What we’re about
Are you new to the Bay Area? Do you want to make new friends? Do you want to go hiking but don't want to do it by yourself? Are you curious about the breweries?
This group is for anyone interested in socializing and staying active in a relaxed and welcoming environment. We enjoy meeting new people so feel free to check out our events! Come say hi and see where that takes you :)
IMPORTANT RULES:
- Please RSVP before showing up and update it accordingly if you can no longer make it to the event.
- Please be respectful. We do not tolerate offensive behavior and ban people who harass other members of the group.
- The organizers are not responsible for any injuries or damage that may happen to you while attending any of our events, especially when doing anything outdoors such as hiking. You are responsible for your own safety at all times.
Welcome to the group and we look forward to meeting you in person!
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Full moon sunset hike @ Bay Area classic spot (near BART)Ohlone College Peak Trail Entrance (Near the Ohlone Collge Multilevel Parking Garage - First Level), Fremont, CA
WHAT WE'LL BE DOING
This is a classic Bay Area hike that everyone in the Bay Area needs to do once :) We'll do it from the Ohlone College entrance, which is the slightly "easier" (but still challenging) route:
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/mission-peak-from-ohlone-college
Sunset is around 7:29 (https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/@5373693?month=9&year=2025), so we'll start by 5:45 at the latest. We'll go slow, and this is one of the rare hikes where it's virtually impossible to get lost, so even if you arrive late you'll still be able to find us. The end time is an estimate based on a very slow pace, so we can finish much earlier if we go at even a mild pace.There is a $4 parking fee PER CAR, so please carpool so you can save yourself some money and spare the air.
The full moon is actually Saturday night/Sunday morning, but I checked and it looks like there's already lots of events scheduled across Meetup for Saturday including other groups doing a full moon hike, so doing this one on Friday to avoid the crowd on the trails/conflicts with other events.
HOW TO GET THERE
Car:
You can park at the Ohlone College parking structure for $4 (flat rate) if you drive your car there. I'd recommend taking BART and then ridesharing or carpooling if you can. (See below)BART:
Fremont station- 5.1 miles to
the parking structure by car if you rideshare or carpool with someone who can pick you up from here - 5.6 miles by bicycle
Warm Springs Station
- 3 miles by car if you rideshare or carpool with someone who can pick you up from here
- 3 miles by bicycle
Carpool:
If you have a car, please help out and give rides if you're comfortable doing so! Use https://www.groupcarpool.com/t/d6gezv - note that the info you enter here is PUBLICLY available for anyone who has the link, so don't fill out all the fields, just the required ones (use a backup if you can).DINNER
Places that are nearby:
- BJ's Restaurant & Brewery
- Hyderabad Dum Biryani
- Lazy Dog
- Sala Thai
- Shalimar
- GumaGumalu
- Soo Ja Fusion Bistro
- In-N-Out
- more places, but this list is already long - come with recs if you have anyOTHER INFORMATION
I realize hiking can be intimidating if you haven't done it before and this is a challenging hike, but it's on a very well defined trail and we'll be going pretty slow (~2 miles an hour pace) and I'll likely be near the back of the group. Bring your friends who like hiking too! Or invite that one friend that's been thinking about hiking but needs that extra push :)Cows graze the pasture around the trails - very mellow cows, but if you're terrified of cows, something to keep in mind.
The event time is is an estimate - if we end up going really fast, the hike might end up being really quick.
The dinner/dessert after will be optional, so if you already have plans for the night, you can leave after the hike.
In any case, come out and join us to add some excitement to your week!
SAFETY DISCLAIMER
The organizers of this meet-up are unpaid volunteers and not expert guides. All participants agree to assume 100% responsibility for their own safety, conduct, and well-being and recognize that possible hazards exist while participating in outdoor (or any other) activities, and agree to participate solely at their own risk. If you RSVP “Yes” and/or attend any of our events, it shall be conclusively presumed that you understand and agree to this policy. - 5.1 miles to
- 10th Annual Viva CalleSJ: walk/bike/skate around & exclusive deals @local storesW St John Street, San Jose, CA
previous one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNRCoEQgrUY
first one of 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMd9S6Fp73QABOUT THE EVENT
Viva CalleSJ is not just a bicycle event, it is an open streets event! Feel free to walk, bike, skate or just come play in the streets! They also have an interactive map you can play with at https://vivacallesj.app/ (See the official page at https://www.vivacallesj.org/the-event/featured-event)
The San Jose Parks Department puts on this event a couple times a year, and Sunday, September 7 will be the last Viva CalleSJ of 2025.NOTE that this event will likely have thousands of people!
Good news: You'll find at least a couple interesting people.
Not so good news: If you don't find us (the meetup group) at the beginning, you will have a very hard time finding us later.We'll meet near Voyager Coffee near St. John & Market Street and hang out there until 10:30 to give people some buffer time to arrive. You've been warned, if you arrive late, it will be VERY hard to find us after. My goal is to visit all the hubs, so I'll have a bike, but we won't go too fast so having a scooter/skaetboard/roller skates (or an electric version) should be fine, but walking is probably going to be too slow if you want to join the group. There's plenty of stuff to do though, so you won't get bored even if you do walk around. If you want to join us going to al the hubs but don't have any alternative modes of transportation, get a Bay Wheels bike (see the HOW TO GET THERE section below)
HOW TO GET THERE
I'd suggest taking VTA, since that'll get you directly into downtown SJ.If you're further away/don't have VTA nearby but have Bart, I'd recommend taking BART down to the Berryessa station, since that'll get you within 3 miles of the hubs. If you have your own bike/skateboard/e-bike/whatever, it'll probably take ~15 minutes to get to the hubs. Otherwise, you can hop on a Lyft bike - there are 2 Bay Wheels/Lyft Bike stations next to the Berryessa BART station at Newbury Park Dr @ King Rd and Berryessa BART (https://www.lyft.com/bikes/bay-wheels/explore). The day pass includes unlimited 30-min classic bike rides within a 24-hour period with any ride longer than 30 min costing an extra $0.30/min. Upgrading to an ebike is also $0.30/min.
