1 of only 3 Public Frank Lloyd Wright sites in CA and they only allow visitors twice a year so…read morecount yourself an architecture nerd and a lucky-one if you do get a spot on the tour. Older review from before Covid, you can email hannahouse@stanford.edu for next tour dates. You can take as many pictures as you want outside but no pictures of the interior so I added some I found online. This is what makes this design unique compared to other FLW works: -Hexagons/honeycomb, back in 1936 imagine the precision that had to be done by hand to make the huge structure a honeycomb as well as small details like the stone tiles. One cut slightly wrong would have snowballed into huge misalignments. -First FLW work in non-rectangular structures -First FLW work in the Bay Area It's not as epic and grand as Fallingwater or as contemplative as Taliesin West and it is smaller than some of the US public FLW sites but it's only 1 of 3 in Cali you can see the interior of and you get a more complete picture if you can see inside/out and hear the docents anecdotes about the design and house.

Hanna House is one of the few northern California buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Located…read morein a residential neighborhood within the boundaries of the sprawling Stanford University campus, the home is currently occupied by a private party and is not open to the public. However, it once served as the official residence for the Provost where the university regularly held alumni and fundraising events and one might reasonably assume the home may someday return to it's previous semi-public stature. Although visitors are discouraged from trespassing on the property, the house has been magnificently maintained and is visible from the street below. A relatively new arrangement with the Stanford Historical Society will enable the public to tour the house twice each year. Interested parties should contact hannahouse@stanford.edu to receive information about future tour dates and booking arrangements.

Beautiful location. Our wedding was picture perfect! We had the wedding of our dreams…read more - The Archies, 9.6.25

Rengstorff House is located on the premises of the Shoreline Parklands. This is a historic…read moreVictorian house / mansion and it is Mountain View's oldest home. There is a shared parking lot. My bf wanted to do docent-led tour, but unfortunately we showed up shortly after they closed on that Saturday afternoon (they closed at noon). We walked along the outer perimeter of the estate - hoping to get some photos, but there were some people taking photos at the front of the house, so we ended up leaving. Overall 3 stars, but rounded up to 4 stars because we did not get the full experience for a fair review.

Update: I was biking buy the old site and noticed that one fo the old gates was open to park Google…read moreBuses. I headed on in and and took some pictures which I have posted up. I was marveling at the huge slabs of concrete that are rumored to 6 feet thick and were simply left in place when the demolished the base when I stumbled across something unexpected I was poking around and found hidden behind some bushes, a previously unknown memorial to the Astronauts of STS-107 aka The Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster. Markers for Brown, Chawla, and Husband were still visible, and 4 missing one were clearly for McCool, Ramon, Anderson and Clark. Its a kind of a cool little find. The monument is is really bad shape and I'm hoping to contact the community collage that now controls the land and see if either they or The Moffett Field Museum are interested in preserving the remaining markers. Previous review included below: One of the things people tend to forget with all of our Silicon Valley and dot com hype is that this area also was host to huge advances in aviation and space exploration. From the first spy satellites to submarine launched ballistic missiles it covers a lot of territory. While Southern California rightfully gets most of the spotlight in aviation, the Bay remains an unheralded pioneer. Onizuka AFS, is one such hub. Named after Air Force Lt. Colonel Ellison S. Onizuka, who died in the Challenger disaster, the base served as a primary control station for military satellites. In aviation circles (and conspiracy circles too) the station was simply known as 'The Blue Cube' The Blue Cube using its 3 satellite dishes controlled vast areas of space and served as an NSA downlink node as well. Its windowless walls and mysterious function was the stuff of legends. Multiple power sources, super thick concrete walls (To prevent electronic eavesdropping) , limited access all added to its lore. Even my father who was a navy engineer, had to be re-cleared to provide engineering services there and was always escorted such was the nature of the goings on there. The base closed in 2010 as part of BRAC and its functions were swapped over to Vandenberg AFB and the structure was subsequently demolished. However, it remains part of the Bay Area's link to Space.

