driving help to Monterey
 

I am in the final planning stages of our family trip to Northern California, and am now panicking about the driving.

Can anyone advise on a route between San Jose (airport) and Monterey? We are flying in at noon, will have two somewhat squirelly children with us. At that hour I am not anticipating rush hour traffic (is this foolish?) and although we are from Chicago and bumper-to-bumper doesn't scare us I would prefer to have as much of a short drive (or a drive with stuff to look at) as possible. I had thought we might come over on 17 to Santa Cruz, but reading other posts it looks like that might be a bad idea.

Also, where exactly in San Jose is the airport, and will it be possible for us to get some lunch there (or somewhere close by) before we head out? We're flying Southwest, so we will be hungry, I suspect. Thanks!

PC

At that time, traffic shouldn't be an issue. The afternoon commute generally doesn't start until around 3.

You can take Hwy 880/17 south to Hwy 1 - this will take you over the mountains. Or Hwy 101 south to 156 west to hwy 1 south. This will take you through Gilroy and then over some much lower hills near Prunedale. Both take about the same amount of time without traffic and the airport is near both highways, so that isn't an issue. The Hwy 17/1 route is more scenic and it is more curvey. Which route is better just depends on whether your kids are prone to carsickness and whether curvey roads make you nervous.

For eats, if you head out of the airport on Skyport Drive, you will pass a fairly new shopping center with some places to eat. You will also come to 1st st, which has a lot of choices. Both freeways - 101 and 880 - cross 1st st, so if you go over there, you can easily catch the freeway you need.

I think the best route for you would be south on 101 to 156W to 1 south. You could return to the SJ airport via Hwy 17 if you want. 101 is more direct, not hilly. There's a wonderful outlet mall in Gilroy if you are interested.

Thanks for the advice, I think we will do the 101 route. We will actually be heading back to SJ to fly home from SF, which seems fairly straightforward.

J_Correa, does your food advice imply that there is no place to eat at the airport, or that the other choices are better?

PC

Hi, pegcook!

I live in the area and go to San Jose Airport at least once a month if not once a week.

I'd suggest that you pick up your car and ask for directions to get onto Highway 85. There are signs in the airport but the roads curve and split like you can't believe. Just stay in the lane going to Highway 85 and you'll be fine. Head south on 85, which should take you right onto Highway 101. Then follow the suggestions to take Highway 156, cut over to Highway 1 and you'll be Monterey.

For food, if you can wait a bit, when you get onto Highway 101, there's a huge outlet/mall/shopping center in Gilroy. There are all kinds of places to eat in that shopping center.

I'd suggest waiting a bit and get out of the airport area and out of San Jose before eating. Peak traffic time could start as early as 2pm, especially southbound, which is the homeward bound traffic.

Have a safe trip and welcome to California! :)

Thanks!

I don't know if we will be able to wait to eat...we leave Chicago at 9:20 am which means we will have children awake and on the road at 5am. Combining that with the Southwest Airlines lack of food means we will have starving children--not to mention my husband, but that's another story--when we hit the ground in SJ. I think we will just hit the first fast food we come to--but it's good to know that that has to be the plan.

PC

Hi, pegcook!

The problem with San Jose Airport is that there are no fast food places right around the airport. You will have to drive a bit and that means a waste of time. You might as well start on your way southbound.

If 101 sounds too far for you, try getting onto Highway 85, then take the Capitol Expressway exit (about 10 minutes south of the airport). Turn LEFT and you'll see a huge Home Depot on the left side of the road. Near the HD is a small shopping center with a few places to eat, nothing fancy. A Taco Bell, etc. This is an easy on and off for you.

Be forewarned that the airport is under constant construction, so it's best to get away from it as fast as possible. There are also bottlenecks in the downtown area (the airport is north of DT San Jose), so leave, leave, leave the DT area ASAP - Capitol Expressway would be a better choice of stops than trying to find a place around the airport.

Maybe you can bring some snack foods - we do and even bring sandwiches for SW.

Oh yes one more thing, in that small shopping center is an Albertson's Grocery Store which has a deli and hot foods section (at least there was the lsat time I was there). You could pick up some food from them.

OR - last suggestion - in front of the Home Depot is a Hot Dog stand.

Just leave town without it (food, that is) - 'K? Would hate to see you stuck in traffic with those kids. :)

Well, pegcook, it sure looks like we're getting closer to the food...

While there are no fast food restaurants <i>on the entrance road to the airport</i>, as easytraveler implied, there are several easily accessed sources very nearby.

J_Correa is correct about the retail on the right hand side of Airport Parkway as a person drives East, where a Quizno's, Italian dining, Indian Cuisine w/cloth tables. Japanese, Chinese on First Street not far;
Spencer's for steaks at Doubletree on Gateway Place; and more...

