How is San Jose?

david_594

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Im a college student and I am interviewing for a 6 month co-op position out there and I was just wondering what San Jose is like. One of my big questions is, is it the type of city where a car is practical? I know in New York City a car would be useless because of traffic and finding parking. I have no idea what the living situation would be like, probabily some cheap appartment.

Im really hoping it will work out because Jan-June in California sounds a lot nicer than upstate NY(cold!).
 

Jetter_Sprinta

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San Jose is the car capital! A car is not only practical, but pretty much a requirement! Lost of nice, non-rusty parts--! But lots of traffic, too.

I am here this week on biz, and have noticed a bunch of beautiful Sciroccos. The only thing that would scare me about taking my car here: the parking spaces are TEEENY!!! Lots of parking lot damage.
 

peter pyce

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SJ was rated the safest big town in USA! Pretty boring in weekends as everyone is out, but you will be out too as there are so many beautiful places to drive to on weekends....
 

rdkern

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I agree with Jetta_Sprinta. A car is almost a requirement. It would be difficult to get around without one. It's very similar to LA in that respect - it grew with the car and has never been a "real city" as exist on the East Coast. Forty years ago it was heavily agricultural, orchards and the like. Now its malls connected by roads. Biggest city in the San Francisco Bay Area in population, and I'd guess, in surface area as well.
 

david_594

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Im not too sure where in San Jose their campus actually is but they are San Jose's largest private employer and I would be able to network some very valueable connections there.
 

ruking

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How is San Jose? This is the way to San Jose....:)

So what is this coop position all about? Or more specifically your interests? We don't want to bore you with all sorts of "useless" information.

Having lived 2 years in upstate NY, ROME, and currently living in the San Jose area for app 23 years, ask away. While I didn't go to CA State University, San Jose, I have been to the downtown campus extensively. If you have to commute to campus by car, the parking pass seems almost indispensible. However they do have daily fees for parking, in higher rise parking complexes. In terms of campus style, I guess you can use the phrase "commuter" school. It is located in a "downtown" urban area. The campus as you would guess is located in the older sections of downtown San Jose. Seventh Street and San Salvadore. The Campus itself is between Fourth Street to Tenth Street. (WEST to EAST) and San Fernando to San Salvadore (North to South) The downtown area is going through a pretty extensive building/rehab phase. Noteworthy is a brand new TAJ City Hall. So some of it looks bombed out. The concept of urban and walkable cities is being implemented. Basically this means the use of public transit with city, county government,shops, living spaces, work, entertainment venues, recreation and work spaces intergrated. There are a lot of restaurants, shopping, etc. However if you are used to NYC or even San Francisco, it will seem like a desert.

A car is almost a necessity, and is practical.

As you have undoubtably heard, apartment prices will probably be high compared to what you are used to paying. Unless of course you lived in NYC, where price wise you will probably notice little difference.

San Jose in the big city category has been consistently rated one of the safest. This is not to say San Jose doesn't have its problems. It most certainly does. Ask away.

This is the way to San Jose.


http://www.sjsu.edu/about_sjsu/campus_maps/directions/

Campus map

http://www.sjsu.edu/inc/content/campus_maps/map.pdf

Also TDI related, you are not far from Western States (fuel) on 10 Street, where you can get #2 diesel, bio diesel and woo hoo, Delvac One 5w40.


You will probably agree, once you experience it for yourself but there is almost no comparision between NY and CA.
 

david_594

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Re: How is San Jose? This is the way to San Jose..

Hmmm, I guess my hints might have been a little too suddle. Campus I wasnt referring to college, I was referring to a companys campus. So I'm interviewing for this small networking company out there called Cisco.

A Co-op (short for cooperative education) is when you take a semester off from college and go work for a company for like 6 months. They tend to be more involved and allow you to build more skills than internships with are usually only 3 months.

My big fear was that it would be a car unfriendly city, but it doesnt sound that way.

So I guess how close is the nearest ski resort?
 

peter pyce

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Re: How is San Jose? This is the way to San Jose..

Nearest ski resort - 2-3 hours drive.

SF is "slightly" car-unfriendly as parking is difficult, but it is nothing even close to what Manhattan is. All the rest of CA is car-needed-to-live.
 

ruking

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Re: How is San Jose? This is the way to San Jose..

Hmmm, I guess my hints might have been a little too suddle. Campus I wasnt referring to college, I was referring to a companys campus. So I'm interviewing for this small networking company out there called Cisco.

A Co-op (short for cooperative education) is when you take a semester off from college and go work for a company for like 6 months. They tend to be more involved and allow you to build more skills than internships with are usually only 3 months.

My big fear was that it would be a car unfriendly city, but it doesnt sound that way.

So I guess how close is the nearest ski resort?
Well, let's see you say you are a college student and you ask how San Jose is and where the campus is.....? This is part of the reason I asked about your understanding of Co-Op. Plus you don't name the place you are doing the Co-Op with? I would not use the word subtle here.

I was involved in the approval process for app 23 Cisco buildings in my town when Cisco was expanding. Parking is more than plentiful at any one and all of the 23 buildings, that I am familar. Most of the spaces are not compact spaces.

One of the nearest ski resorts is in the Arnold, CA area 2.75 hrs/143 miles. Ease wise, Sugar Bowl, Norden, CA off of Highway 80 is app 4 hours to sometimes a high of 10 hours. It is app 182 miles from Cisco.
 

Shaggy

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Re: How is San Jose? This is the way to San Jose..

Cisco ins't even in downtown SJ, so unless you want to deal with the lousy public transportation in the south bay then you pretty much need a car. You can get a studio or 1 bedroom apartment for around $1000/mo in one of a dozen cities near any one of the Cisco campuses and be within a 15 minute drive to work. San Jose and all of the surrounding cities have all run into each other so there is no space between them anymore. Many times people say "X company is in San Jose", but in reality it can be in San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Saratoga, Campbell, Milpitas, or a couple of others. Most of Cisco's campuses are technically in SJ but are way north, actually closer to Milpitas, Sunnyvale and Mountain View.

Cisco in SJ
 
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