Well, I'd say it was a great weekend. Warning: This is a long entry....and I'm writing it more for my own purposes of remembering this weekend rather then to entertain you...whoever you are. But it's here to read if you want to...so here I go.

The weekend kicked off on Thursday with a surprisingly well attended Centennial Celebration for Mountain View at the new Centennial Plaza and train depot. To my surprise, hundreds of people braved the pouring rain to stand outside or in tents to celebrate Mountain View's 100th. The rain certaintly made the event memorable....people were in good spirits and managed to make the best of it.

The plaza looks great, it's cool to see all the hard work that the committee put into this come together. The inscribed bricks were a great idea. I've got a picture of my family's and my grandparent's on the wall here in Berkeley. A lot of the ideas I came up with two years ago became realities. The plaque about the train depot's history was my idea, I even helped write it, and now its there on the train depot. The archway that was cut from the budget and which I asked the committee to bring back using alternative funding is there, and it looks awesome. To some extent, the name of the plaza, "Centennial Plaza" was my idea, although others probably thought of it as well.

I also suggested that grammar school kids write about what they think MV will be like in 2052, and there they were, on fancy display boards for everyone to read during the event. Funny thing was.....except for references to cell-phones, the essays could have been written by kids in the 1950s....with visions of skyscrapers, hoover cars, and robots that will do everything for us. Every once and a while there was an essay that seemed to hit the nail on the head. My favorite line....."And Mountain View will NEVER be renamed Mountain Dew." Phew...I was worried about that.

After the plaza dedication I got to go to a special reception, which was also a nice event.Saw lots of familiar faces from the city and from the Youth Advisory Group. Friday was a lot more laid back. I took a nice long walk in the rain along the Stevens Creek trail. The creek was full and the trees were turning colors. Took some nice pictures and really got into the spirit of fall. Went to lunch with my mom at Marie Calender's right after. Got so full, that when I went to dinner with Matt and Kim at Chili's all I wanted was a cup of clam chowder. But...CHILI's doesn't serve Clam Chowder. Boo to them. We went and saw the Santa Clause II after that. It's a nice Christmas movie, just as good, if not better, than the original.

Saturday was my birthday. Went to breakfast at the Los Altos Coffee Shop with my parents. Then went on a drive with my dad around Downtown San Jose and up Mount Hamilton Road to see the valley. Got a hot dog at Mark's Hot Dog's on Alum Rock. Jeesh, those are good hot dogs....and the fact that the hot dog stand is a giant orange built in the 1930s only makes the expirience better. My b-day dinner at the Spaghetti Factory was a lot of fun, and it was great to see so many of us together at one table (26 to be exact). Everyone had a really fun time.

Sunday my parents and I visited Santana Row in San Jose. Well....I was scepticle at first, but Santana Row is really nice. Santana Row is basically a mini-city within a city, with a hotel, open space, a movie theater, stores, restaurants, and high density housing all tied together in large historic-looking buildings that mimic a traditional downtown. It's right across the street from Valley Fair and the Winchester Mystery House. It offers the type of environment that Downtown San Jose SHOULD offer. It's friendly, and vibrant, and exciting. Most of the stores were too upscale for our taste or budget (or to ever locate in Downtown), but the restaurants looked good and the atmosphere was worth the visit alone. Another notch in San Jose's belt, and hopefully a wake up call to all those planners that are working on Downtown. Went to TGIF with the parents after, and once again was denied my clam chowder fix. Humph.

Monday was a beautiful day weather wise. Crisp and clear. Ran a few errands with my mom and then we had lunch at the Lakeside Cafe at Shoreline Park. That cafe has to have one of the nicest views in all of the South Bay. Good lunch. The rest of the day was spent working on homework....and then making my way back to Berkeley for another fun filled week of school. Woohoo. Oh well, before I know it Thanksgiving will be here, and then Christmas. All right. That's it. Phew. A good...long..weekend!