Rank the Downtowns of Californian cities (San Jose, Mountain View: theatre, living, restaurant)

[sav858]

Originally Posted by blue bird

San Diego-San Jose>SF>long Beach>LA

Both San Diego and San Jose don't have skid row or Tenderloin like rundown areas of downtown. Otherwise, I'd put SF on top because of its size and tons of shopping/rest/art museum and parks downtown. Tenderloin/Mid Market and Sixth are turn offs for us, along with its shear area coverage. Most of Dt. LA is severely blighted(including Broadway, Hill and Grand) to really have us appreciate this sort of improving downtown one block at a time.

You really haven't explored all of downtown SD if you think it doesn't have a skid row type area. There are A LOT of homeless on the fringes of downtown SD. I've seen an entire block or more with homeless encampents.

[bradleyyo]

Originally Posted by sav858

You really haven't explored all of downtown SD if you think it doesn't have a skid row type area. There are A LOT of homeless on the fringes of downtown SD. I've seen an entire block or more with homeless encampents.

Commercial street is a big one. The orange line trolley always goes passed the tents and shopping carts.

[T. Damon]

Originally Posted by sav858

You really haven't explored all of downtown SD if you think it doesn't have a skid row type area. There are A LOT of homeless on the fringes of downtown SD. I've seen an entire block or more with homeless encampents.

Originally Posted by sav858

You really haven't explored all of downtown SD if you think it doesn't have a skid row type area. There are A LOT of homeless on the fringes of downtown SD. I've seen an entire block or more with homeless encampents.

Yeah, everybody thinks that San Diego is perfectly clean, few homeless and all shiny happy people but it definitely feels just like most other cities in a few areas. Granted, these aren't huge areas but they are always there- especially under the 5 Freeway at the southeastern edge of downtown and on the fringes of City College. Hell, if I was homeless I'd want to live here too. It generally isn't enough to color your image of the city but it makes it feel a little more real than the "America's Finest City" boosterism.

I do think that downtown San Diego is especially approachable and manageable for a big city, mostly because it just isn't that big and very clearly defined by topography including Balboa Park and the waterfront. You can just about walk from one corner to the other in a half hour or so and the neighborhoods within are quite defined, and during weekends and ball game nights it really is very vibrant.

I actually like downtown LA, but I will admit there are some pretty vast areas that it can be a bit depressing and overwhelming, and while there are pockets of extreme hipness and a great urban built environment it certainly doesn't feel as coherent as downtown SD. It is the neighborhood/small city downtowns in LA that are especially awesome: Venice, West Hollywood, Echo Park, Silver Lake, Los Feliz etc..that really make the city.

I don't know anything about downtown SJ, haven't been there for years but I've heard some good things about it. Of course my favorite is San Francisco like most people but I will say it is a lot scruffier in many areas than it should be, and like most cities it is actually the areas just outside of downtown that are the best.

I'll also put in a shout out for some of the small cities with some sweet downtowns: Santa Cruz, Berkeley, San Luis Obisbo, Chico, Pasadena, Healdsburg

[KaaBoom]

Originally Posted by ccm123

DT San Jose is really underrated, IMO.

No it's not. A few years ago someone set up a live streaming webcam from Downtown San Jose. In the comments people were constantly asking "where are all the people?" San Jose is the 10th largest city in the US, but the Downtown is probably more comparable to something like Salt Lake City which is 124th.

Here is an article that rates Downtown Mountain View and Downtown Palo Alto ahead of Downtown San Jose for South Bay towns. Thats just pathetic for a city the size of San Jose.

Mountain View - 47 points
Restaurants: 8/10. The skew is towards East Asian styles, but they're all good.
Retailers: 7/10. There are decent options for books, clothing, and gifts.
Startups: 9/10. Compared to Palo Alto, MV lacks only prestige.
People: 8/10. The crowd is younger and more ethnically diverse than anywhere north.
Transit: 7/10. The Caltrain station is busy, and there's the Google/Microsoft/Intuit shuttles, but nobody uses the light rail.
Nightlife: 8/10. More diverse than Palo Alto, not as busy as SJ. Also, there's a theater.


Palo Alto (University Ave) - 45 points
Restaurants: 8/10. The options are generally quite good, but I deduct points because they're a bit lacking in variety, and terribly overpriced.
Retailers: 6/10. It's surprisingly difficult to live just off the businesses in downtown PA (and yes, I tried). But it does compare favorably to other places on this list.
Startups: 10/10. This is the place to be, as evidenced by rents.
People: 7/10. Strong commuter population, some apartments, but also many of the blow-ins chasing easy Valley riches.
Transit: 7/10. Good for Caltrain riders, but not many bus options.
Nightlife: 7/10. There are several options, but they all lack a certain ... excitement.


San Jose - 42 points
Restaurants: 7/10. Inexpensive, and adequate variety, especially if you include Japantown.
Retailers: 5/10. Fewer than I'd expect given the population.
Startups: 5/10. I've never understood why there aren't more tech companies in downtown SJ; despite being a long way from SF, rent is cheap! But whatever, they're rare.
People: 7/10. There are a lot of new apartment buildings, but they're not all my kind of people, y'know?
Transit: 9/10. The light rail and Caltrain could be better, but at least they play nice, and there's plenty of buses.
Nightlife: 9/10. SJ is one of the best alternatives to SF, in my opinion.

What are the top 10 downtown areas among South Bay towns/cities? - Quora

[blue bird]

What about Dt San Jose? Is there a skid row like area in this downtown or like the Tenderloin. It's stated that DT San Diego has one. What about San Jose?

