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Welcome to San Jose!

I was raised in San Jose and founded CONTENT Magazine, a publication featuring the creative culture of the South Bay, which means I’ve spent a fair amount of time wandering this city, meeting its creators, and indirectly finding out where to take friends when they ask, “So what’s actually cool around here?”

Compiled by our editorial team and shaped by 13 years of running a magazine out of downtown, this special issue is our answer. It’s not a comprehensive, all-knowing list—San Jose is way too big and way too full of hidden gems for that. But this is where we actually go ourselves and take family and friends. Yes, we’re a little biased toward the city center. But hey, when you live somewhere, it grows on you. 

Because we’re all artists and travelers, too, we skipped the usual “top ten attractions” that every glossy brochure and SEO-optimized website will pop up. You already have a smartphone, so you’ll find those instantly. Instead, we wanted to share the neighborhoods, artists, creatives, and corners of the city that make San Jose feel like San Jose: the stuff I’d like to find when I travel, the place the local creatives enjoy—always for the quality and the vibe—and, as a true downtown San Josean, never a chain.

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We hope you enjoy your visit,
Daniel Garcia
The Cultivator