creative enlightenment

Slide with Airport View, Junipero Serra Park

Slide with Airport View, Junipero Serra Park

Silvia

Slide at View Meadow playground with view of SFOJunipero Serra Park is a 108 acres of trails and other outdoor enjoyments, like two playgrounds and picnic tables. Its hilly location leads you to an impressive view over the Bay right in view of the San Francisco airport. The Meadow View playground is near its highest point. There are some climbing structures, but the two parallel 54-feet metal slides are the focal point of this playground. 

Imagine a speedy slide while watching planes land and take off. The playground is in the middle of a woody area and has plenty of shade. Parking is $6 and you can pay right next to the playground. Climbing structure at View Meadow playground with a view.

I also hiked part of the 1.2 mile Quail Loop Trail which starts next to the playground. On my visit I saw some wildflowers, but not the Douglas Iris that an information sign talked about. Overall it was a pleasant hike with some elevation and a spectacular view!

Junipero Serra Park is just east of 280 at 1801 Crystal Springs Rd, San Bruno, CA 94066. Parking is $6, dogs are allowed on leash. 

 

Are you a slide enthusiast? If so, you should also try the Magic Mountain slide in San Mateo. At 55-feet this is the metal longest slide in Northern California!

They wore their best... photo exhibit inside the San Bruno BART station

Revisit the Exclusion of the Japanese-American, San Bruno BART

Silvia

Last week I wrote about the Peninsula Museum of Art and the history of the mall where it is located. The Shops of Tanforan in San Bruno was built on the grounds of a former racetrack used as the assembly center for almost 8,000 mostly Japanese-Americans during World War II. 

To remember this injustice the Tanforan Assembly Center Memorial Committee (TACMC) is in the midst of building the Tanforan Memorial, located just outside the San Bruno BART station. The bronze sculpture will picture two of the children that were detained at Tanforan based on a photograph by Dorethea Lange. 

Already available is the photo exhibit: They wore their best… Inside the BART station. Photos by Dorothea Lange inspired Paul Kitagaki Jr. to search out survivors and relatives of previously detained Japanese-American. Pictures of Lange and Kitagaki Jr are side-by-side with explanations of their origins and current life. There are also photographs of historic documents and five information panels condensing the history. 

While Dorothea Lange is now widely recognized for her striking images of the people in the Dust Bowl and the Internment camps, many of her photographs were deemed too honest and therefore impounded by the federal government.

If you are not a BART rider you can either ask the BART attendant to let you in or you can go to the virtual exhibit, plus additional materials, on the Tanforan Memorial website.  

If you’d like to learn more about the Japanese-American internment you can visit the Japanese American Museum of San Jose.

Entrance of the Peninsula Museum of Art, San Bruno

Track down the Peninsula Museum of Art, San Bruno

Silvia
Inside the Peninsula Museum of Art, San Bruno.

The Peninsula Museum of Art used to be in Burlingame. These days you can find it in a mall in San Bruno. The museum is located at the Shops of Tanforan above the food court, near the movie theater. I personally found the parking lot confusing; I followed signs to the food court that disappeared and I ended up parking near Barnes & Noble. This choice turned out to be wrong and far from the Museum at the opposite end of the mall. If you happen to come by BART, you’ll be dropped off close to the entrance to the food court.  Otherwise use the mall/Century Theater parking ramp, accessible off of Sneath Lane (not the BART ramp), and park on the 3rd/top level.

Regina Kong, Self portrait with lamb at the Peninsula Museum of Art.

The current exhibit at the Peninsula Museum of Art is New Voices: Art from Bay Area Universities. This is an interesting collection by ten art students from Stanford, San Jose, Berkeley, and more.This exhibit gives insight into how the pandemic affected each student, showing themes such as personal tragedies and cultural challenges.

Even with a limited showroom, the museum manages to exhibit multiple mediums: paintings, pottery, mixed media, and digital works.

New Voices can be seen until May 1st, 2022. Admission to the museum is free, but they request a donation to help fund the exhibits. Currently their hours vary due to a small volunteer staff. You should email peninsulamuseum@gmail.com and ask about their weekly hours. 

Tanforan History
Statue of Seabiscuit in front of the Shops at Tanforan.

The Shops of Tanforan used to be a race track, hence the Seabiscuit sculpture on the entrance by Barnes & Noble. During World War II the Army used these stables to gather and house almost 8,000 American Japanese in order to deport them to concentration camps fulfilling Roosevelt’s executive order 9066. A memorial to remember this injustice is planned for spring 2022.

And once again Tanforan is about to transition. The property has been sold and is said to become a “megacampus” of biotech and technology firms. I will do my best to follow up on the whereabouts of the Peninsula Museum of Art.

