Catching a San Jose Barracuda game at Tech CU Arena is one of the most electric sports experiences…read morein the South Bay. The arena sits in the Sharks Ice complex so you can feel the hockey energy the second you walk in. Fans file in buzzing with excitement kids show off their jerseys and the sound of skates cutting across the ice drifts through the halls. The arena is just the right size to make you feel close to the action. You can actually hear the puck snap off a stick the players call to each other and the crowd react in real time. Every big hit makes the place roar and every goal turns into a celebration that feels like it could lift the roof. Food stands stay busy (come starving at your own risk). Pretty decent food selection and the atmosphere has that perfect mix of family friendly and die hard sports spirit. People chat between periods cheer with surprising coordination and somehow always manage to find room for another snack. If you are in San Jose and want a fast paced night without fighting giant city crowds this is the spot. A Barracuda game at Tech CU Arena feels like a community party wrapped around high energy hockey and you walk out feeling like you were part of the action.

We came last weekend for a family outing to celebrate my sister's 27th birthday, and we had such a…read moregreat time. The arena itself is very nice and clean -- even the bathrooms were spotless, which I always appreciate. The atmosphere was such a vibe. I added a couple videos to show it: one with the regular lighting and another when they had the blue lights going with music, which really set the mood and got everyone excited before the game. There were a lot of good food options like pizza, pretzels, slushies, and sausage & peppers. I didn't get photos of the food, but everything looked good and the lines moved pretty quickly. The game itself was super fun. Even though this isn't the Sharks arena, I actually loved how intimate it felt because it's smaller -- you feel closer to the action and the energy from the crowd is amazing. There were also a lot of vendors with merch deals, which was a nice bonus. And because it's hockey... we even got a classic little moment on the ice nothing crazy, just the players squaring up with the ref in the middle -- definitely added to the excitement. Overall, 10/10 experience -- would absolutely do it again. Perfect for a family outing, a birthday celebration, or just a fun night out.

Lots of good deals here if you are looking for new snow gear. But I did find a lot of stuff are not…read morebrand name. Or big brand. Well its cool to see. Very busy here. Lots of free beer sampling.

READY FOR THE SLOPES...!!! What a great festival, having…read moreeverything "snow related" in one convenient stop and shop location, the San Jose McEnery Convention Center! We enjoyed a nice ride on the Lightrail and were conveniently dropped off directly in front of the venue! No traffic; no parking worries. We had VIP passes which allowed us entrance and all the wine we could taste in 4 hours! This also included 2 free lift tickets in Tahoe which we will be redeeming at the peak of snow season. The wine stations were set up along the inner perimeter of Hall 3. Various booths offered resort information, free drawings and big discounts on ski packages. Head over to the far end of the Hall for a lite bite before drinking. Since we arrived on an empty stomach, we were relieved to see that there were snack items being offered: nachos, hotdogs, chips and sodas; your basic concession items. They also had a mini rock climbing wall, a planking contest and a trial area for kids' snowboarding. The retailer, Any Mountain and product representatives were there, showcasing their brands and offering heavy discounts. If you love Winter sports, go check it out! On Saturday, they offered wine; Sunday, it's beer!!! Cheers!

Music in the Glen this is put on by the Kiwanis club, it's a summer series where they invite bands…read moreto play live at no cost to the public at Willow St., Frank Bramhall Park. The concerts run during the summer months on Sundays starting at 4:pm and ending around 6:15 pm. The concerts are family friendly and children are encouraged to play. They have a couple of venders, raffles with great gifts, and free water for all. " donations are appreciated" They are now in Their 25th year of putting on concerts! There are only 2 concerts left for this year (July 26th, Aug 2nd 2026)

This event is a small festival that benefits the Silicon Valley AIDS Leadership Center. Admission…read moreis free, but for tastings you have to buy tickets. Tickets came in individual tastes or wristbands for unlimited tastings. We got pre-sale wristbands for $35 that gave us unlimited restaurant, wine, and beer tastings. Everything was so good! At first glance, it looked kind of lame because it was in a pretty small area and it wasn't too crowded. Turns out that it worked in our favor because the selection of food/drinks to taste from were so good and we didn't have to deal with long lines and trying to squeeze through crowds! :) There was a large wine and beer tent that had wineries from around the San Jose/Gilroy area and a very good beer selection! We got pretty full from all the restaurant samplings (some gave very generous helpings). The restaurants there gave out lots of promotions/coupons too. Restaurant sponsors included Gordon Biersch, Emilie's, Calvin's, Tandoori, Love's Cupcakes, Morroco's, some sushi restaurant whose name I forgot, and a few others I can't remember. Crema coffee was there too!! I started going crazy from having 3 Vietnamese iced coffees, muahahaha. I'm not sure if this is an annual event - I sure hope it is! Knowing that it was for a good cause made everything so much tastier! Can't go wrong there :)

HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL NORCAL DIVISION I CHAMPIONSHIP: PALO ALTO VS. JAMES LOGAN…read more I came here last Saturday to watch my alma mater James Logan High School play against Jeremy Lin's alma mater Palo Alto for the NorCal Division I Championship. The winner would represent Northern California to play in the California State Division I Championship this Friday night in Sacramento against the Southern California representative, which is Eleanor Roosevelt High School of Eastvale. The Leavey Center is a bigger version of a high school pavilion. It almost reminds me of old Harmon Gym at UC Berkeley with its intimate atmosphere for fans to watch basketball games. The Leavey Center is a good facility to host high school basketball championship games as last Saturday. There were four NorCal Championship games: Girls Division I, Boys Division I, Girls Open Division, and Boys Open Division. I only saw one game. The game itself was exciting. My high school was down by 13 points in the third quarter. Then it rallied to take the lead late in the fourth quarter. The game eventually went to overtime. As a proud alum James Logan won. Now it's off to Sacramento for the California State Division I Championship. Go Colts!

Perfect place to watch Gonzaga dominate Santa Clara!!! Fans…read moreweren't too friendly to non-SCU fans. Oh well, we had a great time.

First time to the Los Gatos Wine Walk last Saturday, even though we had lived in Los Gatos for many…read moreyears. I wasn't expecting much after reading the negative reviews, but it blew me away. They're featuring 39 vineyard/wineries, primarily from the Santa Cruz Mountains and the central coast region of California. Some of them did pretty generous pours, and a few of the wines were surprisingly good and smooth to drink. The folks from the wineries were all super nice and friendly. I noted down a few that we'd like to visit later. There're signs and maps everywhere, and participating shops and restaurants all have flags outside them. Some of them even offered snacks! The best one was the hummus/mini falafel w/ choice of wheat/regular pita and optional spicy sauce from Oren's Hummus. The iced coffee outside of Breaking Dawn/First Born was sweet and really delicious. Coup de Thai's mini dragon balls and golden tofu cubes were tasty. CineLux Theatre offered popcorns, and the Centerpiece Flowers had snacks on a beautiful table. Salt & Straw handed out some ice cream samples with interesting flavors. The weather was nice and cool. It was really enjoyable strolling through downtown, checking out the stores, and sipping so many different wines at each stop. Our daughter was our designated driver dropping us off and picking us up, so we didn't have to worry about drinking too much. But still, there's no way we could have tasted everything! There's live music at various locations. There's also an event photo booth next to Domus, and another photo booth inside Fiat Lux. The Good Sam booth next to US Bank had some cool giveaways. It was such a well organized event with so much fun. We would definitely consider coming here again next year.

Well organized, many businesses and wineries participating, relaxed vibe with happy wine drinkers…read more It was fun meeting the many small independent wine makers in the area. Nicole and Heather did a great job with the organization and set up of the check-in areas where you buy tickets, get your wristbands, and wine glasses. Many businesses provided discounts/sales as well. We didn't think we'd spend 3hrs walking around, but we basically did. Weather was overcast and almost drizzling, but it didn't dampen the mood at all. Fun event!

I was able to see Fiddler On the Roof at The Center for Performing Arts in SJ. It's really good…read more First time seeing the show & was really impressed. Got good seats - Orchestra, Row 14, Seats 13 & 15. Almost center & even got short people in front of us so we could see. John Preece as Tevye is really good. He's been doing the role over 3,000 times. Awesome. Songs I like: Matchmaker, Matchmaker If I Were A Rich Man Sunrise, Sunset Show started about 7:35pm. Intermission was at 9:15pm for 15 min. Show ended about 10:30pm. Go see it!

I got a chance, at almost the last minute, last night to see Fiddler and jumped at it - this is one…read moreof my favourite shows. Happily this production did not disappoint! I spent my time lost in the show, singing along in my head with songs that have long been favourites. The cast, especially John Preece as Tevye, were wonderful - very expressive and (for the most part) good singers. I especially liked Preece's little chats with God, which were wonderfully in capturing the tones of voice and body language that we all get in our heads when questioning the universe about the path life is taking. The sets were interesting and well constructed (although I will say the lines hanging the "skyline" of the village were distracting against the sky), and the costumes comfortable looking (that is, I didn't find the costumes so cheap or "costume" looking that they distracted from the show). I am coveting Golde's ankle-length coat from the final scenes though! And the dance scenes were fabulous - well choreographed, well performed, and definitely making me want to go up and dance too - especially the dances at the wedding! Hurray the bottle dance! :) If I had the money, I'd definitely go see this one again before it leaves town!

