September is the time of the year when the California Department of Education releases its yearly Academic Performance Index (API) scores. Here are the 2009 Growth API Scores for Santa Clara County and San Mateo County. 

We see an overall steady increase in scores compared to last year’s growth API scores.

A few notables in the following Silicon Valley Santa Clara County school districts:

Berryessa Union Elementary School District: Ruskin Elementary School continues to lead the pack and breaks the 900 barrier with a general improvement in most of the schools in the district

Cupertino Union School District: Continues to have a plethora of high achieving schools (Murdock-Portal and William Faria Elementary School and Joaquin Miller Middle School)

Fremont Union High School District: Monta Vista High increase it’s lead over Lynbrook High School from four to nine points.

Los Gatos Union Elementary: Significant increase across the board for most elementary schools

Moreland Elementary School: Leroy Anderson Elementary takes one of the largest increases in scores by an increase of 136 points to 810

Palo Alto Unified: Herbert Hoover and Duveneck Elementary Schools continue to lead the way

Santa Clara Unified: Overall Santa Clara schools had good improvement with notable Rivermark’s Don Callejon as well as Westwood and Briarwood Elementary jumping nearly 40 points.

Sunnyvale School District: Cherry Chase increases 28 points to an impressive while Cumberland drops 26 points to 905

Check out our previous post to find out what’s the difference between Growth and Base API scores and how they are calculated.

73.  Monta Vista High, Cupertino
74.  Henry M. Gunn High, Palo Alto
80.  Saratoga High, Saratoga

These awards were based on how well-prepared students are for college as measured by Advanced Placement (AP) tests. 

California, as a state, did very well in the rankings, placing #4 out of all rated states — this means that out of all the high schools rated by US News and World Report, California has a higher percentage of silver and gold medal recipients than all but three states, based on the same criteria above. 

Of California’s 1,999 high schools rated, 126 (6.3%) received silver or gold.  The number one state, Massachusetts had 338 high schools rated and 29 (8.6%) silver and gold medalists.

US News’ rating by AP score is different from California’s standardized testing and Academic Performance Index (API), which focuses on California’s own standardized tests.  It’s no surprise that Bay Area high schools Monta Vista, Gunn and Saratoga each have API scores that are some of the best in California, exceeding 900 (out of 1000).

The Los Altos, Saratoga, Cupertino, and Palo Alto elementary school districts all maintained district API averages above 900, an excellent score (which is par for the course in these districts).

The competitive Cupertino Union schools improved from an already-elite score of 930 to 941, and its border school Stocklmeir Elementary — which students who are living in Sunnyvale can attend — notched up 13 points to 959. To offer some perspective as to the strength of these scores, the average state API for all grades is 742, up from 728 last year.

This year’s score report also reflects improvements at both Cumberland and Cherry Chase, the two top elementary schools in Sunnyvale. Both broke the 900 mark once again, with respective scores of 920 and 909.

Also emerging are up-and-coming schools to watch. Take Ellis Elementary in Sunnyvale, which entered the 21^st century with a score in the mid-700s and now consistently scores in excess of 800. This year, Ellis improved 17 points with a score of 831.

The Campbell Union Elementary District’s Forest Hill is another school on the move. At a 2008 score of 888, Forest Hill is inching closer to breaking the 900 barrier. Up from 879 last year, Forest Hill was a low-800s school in 2000. We’ll continue to keep an eye on these continually improving school systems as they maintain their march up the API ladder.

There are two other metrics in the report, statewide rank and similar schools rank, both ratings from 1 to 10.  Each number represents a decile, with 10 being the top 10% of all schools in that category.

This metric compares schools that have similar characteristics, based on ethnicity, socioeconomic status, teacher credentials, and (about a dozen) other factors.  So which number matters more: the state or similar schools rank?

By far, the state number.  Let’s look at some of the Cupertino Union figures for examples. 

The third column is the state ranking and the fourth is for similar schools: Blue Hills is 10/8, Collins is 10/7, and DeVargas is 8/2.  Eisenhower and Muir (not shown) are both 10/2 with API scores of 906 and 894 respectively.

