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Sunnyvale, California

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USACalifornia

Time of Visit: September 2021

Intro

Sunnyvale is a suburban town in the South Bay, about 40mi (64km) south of San Francisco, which has a lot of money but not much to show for it. It's inhabited mainly by Chinese and Indian tech workers working in nearby Silicon Valley firms, and is considered one of the more affordable towns in Silicon Valley, although this is of course relative to towns like Palo Alto and Mountain View which have some of the most expensive real estate in the world.

Food

Sunnyvale's main redeeming factor is its abundance of fantastic Chinese and Indian food.

Ma la xiang guo.

麻辣香锅 from Bel Cool Tasty Pot.

Restaurant atmosphere.

The restaurant is almost identical in appearance to restaurants one finds in China.

Chicken noodle soup.

Chinese-style chicken noodle soup from Yu Noodle.

Chinese-style breakfast.

Chinese breakfast with fried dough stick and sweet/salty tofu puddings from the atrociously-named Nutrition Restaurant.

Downtown Sunnyvale

The most interesting place in Sunnyvale if you don't have a car is its small downtown, which essentially consists of a single pedestrianized street called Murphy Street lined with restaurants and bars. Every Saturday morning, two adjacent streets are also pedestrianized to turn most of downtown into a farmers' market.

Murphy Street.

Murphy Street.

While many wealthy American towns have walkable downtowns, few have completely car-free areas like Murphy Street. Banning cars reclaims outdoor space for dining and entertainment, makes crossing the street far safer, and generally raises the visual appeal of the area.

Murphy Street.

Another angle of Murphy Street.

I was fortunate enough to visit on a Saturday morning to see the farmers' market. Several stands sell ready-to-eat food, but most sell fresh produce - fruits, vegetables, nuts, flowers...

Farmer's Market.

Farmers' market on Washington Avenue.

French Bakery.

French bakery stand in the farmers' market. Their chocolate croissiant was delicious.

Peaches.

Stand selling peaches, plums, and nectarines.

Suburban Environment

Sunnyvale's parks are beautiful.

Park entrance.

Entrance to Washington Park.

Shaded path.

Shaded path.

Playground.

Children's playground.

Looking at the first-generation immigrant tech parents playing with their kids in this park, I can't help but see Sunnyvale as one of the few places where the American dream is alive and well.