About Sunnyvale's Downtown

Yup! It is that time again... Time for the Sunnyvale Art & Wine Festival. June 4th and 5th, 2011. The event will start at 11am each day and end at 6pm.

There will be local artists, great wine, good food and of course, live entertainment!

Saturday June 4th

• 11-12pm "Highwater Blues Band"
• 12:30-1:30pm "The Hot Rods"
• 2-3pm "The Rayburn Brothers"
• 3:30-4pm "Redhouse Blues Band"
• 5-6pm "Groove Kings"

Sunday June 5th

• 11am-12pm "The RBXPRESS band
• 12:30-1:30pm "The Mystic Pilots
• 2-3pm "The Peelers"
• 3:30-4:30pm "The Mo-Fo's
• 5-6pm "The Department of Rock"

Here is a map of the event in Sunnyvale.

Hope to see you there! Rain or shine, the show will go on this year!

Howl'oween Pet Parade & Faire - October 30, 2010

Now, this event is one that you do not want to miss! If you have a loved one (pet) that you want to show off, dress up, parade on down the road, then this event is the one for you! While you are there, take a moment to stop and have lunch or an early dinner in downtown Sunnyvale.

It starts at 11am, and goes down Murphy Avenye, in Historic Downtown Sunnyvale.

This event is presented by the Sunnyvale Downtown Association and the City Of Sunnyvale.

The parade starts at 11am to 12:30. The Pet Faire is from 11:30 - 4:30pm. If you need to contact the faire's orginizers, you can reach them at 408-516-7217

Parade and Faire Highlights:

* Best Pet Costume
* Best Human Costume
* Best Combo Costume
* Best Group Costumes
* Best Float
* Pet Talent Show
* Pet Lover Village
* Kissing Booth
* Dog Treat Stacking Contest

To register:

Vendor App Pet Parade 2010
Download File

Pet Parade App 2010
Download File

2010 Sponsorship Information
Download File

Hope to see you all there!

-Chris

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about Jazz and Beyond, Saturday Night on Murphy Street in Sunnyvale CA http://siliconvalleyrealestate-blog.com/local/California/Sunnyvale/Downtown but I had not actually fully participated yet. I gained some tips I wanted to share from last Saturday night from experiencing the whole Jazz & Beyond event.

We go out to dinner almost every Saturday night on Murphy St in Sunnyvale, CA. We get dinner and then have a glass of wine and listen to the jazz. However we had not sat at one of the tables on Murphy St and ordered food via our phone and enjoyed dinner outside. One of the reasons is that the tables filll up really fast and we also felt that it was something we wanted to do with another couple.

So last Saturday night we met up with another couple and gave it a try! It was a blast! We had appetizers from the Vietnamese place and then we all ordered from different places and enjoyed the whole experience of ordering food on your phone and having someone bring it to you. We all got to eat where we wanted to no compromises. Plus you have tableside beverage service.

One of the things we did not like was that everything was served in to go containers with plastic utensils. This made you really think about what to order. It would not be a great deal of fun to eat a steak with a plastic knife.

We then struck up a conversation with the three women sitting at the same table with us, turns out they were Jazz & Beyond veterans and had plenty of tips to pass on here are some examples:

1. Bring a cooler, you almost always have leftovers! And do not want to worry about them going bad while you are enjoying the music

2. Bring your own utensils and plates. Their goal is to try new things so they use the to go containers provided by the restaurants as serving trays. Plus you can order the steak!

3. Bring your own wine glasses, good wine does not taste as good out of a plastic glass

4. Bring linen napkins, again if you are enjoying fine dining under the stars make it feel that way

5. Alternate who brings the cooler and the other items to increase the enjoyment of the experience

I have to say their suggestions were spot on for making a very good experience even better. Give the Jazz & Beyond Series in Sunnyvale CA a try.

Arrive with your cooler and dishes and look like a pro!

Jazz & Beyond Series: A Musical Dining Experience
Saturdays 5:30 to 8:30 pm, July 10 through August 28
South Murphy Avenue between Evelyn and Washington
Best parking is at the Sunnyvale train station and the Sunnyvale Town Center
Jazz & Beyond website

Carla Dimond
Realtor-Lifestyle Neighborhood Specialist
Keller Williams Realty-Cupertino
Cell/Direct: (650) 388-8820
Carla.dimond@gmail.com
carladimond.com
DRE # 01871201

Saturday Night, Enjoy Live Jazz and try a New place to eat on Murphy Street in Sunnyvale CA

We often go to Murphy Street in Downtown Sunnyvale CA for dinner. Last Saturday night we encountered "Jazz & Beyond" after we had already eaten.

However, this Saturday night we are going to go back and take advantage of the opportunity to sit at a table on Murphy Street in front of the Jazz band and order from ANY restaurant on Murphy Street. No compromises! I can eat Mexican and he can eat Thai or whatever else looks good when we sit down. We have invited a couple of friends to go along. We can all eat together but order from any restaurant, plus enjoy a bottle of wine together. I think this is such great concept. So often you get in a rut and keep going to the same place or you want to try a place that your partner clearly does not want to try.

This is also a great option for families to have a peaceful evening because everyone can eat where they want. I have friends that I never get together for dinner because we can never agree on a place that everyone would like. Jazz & Beyond is the perfect opportunity to make socialization the center of the evening and not the battle over where to eat. Drop by Murphy Street in Sunnyvale on Saturday night this summer and give it a try!

Jazz & Beyond Series: A Musical Dining Experience
Saturdays 5:30 to 8:30 pm, July 10 through August 28
South Murphy Avenue between Evelyn and Washington
Best parking is at the Sunnyvale train station and the Sunnyvale Town Center
Jazz & Beyond website

I have wanted to write about downtown Sunnyvale CA for a long time but keep putting it off. The reason? I don't know when the mall renovation will be complete and cannot seem to find any great answers. However, I do keep hearing lots of rumors about what is or is not happening with the mall.

With or without a new mall, the downtown Sunnyvale area is a great lifestyle neighborhood. You have a farmer's market at the Caltrain Station on Saturday. The Caltrain station is at the end of Historical Murphy Street with it's great restaurants and shops. You have apartments, houses and condos all within walking distance of Murphy Street and Caltrain. Downtown Sunnyvale is also less expensive compared to some of the other downtown Silicon Valley neighborhoods.

A great new addition to the area is a Sprouts Farmer's Market that just opened up on El Camino (X-street S Murphy Street) Sprouts gives many residents in the downtown Sunnyvale area a grocery store that they can walk or bike to.

Just around the corner from Murphy Street on Washington Street is King Wah's. King Wah's is one of the oldest Chinese Restaurants in the Silicon Valley. They have been serving up delicious Cantonese style Chinese food for over 40 years. So don't wait to see what the new mall in downtown Sunnyvale will be like, come and enjoy what downtown Sunnyvale already has to offer.

If you would like to get a feel for the property currently available in the Downtown Sunnyvale please give me a call I would be glad to show you one of my favorite neighborhoods in Silicon Valley.

Carla Dimond

Lifestyle Neighborhood Specialist

650 388-8820

carla.dimond@gmail.com