When I interviewed..

This one goes to the micro suburbs of holy Silicon Valley...

When I interviewed with Cisco, I was put up at Westin, Santa Clara (Its now Hyatt, I just drove past it last evening and noticed that it is now a Hyatt hotel). I was a little apprehensive because Cisco was in San Jose (yes, to an outsider that is all it is) and the hotel was in Santa Clara so I was wondering why they didn't give me a hotel in San Jose itself, so it would have been closer for me to drive. So anyway, I flew down from Milwaukee into San Jose International Airport (Don't think its one of those huge airports, its even smaller than the Madison airport I think, and international obviously means they fly into Mexico and Canada, that is good enough for this to be international d'oh!). That was the first shock I got on my first ever trip to the much-awed state of California. What an airport, so much for calling it international.

So I went, I took my car from Avis in the airport and headed out to the hotel. Now we are in Santa Clara. Next morning was my interviews, I had three sets the whole day long 8 am to 6 pm with a one-hour lunch break thrown in. Boy, that was hectic! At the end of the day I was tired of anything networking and even the very word;)

So I was under this impression, Cisco--San Jose, and hotel--Santa Clara. Then I asked my friend for directions to this particular building that I was interviewing with and I set out. I saw Cisco's campus, and was awed, spread out over 41 buildings and a mammoth campus area. Still in my mind, Cisco--San Jose, and hotel--Santa Clara. Then I went and I interviewed and during some casual conversations of the interview I was told that this building of Cisco's was not in San Jose, this was Milpitas!!! I was like, yet another town?! God! I was tired of remembering so many names, Cisco--part San Jose, part Milpitas, and hotel--Santa Clara. What astounded me (and continues to astound me) is that they are hardly two streets away. Each of these suburbs is over maybe at the most 5-6 streets and that is it!

Next I had to go to my friend's place in the evening. I set out, it was pretty close to the hotel, I reached in maybe 5-10 minutes. After describing to them how the day went, I asked the question that was most lingering on my mind...Is this place Santa Clara, Milpitas or San Jose and they said....yeah you guessed it right, this is neither of them!!!! This is Sunnyvale!! Huh?!?! I said, yet another suburb?! On the whole in the 10 mile radius that was driving in during my interview trip I covered four suburbs of the Bay Area!! Whoa! I was amazed how small these were, you cross one street and you don't know when San Jose ends and when Milpitas begins and when you go into Fremont from Milpitas. I was fazed...and so I remain to date...