Other ways to see art created by students in the Bay Area are the galleries at the San Jose State University and the Euphrat Museum at the DeAnza College in Cupertino.

Domini Hoskins Black History Exhibit

Hand Down Black History – Domini Hoskins Black History Museum, Redwood City

Silvia
Open sign for the Domini Hoskins Black History & Learning Center. Sign reads: Black history is American history. Hand dwon the history. March1-March31 from 11 am - 5 pm, closed Mondays (Special Groups by appt only) For more infromation, contact 650-921-4191 Carolyn_Hoskins56@yahoo.com https://www.facebook.com/hbhlc

I enjoyed the article by thesixfifty about the Domini Hoskins Black History and Learning Center. Somewhat fitting for Black History month, Redwood City has enabled Carolyn Hoskins to display her collection of African American historic artifacts downtown at the former World Market. Lucky for us they are open for another month!

Part of the mural by Jose Castro, showing a black fist with the words: Power to the people.

Admission is $5 to see this vast display of what American black culture means. The volunteer at the door explained the history behind the collection. Carolyn Hoskins was asked by her grandson Domini about any other famous Black people, because he was tired of writing about Martin Luther King again. I am not sure if Carolyn suggested her late husband, Robert “Bob” Hoskins, a former 49er, as one example. Nevertheless Bob has a special place right at the entrance. 

The exhibition begins with historic figures from the slave trade, mixed in with literature references, for example Alex Haley’s Roots. There are tables with black inventors, sports legends, famous women, the first black president and the first lady. The pop culture section was designed by Carolyn’s daughter Kathy. In fact you can see Black history displayed over 22,000 square feet.

Part to the mural by Jose Castro, showing George Floyd and the words Black Lives Matter

This amazing collection of Black achievements can be seen until the end of March, 2022, at 890 Jefferson Ave. in Redwood City; or hopefully longer. It is open every day except Monday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friendly volunteers are on-site to answer questions. No photographs are allowed, except of the Black Lives Matter mural by Jose Castro in the back. 

MLK of course still plays a role in this museum. To dive deeper into his writings and accomplishments you might want to visit the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University.

Soil & Water garden plot at the Heritage Park in Mountain View.

Plant with Soil & Water, Mountain View Heritage Park

Silvia
Sign in garden box: Smelling me calms the body - lavender

How did I miss this? A true community garden at Heritage Park is now in its sixth year. Earlier this month I discovered Heritage Park in Mountain View and wrote about the tiny house. But the city also reserved room for a garden project. You can volunteer for Soil & Water every Saturday from 10 am – noon. This is a family friendly event that will teach you about gardening. Once a month Soil & Water will try to offer a kid-focused event. But in any case they will provide easy activities, like watering, for the little ones. Teenagers are also welcome and can earn community service credits. Volunteers will share the harvest. 

View from the entrance of the Soil & Water community garden plot, Heritage Park.

To get started you can sign-up on their website. Due to COVID-19 the number of volunteers is limited and masks might be required. If you plan on helping, you should also bring gloves, a hat and a water bottle.

Heritage Park is at 771 N. Rengstorff in Mountain View.

If you like to expand your garden volunteering you can help out at the SCU Forge Garden, Wednesday 10 am – 1 pm, Friday 9 am – 11 pm.

Entrance of the Edith Heath exhibit A Life in Clay at the OMCA

Experience Three Great Female Californian Artist, OMCA

Silvia

Bring some time if you are going to the OMCA – the Oakland Museum of California, because this is really three museums, plus a special exhibit. You can easily spend a whole day here. More precisely, there is the California History Museum, the Science Museum, the Art Museum, and the special exhibit. 

I came to see Edith Heath: A life in clay. Edith Heath, ceramist, and, as I learned, alchemist, was a trailblazer in everyday stoneware and tile design. This exhibition combines her craft with a  documentation of her life story. You can enjoy this informative display until October 2022.

A mug by Edith Heath und a magnifying glass to see the texture

On the way to the Heath exhibit you’ll pass the ongoing exhibit, Dorethea Lange: Photography as Activism. The Oakland Museum owns Lange’s personal collection of more than 40,000 negatives and 6,000 prints. Lange, a photographer, is best known for her images of the Depression and a truthful depiction of the effect of World War II at home. Her images can be found in various parts of the museum.

Portrait of Dorethea Lange by Hung Liu

After viewing the photos of Dorethea Lange you pass a portrait of her painted by Hung Liu. This is the third exhibit: Remembering Hung Liu. Lui was an Oakland-based artist who passed away last year. Four of Lui’s works can be seen until October, 2022.