The difference in API between 10/8 and 10/7 is only 10 points, but the difference between a 10/2 and 8/2 is about 60 points.  The reason is because schools that are alike tend to have similar performance.  When you group those schools together and rank them, some turn out to be the best of the group and others the lowest-rated of the group.  

So if a 10/10 school is the best of the best, should parents be worried about a 10/2 school like Eisenhower or Muir elementary?  There is room for improvement, but a 10 means the school is in the top 10% of all schools in California.  At that level, I’d be more focused on what programs, classes and activities a school has to offer than beating other quality schools in standardized tests.

The tests and the methodology the California Department of Education (CDE) uses to assess the academic performance of its school districts evolve every year, by what they call the "phase-in of new assessments (indicators) into the API" on page 13 of this 73-page PDF explaining the 2007-2008 performance index.   

In order to maintain an apples-to-apples comparison, the CDE uses two metrics: the base API and the next year’s growth API, both of which use the same tests.  That ties the two scores together for comparison.  So, for example, you can see how well your schools have improved by comparing the 2007 Base API scores (from spring 2007) with the 2008 Growth API scores (from spring this year).  This 2008 Growth API scores will be released in August.

Homeowners and buyers shouldn’t compare 2006 Base API scores directly with 2007 Base API scores to gauge the direction of their school district.  We need to use API growth over a period of time, as in the chart above.  An up-and-coming school district will have positive growth scores over several years, and an elite school district should see relatively little change in that same period. 

The hypothetical chart above taken from the PDF document could represent a good school district that worked its way to elite status between 2003 and 2004, and for their homeowners, it probably represents the culmination of a lot of community effort and participation in their children’s education.

No, stocks don’t come with locations, or school districts, or uses, except for those jokes about dot-com stocks and toilet paper back at the turn of the century.  But whether my clients are investing in real estate for love or money, I consider providing a solid understanding of the strategies behind choosing a school district an essential part of their property search.

When buying a home in Silicon Valley, you’re secondarily investing in the school district where you buy your real estate.  Plus, you can tell a lot about the property you’re looking at by how easy the listing agent makes it to find the schools for that location.  But how you choose a school district — or said more generally, how you choose the right location for your home search — depends on your answer.  Are you buying a home for love or money? 

Strategies for Choosing the Right Bay Area School District 

The trick is that it’s not an either-or proposition.  It’s a matter of what resources you have, how much you’re willing to spend and how you prioritize your home search.  As I do with my clients, we’ll examine several options from least to most expensive.

1)  Opting-Out 

It wasn’t the first time I’d heard this, but it was the most succinct.  "Alex," he said, "I love my kid to death.  This move is already very stressful on him and I want him to be in an environment where he can focus more on making friends than competing for grades." 

I wanted to bring this up as a possibility because some parents believe that an good education is important but isn’t necessarily worth the pressure on their children.

2)  Buying Low, Selling High

A home in an ascending school district often has more upside potential than a home in a prestigious school district where the quality of the schools is already built into the price of the home.  That isn’t to say a home in the less expensive neighborhood will appreciate more, in real terms or as a percentage. 

It’s that you may not want to pay for something you don’t need and you can put that money into more land or home improvements, which will increase your value for money.  Also, if you choose a school district that is continually improving, you’ll benefit even more because you’ll be receiving value for something you didn’t pay upfront for.

Let’s look at two neighboring cities: Cupertino and Sunnyvale.  Cupertino’s reputation for schools precedes it and it occupies a very specific market niche.  Sure, the shopping mall at Cupertino Square is undergoing a revitalization effort and its wine country, hidden away towards the mountains, has a breathtaking view of all Silicon Valley.  But Cupertino is all about the schools, and it’s right to be quite proud of that.  For many of my clients, that’s all they need to know and we skip to #4.