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by bradleyyo

Commercial street is a big one. The orange line trolley always goes passed the tents and shopping carts.

Yeah Commercial street is terrible. My rankings:

San Francisco
San Diego
Long Beach
Oakland
Berkeley
Chula Vista

[krudmonk]

Originally Posted by KaaBoom

No it's not. A few years ago someone set up a live streaming webcam from Downtown San Jose. In the comments people were constantly asking "where are all the people?" San Jose is the 10th largest city in the US, but the Downtown is probably more comparable to something like Salt Lake City which is 124th.

Here is an article that rates Downtown Mountain View and Downtown Palo Alto ahead of Downtown San Jose for South Bay towns. Thats just pathetic for a city the size of San Jose.

Do you even read what you post? San Jose scored low in two categories there: startups and retail. Not sure how efficient transit, decent cuisine or active nightlife translate to webcam ghost town.

I'll leave you to defend the "not at all my kind of people" comment.

[bobby_guz_man]

Originally Posted by KaaBoom

No it's not. A few years ago someone set up a live streaming webcam from Downtown San Jose. In the comments people were constantly asking "where are all the people?" San Jose is the 10th largest city in the US, but the Downtown is probably more comparable to something like Salt Lake City which is 124th.

Here is an article that rates Downtown Mountain View and Downtown Palo Alto ahead of Downtown San Jose for South Bay towns. Thats just pathetic for a city the size of San Jose.

Mountain View - 47 points
Restaurants: 8/10. The skew is towards East Asian styles, but they're all good.
Retailers: 7/10. There are decent options for books, clothing, and gifts.
Startups: 9/10. Compared to Palo Alto, MV lacks only prestige.
People: 8/10. The crowd is younger and more ethnically diverse than anywhere north.
Transit: 7/10. The Caltrain station is busy, and there's the Google/Microsoft/Intuit shuttles, but nobody uses the light rail.
Nightlife: 8/10. More diverse than Palo Alto, not as busy as SJ. Also, there's a theater.


Palo Alto (University Ave) - 45 points
Restaurants: 8/10. The options are generally quite good, but I deduct points because they're a bit lacking in variety, and terribly overpriced.
Retailers: 6/10. It's surprisingly difficult to live just off the businesses in downtown PA (and yes, I tried). But it does compare favorably to other places on this list.
Startups: 10/10. This is the place to be, as evidenced by rents.
People: 7/10. Strong commuter population, some apartments, but also many of the blow-ins chasing easy Valley riches.
Transit: 7/10. Good for Caltrain riders, but not many bus options.
Nightlife: 7/10. There are several options, but they all lack a certain ... excitement.


San Jose - 42 points
Restaurants: 7/10. Inexpensive, and adequate variety, especially if you include Japantown.
Retailers: 5/10. Fewer than I'd expect given the population.
Startups: 5/10. I've never understood why there aren't more tech companies in downtown SJ; despite being a long way from SF, rent is cheap! But whatever, they're rare.
People: 7/10. There are a lot of new apartment buildings, but they're not all my kind of people, y'know?
Transit: 9/10. The light rail and Caltrain could be better, but at least they play nice, and there's plenty of buses.
Nightlife: 9/10. SJ is one of the best alternatives to SF, in my opinion.

What are the top 10 downtown areas among South Bay towns/cities? - Quora

And here comes Mountain View and Palo Alto measuring d1cks against San Jose.

Apples and Peaches man, you're comparing a bunch of bathroom-sized towns made up of mostly affluent Caucasian and Asian folks to a 180-square-mile city with extremely diverse demographics.

[KaaBoom]

Originally Posted by bobby_guz_man

And here comes Mountain View and Palo Alto measuring d1cks against San Jose.

Apples and Peaches man, you're comparing a bunch of bathroom-sized towns made up of mostly affluent Caucasian and Asian folks to a 180-square-mile city with extremely diverse demographics.

That was my point. Downtown San Jose can't even compare to the Downtowns of a bunch of bathroom-sized towns. San Jose is a major city with a bathroom size Downtown. What other major city do you know, that has a Downtown so weak, that it's suburbs have more vibrant Downtowns?

[bobby_guz_man]

Originally Posted by KaaBoom

That was my point. Downtown San Jose can't even compare to the Downtowns of a bunch of bathroom-sized towns. San Jose is a major city with a bathroom size Downtown. What other major city do you know, that has a Downtown so weak, that it's suburbs have more vibrant Downtowns?

I agree. San Jose has a bathroom-sized downtown, that's true. I mean, this is all we got in it:
- Fully-gridded, 400-blocks area
- Governmental functions (County Seat, City Hall, Superior courts)
- Religious worships (3 ornate churches and 1 Buddhist temple)
- 8 performing arts venues (Civic, CPA, Montgomery, City Lights, Rep, Stage, Le Petit Triannon, and California Theatre)
- 4 distinct entertainment zones (SoFA, San Pedro, Japantown, and the Clubbing/Lounge zone)
- More than 200 restaurants/lounges/bars
- A modern convention center and an Arena that boasts the 3rd-placed booking rate in North America.
- One of the largest libraries on the West Coast
- Location of both big-name companies (Adobe and Acer) and small startups (Pinger, Move, BlackArrow)
- All kinds of people live here from all kinds of demographics.

Whoa!!! If San Jose has a "bathroom-sized" downtown, then what does that make the downtowns of Mountain View and Palo Alto's with their 7-blocks worth of "main street" with cute boutique stores and restaurants, and 2 bars?

Peanut-size, I suppose? HAHHHAHAHA!!!! Yowwie...I shouldn't have even go there *cue KaBoom crying to Mommy*