Sometimes when you grow up in an area as beautiful as the Bay Area, there are many things that are right under our noses that we don’t notice. Maybe there are so many things to do that we don’t get a chance to uncover the gems that can be found in San Jose and the surrounding cities.
My friend, who just moved back from L.A. a month ago, is renting a house on Montebello Road on the border of San Jose and Cupertino. Her old-style house lies near the Jimsomare Winery (which grows grapes for Ridge) high up in the mountains. As I drove up to her place for the first time, I was taken aback at the natural beauty that surrounded me and the fact that I almost didn’t know that this place existed, even though it’s just a stone’s throw from De Anza College.
I ventured up Stevens Canyon Road and passed Stevens Creek County Park, which is filled with hiking and biking trails, and as I made a right on Montebello Road and crossed back into San Jose, the steady incline gave me an even more breathtaking view as I climbed higher. On my left was the Picchetti Winery with access to many trails and picnic grounds. I did a little more research and I found out that Picchetti is one of the oldest wineries in the state of California and dates back to the 1800s. They have a tasting room, structured hikes, and a beautiful ambiance for those who want to sample their selection of wines. I plan on visiting Picchetti on a nice fall Saturday to hike around the surrounding areas, do some wine tasting and then eat lunch on their picnic grounds with some friends. The area also houses other wineries such as Sunrise, Fellom Ranch and Jimsomare.
I am so excited to learn about this area that I didn’t know of before. Here is another example of something we have in San Jose that has been right under my nose, but it took a friend from L.A. to introduce me to it. Go figure!
Monday, volunteers come out smelling like roses
Tuesday, what’s right under our noses
Wednesday, city council proposes
Thursday, investigation exposes
Friday, satire composes
Saturday, mortgage forecloses
Sunday, football imposes
The local wineries are a far more enjoyable experience than the Disneyland mob scenes you find in the Napa valley. I drove my cousin up to Ridge, a customary pilgrimage for him when he is visiting from Chicago, a few months ago. Less than 10 people in the tasting room including the staff, and we enjoyed a bottle of wine on a picnic bench after our tasting. Another example of how easy it is to feel “away” when you’re really only a few minutes’ distance from the hustle and bustle of Silicon Valley. Incidentally, while trying to decide on what to do for lunch after hitting Ridge, we drove across town into an entirely different culture and ate at a Vietnamese deli near King & Tully. A small sampling of the diverse nature of this area.
Moral of today’s blog: Don’t be dissing LA or its residents. After all, LA is San Jose’s role model.
SG, just how long have you lived around here? Stevens Creek Park has been a destination for bored teens of driving age for decades. You might try New Almaden next. I plan to take my friends from LA there next time they visit. No wineries but plenty of history and a decent restaurant tucked away along the creek.
Natural beauty and great weather mean nothing. All that matters is that we don’t have a baseball team and San Francisco has taller buildings (and thus more culture). Stop veering from the complaints, please. This is SJI.
Single gal, you have discovered one of the true treasures of the greater San Franciso Bay area. From Mt. Tam, to Mt. Hamilon, from Mt. Diablo to Monterey cyclists from around the world know what we have here and comment on it often. The one and two lane back roads of this area are some of the most scenic and enjoyable concentrations of climbing country in the world . Mountains to bay lands, beaches to sunny ridge tops. Seeing it on a bike can be breathtaking (no pun intended). Nice post SG.
Of course, there is much natural beauty around us. Unfortunately, our city leaders are not content with that—they want us to be something we are not (it is still unclear what that is).
#3 – Calm down. San Jose still has a long way to go before it is comfortable in its own skin. And, the beautiful places SG mentions in her column today are NOT in San Jose, but close to San Jose. In fact, that is perhaps San Jose’s best attribute: we are close to a lot of great places.
Some day, when our leaders learn to appreciate what we have instead of constantly trying to make us into something we are not, then we can all bask in what we have close to us.
I know what you mean. I think we tend to take the area for granted a lot since its our home.
I don’t really appreciate the Bay Area until I travel out of state and see how different things are.
S.G.:
In that vicinity…if you take Prospect Road all the way up to the area of the Saratoga Country Club, you’ll find the Fremont Older Park Reserve/Open Space. If you head for the hills, you’ll end up at Stevens Creek Damn. If you head towards the valley, you end up on a bluff, where on a clear day, you can see the SF skyline, Oakland, etc.
This run/hike is fairly tough…but well worth it.
PC
#5,
You did wine tasting, then split a bottle of wine before lunch, and then drove to King and Tully for lunch?
It’s a good thing you didn’t wreck there with an uninsured, no driver license, illegal immigrant. Otherwise we would be hearing more complaints from you, finfan, Novice, and JMO, about how unsafe and irresponsible East Side residents are.
I was waiting for somebody to call me on splitting a bottle of wine. What I did not bother to mention is that it was split four ways, most of it consumed by the three who were not driving.
There, is that better now? Good thing I didn’t say we drove down to Chavez Plaza and ran over the beloved giant turd, a monument to the misguided motivations of the self-declared “entitled” east side element, or I think our pal Cheers would have blown a gasket.
Rhyming week!
Hope you made it all the way that road to see Ridge Winery
Single Gal and discovering our greater hood:
Mushrooms
Do you like mushrooms?
… those white button shooms for salad and such?
… tight, fresh crimini closed cap for soups, sauces and sautés?
… large, fresh picked Portobello caps stuffed and grilled?
… must I go on?
Found on a bike ride in south valley: Monterey Mushroom Co. grows mushrooms for Safeway, Costco, and who knows how many other retailers and restaurants.
From the factory office on Hale south of Santa Theresa, they sell all three in 5 lb. flats fresh picked at half the price and much fresher. Bring a cooler; keep them cold and you have a wonderful supply of the very best. We bought 15 pounds and shared them with friends and relatives in Washington and Montana on our recent vacation. Mmmmmm goooood.
You know, that place reminds me of central Africa Congo region since they’re both dense in vegetation with similar plants. The only difference is that in Africa, there are more tropical plants. Now, you know San Jose has alot going for it. So, don’t put the city down as you often do!
I WANT TO KNOW WHY SINGLE GAL CAN’T FIND A NICE MAN TO BECOME MARRIED GAL? AREN’T THERE ANY GUYS IN SAN JOSE WORTHY OF SINGLE GAL? TELL ME WHERE TO LOOK SINGLE GAL IS THERE SUCH A PLACE? IS THAT WHY YOU ARE SINGLE THERE IS NO PLACE TO FIND A NICE GUY? PLEASE WRITE ABOUT THIS.
#14/HJ:
Perhaps Single Gal doesn’t want to be married?
And I can tell you from previous experience of being a single gal in San Jose myself, the pickings for a good man are slim (despite the area boasting high #s of single, unmarried men).
What is your age range, HJ? I can recommend some good places for man huntin’. =)
We went to the light show at City Hall last night, very fun, and very enjoyable! A must see.
#14 – Totally inappropriate comment, lay off, none of your business in the first place.