One of the nicest experiences in North San Jose, lately! I was planning some 'Lets check all these…read moreparks in Santa Clara' activity for these Christmas days of forced vacation when I found out about James Lick Mansion. In fact, I thought it was just the house of someone and for some reason appeared on my Google Maps search (not easy to find from the street as you actually need to enter though an apartment complex to find it). I learned about James Lick, an entrepreneur that moved to Santa Clara in the 1800 and started several business, and died at the end of that century being considered the richest man in California. This mansion is registered at the National Register of Historic Places. This type of Victorian mansion style is called Italianate and it seems was popular during those times. The house (24 rooms) was built between 1858 and 1860 next to his flour mill, out of native redwood trees. Not only you will find this pretty house but also the rebuilt granary and mill that was used to create paper that was used on the fruit packaging when the Valley was in full production splendor. It is a pleasant experience to just be there imagining another era, observing the elegant palm trees and having a calm time with yourself. I could not enter inside the house, but took a peek at how the interior is and for around ten minutes I went daydreaming.

What a delightful little jewel in Campbell! I had no idea this place existed until recently based…read moreon some volunteering work that someone I know did here. Each of the rooms has been decorated by a different organization for Christmas and it looks awesome. The volunteers here were so friendly and earnest. Loved it! Check out a slice of history in our backyard!

I find the docents at the Ainsley House very friendly, knowledgeable and very passionate about…read moresharing historical information about this beautiful home located in downtown Campbell. I have been here at Christmas time and every room has a Christmas tree and well decorated by different organizations or individuals. They have two nights were you can visit the beautiful gift shop and enjoy appetizers and wine. Really well done and so magical!

One of the very best garden experiences in the Bay Area. Gorgeous, peaceful, huge variety of flora,…read moreand beautiful photo ops. There is a section of the garden where they grow all the flowers for the bouquets inside the house. There are trails over to the redwoods, a wedding area, souvenir shop, small cafe, and even a pool. The house is spectacular and the self guided tour is interesting and informative. Pro tip: Bring a pretty colorful umbrella- it can get very warm and it adds to your photos! Parking is a bit of a walk from the gardens so if someone in your group needs assistance walking, bring some sort of seat for them to take rests. Restrooms are available, but limited number of stalls. Be prepared for a wait.

I've been utilizing my Filoli pass this year and it's a nice place to go and I like that the…read moregrounds change with the season so it's not the same thing all the time. I came a few times by myself to find inspiration. The best times are weekday mornings. And Sunday I always forget they close the road for the bicyclists coming from the North/92. I would also recommend stopping by the water temple on a weekday. The only reason I knew about it was because it is featured on the mural in Trader Joe's on Hillsdale. If you want to do picnicing, there are picnic tables outside. They want you to purchase food from their venues...but the venues on the grounds aren't amazing, but maybe that's so people don't litter. The cafe has some interesting options, like $15 cake slices...I always wonder if they're made in-house. It's not advertised though, so who knows. Filoli also has a volunteer program so if you want to have an active experience at Filoli, you can help with the weeding. I like that they feature local artists - I recognized some items from an Etsy artist local to the Bay Area, whom I have purchased from before, because they focus on local California wildlife. Cons: Sometimes people clog up the walkways with their picture-taking as in there are people waiting to cross...and they continue to take pictures for five more minutes...It's just bad etiquette. Are you milking it so you can feel important? Gag. Or they play loud music to harass the birds and other people. People aren't paying money to listen to your music. They don't want your music. Get a job and buy earbuds. Some people also don't really care if their kids do stupid things...like ruin the decorations so everyone can stare at their kids' handiwork all season long - like poking holes in the macron cake tower. Thanks for that. Or sometimes, there is a sign to keep to the path...so you know...people walk anywhere BUT the path. I'm not sure if they can't read or if they're just so entitled. But yeah, they stomp all over the ground so the plants die...and they're cool with it, because they got their stupid photo. Or maybe on the trail...if there are people coming up behind you, just like in golf, let them through. It's OK to stand to the side and let others pass. THAT'S the proper etiquette. Otherwise, I'm just thinking, they must really want me to listen to their conversation or something. They want to look like they have friends? No one else in the world is more important, so they must be first? If you want to meander in the forest at 0.25 mph, that's fine, but you don't need to have me behind you for the entire mile. And no, I'm not talking about the lady with the hip problem or the mom with the stroller, I'm talking about the 20-something-year olds who wore platforms on a forest date with me as a third wheel. But most of the time, people are respectful and polite. I like that people come and just hang out and enjoy the private park.

