What we’re about
Are you new to the Bay Area? Do you want to make new friends? Do you want to go hiking but don't want to do it by yourself? Are you curious about the breweries?
This group is for anyone interested in socializing and staying active in a relaxed and welcoming environment. We enjoy meeting new people so feel free to check out our events! Come say hi and see where that takes you :)
IMPORTANT RULES:
- Please RSVP before showing up and update it accordingly if you can no longer make it to the event.
- Please be respectful. We do not tolerate offensive behavior and ban people who harass other members of the group.
- The organizers are not responsible for any injuries or damage that may happen to you while attending any of our events, especially when doing anything outdoors such as hiking. You are responsible for your own safety at all times.
Welcome to the group and we look forward to meeting you in person!
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Little Village’s Big Easy Block Party & Beer Fest (local event-read description)Poor House Bistro, San Jose, CA
This will be less like a typical meetup and more like an informational post about a local event, SINCE finding the group in large open events like this is tricky and it's been nearly impossible to find people in similar events in the past - I'll leave the comments section open to allow anyone who wants to try to find others the chance to do so. Also, the event duration is the duration of the entire event, and I will not be there for the entire time. To play it safe, just assume you won't find people from this specific meetup if you attend this event. The good news is that there will likely be a bunch of other people that you can talk to, and there will be lots of stuff to do.
Description from one of the host pubs:
Get ready to dance, sip, and celebrate summer in style! On Saturday, August 30, 2025, from 11 AM to 8 PM, Little Italy in San Jose transforms into a vibrant homage to New Orleans street culture with Little Village’s Big Easy Block Party & Beer Fest. This electrifying, free-admission festival—hosted by Jay Meduri of Poor House Bistro and Brandon In The Bay—invites everyone to revel in a high-energy mashup of live music, local brews, and beloved neighborhood flavors.
Drink, dance, and discover while supporting a great cause! Sip from a craft-beer tasting garden featuring 20 of the Bay Area’s top breweries with over 40 brews on offer—proceeds go to the Little Village Foundation, a nonprofit record label empowering artists across genres by returning CD-sales revenue and intellectual property rights back to the musicians. Two stages—one along West Saint John Street and one on the Poor House Bistro patio—will host eight fantastic LVF‑affiliated bands (including Rick Estrin & The Night Cats, Chris Cain, Aki Kumar, D.K. Harrell, and more). Meanwhile, local eateries and artisans—from Poor House Bistro’s Creole‑Italian fare to BBQ, pizza, wine tastings, and makers from West Coast Makers—round out a family‑friendly day packed with community, culture, and unforgettable tunes.
From the official page:
To mark our first decade, we’re kicking off the celebrations on August 30 with an all-day Big Easy Block Party and Beer Fest in San Jose’s Little Italy.
An epic lineup of Little Village artists past and present will be on hand to share the good times: Rick Estrin & the Night Cats with Kyle Rowland, Chris Cain with Maurice Tani, D.K. Harrell with the Greaseland Allstars, Alabama Mike with Nia Cephas, All Things Swamp, the Aki Kumar Band, the Mighty Mike Schermer Band, John Blues Boyd, and Marina Crouse.
The event is free, but you need to RSVP. Do that here (or scan the QR code).
Other articles talking about the event:
https://www.metrosiliconvalley.com/little-village-big-easy-block-party-august-30/
https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/08/19/little-village-big-easy-block-party-beer-fest-san-jose-little-italy/
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/little-villages-big-easy-block-party-beer-fest-free-admission-tickets-1359642460199SAFETY DISCLAIMER
The organizers of this meet-up are unpaid volunteers and not expert guides. All participants agree to assume 100% responsibility for their own safety, conduct, and well-being and recognize that possible hazards exist while participating in outdoor (or any other) activities, and agree to participate solely at their own risk. If you RSVP “Yes” and/or attend any of our events, it shall be conclusively presumed that you understand and agree to this policy.In case you skipped the first paragraph, read it now. This isn't a typical structured meetup where you'll be meeting specific people for this group. Again, assume you won't find people for the meetup, not even me, the host.
- Saturday Board Games in Campbell7Stars Bar and Grill, Campbell, CA
Join us at 7Stars Bar and Grill in Campbell for Saturday afternoon board games. You're welcome to bring your favorite games (the bar has a few, I'll bring a bunch) and we'll see you there!
Venue Details
- No cover charge or event fee, but we do ask attendees to support the venue by ordering food or a drink.
- Tons of free nearby parking (details below).
- A five-minute walk to VTA Light Rail station (details below).
- Bar is Star Wars themed on the inside but looks like an old bank on the outside (ornate concrete facade with pillars).
Games
- Folk bring all sorts of board and card games!
