A sea port in San Jose? Your kidding, right?  Alviso was established in 1852 is at the south end of San Francisco Bay and early in the American era became the port of entry for goods and passengers coming to San Jose. And why not? The Spanish established San Jose as a breadbasket to feed the other missions around the lower bay from near-by Mission Santa Clara, up the east side of the bay to Mission San Jose in Fremont, and north to Mission San Francisco. Each of those missions were accessible on foot making the exchange of goods a day’s walk away. The continued farming culture of San Jose would be acknowledged later as the area to the south of the city became known as “Blossom Valley”.

Of course, a boat needs a place to load and unload and people generally don’t like to wade through the muddy shore to disembark from the ship to the city. And so, the port of Alviso was born. Today it is situated at the end of a four-mile channel at the base of San Francisco bay. When you visit look for the  remnants of the port days by looking for left overs from canning business, abandoned warehouses, the South Bay Yacht Club, and a public marina. The commercial port of Alviso was short lived. The arrival of the railroad in the 1860’s resulted in competition for freight and passenger traffic. The port didn’t last very long as favorable passenger and freight rates by the Central Pacific made the commercial port largely insignificant.

Santa Clara County has cleaned up the old port and constructed a launch ramp for small power and sail boats. The Alviso Marina and Park is clean and new and even has a camp host. Look toward San Jose to the south and you’ll see a couple of old abandoned sail boats. The county has done a great job cleaning up many others that used to litter the port slough that serves as the port and the entrance of Guadalupe River into the San Francisco Bay. There’s plenty to do when you arrive. A nine-mile trail extends out to the lower part of the bay. Dogs are not allowed but walking and bicycling through the acres of wildlife puts you between spreading ponds and the slough. A little way north of the port is a commercial salt marsh. Amtrak’s main line from Oakland to San Jose goes through town and alongside the marina. Freight also travels along the line. If you watch the train go by and stick with it you will get the impression it is flying over the water in the distance.  

When you go take a windbreaker. Mornings are typically overcast as the moisture from the Pacific Ocean comes into the bay and doesn’t usually burn off until about 10am. The afternoon breeze sweeps down the bay and across all the south bay. The clouds blow or burn off nearly every morning and return every evening. The resulting natural air conditioner that makes the bay area a wonderful place to live can be a bit chilly at the two ends of the day. You’ll be glad you had the windbreaker or light jacket with you is you visit on either end of the day. Alviso is not a place to be in a hurry.

It is a good place for a casual or romantic stroll. It’s also a great place for a brisk walk, run, or bicycle ride. You can make it a family affair too. Walking, biking, running, sitting at the park benches or along the walkway for a snack or picnic is common. It’s a great place to look for wildlife. Keep an eye out for the ubiquitous Great Blue Heron or Great Egret, both with six-foot wing spans. Cooper’s and Red Tail hawks, and two species of owls are common also. A variety of shore birds like terns and green heron join the common sea gulls and variety of ducks and cormorants throughout the area. One small caution, the end of the bay is home to many species of plants and due to the small amount of flow from the Guadalupe River the smells in the area are not always pleasant.

Alviso is almost not part of the other Silicon Valley. The tech companies are building closer to the bay so it doesn’t even take a car to get from the newest buildings to the marina. It won’t be long and some workers will be able to do it during lunch. Who knows, maybe there will be some pressure to gentrify the port opening a new chapter to the community.

The best camera is the one you have with you. Over the several times I went to Alviso specifically to take pictures I had a variety of cameras with me. In no particular order these photos come from any of the following: Nikon D7100, Nikon AW100 (waterproof), Nikon N80 (shot with Fuji Superia 400), or an Olympus OM-D10 MII. All black and white frames were shot in color and converted in Photoshop.