Despite their geographic locations, there are two major differences between Cupertino and Sunnyvale.  The first is in relative pricing in both single-family homes plus townhomes and condominiums.  Cupertino is represented using red hues and Sunnyvale using blue hues below.  The difference in medians between single-family home prices in the two cities was $325,000 in April 2007.

The second major difference is in school districts.  Here is a comparison of the API scores of the two primary school districts.  Cupertino is in the elite category with scores over 900 for the past three years.  Sunnyvale is approaching 800, which is the benchmark for the State of California.  

With a difference of $325,000 in the two real estate prices, one style of value investor would consider the bottom-line cost savings, the number of improvements that can be made to the house for that cost saving, and potential appreciation of an improving school district. 

That type of investor may or may not have kids to send to that school district and the upside of improving API scores or a local school working towards a California Distinguished School award may be appealing.  For families with children, the cost savings between median houses in those two areas could pay for not only private schools but college. 

Some schools, like Bullis Charter School (which has an off-the-charts API score of 973 and a 10 out of 10 ranking both statewide and for similar demographics — and a similarly impressive wait list) take residents from anywhere in California.  There is technically no tuition but a donation ($3,500 at Bullis) is expected.

3)  Unearthing a Hidden Gem

Palo Alto, Saratoga, Los Altos, Cupertino, Pleasanton.  The names alone read like a Who’s Who list of elite school districts, not only in Silicon Valley and the Bay Area, but across California and even nationwide. 

Some of the best Bay Area school districts like Palo Alto are even opting out of the ranking game, choosing to focus on students and what’s best for them, rather than on making sure students hit all the checkboxes needed for those districts to get high rankings. 

And voters in cities like Cupertino protect their schools by restricting growth, and the additional load on their prestigious school district, even though there may be enough land physically to support more developments.  You pay the premium in those areas.

But there are quality schools in cities that don’t have the same elite reputation.  For example, Moreland Elementary School District in San Jose between Cupertino, Campbell, and Saratoga has 5 elementary schools with API scores over 850, with Country Lane Elementary at 915.  Sunnyvale’s Cherry Chase Elementary hit 941 in 2006, with a 10 out of 10 statewide ranking; and Cumberland comes in at a more-than-respectable 865 with a 9 out of 10.  Roy Cloud Elementary in Redwood City is a 9 out of 10 with an 883 API, and Redwood City’s North Star magnet school rates at a 985 API and 10 out of 10.

Also, because cities overlap unified school districts, it’s possible that a home in one city will be covered by a school in another city.  This is particularly noticeable in Sunnyvale and Cupertino where they share the Stocklmeir Elementary and Cupertino Middle among others.

I combed through the spreadsheet I built with over 400 schools so there are too many gems to list.  The reason why I put it together is to highlight schools that have increased their API scores in three years successively, so my clients know where there might be good values.  The point I highlight for them is that it’s the choice between buying the name of the city and buying the school.  When you choose to buy the school, you may not have to pay for the name.

But there is nothing wrong with buying the name: you get similar benefits and pricing to the way people buy and resell name-brands.   

4)  Buying the City

It’s the commitment.  The priorities.  Some cities have theirs in a different place.  Foster City has been putting off building their own high school because they want to focus on commercial and industrial uses of land.  Cupertino virtually requires developers to help fund their school system.  The median price of homes is about the same in both cities.

There are the other benefits to buying the brand name.  The brand recognition.  The prestige.  The neighborhood.   Will it be easier to sell your home at a higher price in Palo Alto or Redwood City?  

The right school (combined with a strategically priced property and the right time of year) can attract multiple offers and higher prices.  It works the other way round too.  After all, some people will summarily dismiss a property based on the school district.  (And even in the best school districts, there are certain schools that aren’t as good as others.)

Plus, not everyone has the time or inclination to do such in-depth research, so they rely on the name.   Choosing where to spend your time is just as important as choosing where to spend your money — and ultimately that decision is up to you.  In order, the top five districts are Los Altos, Saratoga Unified, Cupertino Union, Palo Alto Unified, and Los Gatos Union.  You can find the most up-to-date API rankings here.

