Settling In

Nothing says "Welcome!" better than a giant palm tree on a sunny day.  Our first two days have been beautiful: clear skies, mid 70's, short-sleeve weather during the hottest time of day.  And I'm told it's unseasonably COLD for November! (apparently it's usually 2-3 degrees warmer).

I can get used to this.

We've found a new favorite local coffee nook called Red Rock which has a really nice vibe.  It's known as a "great place for a cup of coffee and to steal app ideas."   I like how they advertise that you can rent out the 2nd floor to pitch to investors and shoot web video commercials.  Hello Silicon Valley!

Not only can you get a great cup 'o joe at Red Rock, but you can also find grain-free, high-protein, low glycemic, dairy-free, gluten-free, paleo, soy-free, seed and nut bars.  Whaaaaaat????

these better be made with cage-free eggs!

Mountain View is turning out to be a pretty awesome place to be.  Everyone here is incredibly friendly and laid-back, and people generally seem to enjoy life and be pretty passionate about the city.  We found a nearby grocery store called Eva's which stocks all locally-grown produce.  The manager, Juan, introduced himself to us and told us all about the history of the area (he's lived here for 20 years).  He told us that there's lots of young people moving in to the city over the years, but it's hard nowadays for a grocery store like his to stay in business.  The reason?  Because all the young people work for tech companies, and they're all being fed by their companies so they don't buy food!  Then he asked us: "Does your company feed you?"  Luckily for him I like to cook, so he can rest assured we'll be good customers.  :)

local produce from Eva's

In addition to an infinite assortment of food choices for the health-conscious, Mountain View also has its fair share of popular chains: In-N-Out, Jack-in-the-Box, and Carl's Jr. are all famous fast-food joints i've heard of, but never tried.  I supposed we'll have to give them a shot at some point...

At In-N-Out I spotted my first genius Hacker Champ!

This was another sweet surprise we weren't expecting to see in the city - an official bike share station.  They have these throughout the city and surrounding areas.  For $88 dollars per year you can have unlimited usage of the shared bikes around the city. Pretty cool!

Next to the bike share station we found Ryan's new office.  Where he will soon spend many many hours...  Excellent location, right on Castro Street, next to lots of good restaurants and cafes.  

Oh, and when you need someone to walk your dog for you, there's a van driving around the city that goes from house to house to take care of people's pets.

Coco what do you think? 

"Meow - i think i'll just sit here in your sink and think about it."

On our second day, we set out to accomplish 3 tasks:
1. Visit future apartment
2. Get bikes
3. Get new phones

Check, Check, and Check!

We started the day out by finding our new apartment which we'll move into next week.  They gave us a quick tour of the place (i'll write more on this later when we actually move-in).  But for some suspense I'll leave you with a photo I took from the roof-top BBQ area...The place is gorgeous!!

Now it's clear why they call it "Mountain View"

 Next stop - bikes!  We took the bus about five stops to a huge bicycle shop.  They had a huge selection of mountain bikes and gear, because mountain biking was basically born here in northern California.  The store manager told us all about the history of mountain biking, and where all the great spots are nearby.   But for now, we went with something simple.  We found two really basic, single-gear bikes which will be perfect to get us around town.

Less than 48 hours and we already have bikes.  We are so Dutch!  

Unlike in Amsterdam, basically everyone here wears a helmet on the bike.  It's not required by law, however we were told that people will give you nasty looks if you're not wearing a helmet.  So, I found the coolest helmet ever which will surely be easily spotted by any drivers on the road!

I'm a super mario bros mushroom!

After a nice lunch at Whole Foods (the largest WF i've ever seen in my life by the way) we went to get new phones.  It's not really exciting enough to take a picture, but definitely great to feel connected and to be back on the grid again.

Until next time!