I'm planning a trip to San Jose next month and would appreciate recommendations on places to stay and leisure activities. Thanks!

You would get more responses if you posted on the Central America board.

Maybe he's going to San Jose, California

Oh yeah --- forgot all about that place...

Go to Central America if it's not too late to change plans...

Try citysearch to see what's going on the weekend you are there. Always recommend Winchester Mystery house..$12 and very interesting place to tell your friends about! Sarah Winchester was the "winchester rifle" widow and for many speculated reasons would not stop building on her home ( possibly to confuse the spirits of those killed by rifles). Stairs that go nowhere, 13 of everything, doors that open onto nothing. Most unusual tourist attraction you will ever go to. I'd give more details but wouldn't want to spoil it for you! Ist saturday of every month in the town bordering San Jose (cupertino) is THE best outdoor flea market ever, and is located at Deanza Community College. San Jose has some great musuems. The downtown area is one of the cleanest i've ever been to.

The Tech Museum and IMAX dome are interesting.
If you like hockey, you might be able to find some tickets and go to a Shark's game. I think the tickets are pretty much sold out, but there are always people selling them on EBay and Yahoo Auctions.
The Japanese Friendship Garden at Kelly Park is really nice. There is also a historic town set up at Kelly Park showing what life was like in the 1800s in San Jose.
Big Basin State Park is close by, you could go and check out the redwoods.

These are a couple of web sites to check out to see what kind of festivals, street fairs, and so on are going on while you are here:

www.sanjose.org
www.sj-downtown.com

Kris and J Correa, thanks for your suggestions.

Micah,

I stayed at the Hyatt Saint Claire and thought it was quite nice. It is supposedly a historic property and is in the middle of town.

There is also a restaurant we went to that I can't remember the name of, but it is on top of a building so that you can watch the planes land during dinner. I am sure the concierge would know the name.

Have a good time. I found San Jose to be quite nice.

JB

I completely agree with J Correa's and Kris's advice. A few other places to visit, depending on your interests:

Antique Row http://www.antiqueinfo.com/briarwood/antiquerow.htm

Japantown
www.japantownsanjose.org

Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum www.rosicrucian.org

San Jose Museum of Art
www.sjmusart.org

San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art
www.sjica.org

There are many hotels/motels in and around the city to fit most any budget. The most convenient area to stay would be Downtown, where many attractions are within walking distance and you have good public transportation. Some of the hotels that I would recommend include the Fairmont, Hotel De Anza, Hyatt Sainte Claire, and the Hilton San Jose and Towers.

The Briar Rose Bed and Breakfast is just north of Downtown and walking distance to Japantown.
http://www.briar-rose.com/

Micah, I believe that the restaurant jb is referring to is Scott's Seafood on park Avenue. It's one of the best seafood places in the city.

If it's in your budget, I would recommend staying at the Hotel De Anza. Either way, I agree with the suggestion to stay downtown.