(c) Alex H. Wang for the Silicon Valley Real Estate Blog at 1SiliconValley.com

Recommended Reading:

• Determining Your Must-Haves When Buying a House
• Silicon Valley School Information
• Silicon Valley School System Bang-for-the-Buck
• Why the Perfect House Wasn’t So Perfect
• How a Win-Win Saved My Client $25,000

The California Department of Education (CDE) just released the recipients of its California Distinguished Schools award, which honors the "exemplary and inspiring" schools across the state. 

Typically only 5% of schools are awarded with the California Distinguished School title, which schools are allowed to use for four years — and in 2007, there were 21 Silicon Valley schools (11 from San Mateo County and 10 from Santa Clara County) that received the honor. 

Elementary and secondary schools are evaluated in alternating years and, this year, it was time for the middle and high schools to go under the microscope.

As frequent readers here know, I'm a big advocate of not only looking at real estate in established educational powerhouses, but also finding up-and-coming schools.  After all, schools power real estate demand — even if you don't have kids — and people looking for the "next big thing" in terms of appreciation need to look beyond what's already been priced into the market.

There were some big winners this year in Silicon Valley and this article kicks off a week of market analysis homing in on key cities in these school districts.  Here's a whirlwind tour.

Fremont Union High School District (South Bay)

Fremont Union primarily covers the Silicon Valley staples, Cupertino and Sunnyvale, but also includes areas of other Santa Clara County cities including Los Altos, Saratoga, and San Jose.

Three of Fremont Union's five high schools received the California Distinguished School award this year.  Monta Vista High School and Lynbrook High have both amassed five of the awards, while fellow 2007 winner, Cupertino High, has been named a California Distinguished School three times.

The Fremont Union High School District web site has a PDF map that shows the areas each school in the district covers. 

Sequoia Union High School District (Peninsula)

Sequoia Union covers a wide stretch of Silicon Valley and the Peninsula, serving the San Mateo County cities of Atherton, Belmont, East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Portola Valley, Redwood City, San Carlos, and Woodside.

Three of Sequoia Union's four comprehensive education high schools (Sequoia Union has one vocational high school) won this year.  And of the award winners, both Sequoia High School and Menlo-Atherton High School have won the award twice, while Carlmont High School has won the award three times.

The Sequoia Union High School District web site has a handy tool that lets you check what school any given address in the district feeds into. 

Up-and-Coming Schools

The Campbell Union High School District has two up-and-coming schools that are brand new winners this year, Del Mar and Branham High. 

And, further north in the San Mateo Union School District are two more first-time winners, Burlingame High and Hillsdale High.

I'll post the latest home values in the 1SiliconValley.com Housing Market section.

(c) Steve Leung for the Silicon Valley Real Estate Blog at 1SiliconValley.com

Recommended Reading:

• Silicon Valley School System Bang-for-the-Buck
• Silicon Valley Housing Market Information
• Not Overpaying When Buying a Home
• How a Win-Win Saved My Client $25,000

No, he'd been following some of the other visitors around the winery but he put on his full strut when he saw the gleam of my camera lens.  

Here he was: the side of Cupertino not many people get to see.  Hidden off the rugged Santa Cruz Mountains with Montebello Road carving its winding path, Cupertino is Silicon Valley wine country.  

The Ridge at the Top of the Mountain

The signs were everywhere and they weren't subtle.  This was also rattlesnake country and people were just visitors.  With a view that stretched well beyond Moffett Field and downtown San Jose, past the East Bay with clear skies, though, nothing else had my attention.  Here was the Ridge Vineyard and Winery, proper and formal, yet rustic in its nature.

The beautiful mountain.  The name of the Ridge Winery estate and the name of their flagship red, unsurprisingly, Monte Bello (with the space).  And in keeping with the traditions of great temptation, they will give you your first taste for free.  They welcome guests on weekends, but on weekdays with reservations only.

