Sunnyvale, CA

Dr Mary Travelbest Guide

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In this episode: FAQ is: How do I visit my family members in the military?

Today’s Destination is: Sunnyvale, CA

Today’s Mistake- Losing my airline rewards

Travel Advice: Join my clubhouse rooms for travel tips

FAQ: Nadia asked, How do I visit my family members in the military? My son is graduating from military training and I want to see him in Korea. Are there any discounts I can tap into for travel?

Answer:

Depending on the training center location, and security screening you may be able to visit him. When you do visit, you may want to check out some of the military benefits and see if they apply to family members, such as shopping in the commisary or other attractions.

It’s possible that you can ask the airlines for assistance in this, because they have likely had this question answered also. This question was from a recent clubhouse room. I’ll mention Clubhouse at the end of the podcast again.

Today’s destination: Sunnyvale, California

You’ll find Sunnyvale in the Santa Clara Valley in northwest Santa Clara County, California. It’s located along the famous Highway 101 and El Camino Real. San Jose borders to the north. Mountain View is Northwest and Los Altos is southwest. Cupertino is to the south. Santa Clara, home of the Mission and University was reviewed in episode 160 and is located to the east. The population is about 150,000, which is next to San Jose, the second most populous city in the county.

It’s part of Silicon Valley. It’s the birthplace of the video game industry, where Atari was founded.

https://www.sunnyvale.ca.gov/

https://www.sunnyvale.ca.gov/recreation-and-community/community-centers/senior-center

https://www.sunnyvale.ca.gov/recreation-and-community/parks-and-trails/baylands-park

https://heritageparkmuseum.org/

Here are a few suggestions for Sunnyvale.

Heritage Park Museum is open three days a week and does not charge admission.

There is also pottery and other activities at the local community center. The senior center may be of interest to you, so look in the show notes for these and other links.

Consider visiting Baylands Park for hiking or picnics.

Sunnyvale was known for having orchards and some still remain here. But most notably lately it is known as the home of several tech giants. The big industry here is the technology and information headquarters of many computer tech companies. Some of these large firms started here in garages and in high schools. Google, Apple, Facebook, now Meta and others have a presence here. Venture-capital seems to be flowing through the water. Sunnyvale is known for the home of many future technology projects.

In Mountain View, you’ll find the Computer History Museum, open Wed-Sun.

https://computerhistory.org/

I visited Sunnyvale several times over the past 40 years living in California and most recently in January 2022 and stayed with my cousin, Jane Halligan. I flew into San Jose airport, rented a car and explored the area with several local residents to get insights to guide you to the best travel activities. Jane and I walked around an area that is reserved for seniors and community minded individuals and around what remains of the orchard groves.

Do - Visit the Community Center and Museum. Go hiking and visit the Senior Center.

Don't - Get stuck in traffic on the freeways if possible.

Today’s Mistake - Losing my airline rewards

I’ve lost more airline points than I’d like to admit. It’s probably hundreds of thousands of miles that were not recovered over 50 years of traveling solo. I’ve had special status on several airlines that no longer exist and I never did follow up to find out where my points went. I assume they just disappeared. Now, my credit card gives me rewards that I can turn into cash, no matter what airline I travel on. I would like to keep my points on dozens of airlines that I fly, but it seems that to do so requires a lot of extra work that doesn’t add up. My advice is to keep track of your rewards better than I do. You can make them work for you.

Today’s Travel Advice-Join my clubhouse rooms for travel tips. No makeup needed.

Join “Clubhouse” and the club called “ Women Travel Best.” There are hundreds of women like you who travel in the group and I hold about one room per week. Please join us. You don’t need an invitation to join. It’s open to anyone with a phone. It’s still early days with this social audio media. You don’t need to dress up or put on makeup to come to a room. Just download the app, entter your phone number and some basic information and you are in.

https://www.clubhouse.com/

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