New Travel Site Takes Off for Former Resident

Longtime local resident Anjali Tuljapurkar Cameron, , recently started a new travel website. Patch sat down with her to find out how out about her experience growing up in Mountain View and to learn more about her new endeavors.

Patch:  Where did you grow up?

Anjali Tuljapurkar Cameron: I was born in Portland, Oregon, moved to Cupertino at 4 and then my parents settled in Mountain View when I was 9. I still remember the excitement of house hunting. My contribution to the process was insisting they buy a 2-story house so I could slide down the stairs. They ended up choosing a home just off Grant Road, in the neighborhood – a great area to grow up.

Patch:  Where did you go to college?
 

Cameron: As an only child, I knew I had to leave the area for college. I ended up going to Brown in Providence, Rhode Island. It was a great experience but I hated the winters and I was on the first flight back to San Francisco after graduation. I stayed in the area for grad school as well, getting my MBA at Berkeley, and then working at in Sunnyvale. My parents were happy because I was an easy drive away. They would often take Caltrain up to San Fransico for dinners in the city.

Patch: You live in San Diego now. Why did you move?

Cameron: Well, I very happily got married but unfortunately to someone with less flexibility in terms of job options. My husband is a neuroscientist and had a great opportunity to do his post doctorate work at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla so we moved in early 2011. It’s a short plane ride home and clearly, San Diego is not exactly a bad place to move!

Patch: What do you do?

Cameron: I have a travel startup called TripLark (www.TripLark.com). The beta site went live in February. TripLark aims to save travelers time and energy when they plan a vacation. Rather than visiting lots of sites, talking to friends and spending hours researching, you can visit TripLark. On the site you’ll find unique, organized travel plans, written by travelers to showcase the best ways to spend your time in a destination. I’m currently focusing on proving the concept, finding a technical cofounder and getting funding. 

Patch: Favorite thing about Mountain View?

Cameron: It’s right in the heart of Silicon Valley and 15-20 minutes on the freeway gets you all over the South Bay. The city isn’t far either.

Patch: Least favorite thing about MV?

Cameron: No public transportation! I loved living in SF because I could use BART and rarely drive my car. But in Mountain View, unless you’re walking distance to Caltrain or the bus lines, it’s a pretty car-centric city.

Patch: Favorite Mountain View restaurants?

Cameron: Downtown Mountain View has so many great options now. A family favorite is . Great wine and tapas. Xahn is another one we visit a lot.

Patch: Keep in touch?

Cameron: Absolutely. I’m signed on as a travel blogger for MV Patch so I’ll be sharing all the great travel plans, ideas and knowledge that I learn from TripLark and my own travels. You can also follow @TripLark on Twitter for the latest TripLark travel and company updates.