Down the Santa Cruz Mountains

Not to be forgotten are the Naumann and Fellom Ranch Vineyards.  Our story, though, continues with our fine feathered friend at the Picchetti Winery and the appropriately named Peacock Court.

Have you ever been flashed by poultry?  The two women just ahead had gotten out of their cars and were walking leisurely, up the path towards the farmhouse where Picchetti Winery holds its tastings.  Hidden behind the barrel marking the entryway and sensing his opportunity, he burst out from his cover, running towards the ladies and rearing himself — literally — in full glory.  The Pichetti sangiovese is good, but it's not what I'll remember from this winery.

Catch and Release

1935, the year before Turing Machines.  That's the year when the Stevens Creek Dam and Reservoir was constructed.  Some people pass this piece of history before entering Cupertino wine country.  You can't miss it: it's entire view on your left heading up to Montebello Road. 

Others come here to spend the afternoon sitting on the steep angular concrete wall that is the Stevens Creek Dam, with fishing rod in hand, enjoying the reflection of the sun off the water.  This is Cupertino too.  

(c) Steve Leung for the Silicon Valley Real Estate Blog at 1SiliconValley.com

Recommended Reading:

• A Sunset at Muir Beach
• One Lazy Saturday at Shoreline Park – Mountain View
• Walking Tour of Santana Row
• Silicon Valley Farmers Markets

Technorati Tags: Silicon Valley, Bay Area, Cupertino, Wine, Fishing

Going up?  Cupertino Square pulled the wraps off the construction they’re doing on the AMC theater set to open in April. 

Stairway to heaven?  Normally an escalator wouldn’t be that interesting, but in this case it’s the visual centerpiece of the Vallco revitalization.

The entire area had previously been cloistered away behind thick plastic wraps to keep the construction hidden and the corridor free from dust. 

While the Strike bowling alley is still several months away, the automated ticketing kiosks and the ticket booths are already up and new tiles leading to the theater are being installed.

People who usually find themselves going to other theaters near Cupertino like the Century San Jose 25 at Westgate Mall, AMC Saratoga 14, or the Century San Jose triplets will find these newer facilities more convenient.

(c) Steve Leung for the Silicon Valley Real Estate Blog at 1SiliconValley.com

Recommended Reading:

• Cupertino Housing Market Update – April 2007
• Cupertino Square Information
• Cupertino Home Inventory Search and Market Information
• Silicon Valley School System Bang-for-the-Buck
• Goodbye Vallco, Hello Cupertino Square
• Silicon Valley Shopping Information

We’ll take a look at how school rankings and Silicon Valley real estate prices are related, but first let’s look at how to read the information.

Number of Students. In the first column, you’ll find the number of students whose results were included from that school.  It’s pretty close to the total number of students, less any excluded students.  The rules for excluding students are listed in the API Base Documentation Information Guide found on the CDE API page.  Surprisingly, the number of students has little to do with how well the school did in its API scores (almost, see epilogue).

Base API, Statewide Rank, Similar Schools Rank. The Base API score is like an SAT score except it’s from 200 to 1000.  Higher is better.  To make comparing schools easier, the CDE provides a statewide rank from 1 to 10 (ten is best) and a similar schools rank that rates schools (again from 1 to 10, ten being best) that have similar demographics and characteristics.  Apples-to-apples in a way.

Growth Target, API Target. The growth target is the number of points California wants the school to improve in the next year.  That added with the current base API score equals the API target.  The CDE doesn’t set a target for schools above the current statewide performance target of 800.

Silicon Valley School District Scores

I’ve assembled information from the CDE site and the Palo Alto Daily News to provide a table of school district API averages for Silicon Valley and Bay Area elementary and middle schools.

Here are the API values for these Silicon Valley school districts:

Comparing School Districts and Housing Prices

Remember the chart of median Silicon Valley single-family home prices in February 2007 from my article Determining Your Must-Haves When Buying a House?