On the Santa Clara side of the airport, there are more.

Pegcook, let us know what type of food and we'll point you...

Wow! Just found a major typo

That's highway 87 Eighty-SEVEN, not 85.

Yes TripleSec and J Correa are correct, there are some eateries in that area which was closed off for quite awhile by construction. It's been pretty much of a &quot;dead zone&quot;, but the food's OK! :)

If you go that way, continue on and you should be able to get onto Highway 101. Not as nice a stretch of road as Highway 87 but it'll get you southbound.

Yeah. There's no reason to drive to <i>Gilroy</i> to eat. That's just silly. A person could exit anywhere on 85 or 101 and park on top of 10 restaurants.

There's a string of fast food just off 101 at Bernal Rd., built about 3 years ago.
Turn right at the exit.
It is on the RHS after 1/4 to 1/2 mile.
After, make a U-turn and turn right to re-enter 101 about 100 yards from where you exited.

Anyway, there's food inside the airport. Looks like nobody above has ever eaten at the airport?

http://www.sjc.org/travelers/maps.html

Click on Inside Terminal A and then hover/click on the icon with silverware. And, pegcook, the map of the airport in relation to Monterey is right there as well.

The food I mentioned &quot;on the Santa Clara side&quot; is on Coleman, which is the road you would drive on after exiting the airport in that direction.
The signs are a bit confusing for some people because Terminal B is under development. It's the same airport, nothing has moved except the add'l construction in the middle.

Hi, pegcook!

Hope we haven't confused you with all our good-hearted attempts to answer your questions and needs. Guess what we are all saying is that there is no need to panic.

Let me attempt to paint a composite picture of your choices. There are essentially three freeways that lead out of San Jose Airport and head southward: Highway 101 and 87 are on the east side of the airport, while Interstate 880 is on the west side of the airport.

1) Let's take the last one first. Going Interstate 880, which turns into Highway 17, will take you over the mountains. As J-Correa has pointed out you may not want to drive too curvey a road what with two &quot;squirrely&quot; kids in tow. The airport exit to 880 (everyone calls it the Coleman entry/exit) is under construction. Whereas it is not difficult to get onto the freeway, it is not a good area to stop for a bite to eat. IMHO, this rules out driving around trying to find a place along Coleman, especially since you want to avoid rush hour traffic. [BTW, I estimate your time of departure by car from San Jose Airport to be around 1 to 2 pm, which doesn't give you too much time to wander around trying to find a restaurant around the airport before rush hour starts].

The advantage to Interstate 880 is that the scenery is pretty.

2) As cobbie has said, your best route is Highway 101. If you take the route out of the airport that J-Correa suggested, along Skyport Drive, you could find something quickly and not fancy - just &quot;a quick bite&quot; - and keep on Skyport, follow the signs and get on Highway 101 southbound. For about a 10-20 mile stretch Highway 101 is not pretty. It's part of the oldest section of the freeway system and I would not recommend getting off the 101 freeway for at least the first 10 miles or so, especially near the raunchy parts of San Jose like the exits for Alum Rock Road, McKee, Capitol Expressway, or Tully Road - leastways not for tourists.

Once past that stretch of road, you'll be OK getting off the freeway to find a place to eat. The Bernal exit is fine, except that the shopping center is not visible from the freeway and is a bit removed. Anything south of that, like the Cochrane exit would put you in the bedroom communities of Morgan Hill, San Martin and Gilroy, where you will be perfectly safe once you get off the freeway.

So, in sum, Highway 101 - at least the first stretch - is not as scenic as you might want AND it will tend to have rush hour congestion earlier than the other freeways. Eat before you get on 101 and then head south and don't stop until you get to Monterey - LOL!

3) The other eastside highway is 87. It's the newest and possibly the easiest to get onto, provided that inside the airport you STAY in the LANE with the 87 signs. Once on the freeway, for the first part, you will be on an elevated freeway whizzing past downtown San Jose. This will be the only chance you will have to see the great metropolitan area of San Jose from a freeway perspective. :) Yes, you COULD stop in DT San Jose for a bite to eat, but, again, I won't suggest it in the interests of saving time. The first really viable exit from 87 is the Capitol Expressway exit about 10 minutes down the freeway (Capitol E. is a very long road and crosses two freeways in three different areas). Again, if you want to stop this soon, any exit after Capitol Expressway will offer you some food options.

I suggested Gilroy because a) it has a lot of food choices; b) it gets you pretty much away from San Jose Airport, so you can breathe easier about rush hour traffic; c) it'll be a good place to stop to stretch your legs, instead of just jumping out of your car, grab a quick bite, and into your car again. Thought you and your kids might want to stop a bit after a long flight. From here to Monterey would be about an hour to an hour and a half's drive. This portion of the road after Gilroy would be a pretty straightforward and easy drive. You may want to stop here, regardless of which southbound route you take.

