Jodi and I took a break from cleaning paint off old metal funiture (her weekend hobby) and getting the laser printer to work with the upgraded server (my job) to go out to Mountain View tonight. Mountain View has long been our favorite place on the peninsula. As a student, it boasted a ton of shops and restaurants I could afford. In fact, during my first summer at SLAC Friday trips to Mountain View were my most cherished goal during the week. These I did with my housemate at the time, but when Jodi started visiting me in California it became a perfect place to go for dinner.
Now, as post-docs living here we love going there on the weekends to hit the book shops, grab some sushi or indian food, hit the great Asian bakery (steamed buns filled with custard! Mmmm!), and grab a bubble tea. We always find some great books at the shops, and sometimes there’s a great street fair going on. It’s nice to bust up the weekend chore list with a trip to Mountain View.
Unfortunately, it used to be more of a working class town. Now, the main drag on Castro Street seems to cater to Palo Alto refugees. Years ago this crappy nightclub opened there, its thrumming, throbbing beats attracting the “drunk college” types and teenagers desperately withing they were old enough. Thankfully, that place tanked. But other places – upscale restaurants, shops with funny and nondescript names specializing in expensive nonsense – have sprang up and seem to be doing okay. I long for the days when you could hit the Double Rainbow ice cream and coffee shop and listen to some old guy with a guitar and a cheap amp shout Dylan tunes at the top of his lungs. Alas, the Double Rainbow is gone, and there is nobody to sing Dylan any more.
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