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A Love Letter To Our Town - Part 1


Eight years ago, my sweetheart really sold me hard on this place called Silicon Valley.  “It is to innovation and technology, what Florence was to Renaissance” he said one night over a glass of wine.  He also bribed me with unlimited access to his lovely face in exchange for moving away from my fabulous city, beloved family and friends….  I mean how could I have resisted all this romance?

I waltzed in, just hoping to find a small little nook for us to begin our life together.  Somewhere clean, of course, but also with a little culture and some personality.  Some place where I could start walking around and gaining my bearings in my new life.  

The middle of nowhere
Well.  All we could find, during those prosperous days of Silicon Valley, was an apartment complex practically right on Highway 101, in the “Heart of Silicon Valley” (which meant in the middle of nowhere as far as I was concerned).  You couldn’t walk anywhere without falling right into the southbound lanes of the highway.  There was no culture, no personality to speak of, and worse of all no cafes for miles (I gasp at my own strength even now).  But our building was clean!  And new (a novelty at that time in the area).  It had tall, beautiful Palm trees, a large swimming pool, and a huge gym. 

The building was home to engineers and techies that left for work at 9:00 am and got back way after my bed time.  And before long I figured out, what I had not realized over months of long distance dating, that my beloved was indeed a technology foot soldier.  I realized that I had fierce competition on my hands.  The Urban Man had a longstanding, deeply passionate and sexy love affair with technology herself.   

Without a vehicle, home sick and lonely, I decided to hit the gym at the complex.  One day I noticed a sign for free yoga classes at the gym and decided to join.  There had to be other people at this complex and I was determined to find them.  There were about 10 girls around the same age as I at the first yoga session.  We got to talking afterwards, and they each had the same story as I.  They had moved to Silicon Valley for their husbands to pursue their dream high-tech jobs.  “We are all High-Tech Widows” said one of the girls.  


The pool, the palm trees, the lone massage therapist that had an office in the complex, and the High Tech Widows, made the year that we spent at the complex actually enjoyable.  Alas, we decided to venture out to greener pastures (literally), in search of lifestyle and as much of a culture we could find….
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