While soaking in the sun, appropriating local culture, and overediting sunset pictures in Cabo sounds fun, … it’s just not the Los Altos History Museum. Why fly to the beach when there is deep history right in your backyard?

   I may be a little biased, considering the fact that I don’t own a passport and have never left the country, but what’s not to love about local history? 

   Los Altos may just be seen as the place for seventh grade canon events for permitless drivers who can’t spell the word metamorphosis, taking pictures in the Safeway parking lot, but there’s so much more. Los Altos has a rich history that everyone needs to hear about. It’s an eye-opening experience. 

   And let’s be so for real right now, we know you are not actually “studying” at the Los Altos Library. Why don’t you just walk a couple of steps next door and actually learn something?

   This is the message that I try to convey each time a new guest enters the museum; however, it usually sounds like a mumble-rapping rendition of “Cotton-Eye Joe.” It might be a little embarrassing, but I still like it each time. 

   I enjoy listening to families’ reactions to the train upstairs. I enjoy the surprised look on visitors’ faces when they realize the tree in front of the Gilbert Smith house came from the same seed as the one on Palm Drive at Stanford. I enjoy the opportunity to help my local community. It’s addicting. 

   At first, I was only supposed to do three or four shifts the weeks before and after finals (which already exceeded the required one shift per month). However, four became seven, then seven became 16, and now I can’t stop. I could probably give a tour of the Smith house, one of the oldest houses in Los Altos, in my sleep. 

   The best part is, even though I’ve been there so many times, I’m still learning so many interesting facts about Los Altos through fellow docents and staff members who have lived here their entire lives. For example, did you know that Paul Shoup introduced a railway that ran from Los Gatos through Los Altos? Did you know that the remnants can be found along the Foothill Expressway today?

   Visiting the museum will unlock a deep understanding and connection to the city we drive through every day. I hope to see you there.