Interview in Sunnyvale, CA, what's it like?

[cbain 0]

Hey everyone,

Just found out that I have an interview in Sunnyvale, CA! No details on when yet, waiting on the HR person to call, but the hiring manager already agreed to the interview. I figured since I don't have anything to go back to in New Orleans (and I don't want to see any more hurricanes either!) I might as well explore my options!

What's it like out there? What should I know? I see that Hollister, Byron, and Lodi are all pretty close dz's, what are they like?

Blue skys,
Christina

[heidihagen 0]

hey! good luck in your interviewcheers,
heidi

i didn't lose my mind, i sold it on ebay. .:need a container to fit 5'4", 110 lb. cypres ready & able to fit a 170 main (or slightly smaller):.[/ce

[sunshine 2]

Ooh, you should go live there. Then i'll have an excuse to come visit Byron!! Oh, and good luck with the interview too.

___________________________________________
meow

I get a Mike hug! I get a Mike hug!

[2fat2fly 0]

That's just down the road from Sunnydale-where the vampires live.

I am not the man. But the man knows my name...and he's worried

[ebusto 0]

It rocks.

I live in San Jose, which is just a bit south of Sunnyvale. The beauty of the Bay Area is that anything you like to do is usually less than an hour drive.

Sunnyvale is about 45 minutes to San Francisco or Santa Cruz, an hour to Byron or Hollister. There are plenty of parks and open space preserves scattered about, great nightlife in most cities, and no shortage of fine restaurants to dine at. The cost of living is generally considered high, but so are salaries.

As for the drop zones, I have only been to Byron, where I'm working on getting my A license (in other words, I'm new to the place, so take my opinion with a grain of salt).

It, like the rest of the Bay Area, rocks. The people are ridiculously helpful and friendly, the King Air goes to 14k, and the girls are all cute. I'm not really sure what experienced skydivers look for in a drop zone, but if you have a particular question, I'd be happy to give my opinion.

[arlo 0]

i visited there in january for work, and i liked it (mainly because i found a korean fast food joint inside the food court at this gigantic mall ). that was enough to win me over.

besides that, there's the garlic capital of the US (or world?) south of there before the exit to monterey bay.

and there's this really cool restaurant in the mountains called Ciao! Bella owned by a guy named Tad, i think. everyone that works there is in the performing arts or attends the arts school there and i would recommend this to anyone that has an open mind!!

...and of course, the beautiful city of san francisco (and sausalito sp?) just up the road.

so as a "tourist" visiting that area, i thought it was great. for those of you that already live there, wanna adopt me?. :) it's such a beautiful area. i can't wait to go back (when it's not work-related).

[skybytch 259]

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What's it like out there?

The weather sucks, the beer is warm and there's too damn many Californian's. Oh, wiat, that's Oregon.

It's okay here. Not quite as humid as.. say... New Orleans. Hurricanes... well, we never see them but occasionally the earth moves. We call them earthquakes. It moves other times too but we weren't talking about that. The earthquake thing can be kinda fun, specially when they hit when you're in the middle of... well... never mind.

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What should I know?

Bring your checkbook. You'll need it. And probably your savings account too.

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I see that Hollister, Byron, and Lodi are all pretty close dz's, what are they like?

Cliquey and they have shitty ass slow clmbing aircraft. The lure of 4 turbine dz's within 2 hrs is bad. Very bad.

btw, you forgot Davis. Where there's a PAC that will spoil you so completely you'll be wondering when the hell you'll get to altitude in any other aircraft.

You also forgot Monterey. It's got great scenery.

C'mon out! The water is fine.

[tigra 0]

Didn't they blow up Sunnydale when they destroyed the hellmouth?

[cbain 0]

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We call them earthquakes.

Ok, so the earthquake thing, are they just little ones in that area or do they get really big? When I told my Mom about the interview in CA the first thing she said is with my luck lately the "big one" will hit if I move out there! I think I can handle little earthquakes but I'm not up for any more natural disasters!

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Bring your checkbook. You'll need it. And probably your savings account too.

I've heard it's expensive but how much really? The manager said they give a cost of living adjustment that's substantial. I mean what is typical rent prices for 1, 2 or 3 bedrooms? Is just rent that's expensive or is it everything else too? Also, how far away would I probably have to live and what is the commute like? How hard is it to pass emissions testing because I have a crappy ol' 91 Geo prizm with 146K and a 94 Ford Ranger with 152K?

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Cliquey and they have shitty ass slow clmbing aircraft. The lure of 4 turbine dz's within 2 hrs is bad. Very bad.

4 turbine DZ's? Forget the cost of living, do any of the DZ's have a trailer park?

Christina

[skybytch 259]

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Ok, so the earthquake thing, are they just little ones in that area or do they get really big?

Ya never know. Most of the time you'll be surprised when you hear there was one cuz you won't feel it, but there's always the chance of a big one.

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I mean what is typical rent prices for 1, 2 or 3 bedrooms?

Probably quite a more than you're used to paying. The San Jose Mercury News website (google it! ) should have listings for Sunnyvale.

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Is just rent that's expensive or is it everything else too?

Food, utilities and gas will be more expensive than you are used to.

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Also, how far away would I probably have to live and what is the commute like?

Depends on what you can afford. The commute will suck regardless; Bay Area freeways at rush hour often resemble parking lots... but I hear they're better than they used to be.

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How hard is it to pass emissions testing because I have a crappy ol' 91 Geo prizm with 146K and a 94 Ford Ranger with 152K?

