Metro has been one of the biggest catalysts for culture and entertainment in the San Jose/Silicon Valley region. The San Jose Jazz Festival was started inside its office by its jazz columnist, and the San Jose Downtown Association began there as well. It was one of the original businesses of the SoFA District, which went from a red-light zone to Silicon Valley's coolest entertainment district. Metro covers news, politics, culture and arts and has been free since the beginning. It purchased four other alt-weeklies and is now the flagship of a five publication alternative newspaper group. read more

Has a rotating photo exhibit each month. Part of South First Street First Friday Art Walk. http://www.yelp.com/biz/south-first-fridays-san-jose#hrid:ZoR-UD81TFLJ3_IQNHSyVQ/src:search/query:south%20first%20friday read more

Once on Yelp, I reviewed a place and it wasn't pretty. But I explained how I had been there many times before, the last time was just a clusterf in many areas. I actually wrote a review of the Metro months ago that I never uploaded. It turned... political, I made too many comparisons to weeklies in other cities (SF, LA, LV) and I fell into the similar writing themes of moping that I'm trying to shake. I recently finished a book and some articles that discuss how writing is influenced by mood at the time of the writing, which can be different that the feeling you had about what you're writing about, if that makes sense. You can have a blast on vacation, but if you write about it when you're having a crappy day back in Realityland, it may leave the reader believing that the trip wasn't so great. Each time I get the Metro, I try to clean the mental dry erase board in my mind as I look for things I can do (with no budget) the following week. I also mentioned in the bad review i wrote how it led to another event that I was going to. When I was there, I overheard employees start talking about ME behind my literal back. There was a moment where I tried like hell not to jerk my head in reaction and tip my hand, if they already knew I was the writer of the bad review. In retrospect, they didn't appear to and I actually got a kick out of their continuing discussion of my reviews which led to other writers and places. I appeared to be just a random topic in their rapid topics of conversation. So when I read the Metro and review a place, I try not to mention what future places could be inspired from my investigation. I get to be more loose cannon in my reviews to not be recognized. More honest. I like the special issues at least in principle, like the Best of, the Bar and club gui- issue and the summer issue. The issues leave me wanting more, but having felt like they didn't go far enough. With the best ofs (ov's? ovs?)- of issues, I would prefer a top 5 list, especially if the same winner is a ringer every year (before they make Hall of Fame). Locals get why this is so and it's just a waste to retread those that are juiced. At least a sentence about the runner ups. The bar and club guide was promising, until I got thru the 4-5 articles (that were lumped in front, not spread out) and the actual "guide" part was a listing of the bars & clubs that was basically a whittled yelp bar category listing without so much as an environmental rundown of each place! In the bar and club issue?! The summer guide I still have, I try to be optimistic with it. It is like squeezing a full glass from one orange, though. It's odd that the cover featured one touring artist who isn't even from the bay area instead of a collage of valleycentric images. I did piece together a good calendar of free event listings for downtown. One of the biggest thing I do or can recommend anyone to do when entering a new city, is to go to a library or used music store. Get the latest issue of their alt weekly, even better than the daily paper. I think in that small, easy format, you get the best ideas about where you're at, although the current issue's cover can be misleading. But you get it all, local theater, the nightlife with bars, dance clubs, karaoke, some overview of restaurants. Sometimes they put just an address and phone number (which could be web phoned), even better, a thumbnail review. Even the ads give you a good representation of the smaller businesses in town, which I'm a HUGE fan of. It is what keeps our economy going, not putting our money in some corporate office in another state or- there I go again. People complain about all the ads in the weekly, but I understand it, it pays for the paper to run. If anything, it pisses me off to buy a $6 magazine with those damn thick stock ads that keep you from flipping thru a magazine without skipping. I use the ads to check out places to apply to also, from another theory that I won't write about. It hasn't apparently panned out. When I returned to the area, I missed the legalization of the collectives and was overwhelmed with the last 1/3 of the paper being a cannabis mart. Collectives are like Dotty's, the small video poker lounge chain in Vegas. The recession seemed to give time for strip Casinos to go after the small, neighborhood competition. I don't understand if people have such a beef about the collectives, how did so many get to open in the first place? Voter remorse after? Did I miss failed picket rallies and Federal stings of each one that opened? At least get it on Schedule 2 research! Why isn't the food section after cannabis? So, it's a necessary read, even more so to me than it's whittled down/ sorted online edition. That being typed, I would also like to write for Metro some day, but all that appears to be openings for are internships. Have any Yelpers published articles in Metro? read more

While it's true that almost 1/2 of the Metro features advertisments for all sorts of *ahem* interesting entertainment, it's those ads that keep the paper free. The Metro is how I find out what is going on in san jose, the city that has my heart and gives me heartburn all at the same time. There are plenty of great features, like Gary Singh's, "Silicon Alley's", and Richard Von Busack's film reviews, wich are always are top notch! In a lot of ways, the Metro is like San Jose itself: Full of potential, a little disapointing, but chalk full of gems that ,if you take a little time to appreciate, you might find yourself having a pretty good damn time. read more

