable since then as their is a stake with two large buildings and four wards.  The stake celebrated its 30 year anniversary just after we moved here, but I missed getting any notice so missed the event. 

***^ Bass Pro Shop is a world to itself.  I don't know if I will buy anything there soon, but I would like to get a canoe, someday.  Their display of fish is incredible.  There is a large tank with a water fall.  In the ank are big fresh water fish, catfish, bass trout, etc.  There are also numerable stuffed animals through the store.  Tony enjoyed feeling the fur.  It's fun having such a store close by, and I will probably visit frequently.

**^  J.C. Penny is a store I have also visited frequently, looking at home items.  I have looked at bar stools and rus, but still haven't felt moved to buy anything there.

***** Home Goods is a different story however.  There is a Home Goods in Stockton, and also one in Mountain View.  Sheri and I visited the store in Stockton.  It is impossible to go there without finding some home decor item.  I got a decorative ball, some pictures and Sheri got some bathroom jars and a decorative goose.  We also got a couple light houses for the family room.

There is a movie theater **** Markeplace Stadium 10 in town that only charges $3.  I took Tony to "Yogi Bear."  Sheri and I went to "Unknown."  It is clean, and they have good snacks; unlike other discount theaters where I have been.  Tony had candy and Sheri popcorn.

We have visited numerous restaurants in town.  *** Las Palmas for our Friday date (but we went on Thursday as I had off for Cesar Chavez Day.  This was a traditional Mexican restaurant.  Their Salsa for the chips and salsa was probably the best I have ever tasted.  The ambience had somehting to be desired.  Much of the floor had been taken up and the concrete left bare.  Charity didn't care for her fajitas.  My tamal and enchilada were nice.  Their Spanish rice was good, as were the beans. 

There are three **** McDonalds in town.  These of course are consistent in their food with the franchise throughout the state.  A couple things should be noted about McDonalds in Manteca.  On West Yosemite is a McDonalds with a very large play place.  It has a couple different climbing areas and it has computer games.  It also has air hockey but this was not working.  The McDonalds on East Yosemite (Yosemite and Union) has a very large lobby.  It is a great place to sit and talk as they stay open late, at least on Fridays.