Combining the chart for Silicon Valley school district rankings with the one for Silicon Valley median single-family real estate prices brings up some surprises.  (I used a simple ratio between how far the API score was above 700 and the median single-family home price.  The resulting number isn’t really that relevant, it’s the visual comparison I was looking for.)

Regarding Schools and Value in Pricing

First, while Cupertino and Foster City housing prices are very similar, there is a vast difference between the performance index of their school districts.  On school rankings, compared to Foster City, Cupertino represents a much better value based on the median sale price of single-family homes.

Second, while Los Altos has the highest API scores, it also had a much higher median price putting it on-par with other elite school districts like Palo Alto and Los Gatos, but well-below Saratoga which had both higher test scores and a lower median home price.

Third, it is possible to cherry-pick good schools in average school districts.  For example,  you can search around Sunnyvale’s Cherry Chase Elementary, which has a base API score of 941, if you’re looking for a good elementary school.  Stay tuned.

(c) Alex H. Wang for the Silicon Valley Real Estate Blog at 1SiliconValley.com

Recommended Reading:

• Determining Your Must-Haves When Buying a House
• Silicon Valley School Information
• Mortgage Rates Are Low Without Exclamation Points
• Why the Perfect House Wasn’t So Perfect

[ed.  This is the CYA: The data in the report is considered accurate but not guaranteed.]

Epilogue

There’s a quirk in the ratings system where only test scores for “statistically significant” groups (read: ethnicities) are counted.  Some schools, none that I can find documentation on, were accused of reclassifying lesser performing students into groups that weren’t statistically significant to prop up their overall test scores.

There is a measure of transparency, though, because if you drill down on the individual schools, it will show which groups were counted, which weren’t, and how many were in each.

And as the impending sheet of water draped itself over the sky, the reflection from the setting sun faded through the last details of the ocean below, to the point where only the glow of a golden shadow remained.  Welcome to Northern California.

A Trip in Reverse to Muir Beach

I never did get a chance to chase the pot of gold.  It was unusual that there wasn't even the slightest breeze, but evenings in Marin County are chilly most of the year — especially after the sky has just baptized you — so my car was looking very comfortable in the parking lot a few hundred feet away…

There was a young couple standing on the overlook.  Just like I did, they wound their way down the railed path, which was surprisingly treacherous because of how dry it had been a just those few short minutes before.  They were… enjoying their moment… so I made my way back up the pathway…

Truthfully, I hadn't even noticed the path up to that point.  Sometimes you get so lost taking pictures you forget where you are.  But when you look out past what you ever thought you could see and you're still fascinated by what's actually there, I'm not sure it deserves anything less…

Sunset was coming quickly to Muir Beach and I hurried out of my car nearly dropping my camera on the concrete in the process.  It was a spectacular day for a sunset and I was wondering why the parking lot was virtually empty.  Maybe they'd heard something I didn't?

Her Cousin: Muir Woods

Muir Woods isn't as photogenic as his nearby cousin Muir Beach, with her flowing blonde sunsets and milky blue seas.  Located deep in the Marin valleys — he's accessible, but not easily, through a winding two-lane road.

Muir Beach is extraordinary; Muir Woods, with redwoods reaching over 200 feet tall, is a National Monument. 

And one of the closest places in the Bay Area you can see the salmon run every year!

(c) Steve Leung for the Silicon Valley Real Estate Blog at 1SiliconValley.com

Recommended Reading:

• One Lazy Day at Shoreline Park
• Silicon Valley Farmers Markets
• Walking Tour of Downtown Palo Alto
• Walking Tours and Hiking Trails Galore

Technorati Tags: California, Hiking, Muir Beach, Muir Woods

You can see the giggling children and the families gathered around a wound-up piece of string as it's whipped through the air by the acrobatics of its airborne companion. 

At least the people who could find parking could.  Me?  I'd forgotten that there's only one way in or out of this parking lot and, since I'd pulled all the way through, I was about to take the hardest driving test I'd had to face since parallel parking as a 15 year-old: reversing 50 yards past families with toddlers hypnotized by the mylar tails of kites gone by.  It turned out to be worth it. 