Good question. I'll letcha know when I get my Florida raised '94 Toyota tested.

[cbain 0]

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Probably quite a more than you're used to paying. The San Jose Mercury News website (google it! ) should have listings for Sunnyvale.

Thanks for the info! Checked out the newspaper. So for the 3 bedroom, 1500 sq ft I was getting in the suberbs of New Orleans for $750, it would be $2000-3000. But it would be somewhat comparable to the 300 sq ft studio for $750 that we rented in the French Quarter. Kind of what I was expecting.
Thanks again!

Christina

[Guest 1010]

heya bytch (always wanted to say that )

How much is CA state income tax, sales tax? Does the sales tax vary much by locality?

You can have it good, fast, or cheap: pick two.

[brianfry713 0]

Hey,

I work in Sunnyvale, I'm sitting there right now. There's a few other skydivers that work/live nearby. The location is good, with lots to do nearby. If your job has anything to do with computers, it's the heart of the industry. Traffic can be a little difficult sometimes so try to live close to work if that's an option. Whether is usually good and warm.

I mainly jump in Davis even though it's a bit farther away because the people there are cool and there's lots of good freefliers.

Monterey is beautiful but it's mainly tandems.

Hollister is a fun place and the closest to you, but it has a 15min van ride to the LZ (500 feet higher).

Byron is cool, there's usually something going on, but it can get windy late in the day.

Lodi is huge and cheap, but I think it's even further than the rest.

Give all these DZ's a try, there's usually something special going on at one of them most weekends. Good luck on the interview.

BASE 1224, Senior Parachute Rigger, CPL ASEL IA, AGI, IGI
USPA Coach & UPT Tandem Instructor, PRO, Altimaster Field Support Representative

[ebusto 0]

I would also recommend http://www.craigslist.org for things like apartments.

I'm paying $860 a month for my 1 bedroom, but it is a good size, around 700 sq. ft. I would guess.

[dunesurfer 0]

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I see that Hollister, Byron, and Lodi are all pretty close dz's, what are they like?

Blue skys,
Christina

I was up there last month, and my observations are as follows:

Lodi:
Best price, $15.00 to altitude, best waiver..... NONE!

Hollister:
Awesome altitude.... 15k all day long, easy to find landing area.

Byron:
Awesome camera flyers, great staff and local jumpers. Byron is definitely the friendliest DZ in NorCal

[kelpdiver 2]

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Ok, so the earthquake thing, are they just little ones in that area or do they get really big?

Potentially as big as they come in the US. 7.0 class. But you're probably safe as long as I'm here - I've not felt a major one since 1986.

How bad would such an earthquake be? Likely a lot nicer than most of these hurricanes have been. Our bridges are vunerable and would disrupt traffic badly. Fewer elevated highways exist since the '89 quake. Death toll on the last one was under 100, I believe.

If you want your own apartment to live, figure on starting at $1500 and working upwards. Buying - start at half million.

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4 turbine DZ's? Forget the cost of living,

From San Francisco, it's 5 turbine DZs within 120 miles. From San Jose, it's a short hop to Hollister and slightly longer run to Byron or Monterey. All do jump runs between 14 and 16 (18s at H and M, 24s at H monthly). 3 King Airs (Monterey seems to have one on loan in addition to their Otter which often sits)

[Elisha 1]

When is the best time to visit Monterey? I'm thinking weekend and sometime in the Fall/spring/not the heart of winter (but it isn't out of the question). I hear the ocean views are nice and the fog stays away in the winter.

[Sebazz1 2]

We should organize an Monterey invasion day sometime in the late fall so we have enough folks to fill the otter, though I think they may have a king air flying there now also. Believe it or not the coast is often nicer in the winter than the summer. The view is pretty tight...

[Elisha 1]

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We should organize an Monterey invasion day sometime in the late fall so we have enough folks to fill the otter, though I think they may have a king air flying there now also. Believe it or not the coast is often nicer in the winter than the summer. The view is pretty tight...

Nice pic. I have a lot of friends in the Santa Cruz area (Felton, Ben Lomond, etc) that I rarely visit, but see elsewhere. I'd like to possibly hang out at the DZ from late morning to mid afternoon before going back to the 'Cruz area. I'll ya in mind (you know, post whore a thread here or whatever).

[kelpdiver 2]

I've pretty much given up predicting Monterey - morning fog, mid afternoon wind, early evening clouds are a norm. Since it's 30 miles further and 10x more likely to be no go, I generally turn off on highway 25 for Hollister. But if I'm in Monterey for another reason (did PG triathlon on Saturday), I'll stop in Marina if I can see the sky above. If not, keep going to Hollister.

Summer does seem worst. I did a great, if very cold, 18k run in early December where the air was as clear as could be, and the first cloud layer was perhaps 500ft above us. But then I got back, they said, 'want to do an otter run?' and I ponied up for a ticket and a rig rental. 5 minutes before departure, wind hold kicks in, and it applies to rentals as well as students. End result, too many people washed off, back to the 206.

Saturday I got one jump in - landing around 2:30 the winds were such that I vertical landed with a wl of 1.1. And that was in my tri suit- probably as low drag as I'll ever be in the air.

A coordinated invasion sounds like a good idea. Afterwards we can take over the Whole Enchilada in Castroville.

[Sebazz1 2]

[quopte]Whole Enchilada Or sunset jump into Zelda's in Capitola. They have karaoke there ...