Well, there you have it. Hope it helps a bit and that you will be able to choose the route best suited to your needs and tastes. I'm certain the others can come up with other good places to stop.

Have a safe trip! :)

That reminds me of something.
Another reason Gilroy dont work for our toddlers is because our kids are asleep by the time we get to Morgan Hill and Gilroy, and they eat while they are wound-up at the begining of the trip away from the airport.

I'm also guessing, PC, that your family doesn't speak mexican or chinese, so we don't recommend our friends to stop there on the way to Monterey.

The Gilroy Outlets are the only decent part [in a farming town turned into housing tracts] for spending a few hours shopping, on another trip. They really ain't <i>outlets</i> in the <i>discounted price</i> meaning. About 20% of the goods there are priced right. I get the kids socks and shirts and things in bolk cheaper.

I am sure that essaytraveler was not suggesting that you aren't able to find a block of stores if it isn't visible from the freeway. She knows better.

Whew, those are the most convoluted driving directions I have ever heard for driving from SJO to Monterey...you guys are something else.

Just get on Hwy 101. Watch at the interchanges for a McDonald's or a Wendy'a or something like that. Get off and eat.

Then watch the highway signs. They will direct you to Monterey.

sheesh.

PS.

The airport is just off 101. Your rental car company will provide you with a great map. Ask them.

First of all - I don't understand the panic about having to eat immediately. Just do what everyone else who frequently flies Southwest does. Take sandwiches or heavy snacks w/ you. If you don't want to bring things from home, then pick up wraps/sandwiches/salads/whatever at Midway. That way the kids will have something in their stomachs and you can get out of SJ before stopping to eat.

The main reason I would get out of town before stopping is TRAFFIC. The sooner you can get south the better. There are any number of places you can stop along 101 -- Gilroy is just one. But a quick stop for lunch near the airport could easily stretch into an hour.

Janis, I understand her panic. Snacks can only do so much with my kids, when it's lunch time they want LUNCH. What I would do if I were pegcook is I would stop at the FF restaurants in the terminal (McDonalds is there for sure) and let the kids have their happy meals while the super slow baggage handlers unloaded the bags. If her kids eat fast, like most do, they will done in time to get down to baggage claim right about the time that the bags are coming off. Then I would take 87 to 101 and drive straight to Monterey with no stops. BTW, I think it's a bit much to call the stops off of 101 like Tully and Capitol raunchy. Certainly they aren't easy-on, easy-off exits I would advise a tourist take but raunchy is a bit strong. Ditto on the Spanish in Gilroy. C'mon people, it's a second language here in California, deal with it!

Not the Spanish, ManicaRichards, mexicans. There's a great difference between the two.

OK, I had to once again go to San Jose Airport this weekend, so I decided to take the 101 South route out of the airport.

STAY in the 101 South lane at the airport. Curve around with it wherever it goes, you go.

When you exit the airport you will be on Skyport. Keep going straight by following the 101 south sign.

Here's the kicker. At a crucial junction, there is NO sign.

So, when you reach First Street, turn LEFT (i.e., going northbound) onto First Street.

Along First Street, you will pick up the signs again and they will tell you to turn right.

Turn right and stay in the LEFT lane. The Left lane will take you directly onto 101 heading south. The right lane will go to Fourth Street and ....

So, the advice to take 101 is a good one, if you can find your way to 101 first!

I'd say that the suggestion to eat at the MacDonald's at the airport is a great one, but isn't it in Terminal C? Is there a MacD's in Terminal A? I'm sorry I can't tell you because fast food is not one of my favorite foods.

I'd agree with Monica Richards that after you have eaten at the airport, then take 87, because it's the least convoluted way to get out of the airport, and head straight for Monterey.

And Janis has hit it right on the head for a speedy getaway from the airport: TRAFFIC!!!!!

Ohhhhhh, man. Are you guys still talking?
Fehgedaboudit has some xenophobia to work out on the couch at $150/hour.

Oh man, I hadn't checked the board for a couple days. This thread has gotten quite complicated and now we have warnings about not being able to speak &quot;mexican&quot; and chinese. Good grief.

Eating in the airport is fine and would probably work great with the kids. In Terminal A, before you leave the secure area there are some choices. I think a McDonalds and maybe a place that makes sandwiches. In Terminal C before you leave security is a Noah's Bagels, and then outside security is a Burger King and a couple other places. So if you want to eat right away, it isn't a problem.

Or you can head out and eat near the airport.

Good point was made about not waiting longer to eat because the kids might be asleep in the car by the time you get to Capitol Expressway or Morgan Hill/Gilroy.