hi, i also was in the same situation, having won 2 tickets at a charity auction. i live in CT and my teenage daughters did not want to go anywhere "too warm". we chose san francisco; there is sooo much to do there and the hotels are having some great deals. if you are rich, you can stay at the ritz carlton for $275 a night, if you use an amex card, but there are real deals at every price point. you definitely want to stay in the union square/downtown area for at least part of your stay-no need for a car. the other idea of using the tickets to fly to LA and then buying hawaii tickets from LA is also a good one, but hawaii can be very expensive. on the other hand, you definitely want to go to hawaii BEFORE you have kids, as the trip would be painful if you have active toddlers, and even more painful to leave them home for such a long time. (since it takes more than a day to travel each way, you have to be away for at least 10 days, which is why, with 4 kids over 15 years, i have yet to go to hawaii, yet my husband and i squeeze in a caribbean vaca every year). karen

Fly to San Jose (chek out the Tech Museum, Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, maybe catch a play at the Reperatory theater or at the Theater on San Pedro Square). Drive to the Monterey Bay Area (Monterey/Carmel), then south along Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) to Big Sur. Continue down to Hearst Castle near Cambria. You can take the scenic route back to San Jose (Highway 1 to Highway 17 then into the City). A faster way would be to take the 101 freeway.

Another idea would be to go to Yosemite, but you have to book far in advance.

Check out www.siliconvalley.citysearch.com
www.hearst-castle.org
www.yosemitepark.com

James, are working with Peter on the San Jose chamber of commerce? ;-)

I live in the bay area, was born and raised in San Jose, and I'm having a hard time understanding all the posts recommending it as a vacation destination. The Rosicrucian Museum? I went there on a field trip as a kid and it was interesting but it's got nothing on the Getty Musuem in LA for Egyptian antiquities. And, by the way, "the City" is San Francisco! If you live in the bay area you should know that!

Amy, will you please tell us what you decide? I'm jealous.

It is logical to use the tickets for a high cost trip (and you have some wonderful suggestions here), but remember that cross country is not the only expensive airline ticket. Consider destinations that you would like to visit and which are off the beaten path and therefore more expensive. For instance, it costs more (if you are spending cash not FF miles) to fly to Palm Springs, CA than it does to San Diego or San Fransisco and to get to Jackson Hole as opposed to Denver or Salt Lake City. Just a thought though I am not in a position to recommend an 'out of the way' place because I haven't been willing to part with the cash for one of them...LOL!

I thought it was necessary to fly into and out of the same city with FF tickets, but we found out last summer that we could fly into Seattle and out of San Francisco on a RT ticket. Since both cities have been mentioned, you might try that or something like that. We flew American - don't know if they will still let you do that or if other airlines will let you. We rented a car and drove down the coast, taking 3 or 4 days to make the trip. A one-way car rental was not all that expensive.

Whats wrong with Lowell Arkansas?

I'd go back to ALASKA!

Susan,
I am a native of San Jose. Maybe you should come and visit The City and see all that it has to offer. San Jose is a perfect base for a Northern California vacation due to its central location with convenient access to Monterey/Carmel, the Wine Country, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe etc., in addition to its great weather (300 days of sunshine per year). SF was the city 30 years ago sine it was the largest and pricipal city in Northern California. Now that title goe to
San Jose, as difficult as that may be for you to admit.

Susan,
I am a native of San Jose. Maybe you should come and visit The City and see all that it has to offer. San Jose is a perfect base for a Northern California vacation due to its central location with convenient access to Monterey/Carmel, the Wine Country, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe etc., in addition to its great weather (300 days of sunshine per year). SF was the city 30 years ago sine it was the largest and pricipal city in Northern California. Now that title goes to
San Jose, as difficult as that may be for you to admit.