Experience in Mountain View, United States by Brittany Rose

What is it like to live in Mountain View? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?

Mountain View is known as a city full of young "techies" seeings as it's the home of tech companies like Google, Yahoo, Audience, etc. Castro Street is beautiful with some good places to eat and fun bars.

What is the student lifestyle like in Mountain View?

Buses, from what I hear, are pretty decent. There are two Caltrain stations in Mountain View - one on Castro Street and the other on San Antonio.

What is the food like? What are your favourite dishes?

Cascal is wonderful for Spanish food. I ate there for lunch just yesterday and had the Heart of Palm salad with grilled shrimp. Delicious! Cascal has also won the award for best mojito in the Silicon Valley. I ordered one and it was a bit sweet, but hey that's just me.

What places would you recommend visiting in Mountain View?

For happy hour, I would suggest Bierhaus on Castro Street. They have a wonderful outdoor patio with heaters if it's chilly, sell beer by the liter and half-liter, and have board games! Happy hour means $2 off liters and $1 off half-liters.

Is it good to eat out in Mountain View? Can you tell us your favourite spots?

Cascal is wonderful for Spanish food. I ate there for lunch just yesterday and had the Heart of Palm salad with grilled shrimp. Delicious! Cascal has also won the award for best mojito in the Silicon Valley. I ordered one and it was a bit sweet, but hey that's just me.

Crepe Vine is good and open late. They have sweet and savory crepes, and popular breakfast items (eggs, bacon, omeletttes), and even serve beer and wine.

Shiva's has good Indian food. It's a favorite place of my family's, and on the same corner as Cascal and Bierhaus.

Is the nightlife good in Mountain View? Where is good to go?

It's not the hottest place to go out dancing with friends, but it's fun if you're looking for something in between bar hopping and clubbing on a Thursday or Wednesday night.

I would start at Bierhaus, make my way to either Zen or Molly McGee's, and end at Mervyn's (a great hole-in-the-wall, doesn't-even-have-a-sign little bar). Mervyn's is classic, only accepts cash, but the best prices and bartenders. Nothing is on special because "everything is on special."

For a sports bar, St. Stephens is right by Molly's.