The Metro is a weekly newspaper. Their pages captures the best of San Jose's culture and local news--thus a hidden gem for tourists who needs the insight scoop! It's a weekly free magazine, thus there are lots of advertisements, but it's FREE and the ads are pretty cool anyway. read more

The Metro and I have a long, one-sided relationship. I read it when I was a kid, for no good reason. I often used it to find my movie times, what concerts were coming to town that I knew I would miss because they'd be in 21+ clubs. It was the way I got my news before this glimmering box of information came to be in front of me. The reviews tend to be OK. Some of the reviewers are better than others. I've found myself getting in agreement more and more with them in the movies, and the food reviews are kinda nice. I just wish someone would come up with somethign to record reviews on-line. That'd make things easier for me. The movie listings are occassionally wrong. It happens. The movie articles are OK, but nothing fancy. I learned a lot about writing about film from the Metro- both good and bad. The personals are teh most read part of any free paper, and I'll admit that I've answered a couple in my day. There was a long run of Beautiful Asian Lady Boy ads that were quite famous with readers. They're far from the Village Voice or even the Bay Guardian, but there's entertainment there. I love the recurring articles and their writers. Annalee Newitz once wrote about a tour of my museum and described me as winsome. The Legendary Gary Singh is one of the best writers you'll ever come across. read more

Metro is a freebie weekly in Silicon Valley that is somewhat frustrating but usually interesting. Their many pages give them some room to stretch out to do justice to a feature story or two, which is great; I get really tired of the bite-sized journalism so prevalent today (see also: Mercury News, The Wave). Metro does a pretty nice job covering some of the local scene, from art exhibits to concert previews, restaurant reviews to political rumblings. The frustrating thing is that it's hopelessly left-leaning. That's fine, to a point (the canny reader will know what he or she is getting into), but it comes to a head with the anarchy-or-nothing silliness of Gary Singh and Annalee Newitz. Singh is particularly annoying with his pseudo-Lester Bangs, self-promotional shtick: entire columns have been devoted to the glory days of his avant-noise band which countless people Just Didn't Get. Note to Singh: music designed to annoy might just, you know: annoy. Anyway. Lots of other good stuff: movie reviews which, agree with or not, are intelligent and reasoned; pretty good advice column for the lovelorn; a really nifty column called "The Straight Dope" which answers readers' questions about.... well, stuff. It's almost like Trivial Pursuit as a newspaper column. Very fun. Yeah, so. Mixed feelings, but it's usually a good read, and it's free. I just have misgivings about journalism that isn't balanced, and I'm not nuts about providing a forum for, um, "massage" workers to advertise. I don't know how any publication can claim to be progressive, yet still bury its figurative head in the sand by relying on what's pretty surely serious exploitation to sustain itself financially. Interesting that columnists like Singh and Newitz will trumpet about Integrity and Standing Against Da Man and so on, yet contribute to such a newspaper. Oh, yeah. They have to sustain themselves financially. Got it. read more

The Metro Newspaper is similar to so many other "now & hip" throw away publications across the country dismissed by the locals too quickly as bird cage liner. Sure, it's chock full of entertainment ads announcing art, media, massage and the personals. But it's too bad more people don't recognize that The Metro contains more useful local tourist information than much of what you'd find at a hotel or the visitors bureaus. Thanks to my discovery of The Metro, I found restaurants, museums and activities in the Silicon Valley we could add into our itinerary. My son and I went to a museum were weren't even aware of existed until we picked up a copy while eating breakfast one morning. Metro - I want you to know you made my trip to the San Jose area and a stale bagel breakfast a little better. read more

I truly enjoy reading the Metro from start to finish! I mentally spend bank on a weekly basis. If I had the money, I would buy it! I use it for good reads and also for whats going on that week! Good Stuff! read more

The Metro is one of the best sources of news and culture in Santa Clara County. If you need a reliable source of local news along with info on the nightlife, bars, club and other cultural events happening in the area. Its defenitly more reliable than the Mercury News. read more

This is an excellent local newspaper. They cover interesting local news stories in detail while being a great source for local activites and events in San Jose. Its because of this paper that I learned of cool events like San Joses Taco Festival. read more

Thank you for sponsoring Silicon Valley Roller Girls! We love seeing our bout advertisements in print!

This review is solely for Metro's advertising services. The Metro rep I'm working with could use some e-mail communication lessons. I have clearly written up very detailed e-mails, however my point does not get across. After firing e-mails back and forth, an agreement was finally settled on. The ad is not perfect, but I let it go because I did not want to dispute it any longer. read more

I love the Metro... I can always find the newest massage parlors with the women new to the area, their English is always a little shaky but these women are clean... Pick up any issue of the Metro and you can always find the best deals at your local smoke shop.. and their listings of area strip joints and alternate lifestyle bath houses are to die for... Not to mention the weekly .25 off coupon at my favorite taqueria... Life in Silicon Valley can't get any better then this. read more