So, Alviso is like the Venice of Silicon Valley except without the fancy buildings, art or canals. The city, however, may well have canals one day, since it's sinking into the marsh. Folks used to head to Alviso for work and debauchery. The city boasted a large cannery and did lots of business shipping goods to San Francisco. That all ended when San Francisco started shipping direct. Still, people would visit Alviso for hunting, gambling and prostitutes. All that fun ended after we polluted and ravaged the area enough to drive away the wildlife. Nice work, guys. These days a lot of people consider Alviso a bit of a rundown joke. It's below sea-level and full of rundown houses and buildings. But I love the place. The smells that come off the marsh land remind me of the Texas coast where I used to spend a lot of time. Today, Alviso serves as the hometown of Tivo and houses a few networking companies' offices. It's a nice place for a stroll, and there's some marsh-side information on how the city is trying to improve its wildlife situation and environment. Look out for the beached boats. You can find more information about Alviso here and in the book.