Bill and I had a unique opportunity on Sunday to enjoy a day of fun connecting with other residents of all ages in the Greater San Jose Area in a whole new way by participating in the Viva Calle event. The name combines the Spanish “Viva Calles,” which can mean both “the streets live” and “long live the streets.” The route began in downtown Willow Glen where we met Bill’s cousin Del and his wife Cathy who live a few blocks away to join us for the ride.
This was not just a bicycle event, but an open street event to leisurely walk, bike, skateboard, scooter, rollerblade and explore the city like never before. Miles of San Jose were temporarily closed. It was not a race. There was no start of finish on the route. It was pure freedom. There were business, and community service booths set up on both sides of the street and business owners along the route were encouraged to place visible signs and banners to promote their services. There were bicyclists playing music, skaters were dancing in the streets. There were first aid booths, and even a rock climbing structures. The San Jose Sharks had a booth, as did Arthur, the Bike Teacher who was fine tuning bikes. There was a cotton candy booth, and many more as seen in the photos. One unexpected highlight was watching the elite BMX Freestyle team do acrobatic biking stunts on ramps. We also enjoyed the young children and adults perform traditional Mexican dance.
Afterwards, Bill and I rode to the San Pedro Square Market for lunch and enjoyed a Vietnamese Chicken salad. There were a large group of people in several sections outdoors watching the Golden State Warriors play the Sacramento Kings.
In the end the Warriors edged out the Kings 126 to 125. Steph Curry posted 36 points which I’m sure made Bill’s cousin Del—who was wearing a Curry T-shirt very happy. By the time we got home, Bill and I clocked 27 miles.
