The Flea Market - Berryessa Road

Last Saturday, we wound up hitting up some sights in San Jose and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. one of the places we visited was the Flea Market on Berryessa Road.

They claimed to be the world's largest. Now I haven't been to all the flea markets in the world, but this place is ginoromous. We walked around for at least 2 hours, and barely covered 1/3 of the market. If you decide to go and walk to walk every aisle, give yourself at least 4-5 hours. It is really that big.

Now, alot of the stuff thats sold is repeated throughout what we walked through - cheep chinese knockoff toys and bikes, fake nikes and skechers, fake coach, gucci and LV bags, knockoff sunglasses, acrylic blankets, and so on. But the selection is huge and the prices are low. They've got plenty of snack shops, as well as 2 or 3 playgrounds that are suitable for kids 4 - 12. And there is a section dedicated for fresh produce and specialized Mexican foods.

It was an awesome experience, and we look forward to spending some more time here the next time we're in town. The market is located at 1590 Berryessa Road, San Jose, CA. For more info, check their website, www.sjfm.com

On Saturday, we decided to explore San Jose. After living in the Bay for 11 months, it was about time that we explored a bit of the Pennisula.

We drove down in hopes of having lunch in Japantown, but was sorely disappointed by the lack there of Japanese businesses. So, off we were to find a suitable place to fill up on food. We found our way out to the Westfield Valley Fair Mall and wandered to El Camino Real. With strip malls running up and down the street, it reminded us of Western New York - with alot more Asian businesses.

Sam had remembered going to a nice little Korean place with her cousin several months back. With a little help from the Pilot's Navi, we found Sui Tofu - and was not disappointed by our experience at all.

The place is a bit nicer than your average hole in the wall Korean place - but its clear that people weren't going there for the atmosphere. They were going there for 2 reasons - the great food and the incredible value. We had the soondobu, the kalbi and bogolgi - and were stuffed by the time we were done. It was definitely the best $25 we spent on Korean food ever. Though the restaurant may not neccessarily be worth a drive all the way from SF, its certainly worth stopping by if you're in the area.

Supervisor for District 4

sorry for the long delay in posts - just started a new job so I'm still trying to feel out a schedule that will let me do everything I need to do just to live.

But tons of things have happened in the last couple of weeks - eventually I'll get to everything.

This post is about the Supervisor position for District 4 in the SF elections. By the way, despite how wired the Bay Area is, it's pretty shitty that there are no good websites that run down candidates' positions on various issues, as well as summations of groups that support them and their experience.


After a bit of research, I've decided that the candidate that I will support is Doug Chan. He's a former Police Commissioner and he actually lives in the Sunset District. He sounds pretty down to earth, and is endorsed by Mayor Gavin Newsom and current Supervisor Fiona Ma. For Ma to go ahead and support Chan rather than her former aide Jaynry Mak, speaks volumes. (especially given the whispers of financial impropriety with Ms. Mak's campaign.)

So good luck Mr. Chan - I hope you win the position you seek.

Nike Women's Marathon

Its another big weekend for the Financial District. On Sunday October 22, Nike is sponsoring a Women's Marathon to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Although the race (which includes a full and a half marathon) registration is now completely full, feel free to head down to Union Square and support the racers and the good causes. www.nike.com/nikemarathon will have all the details.

Pet Pride Day

In case the Exotic Erotric Ball is not family friendly enough for your taste, Animal Care & Control is hosting Pet Pride Day on October 29, from 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM. The event is being held at Sharon Meadows in Golden Gate Park. The event will feature:

• Pet Costume Contest
• Pet Trick Competition
• Working Animal Demonstrations
• Animal Rescue Groups
• Pet Product Vendors
• Education and Game Area for Kids
• Raffles for Fabulous Prizes
• All Kinds of Adoptable Animals - from Chickens to Chinchillas!

Also in attendance will be the San Francisco Animal Cops - the stars of Animal Planet's hit TV series, "Animal Cops San Francisco".

I know the image has a URL address of www.petprideday.com - but that address seems to be unresolvable. I believe the official site is www.sfgov.org/site/acc_index.asp?id=34793.

Exotic Erotic Ball

San Francisco is world reknown for its openess and acceptance of all people and lifestyles, and from Friday,October 27 to Saturday October 28, people will be able to celebrate human sexuality in it's commericalized glory.

Starting with an Expo on Friday and Saturday, the event climaxes with the Ball itself. Promoters claim that it's "part Mardi Gras, part burlesque, and part rock concert, yet totally unique." Attendees are invited to wear anything they would like - from lingerie to fetish outfits. This is a true masquerade ball.

If I wasn't a responsible father, I would probably drag my wife to the event so we could be amused by the costumes and antics of the attendees. For more info and tickets, visit www.exoticeroticball.com - oh that link is definitely NSFW (not safe for work).

SMS Earthquake Alert

Its really cool living in one of the most webconscious and technologically aware cities in the world. One of the benefits that we are able to reap are the government programs that take advantage of the net - from setting appointments online for the DMV to seeing realtime GPS locations of Muni trains. www.alertsf.org is a perfect example of leveraging technology for the greater good.

AlertSF is a text-based notification system for the city of San Francisco. The site will send tsunami alerts, severe weather/flooding notifications and post-disaster information to multiple wireless devices (cell phones / pagers) and email accounts.

The site plans on including features such as alerts regarding traffic delays, power outages, road closures, and other important information.

The best part is that registration for AlertSF is free. But be sure to check with your wireless carrier to determine how much SMS messages will cost.