I wish I had more time to enjoy the museum’s 110,000 square feet of gallery space. I just quickly glanced at the new garden, where they have lunchtime sessions with dances, storytelling, and more, every Saturday in February and March.

Unfortunately, the special exhibition Mothership: Voyage Into Afrofuturism ends February 27th.

Hella Feminist, celebrating the lesser-known stories of feminism in Oakland and the Bay Area will be the next special exhibition starting this summer.

Visitor Information
The terraced gardens at the OMCA

The Oakland Museum is located at 1000 Oak Street, Oakland, CA. Museum’s hours are Wednesday–Sunday 11 am–5 pm, with extended hours on Friday 5–9 pm. General admission is $16, seniors and students $11, Youth (13–17) are free through Feb. 27, Children (12 & under) free. There is a surcharge of $5 for the special exhibition.

Please check the web site for current COVID restrictions.

Have you been to the OMCA?

Rise up for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Stanford

Rise up for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Stanford

Silvia
Rise up exhibit at the East Asia Library

The exhibit at the East Asia Library at Stanford has about 4 yards of wall space and two cases, but the impact of the collected history is immense. With rising hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) this seems a very timely choice. But racism is historically embedded in the United States. It begins with the Naturalization Act of 1790, granting naturalization to “free white persons”, excluding everyone except white men from citizenship.

It took until 1943 to repeal all Chinese exclusion laws (Magnuson Act). After this, the immigration quota was still limited to 105 new entry visas per year. 

Shooting death of 19 year old Fong Lee in 2006

As much as I’m impressed with Stanford University and the fact that they present this exhibit, it feels odd that one of the panels tries to defend Leland Stanford as a person taking a stance for the Asian community. It becomes clear very quickly that the president of the Central Pacific Railroad was not interested in the rights of immigrants but cheap labor. 

The history lesson furthers the accord on violence and incarceration. Riots, massacres and ethnic cleansing between 1871 to 1907 are documented. The Executive Order 9066 that incarcerated 120,000 Japanese Americans has its 80th anniversary this year on the 19th of February.

Woman with child protesting. Sign read 'We belong here' and 'I am an American'
Cupertino AAPI Rally, April 2021, Photo by Zhang Qidong

Nevertheless this exhibit is named Rise up and elegantly shows important Stanford alumni of Asian descent, labor disputes, and other noteworthy demonstrations. It ends with pictures from various Anti-Asian Hate rallies from 2021.

The Washington Posts reported on January 26, 2022 that San Francisco’s policy recorded a 567% increase in anti Asian hate crimes in 2021. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/01/26/anti-asian-hate-crime-san-francisco-covid/)

How to view Rise up

While the East Asian Library is only open to Stanford students right now due to COVID protocols, they are happy to let you view the exhibit in their entryway. ‘Rise up’ is open until June 30, 2022. You can also access the virtual exhibit: https://exhibits.stanford.edu/riseup

Poster: Know History Know Peace Stop AAPI Hate

The library is located in the Lathrop Library building, 518 Memorial Way, just east of the Oval. Open hours are Monday – Thursday from 9am to 8 pm, Fridays from 9am to 5pm. 

Have you risen up for AAPI?

I previously made a collection of 50 things to do at Stanford.

Android Lawn Statues surrounded by caution tape

Hope for Reconstruction of the Android Lawn Statues, Mountain View

Silvia
Foam sculpture of a donut, partly destroyed.

The Android Lawn Statues were always an interesting excursion to show visitors. On my last visit, about a week ago, this place looked appalling. Caution tape was around the perimeter. The figures, which are larger than life sculptures of each new Android operating release, were either busted or completely removed. Named after sweet treats and candy, like Kit Kat and cupcake, these Android figures are made from foam.

Oreo Android figure wrapped in caution tape.

After the 2018 pie release, Google decided to go on a more boring route. The releases are now designed by numbers, starting with 10, which has an Android head peeking out of the zero.. For 11 and 12 you can see a virtual 3-D model. Interesting maybe to a nerd to find some inscription on the back – but unfortunately, it lost its cute appeal.

The lawn statues garden is located on 1981 Landings Drive; the Google merchandise store used to be steps away. Google decided to close down the store and now only has an online version. 

Hope is on the horizon

Hope is on the horizon
Google's Charleston East building is still under construction.

Google’s Charleston East (Google’s futuristic new campus) is almost here and they promised to open the first floor to the public. Watch this video by Tech Insider (​​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGx-sYIFHmE). The circus-like canopy shape introduces another interesting office building to Silicon Valley, joining Apple’s spaceship and Nvidia’s triangular headquarter. Or like the Bjarke Ingles Group architects call it: “smile-shaped clerestories”. In a report from the Mountain View Voice in February of last year, Charleston East’s public access could be revised to just allowing non-Googlers to enter on the west side of the building. Amid security concerns the tech giant might also put a, none the less pretty, wall around its campus.