- Word Games (Just One, Hues and Cues, Decrypto, Codenames, Wavelength)
- Visual Card Games (Detective Club, Mysterium, Dixit)
- Territory Building Games (Terraforming Mars, Scythe, Dune Imperium)
- Grid Building Games (Earth, Castle Combo, Happy City)
- Racing Games (Heat: Pedal to the Metal, Jamaica)
- Social Deduction Games (Avalon, Saboteur, Secret Hitler, Feed the Kraken, Blood on the Clocktower, Two Rooms And A Boom)
- Number Games (Hanabi, TEN, The Crew)
Parking
- Tons of free no-time-limit parking in the First Street Parking Garage and Second Street Garage.
- Free 2-hour parking in the lots by Hyde Park, Khartoum, and (if you're lucky) Water Tower Kitchen (becomes no-time-limit parking at 6pm).
- Free 2-hour street parking spots are usually available along Orchard City Dr, Civic Center Dr, and E Campbell Ave though you might have to circle a bit (becomes no-time-limit parking at 6pm).
- More free no-time-limit street parking in the residential neighborhoods along North 3rd St, N 2nd St and N 1st St.
7Stars Bar and Grill Menus
- Food menu here.
- Beer drafts and cocktails menu here.
- Non-alcoholic mocktails served as well! Ask the bartenders about the secret mocktail menu.
VTA Light Rail & Caltrains
- There's a Light Rail station a five minute walk from 7Stars, in case you've got a Light Rail station near your home or workplace.
- If you're near a Caltrains station, you can take it to downtown Mountain View and walk across the platforms to catch a Light Rail to Downtown Campbell.
- Alternatively you can take Caltrains to Diridon station in San Jose, walk a few blocks to the Light Rail "San Fernando" station in San Jose and ride that to Downtown Campbell.
- Full moon sunset hike @ Bay Area classic spot (near BART)Ohlone College Peak Trail Entrance (Near the Ohlone Collge Multilevel Parking Garage - First Level), Fremont, CA
WHAT WE'LL BE DOING
This is a classic Bay Area hike that everyone in the Bay Area needs to do once :) We'll do it from the Ohlone College entrance, which is the slightly "easier" (but still challenging) route:
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/mission-peak-from-ohlone-college
Sunset is around 7:29 (https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/@5373693?month=9&year=2025), so we'll start by 5:45 at the latest. We'll go slow, and this is one of the rare hikes where it's virtually impossible to get lost, so even if you arrive late you'll still be able to find us. The end time is an estimate based on a very slow pace, so we can finish much earlier if we go at even a mild pace.There is a $4 parking fee PER CAR, so please carpool so you can save yourself some money and spare the air.
The full moon is actually Saturday night/Sunday morning, but I checked and it looks like there's already lots of events scheduled across Meetup for Saturday including other groups doing a full moon hike, so doing this one on Friday to avoid the crowd on the trails/conflicts with other events.
HOW TO GET THERE
Car:
You can park at the Ohlone College parking structure for $4 (flat rate) if you drive your car there. I'd recommend taking BART and then ridesharing or carpooling if you can. (See below)BART:
Fremont station- 5.1 miles to
the parking structure by car if you rideshare or carpool with someone who can pick you up from here - 5.6 miles by bicycle
Warm Springs Station
- 3 miles by car if you rideshare or carpool with someone who can pick you up from here
- 3 miles by bicycle
Carpool:
If you have a car, please help out and give rides if you're comfortable doing so! Use https://www.groupcarpool.com/t/d6gezv - note that the info you enter here is PUBLICLY available for anyone who has the link, so don't fill out all the fields, just the required ones (use a backup if you can).DINNER
Places that are nearby:
- BJ's Restaurant & Brewery
- Hyderabad Dum Biryani
- Lazy Dog
- Sala Thai
- Shalimar
- GumaGumalu
- Soo Ja Fusion Bistro
- In-N-Out
- more places, but this list is already long - come with recs if you have anyOTHER INFORMATION
I realize hiking can be intimidating if you haven't done it before and this is a challenging hike, but it's on a very well defined trail and we'll be going pretty slow (~2 miles an hour pace) and I'll likely be near the back of the group. Bring your friends who like hiking too! Or invite that one friend that's been thinking about hiking but needs that extra push :)Cows graze the pasture around the trails - very mellow cows, but if you're terrified of cows, something to keep in mind.
The event time is is an estimate - if we end up going really fast, the hike might end up being really quick.
The dinner/dessert after will be optional, so if you already have plans for the night, you can leave after the hike.
In any case, come out and join us to add some excitement to your week!
SAFETY DISCLAIMER
The organizers of this meet-up are unpaid volunteers and not expert guides. All participants agree to assume 100% responsibility for their own safety, conduct, and well-being and recognize that possible hazards exist while participating in outdoor (or any other) activities, and agree to participate solely at their own risk. If you RSVP “Yes” and/or attend any of our events, it shall be conclusively presumed that you understand and agree to this policy. - 5.1 miles to