This is indeed a nice piece of artwork. I work in the building behind this artwork and I think it's…read morereally nice. How even within the building the company did a nice job paying homage to Atari. There is a video game room filled with Atari games in it and on the outside wall, there is a map of what used to be the Atari campus showing where all of the buildings used to be and what the buildings function was. I used to work down the street from here at another site that was also Atari and we were very much aware of the history of the site and the innovation that came from that company that led to much of Silicon Valley today.

Mothership is a public art installation located in Sunnyvale, California. Mothership is the work of…read more Michael Whiting. Mothership is a homage to the legendary gaming company Atari. Atari's headquarters started here and was in place till 1984. On a personal note our scout troop twice a year, thanks to one of the parents who worked there, we were able to make use of the huge game room. The Game room was basically a huge room filled with multiple copies of every arcade game they made rigged for free. Whiting incorporates early pixel based video games and images into sculptures and art. From the Author: My ongoing work explores this connection between early pixel-based video game images. Recent developments include the implementation of dimensional palindromes; sculptural "twins" where the exact same form renders a different relationship to the viewer after surface treatment and flipping the orientation of the second form. These combinations broaden the scope of my post-minimal exploration, seeking to further the aim to create work that finds an area between abstraction and representation." The sculpture features a 3 Dimensional alien mothership from the iconic game Space Invaders perched on a colorful pole that mimics the colors Atari used as part of their branding. This particular art installation is better part of a larger trip. There are numerous public art installations in the area as well as other historical markers. It is also located near bay trail access points. There are no services here. It is nice that Google paid homage to the one of the legendary companies of SV.

Located in heart of Silicon Valley, Moffett Field is a catchall for a variety of business and…read moregovernment facilities. Its more notable residents are NASA Ames, Moffett Federal Airfield, The Moffett Field Historical Society, and a burgeoning Google presence. The field was founded in 1931 when residents of Santa Clara Country raised just under a half a million dollars to purchase the farmland to then sell it to the U.S. Government for the princely sum of $1 dollar in order to build what was then known as NAS Sunnyvale in 1933. The US navy wanted to use the base for Airship operations. Upon the death of Rear Admiral William A. Moffett, who was a huge proponent of Airship operations, the base was changed to NAS Moffett Field on 1 September 1933. To support airship operations the massive Hanger One was built. The Hanger which at the time was one of the largest freestanding building in the world covered a whopping 8 acres. After the tragic los of the Airship USS Macon, the navy turned control over the base to the US Army. Following WWII the navy regained control of the base and during the Cold War was one of the primary West Coast bases for anti submarine aircraft such as the P-2V and the P-3 Orion. In 1939 NACA the precursor to NASA opened up research facilities on the base including the ARC Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel, and the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex. Following the military drawdown during the post Cold War period the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) identified the base as unneeded and thus was decommissioned and turned over to NASA) The base now is run by NASA and they have actively rented out space to a variety of companies like Google etc. Lockheed martin Space Systems is collocated on the base as well as the 129th Air national Guard Squadron. There is also housing and other projects. In a nod to its Navy roots a Navy Commissary remains on the site and is open. Visitors are allowed on base with government issued ID if they have business there. In addition there is a museum on site that you can visit as well. Its hours are limited so check the website for more information. Also as a note traffic laws are STRICTLY enforced by the NASA police and that goes for bikes and vehicles so behave yourselves.