My kids and I had a blast at our very first Sabercats game! My homegirl knows the cheer captain…read moreand scored some awesome tickets. I had no idea what to expect since I had never witnessed arena football. The pyrotechnics were both scary and awesome! I am still confused as to why I did not see an actual Sabercat mascot, but the dude on the motorcycle was interesting. Mad love to the Saberkittens for putting on an awesome show. I love their spirit! I will definitely return sometime, and take advantage of the 4 pack deal. $50 gets you four tickets, hot dogs, sodas, and chips. Support your local sports teams!

I love food, but I love music and sports even more, which helps to explain why I enjoy seeing the…read moreSaberCats play. Their games feature both and then some. HP Pavilion (7:30 p.m.): My dad and I went to the game on Saturday (San Jose played the Utah Blaze). It was at least the 6th SaberCats game that I've been to. As usual, we saved money by parking nearby (it's interesting how many houses are just across the street from HP Pavilion- a house a block away is now up for sale). When we arrived, my dad let himself be frisked. It was comical (he just walked over to one of the guys and raised his arms- I briefly wondered if he had done something in the past that I was unaware of). I had about as many items on me, but just walked right up to the doors. The edges of the main stairs currently feature some cool images of the San Jose Sharks (it's sad that they just got eliminated from the playoffs). We had great seats (we were 10 rows back, and were only blocked off from seeing kicks go through the left uprights), and our tickets were just $9 each (my dad took advantage of a promotion). The guy to my left was annoying (he went to the game with his dad too, and I wish his dad had been sitting next to me). He had some booming claps (he almost made me go deaf), and he was too wound up early on (he clapped over every little thing). Only 2 vendors were around (I'm glad that we weren't hungry- only a few kiosks were open too). One sold cotton candy, and the other sold Dippin' Dots (Banana; Chocolate; Rainbow). I was tempted to buy some, but didn't. The woman who sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" was pretty fine. She also had a beautiful voice (I actually noticed). T&A: "Stop teasing me!" (what a guy behind us kept saying to the young woman who goes out on the field to signal the beginning and end of commercial breaks). The woman is "too skinny" for my dad's taste, and I think the woman the current one replaced was hotter. It's cute, though, the way the new woman dances. You can tell that she has a lot of fun during games (the other woman was more serious). The SaberKittens were also standing very close to us, but I didn't actually look at them much. With a few exceptions, the women aren't that hot this year. The Kiss Cam action kind of sucked. Too many old couples were featured, and this one guy was clueless as to what he was supposed to do until the camera started to cut away. A ton of penalties were called. This guy and his sons couldn't make up their minds: "Hey refs! You suck!" "Hey refs! You're great!" o_O A Utah wide receiver made a "flying catch over the boards," and another one went over the boards a few minutes later. It was also memorable when San Jose defensive back Clevan Thomas made a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown in the 3rd quarter. The SaberCats normally draw over 10,000 fans (the attendance on Saturday was 8,438). Still, it often got very loud inside. Some fans also did some crazy dances. A few guys even took off their shirts ("No, no. Put your shirts back on. Please."). I kind of agree with another reviewer ("no more cowbell!"). I'm used to it, but some fans bring cowbells and ring them too fuc---- much. You might think that you're at a farm. Free!: The SaberCats have always treated their fans well. This is what was given away during the game: -3 footballs (fans get to keep balls that wind up in the stands). A guy at the end of our row caught the ball that was thrown away at the end of the game. -A whole row got Lillie Mae's "famous" BBQ sauce. -Another row got Buffalo Wild Wings (I think this occurred when a guy threw a football between the uprights- he had 2 tries, but was good in his 1st attempt). -Another row got Round Table Pizza. -Yet another got In-N-Out food (in most cases, vouchers are given out only). The crowd went crazy, by the way, when the logo was flashed. -As usual, some T-shirts were shot or launched into the stands. -5,000 fans got a Program/Green Night Reusable Shopping Bag (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/san-jose-sabercats-san-jose?select=1VBDoLhLt0EYFkHTGFJitQ#yAaOuPNkLRMGMNuEwLf6oQ). Some pictures from 3 fans that were posted online during the game were shown on the scoreboard. I think the last fan won a spa treatment. Halftime: 4 teams of 7-year-olds played flag football. The action was hard to follow (the announcer had to keep turning his attention from one side of the field to the other), but kind of exciting. Only 1 girl played, but she actually scored a touchdown. :) http://www.thesanjosesabercats.com/news_details.php?id=540: The SaberCats almost gave me a heart attack (the game was finally decided with 11 seconds left to play, and San Jose only scored on 4 of their 9 possessions- this is pitiful for an Arena Football team), but they beat the Blaze 35-34. My dad and I had a lot of fun. Win or lose, there's nothing like seeing the SaberCats play. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98W9QuMq-2k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SB2vMwvqIyk