Welcome to the Los Gatos eXperience, a sleek virtual reality website that transports the town to a recreated home on the web. Whether a visitor wants to explore downtown streets, learn about Los Gatos history or ask Mayor Sandy Decker what her job entails, the eXperience will make it all possible.

As a movement to "connect globally and interact locally," Jai Hudes and his company, the Global Community eXperience, began on Jan. 1, 2000 to bridge gaps between business and residents, the community and the Internet.

Hudes says the site is like a virtual skin, created and enhanced by digital programming, text, photography and video. And it's not just about Los Gatos, either. Hudes aims for the eXperience to become a global phenomenon, "a mechanism to create a global community that we need in the world for better communication."

Although the project really picked up speed post 2000, the idea for the LGX started brewing eight years ago.

After finishing the online City Designs character mapping contest "Count the Cats" in 1994 for Los Gatos and a similar "Hunt the Sharks" contest based on the San Jose Sharks hockey team in 1997, Hudes wanted to "take it a step further," he says. "I wanted to take that kind of organization and recreate it with pictures, links, history and a model of how all this can work."

And so Hudes attempted to create several community systems on a global scale, such as a "peace portal," which would link countries and discover what peace meant to them. However the sites proved too expansive in the early days of the Internet and were unable to survive. Soon after, Hudes was walking by an art gallery in Los Gatos and spotted a Russian painting that touched him. "I thought, 'Why not ground this and make it a real concept? Let me do it here, locally, in Los Gatos.' "

Since that time Hudes has been drumming up support, locating sponsors and enlisting digital artists who could help him master the expansive and colorful website.

The LGX has picked up a tremendous amount of momentum lately, mostly due to Internet and program technology catching up to Hudes' ideas, as the Internet has evolved into a multimedia tool for information, connection and entertainment—ultimately what the LGX hopes to represent.

Using systems such as Flash, Viewpoint and the yet-to-be-released Adobe Atmosphere, LGX has created a multifaceted world that begins with a space view of Earth. With the use of a mouse, the user is then able to zoom in to North America, California and ultimately 1,000 feet above Los Gatos. Using aerial photographs, one can "fly" to any section of town, enable gravity and land.

Using one of nine avatars—three-dimensional computer-generated people that can bow, spin and even climb stairs—the user can poke around the virtual town and its numerous links to information, websites and handy directories.

"This is a new interface, a new paradigm of how we relate to the web," Hudes says. "This will combine everything the web offers in mediums and technology."

While exploring the town, one can talk to other online visitors in a real-time chat. There is also the Star Gallery, which is a space-like portal that displays rows of high-resolution images of artwork from local artists.

Despite the polished look of what's online, Hudes says the site is only in its infant stages, a "pre-generation" to the many generations that he hopes will exhibit increasing complexity and community connectivity. With a core staff of three people, including head digital artist Joseph Mikrut, the work is being completed as quickly as possible but still takes a great deal of time.

Ultimately, Hudes' vision is to create a "multidimensional tapestry of digital content" that will "benefit individual users, businesses, organizations." Included in those plans: a gaming system where visitors can explore for points in a prize-winning plan and a club where people can become members and create an online society of their own.

"It's about community," he says, explaining that "it all boils down to relationships" and creating better ones at that.

The site will have its coming-out party May 1 at Great Bear Coffee & Cafe in downtown Los Gatos. The monthlong exhibit will include photos that show the history of the eXperience idea, from the original character maps to images from the website. A computer will also be available so that the public can explore the site.

To facilitate his goal of global connection, Hudes is simultaneously working on eXperiences for Santa Cruz, Silicon Valley and California—quite a handful for someone who also works as a web designer.

"I have a lot of projects, but I enjoy it," he says. "If it wasn't my life's work, I couldn't do it. I also have an amazing wife; I've been working with great people and have a lot of community support. It's really exciting, fun stuff."

Visit the Los Gatos eXperience at www.losgatosx.com.