This review is based on the experience of my boyfriend being sworn in at Moffett Field to join The…read moreNational Air Guard/Air Force branch. Not to be sappy and cheesy but I am humbled to say that I am a very proud Air Force girlfriend :) It's crazy because you may just be passing by Moffett Field casually when you are driving the freeway. However, actually being on the Field itself is just a whole new experience. You will honestly never look at it the same during your casual drive, (in an AMAZING great way) once you experience being out on the Field. So many of the Airmen/women were very nice, respectful, and very informative with the process of joining the branch. They all definitely treat each other like family whether you are a new or old member. It's funny in a great way how many of them try to convince you to join Air Force as well haha! It truly was an honor being able to be out on the field and meet many Airmen/women who are serving our country. It makes me so happy knowing my boyfriend is following his dreams and now a part of such a strong/passionate branch. Shoutout and many thanks to them all for serving our country.

"Beautiful Vista Honoring a Fallen Policeman."…read more This is a really pleasant, inspiring Vista point. It is an honor of a CHP patrolman killed about 45 years ago, Ralph D Percival. It overlooks some beautiful scenary and it's a great place to just take a rest or have a snack. There is a concrete walkway that you can stroll around to various lookout points. There don't appear to be any facilities here however.

I've driven by this vista point thousands of times, but hadn't checked it out until a Geology class…read morefield trip in college. All I can say is that I missed out on a really nice place to stop and view the reservoir. Our professor had us look across highway 280 to the mountain range, and what appeared to be a valley that held the reservoir. She asked if we know that that depression that extended into the ocean was. Turns out, it is the San Andreas Fault. It is massive. Anyway this is a nice spot to visit and snap a few photos. It is always well kept and clean and there is a decent amount of parking.

I came here to check out the Magic of Sunnyvale and Wine Stroll event, which occurs annually,…read moreallowing visitors some great wine tasting (paid ticket) while being entertained by a handful of magicians on Historic Murphy Avenue. The great thing is, you don't have to buy a ticket to attend, so you can watch and engage in all of the magic happening at the small tables set up in front of bars and eateries while not paying the high wine-tasting cost... though it might be worth it if you love wine! I opted to just buy a few drinks from the many bars and pubs along the street as there are plenty of great businesses out here. The magic was fun and entertaining, family friendly, nothing too bizarre, mostly card tricks and bits including rope and small props. The rotating magicians were great.. friendly, funny, and pretty good at wowing the crowd.. I was certainly mesmerized by some of their illusions. Alan the magician says "you gotta trust me" when he's captivating the audience of passersby, cuz of course magic is all about believing what's right before your eyes, lol. And Theron the magician gave away free souvenirs at one of the tables, one I love, a rabbit in a tophat "stress ball" (see my pic)... so even though none of the magicians pulled a real rabbit out of a hat, there's still so much to appreciate about this event. I've been to Historic Murphy Ave several times in the past and it's such a charming area and they hold really great weekly events at a lot of the individual venues as well as on the main street, like live music, karaoke, wine tasting, festivals, and even free stand-up comedy nights during the week at Lilly Mac's and Murphy's Law. Having enjoyed some of these experiences, I'd say that the quality of events at Historic Murphy Avenue makes it a lovely option to have in the south bay (whether it's free or paid entertainment). Plus the atmosphere has a more chill vibe for nightlife than downtown SJ. They have a couple parking lots/garage nearby as well as street parking within blocks. And Caltrain is right there too. So it's not hard to make plans in the area, no matter what the occasion.

I don't know how you cannot like Historic Murphy Avenue!!…read more Located in Downtown Sunnyvale, it's only one block long, but I think this is the place to be here, especially in the evenings and on weekends! The street is blocked off from traffic, so all the restaurants, bars, breweries and assorted other stores are easily accessible. When I was here, all the places were setting up for the evening to get started. There is a parking lot close by, and also about a block up from here is the AMC theater. Definitely worth checking out!!