Say Hello to Our Canine Friends

I started this trip past the Shoreline Amphitheater at the local dog park.  Shoreline is one of my favorite driving ranges but I'd never stopped by the canine carnival outside the main gate before.  Probably because I don't have a dog.

But I do have a serious case of pet envy, so with a little curiosity, I hung a swift right before going into the park proper to see what all the fuss was about.  Parking here was tight this weekend afternoon but it wasn't a skills test.

It's penned off into two sections: one for smaller dogs to jump around and another large enough for the big dogs to run wild.

An Homage to Silicon Valley's Roots 

At one point in time, Silicon Valley was some of the nation's most fertile land.  But what brought the young Henry Rengstorff to Northern California was the gold, or at least the hope of it.  Transportation being what it was at the time, he had to sail around Cape Horn to get here and missed the gold rush by about a year.

Undaunted, he worked as a farmhand and saved long enough to buy land for himself.  Virtuous cycles and fertile land being what they are, he eventually bought more and more until he owned quite a bit of the Bay Area.

The Rengstorff House isn't his legacy, but it is an illustration of the Victorian architecture of the mid-1800s and it's the oldest remaining building in Mountain View.  I could explore architecture like this for hours, but the plaque by the sidewalk that leads to the house has a much better story to tell, and I've linked a snapshot to part of it below.

Fore!  The Shoreline Golf Links

But, I'll tell you a secret, my real reason for this trip was to hit the driving range and it was no coincidence that I made my way into its parking lot after the claustrophobia of the lot before.  I schlepped my bag across the older of the two bridges that allow carts and pedestrians to pass over the gully unscathed and noticed something amiss!

It was Saturday but people were hitting off the synthetic mats instead of grass.  The horror!  There was a more practical matter at hand, though, which was the inimitable ball machine and what change I had in my wallet.  See, a large bucket is $9 on turf and $10 on grass and while I can hear the chorus screaming, "Just get some change you lazy bum!" it's not always that simple.

The ball hut isn't always staffed and weddings sometimes shut down the restaurant on weekends, so having fives and ones is part and parcel of having a good time at the Shoreline range.  The jackrabbit above seemed to be having a good enough time and the natural setting (amidst the backdrop of Google and what's left of SGI) is really a part of the charm.

But luckily for me, four ones and a five later, I'm taking my trusty left-handed 7-iron for a spin.  And 100 balls later I resist the urge to take a few shots from the surprisingly steep practice bunker. 

Splash!  And That's Not My Golf Ball Swimming Either…

A brisk walk towards the water leads a young family playing frisbee under the backdrop of an impending sunset.  There's a patch of shade by the water where I occasionally go to clear my head and reflect, but today is a little too busy for that.  In fact, in what's become a running theme, there's a queue five cars deep for parking spaces in this lot.  

There aren't any windsurfers today but the paddle boats are out in force and there's a couple who's paddled their kayak into the cove with little hope of getting themselves out again.  As they eventually solve the puzzle and start pushing their paddles against the dry land to flip themselves in the right direction, I pass the boat launch and consider a little indulgence at the ice cream cart I spot out of the right corner of my eye.

Being Yourself

At that point, a beige wind streaks past me and as I switch my thoughts from the ice cream sandwich I was reminiscing about, a gentle reminder of Silicon Valley is now in the distance: the 50 year-old powering a scooter.  Good for him.  He was going so fast that I only managed to catch him in this photo on his way back to the marina.

The "Park" in Shoreline Park 

Then, as the sun finally came to rest, I sat on a small hill to watch the people playing, and napping, and biking, and relaxing along the water.  And I thought to myself, people need to see this side of Silicon Valley.

(c) Steve Leung for the Silicon Valley Real Estate Blog at 1SiliconValley.com

Recommended Reading:

• Walking Tour of Downtown Palo Alto
• Any Tour of Menlo Park Starts at Kepler's and Ends in Xanadu
• Top Silicon Valley Driving Ranges
  
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