In and around San Jose - what to see, do, eat?
 

Have a trip coming up that will have us based in Santa Clara/San Jose area. One or two of those days, I will have some time to myself -- not enough to get up to San Francisco for the day (which we'll be doing as a group other days) and we'll be in Carmel for 3 days (yay!), but enough to want to poke around.

Any suggestions for San Jose itself or about an hour radius from there? Park, gallery, historical site, scenic sight, interesting neighborhood, non-mall shopping, oddity, cafes/dining?

In San Jose you could visit Santana Row- upscale restaurants and shops- fun area to visit and not an enclosed mall.

Los Gatos is a nice little community to visit- more shops and restaurants - I always enjoy visiting

Well there's always the Winchester Mystery House, where $40 will mysteriously disappear from your wallet for reasons that nobody can explain.

:-D

Oddity? I love the blimp hangar at Moffett Field in Mountain View. Amazing unique sight with a museum across the street. You'll have to show ID to enter the base. I wouldn't miss it.


http://www.moffettfieldmuseum.org/findus.html

http://www.yelp.com/biz/moffett-fiel...t_by=date_desc

I second the Santana Row and Los Gatos suggestions (downtown Saratoga is also pretty nice for strolling), and cracked up at fdecarlo's description of the WMH.

There's a hockey team of some decency . . . until it comes to closing out playoff series.

Hit me where it hurts, BigRuss :-(

Definitely winchester mystery house or san jose flea market, otherwise, just go to sf

Lots of amazing food in all of Silicon valley, including San Jose. Some good options and ambience downtown.There are theaters too. I don't find the parks in San Jose to be that great. Otherwise, I'd explore Los Gatos (can do some wine tasting there), Palo Alto, or downtown mountainview. Check out the Rodin Sculpture Garden at Stanford if you like art. It's free.

BigRuss. If they had finished the Kings last yr. maybe my Hawks would have repeated.

If I wanted to see hockey, I'd see the Bruins, except they ain't what they was.

Also, any special recs re restaurants? Seafood, Asian and So Asian, specialty?

Oh, my gosh. One night you should take your group to the downtown area of Mt. View and just stroll down Castro. It's unbelievable. Five or so blocks of restaurants of every type. Lots of folks out and about having dinner. It's lovely especially when nice out. Use Yelp if you want to preview where to go. Free parking on the street in the surrounding neighborhood.

http://mountainviewdowntown.com/dining

If you like Ethiopian food - or even better, if you've never tried it - there is Zeni restaurant in San Jose. Don't be deceived by the strip mall storefront appearance from outside - it's a really authentic Ethiopian experience. Food is amazing - and the injera is especially excellent. Highly recommended!

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...alifornia.html

I'm sorry but I would hardly call downtown Mountain View "unbelieveable". It's a very nice suburban downtown, and yes, there are lots of restaurant choices, but really, they're not the kind of restaurants you travel 20 miles for!

I prefer Los Gatos myself

I agree with the suggestions for Santana Row and Los Gatos for fun areas to hang out, eat and shop.
Here is a possible itinerary:
Morning: Drive to Vasona Park in Los Gatos, there is a small fee to enter and park. Take a walk or light jog through the park, along the lake. You can even continue on, past the lake for several miles through the percolation ponds if you like.
After your walk, drive to town, to Fleur De Cocoa on N. Santa Cruz Ave. and order yourself a cafe au lait and a wonderful croissant or two. Best croissants in the area, as good as Paris (I'm a croissant snob).
Walk around N. Santa Cruz Ave., Main St. and University Ave. to explore the shops.

Have lunch on one of these streets - my choices:

Zona Rosa on Main St. (mexican with organic, healthy focus) - tempura shrimp tacos are one of my favorites there, along with the guacomole with bacon & pistachios with their amazing homemade tortilla chips.

Wine Cellar, University ave: Really nice salads, sit outside. If bad weather, I would skip this one.

Willow Street pizza: N. Santa Cruz Ave. nice salads, individual pizzas, traditional and otherwise

Opa: N. Santa Cruz Ave: Greek/Mediterranean - Tzikiti, skewers, all good - I usually get the gyros appetizer plate for lunch. Don't miss the fries with a mustard dipping sauce and feta cheese garnish.

Steamers: University Ave.: Excellent seafood, kinda pricey

Save room after lunch to have an amazing cookie or two from the Icing on the Cake bakery on Main Street. If you are too full, pick some up for later. The apple cookie with frosting or the chocolate chip cherry cookie are personal favorites. Their carrot cake is the best ever. They also make intense chocolate cupcakes with creamy filling and ganache frosting (like hostess, but amazing).

After lunch, drive up highway 9 towards Saratoga (a 5-10 min drive)and turn left into Villa Montalvo. Drive up, park and walk around the grounds. Beautiful mansion and grounds where concerts, weddings and other events are often held. Sometimes there are art gallery displays and other things going on there.

If you feel like a little more nature, visit Hakone Gardens in Saratoga, a beautiful Japanese inspired garden.

If you still have some energy, go over to Santana Row. walk around the shops, have a margarita and the tequila garden or (my preference) at the Left Bank restaurant, sitting outside, people watching. There are many dinner options there, including Lark Creek Restaurant (seafood), Left Bank (French bistro), Pizza Antica (great thin crust pizza), or Indian food at Amber India.

Have fun!

The Sonoma Chicken Coop off market is very yummy and inexpensive. One of the overlook museums in San Jose is the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum & Planetarium. it houses the largest collection of Egyptian artifacts on exhibit in western North America. Also in Santa Clara is Mission Santa Clara de Asis which dates back to the 1777. There are self guided tours and the grounds are quiet lovely. enjoy your trip.

When I was growing up in the foothills of San Jose I loved being taken to Alum Rock Park. Nice place to wander in the out of doors.

The Rosicrucia Egyptian Museum and Planeterium are well worth a visit also.