Laila Weir

From little-known treasures to popular hot spots, Hoodline is creating curated lists of some of our favorite day-trip destinations within reach of San Francisco, San Jose, and the rest of the Bay. This week, we're sharing a few worthwhile jaunts in Alameda County.

Michelin-recognized Peruvian restaurant La Costanera, which closed in March 2020 after a decade in Montara, is reopening in an all-new Half Moon Bay location this Thursday, June 3.

Two Bay Area restaurants are among just 25 in the country to receive special grants from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to help historic eateries survive the pandemic. The East Bay's oldest boba tea shop, Sweetheart Cafe & Tea in Oakland, and Mexican restaurant Casa Vicky in San Jose both won grants under the program.

Killiney Kopitiam, known as Singapore's oldest cafe, is opening five new Bay Area locations this year as part of a push to greatly expand its U.S. presence from a single storefront in Palo Alto.

It's hiking season, and in many areas around the Bay Area that can mean running into coyotes, especially if you're walking with dogs. Here's a rundown of what to do (and what not to do) if you encounter a coyote.

Writing with your mind? That's just what one paralyzed man has been doing with the help of some Stanford University researchers and microchips implanted in his brain.

Kids, kids-at-heart and parents, rejoice. After a year's delay, Legoland Discovery Center Bay Area is set to open at the Great Mall in Milpitas on May 25.

Handmade Chinese dumplings, gourmet ramen, high-end outdoor and activewear, and hot yoga are all due to open by the end of the year at San Jose's Santana Row, which already saw one major new opening this week – Nike Live.

Rats, cockroaches and maskless workers, oh my! Mountain View restaurant Biryaniz is struggling to clean up its act after a series of pest infestations and health citations that caused county inspectors to temporarily shut it down three times in three years.

An artist is projecting an animation of running wolves from the back of a bicycle every evening this week in a roving art installation funded through Palo Alto's public art program.

Environmental groups and neighbors are objecting to the construction of a large residence on a hillside overlooking Morgan Hill, saying it violates rules guarding the area's ridgelines from development and protecting rare native plants.

With sunshine in the forecast for next week and Santa Clara County in the glorious Orange Tier (hey, everything's relative!), you may be about ready to celebrate. We're thinking about toasting rising vaccination rates and the warm weather with a cold craft beer from a local brewery in honor of American Craft Beer Week, May 10–16.

In a surprise move, Microsoft has bought some 21 acres of land on the proposed NorthTown mixed-use development site in north San Jose.

San Jose's Happy Hollow Park & Zoo on Friday announced the birth of two critically endangered lemur pups. The adorable babies and their mama have an off-view den for quiet time out of the limelight, but visitors with a bit of luck may be able to spot them.

A baby whale tangled up in fishing line that was first spotted off the Southern California coast last week appears to be heading towards the Bay Area, and rescuers hope the public can help locate it.

Fans of Asian cuisine rejoice! Taiwanese-American supermarket chain 99 Ranch Market is coming to the Westfield Oakridge Mall in San Jose, where word is it will serve up prepared foods for in-store dining and takeout alongside its popular selection of imported groceries and other products. 

Riders of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority transit system are having to make do without real-time arrival information this week, as the agency has dealt with technology disruptions reportedly due to a cyberattack.

Around this time last year, Santa Clara County was approaching 2,000 COVID-19 cases and San Jose officials were predicting the county would see 2,000 deaths within 12 weeks. This week, the county has reached that unhappy milestone, albeit just over 12 months from the original prediction.

Mega entertainment venue Topgolf, with multiple levels of tech-enhanced driving-range bays and extensive food and beverage choices, is opening a San Jose location on Friday, April 16.

Like other cities during the pandemic, San Jose closed a popular downtown dining strip to cars last summer so that restaurants could host outdoor dining. Now, the city is contemplating keeping the section, along San Pedro Street between Santa Clara and St. John streets, permanently car-free.

Their ducks may have come home to roost for three Santa Clara residents accused of stealing a neighborhood icon: a duck statue named Rubberta that normally resides in the front yard of a private home in Mountain View.

The San Jose Earthquakes' soccer stadium will now be known as PayPal Park under a sponsorship deal that will also bring new contactless payments and a reserved section for underserved community members to the Major League Soccer team’s home.

San Jose’s Willow Glen neighborhood has a new sweet spot: Homemade pie outfit The Giving Pies, which donates a portion of proceeds to help the community, has opened a brand-new shop.

There’s a new option for barbecue fans in the Mountain View area: B’s Craft BBQ, a pop-up eatery offering slow-cooked, small-batch grilled meats and fixings for pickup only.

San Jose residents can now enjoy New Orleans-style fried chicken and more from Bay Area favorite Brenda’s – whose original San Francisco location claims the distinction of the West Coast’s most Yelped eatery – thanks to a new cloud kitchen.