By Ellen Murray

Entertainment variety ranges from fine dining to Latin dancing

For the young, and the young at heart, a change of scenery can be right across the border. For Los Altans, that may mean a night on the town in downtown Mountain View.

The refurbished downtown has outdoor plazas, plenty of parking, and a wealth of dining opportunities - as well as watering holes, ice-cream parlors, cafes and a place to kick up your heels. And for the tech-minded, there’s even an opportunity to go online while you’re dining.

For starters, “cruise the main” - that’s Castro Street, starting at the transit center, a hub for light rail, buses and CalTrain. It’s easy to get to downtown Mountain View via light rail from points south. If you do take your car, there are plenty of parking spaces available.

Diners who never want to be far away from the Internet will feel right at home at the Global Village Cafe, 209 Castro. Owners Jim and Preet Dullaghan combined 15 years in the high-tech industry and a love of food, spawning a restaurant with decor and cuisine that travel from Asia to Europe. Two workstations, plus Internet jacks for laptops within the dining rooms, are available free of charge for diners. For non-diners, Internet access costs $5 per hour. For more information, log on to www.globalvillagecafe.com.

The Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts at 500 Castro is a state-of-the-art facility. The center’s March calendar includes performances by the Peninsula Youth Theatre, the Smuin Ballet Company, the Community School of Music and Arts, and the Schola Cantorum. Affordable tickets are available online at www.mvcpa.com.

Kick up your heels a bit at Alberto’s, 736 West Dana St. This nightspot has the hip beat six nights a week (it’s closed Mondays) with lessons at 6, 7 or 8 p.m., followed by DJ or live-band dancing to a different rhythm every night. Lessons include the price of admission. On band nights the cost is $12. Check out the Web site at www.albertos.com.

Always popular for its Chinese food, downtown now offers Indian, Japanese, French, Vietnamese, Mexican, Thai, pizza and California cuisine.

For something lighter, pop into Gelato Classico or Double Rainbow for an ice-cream cone or check out the upstairs cafe at Printer’s Inc. for coffee or pastries.