Funny also, that the Android Lawn Statues have a neglected Facebook page, with a link to an Android fan site, but no official Google page.

I understand that these are office buildings and there is no responsibility to share anything with the public. Nevertheless, visitors to Silicon Valley long to see evidence of the high tech giving back to the community – even if it’s only in the form of some large foam statues. 

Have you been to Mountain View? Here is my list of 50 things to do in Mountain View.

The Sonic Runway and San Jose City Hall.

Dance through the tunnel, Sonic Runway, San Jose

Silvia
The Sonic Runway with City Hall, San Jose.

A few years ago, in 2017, I wrote about the light installations in downtown San Jose: See the light throughout the tunnel. The Sonic Runway had just been installed as a temporary installation as part of the Playa to Paseo partnership to bring Burning Man art to San Jose. Now it is back! By popular demand this light show can be enjoyed for at least six more years and will revitalize San Jose’s City Hall Plaza.

Sonic Runway in pink and purple, San Jose.

The artists team responsible includes lead artist Rob Jensen and co-lead Warren Trezevant. They first presented the Sonic Runway at Burning Man Festival in 2016. This reactive light installation “converts audio signals into patterns of lights that shoot down a corridor of arches at the speed of sound”, according to the Sonic Runway website. With 554 LED, the archways light up with electronic music traveling down the 25 arches with the speed of light (about 343 m/sec). The archways can also be activated by live music. San Jose plans events starting in March 2022.

I recommend going down starting from both sides. At one end you travel with the speed of light, starting at the other end, the lights come at you. Of course, if you ever wanted to run at sonic speed, just imagine, as one kid I watched there did, you are Sonic, the blue hedgehog, and run! 

The Sonic Runway lights up at 5 pm until midnight, every day.

Located at San Jose City Hall Plaza, 200 E Santa Clara St, San Jose

Have you experienced the Sonic Runway?

More information

I made a short video of the Sonic Runway Check it out on my YouTube channel and give me some love and subscribe 😉

There is also a Sonic Runway in Chengdu, China. Read this article by one of the creators, Rob Jensen: The Sonic Runway: From Playa to China in the Burning Man Journal. 

Entrance to Christmas in the Park.

Have a Jolly Time at Christmas in the Park, San Jose

Silvia
Some of the many Christmas trees at Christmas in the Park, San Jose.

Around this time of the year I miss the German Weihnachtsmärkte. A festive way of celebrating the season. There you can meet some friends, warm up with some Glühwein (mulled wine), or punch, have some candied almonds, and shop for some artisan gifts. Yes, this is an idealization, my mind ignoring the crowds, but these fairs definitely are part of the Holidays. If you are ever in Berlin for December make sure to visit many of these markets because they all feel different. 

Saucer carnival ride at Christmas in the Park.

Christmas in the Park in San Jose’s Plaza de Cesar Chavez Park compares to a Christmas market in Spandau. Here are a lot of carnival rides for little kids. I was greeted by the smell of kettle corn. There are also candy shops, Belgium waffles, and churros to munch on. You can’t buy Glühwein, but there is a hot chocolate booth. The crowds were not bad and the line for food was reasonable. 

Five girls dancing on the Community Stage of Christmas in the Park, San Jose.

Most people enjoyed the community stage, where local groups performed Christmas acts. But the special attraction of this fair is the hundreds of Christmas trees that are decorated by local businesses, high schoolers, and families, and the animated Christmas themed figures that move about. These figures include the stable of Santa’s reindeers, a train with trolls working, and a band of a fox, a skunk and a raccoon.

Sign for the Kristi Yamaguchi ice rink.

There is also a photoshoot opportunity with Santa on an outside stage and some Lego landscapes with a Holiday theme.

At one end, next to the San Jose Museum of Art, is the Kristi Yamaguchi Downtown Ice skating rink. 

A San Jose tradition

Christmas in the Park is a San Jose tradition for over 40 years now. For people preferring a more socially distant experience, they have continued the drive-thru light experience Blinky’s Illuminated Holiday near Raging Waters that was established last year (tickets are required) or you can sign up for a zoom meeting with Santa.

Christmas in the Park is located at Plaza de Cesar Chavez in downtown San Jose. Admission is free. The experience is open every day till January 2nd, from noon to midnight.

Is Christmas in the Park part of your Holiday tradition?
This is a nice place to come at night and see the lights on the many Christmas trees. The last time I was here, in 2017, I stopped by during the day, and seeing these many trees is still special.