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South Bay Today
Monday, July 13, 2026
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☁️ mostly sunny · high 99°, low 67°
It's going to be a hot one, 99 by afternoon under mostly sunny skies, so today rewards shade in the middle and saving the good stuff for after the sun drops. Monday's calendar leans on libraries and community spaces doing what they do best: a terrarium build, a robotics history talk, a queer climbing night, and a guitar jam. On the food front, Milpitas picked up hand-pulled noodles and San Jose got a new chicken spot over the weekend.
Today's field guide
A Palo Alto book-and-market kind of day
Start at the California Avenue farmers market for produce and something ready to eat, grab slices at State of Mind on El Camino, then dig through three rooms and 70,000-plus titles at the FOPAL book sale while the afternoon heat peaks indoors. Dinner in Sunnyvale is an easy landing after.
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Breakfast
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9:00 AM · California Avenue · Palo Alto · Free
Shop for local produce, artisan goods, and ready-to-eat food weekly.
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Morning
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11:00 AM · Old Mill Clubhouse · Mountain View
Hear speakers discuss nonviolent civil disobedience tactics and participate in discussion.
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Lunch
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Lunch · Palo Alto · Under $15/person
Palo Alto pizza spot for pizza, slices, and Italian-leaning casual plates on El Camino Real.
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Afternoon
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1:00 PM · Palo Alto City Library · Palo Alto · Free
Browse three rooms of 70,000+ books, CDs, DVDs, and puzzles at bargain prices.
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Dinner
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Dinner · Sunnyvale · $15–30/person
Japanese plates in Sunnyvale, $$.
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Evening
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Evening · San Jose
Branch of a chain of walk-in studios offering contemporary, paint-your-own pottery selections.
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Tonight's pick
Terrarium Workshop for Adults
6:00 PM · Campbell Library · Campbell · Free
Layer soil, plants, and a few decorative bits into your own open terrarium at Campbell Library. It's free, hands-on, and starts at 6, exactly when you want to be indoors and making something.
Event details →
Also on the calendar
A spread built for a hot Monday: a robotics history talk in Los Altos, a queer climbing night in Sunnyvale, a guitar jam in Campbell, a garden pizza social in San Jose, morning nature journaling in Milpitas, and teen D&D in Mountain View. Open the full calendar →
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11:00 AM · Milpitas Library · Milpitas · Free
Sketch and write in a nature journal outdoors using prompts to notice plants and wildlife.
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2:00 PM · Mountain View Public Library · Mountain View · Free
Roll dice, battle monsters, and play a tabletop adventure with other teens.
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6:00 PM · ELSEE Garden · San Jose
Eat pizza in the garden, volunteer with other plant enthusiasts, and build community.
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6:00 PM · Movement Sunnyvale · Sunnyvale
Climb at Movement Sunnyvale with other queer climbers.
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6:15 PM · Learning Success Meeting Room · Campbell
Jam and write music with other guitarists in a casual group setting.
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7:00 PM · Los Altos Library · Los Altos · Free
See a slide show tracing the history of robots and automated machines through the centuries.
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Newly opened
Two weekend arrivals worth the detour: hand-pulled noodles in Milpitas and a rotisserie-and-fried chicken spot in San Jose.
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Mian Milpitas — 181 W Calaveras Blvd, Milpitas
Opened 3 days ago
Chinese noodle restaurant specializing in hand-pulled noodles and soups.
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Bird & Basket — 1751 N 1st St. St. 70, San Jose
Opened 4 days ago
Fried chicken restaurant focusing on rotisserie and fried poultry.
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What locals are talking about
This week's r/SanJose runs practical: night ideas that skip drinking, where to find a woodworking makerspace, a library Trunk or Treat volunteer call, and all-ages rave options for a teen.
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Local recommendations for fun weekend and weekday activities that don't involve drinking.
r/SanJose
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Seeking affordable local makerspace access for occasional woodworking and metalworking hobby projects.
r/SanJose
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San Jose Public Library recruiting volunteers for Trunk or Treat event at Educational Park Library.
r/SanJose
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Parent seeking all-ages EDM and trance events for their music-loving teenager in the area.
r/SanJose
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Thanks for letting us into your morning ☀️
If you spot something we missed — a new restaurant, a great event, a story worth telling — just hit reply. We read everything.
— Stephen 👋
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