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.

Rengstorff House was a wonderful venue for our wedding! The house and gardens were so beautiful…read morethat very little additional decoration was needed. We especially loved that there are multiple outdoor spaces to utilize for different portions of the event. The venue staff were very friendly, responsive and helpful to work with as we planned the event.

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.

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.

This giant fruit cocktail can is certainly unique, and a little weird to have in the middle of a…read morebusiness park. But hey, that's what replaced the former site of the factory that was once the world's largest cannery... can't change history. There are lovely trees and vegetation and some grass surrounding the water tower, as well as several benches and picnic tables around the border of the monument and along random pathways between the office buildings. Google maps leads you to a small parking lot right in from of Libby's Water Tower, but there are several larger parking lots around the entire business park. Signs say the parking is restricted, but the lots are so large and so empty, with just a handful of cars altogether (at least after 7pm on a weekday), that I don't think it's a problem to park here. Besides, it only takes like 10 minutes to check the place out (too quick to get towed), and if you choose to have lunch here, probably an hour at most. There's also free unrestricted parking on California Ave. I went for a run in the area, taking laps around the business park, and found a good number of couples, individuals, and families taking laps as well... jogging, skating, going for a stroll, walking their dogs, some just making use of the wide open space in the lots. I saw families with the parents on skates and skateboards and their kids on little toddler bikes (even though there's a sign that says skateboarding is prohibited)... So apparently, this business park is really used as a "park"!!?! Though there's nothing too fancy or exciting about this historical landmark, the area is clean and inviting and not run down. It's peaceful and not crowded. It's certainly something out of the ordinary to see and learn about. Most of all, it made me hungry for sliced peaches! :D

Sing it with me!! This is Libby's, Libby's, Libby's I the label, label, label you will like it,…read morelike it, like it on the Tower,Tower,Tower! The original tower supplied water to the Cannery, it was replaced in 1965 by this present structure. Around the structure are benches and a couple tables as well as a lawn to sit on and have a picnic there is also beautiful "and I mean beautiful" landscaping all around it. Wifey and I visited on a Saturday and it was so peaceful here as there was nobody else around.

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.

Went for a jog here while in the area, and took some time to explore the park and the historical…read morebuildings of Oracle... auditorium, mansion (Agnews State Hospital superintendent's residence), clocktower (formerly the treatment building), and visitor center. The info center had plenty to share about the history of Agnews as a state hospital for the mentally ill, destroyed in the 1906 earthquake killing 106 patients and 11 staff members, rebuilt and reopened 5 years later, and becoming the first modern psychiatric hospital in California. You can't enter the buildings (except the mansion and auditorium by reservation), but there's sufficient signage near each of the buildings, noting its history, to educate visitors. And there are beautiful trees and well maintained grassy fields with a few picnic tables and benches on site. Still, access to this park is very limited, as it's the location of the Oracle Santa Clara campus. Not the ideal park due to its inconveniences and lack of offerings, but still cool to learn a bit about its history, or just a simple peaceful spot for picnicking.

It's nice that they now have dog waste bags stations at the park. They also posted dog leash…read morerequired signs a while back. Can't wait for the Spring when all the flowers are blooming.

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 the heart of the Silicon Valley, NASA Ames research center has been a center for…read moreaerospace research sine 1939. The center located on what was Moffett NAS is home to the world largest wind tunnel in the world. It includes ARC Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel, National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex, Arc Jet Complex, among others. It continues to be a center for space and hypersonic research. Scattered throughout the base proper are countless models and references to programs past and present. In a nod to its space heritage a scale wind tunnel model of the Space Shuttle serves as a gate guard. It also was the main developer of the airborne telescopes the Kuiper and SOFIA Aside from the visitor center there is no accessign the base however, they on occasion have open houses and will allow the public to view special planes like SOFIA. Major portions of the base can be viewed from the adjacent roadways and Bay Trail

Great easy fun for kids, museum can kill an hour with memorabilia, old planes and gear, and hosts…read morejust happy someone is there to talk to

I last visited here 8 years ago, and I was so glad to finally return!…read more The weather was quite hot for July and I worried there might be limited roses left to see, I was gladly surprised, there are so many beautiful varieties of roses blooming absolutely everywhere! The city is doing a fantastic job maintaining the garden. It is such a lovely spot in San Jose!

Growing up in San Jose, I feel like I took advantage of being so close to the Rose Garden. It was a…read morespot to walk to, around, etc. I was in town for Mother's Day and took a walk to Rose Garden after the festivities, around sunset. It was a great time. So many roses in bloom in just about every color. It was packed with people having picnics, taking pictures, walking around but still easy enough to find your own quiet space. Such a pocket of beauty in the neighborhood.