If you want to drive, there are a bunch of parking lots around the area: https://parksj.org/ - keep in mind roads might be closed for the event.ACTIVITIES
Address for the main hubs:
Municipal Rose Garden: 1649 Naglee Ave, San Jose, CA 95216
Watson Park: N 22nd St, San Jose, CA 95112
Downtown Willow Glen: Lincoln Ave near Minnesota Ave (here's a local page)
Youth Empowerment Alliance: W San Carlos St near Bascom AveLocal Food Trucks:
- Chubby's Chick'n [Watson Park]
- Grillzillas [Watson Park]
- La Patrona Cocina Mexicana [Watson Park]
- Luv's Brownies [Watson Park]
- Kona Ice San Jose [Watson Park]
- Shrimp'n Aint Eazy [Watson Park]
- Cousins Maine Lobster [Municipal Rose Garden]
- Travelin' Tom's Coffee [Municipal Rose Garden]
- Princess Fruit [Municipal Rose Garden]
- Barya Kitchen [Municipal Rose Garden]
- Chick N' Bros [Municipal Rose Garden]
- Kona Ice [Municipal Rose Garden]
- Paleta Planeta [Municipal Rose Garden]Entertainment & More:
- Culture Night Market: Local Vendor Market [Watson Park]
- Live music: San Jose Jazz [Watson Park]
- San Jose Earthquakes [Watson Park]
- Community Resources [Watson Park]
- DJ TooTall [Municipal Rose Garden]
- Grupo Folklorico (Danza Que Vuela) | 12 p.m. [Municipal Rose Garden]
- Bay FC [Municipal Rose Garden]
- Community Resources [Municipal Rose Garden]
- Youth and Family Services [Youth Empowerment Alliance]
- ClimbOn Rock Wall: Free Rock Climbing Wall Activity [Youth Empowerment Alliance]
- Interactive community collage by artist Steven Nizzotes Rubalcaba [Youth Empowerment Alliance]
- Live music: The Graystones | 10:15 am - 11 am [Downtown Willow Glen]
- Live music: Pearl Alley Band | 11:30 am - 12:35 pm [Downtown Willow Glen]
- Live music: VCSJ 10th Anniversary Remarks | 12 pm - 12:20 pm [Downtown Willow Glen]
- Live music: Grace & the Grit | 1pm - 1:45 pm [Downtown Willow Glen]
- Live music: Surf Monster | 2:10 pm - 2:45 pm [Downtown Willow Glen]Minor Bike Repairs:
- Good Karma Bikes [Municipal Rose Garden]
- Bike Teacher
- Community Cycles [Youth Empowerment Alliance]Local Restaurants:
- Chula Puebla [Youth Empowerment Alliance]
- Chick N' Bros [Youth Empowerment Alliance]
- Cali Cool Hawaiian Shave Ice [Youth Empowerment Alliance]
- Paleta Planeta [Youth Empowerment Alliance]
- Boast Coffee Co. [Youth Empowerment Alliance]
- Old Greenwood BBQ [Youth Empowerment Alliance]
- a bunch of restaurants in Willow Glen: (Google Maps, Yelp)Local business exclusive deal for the day
From Watson Park Hub to Rose Garden Hub
- Pau Hana Shave Ice 248 Jackson Street
- Roy's Station Coffee & Tea 197 Jackson St
- Spread 170 Jackson Street
- La Corona Taqueria 601 N First St
- Stone Stew #2 205 N 4th St
- Voyager Coffee 111 W St John St 100
- Bibo's Pizza 320 W St John St
- Hannah Coffee 754 The Alameda Suite #80
- Luna Mexican Kitchen 1495 The Alameda
From Rose Garden hub to Downtown Willow Glen hub
- Luna Mexican Kitchen 1495 The Alameda
- Las Cazuelas 55 Race Street
- Eduardo's #2 255 Race Street
- Puerto Azul 1072 Lincoln Avenue
- Manley's Donuts 1080 Lincoln Avenue
- Stretch Lab 1100 Lincoln Ave Suite #140
- Waxing the City 1110 Lincoln Ave Suite #150
- Glow Candle Lounge 1140 Lincoln Ave
- Morning Crane Healing Art 1314 Lincoln Av Suite 2DOTHER EVENT INFO
- Maintain a safe speed! Stay in control, go with the flow of traffic, pass on the left, slower traffic please keep to the right.
- Be aware of your surroundings! Never Stop in the middle of the route and keep your eyes sharp to avoid accidents and obstacles.
- Wear a helmet! We care about your safety and so does the law! Participants under the age of 18 must wear a helmet and everyone is encouraged to wear one.
- Viva CalleSJ staff, volunteers, and public safety officers can be found on route and in activity hubs, ask for help!
- Take public transportation. Parking will be difficult in the areas around the route, avoid the hassle by taking VTA!SAFETY DISCLAIMER
The organizers of this meet-up are unpaid volunteers and not expert guides. All participants agree to assume 100% responsibility for their own safety, conduct, and well-being and recognize that possible hazards exist while participating in outdoor (or any other) activities, and agree to participate solely at their own risk. If you RSVP “Yes” and/or attend any of our events, it shall be conclusively presumed that you understand and agree to this policy.
