San Jose, California San Jose, California Overview Introduction San Jose, California, is more than just the unofficial capital of Silicon Valley, the place where the U.S. computer industry took off and created a high-technology world. Palm trees and luxury hotels line busy boulevards in lively downtown San Jose, and the city's trendy restaurants, classy shops and lively nightspots attract both visitors and locals, including many who work in the world of technology. Despite its sudden growth during the tech boom of the 1990s, San Jose retains its small-town charm. Highlights Sights—The strange and beautiful Winchester Mystery House; the historic Peralta Adobe and Fallon House; the Montalvo Arts Center. Museums—The amazing interactive exhibits at The Tech Museum of Innovation; masterworks at the San Jose Museum of Art; the large collection of Egyptian artifacts at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum & Planetarium. Memorable Meals—The enchanting ambience and French fare at La Foret Creekside Dining; the funky atmosphere of Henry's Hi-Life. Late Night—Drinking and dancing at San Jose Bar and Grill; live music at JJ's Lounge. Walks—A hike in nearby Alum Rock Park; Santa Cruz Mountains in Portola Redwoods State Park; a stroll along the boardwalk at Santa Cruz Beach; a rose-scented walk through Guadalupe River Park & Gardens; a hike in the hillside trails around the Montalvo Arts Center. Especially for Kids—The Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose; Happy Hollow Park and Zoo. Geography San Jose is in the Santa Clara Valley, otherwise known as Silicon Valley. It is bordered by two mountain ranges, the Santa Cruz Mountains to the west and the Diablo Range to the east. Two rivers, the Coyote and the Guadalupe, run through the city. San Jose is at the southern end of the valley, about 50 mi/80 km south of San Francisco and about 40 mi/64 km south of Oakland. Several neighboring Silicon Valley cities are close enough to visit for sightseeing, shopping or dinner. (Most sit 5-15 mi/8-24 km north or northwest of downtown.) These include Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Campbell, Mountain View, Los Altos, Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Woodside. Morgan Hill-Saratoga and Los Gatos (a small historic town) lie south of San Jose. You'll hear locals refer to the entire area as the South Bay, part of the sweeping metropolitan Bay Area. Potpourri Founded in 1777, and part of the former Spanish colony known as Alta California, San Jose is officially known as El Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe. Page 1 of 13 Copyright ©2021 Northstar Travel Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. U.S. Presidents Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton have stayed at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose and so has the Dalai Lama. Clinton actually stopped at a McDonald's on San Carlos Street for french fries while out on his morning run—long before his bypass surgery. Mercury pulled from San Jose mines was used to process gold during the California Gold Rush of the 1840s. One of the country's largest active mercury mines continues to operate on the outskirts of the city. Scenes from Memoirs of a Geisha were filmed at the beautiful Hakone Gardens in nearby Saratoga. The statue of Quetzalcoatl (a Mesoamerican god) in Plaza de Cesar E. Chavez is a controversial work of art. One man called it a giant dog dropping, and many have likened it to dinosaur excrement—not exactly in those words. The Smothers Brothers comedy duo attended San Jose State University and began their career in small clubs in San Jose. San Jose was the California state capital briefly, before it was moved to Sacramento. Hotel Overview The number of hotel rooms has grown dramatically in response to the steadily increasing flow of business travelers to Silicon Valley. It can be difficult to find a room on weekdays because San Jose hosts so many trade shows and conventions. It's best to book rooms as far in advance as possible. The city has several notable top-notch hotels, though business travelers may want to make location their top criterion: Silicon Valley's traffic is notoriously bad, so finding a hotel close to your meeting place is advisable. See & Do Sightseeing Though it lacks a cohesive nucleus (the sprawl of San Jose brings Los Angeles to mind), many of the best sights are in the downtown area. There is enough to see and do to keep you busy for a day or so. You'll find traces of the area's history at San Pedro Square, where the city's oldest building, the Peralta Adobe, stands as a legacy of San Jose's Spanish origins. Most of the city's museums are not far away. And, if you like historical architecture, the post office on St. James Street—a WPA (Works Projects Administration) project during the Great Depression—has a beautiful interior. A must-see is The Tech Museum of Innovation. You can make a movie in its digital studio or be shaken in a simulated earthquake—just two of The Tech's more than 200 interactive exhibits. Historic Sites Winchester Mystery House Possibly the strangest house in the U.S., it was commissioned by wealthy widow Sarah Winchester. It was constructed by teams of carpenters working 24 hours a day for 38 years. The 525 S. Winchester Blvd. constant construction is what the Winchester Rifle heiress believed would protect her from the San Jose, CA spirits of those killed by the guns her husband manufactured. The 160-room house contains Phone: 408-247-2101 oddities (staircases that go nowhere, doors that open onto blank walls), but also luxuries http://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com (Tiffany art-glass windows, 47 fireplaces, three elevators). A gift shop and cafe are located on the grounds. Tours daily from 9 am. Tours start at US$30 adults. Museums The Tech Museum of Innovation This is perhaps the city's best museum. A salute to the technology that gave Silicon Valley its moniker, there are lots of interactive exhibits, vintage computers, Northern California's largest 201 S. Market St. IMAX dome theater and educational displays of software. One of the most popular exhibits San Jose, CA involves making a rock video. Phone: 408-294-8324 Daily 10 am-5 pm. US$24 adults. http://www.thetech.org Page 2 of 13 Copyright ©2021 Northstar Travel Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. San Jose Museum of Art The San Jose Museum of Art has a permanent collection of 20th- and 21st-century works that includes paintings, sculptures, new media, photography, drawings and prints. The museum's 110 S. Market St. (at San Fernando schedule of temporary exhibits includes national and international works of mostly Street) contemporary artists. Public tours are offered in the museum's lobby Tuesday-Sunday 1 and San Jose, CA 2:30 pm. Phone: 408-271-6840 Tuesday-Sunday 11 am-5 pm. US$10 adults. http://www.sjmusart.org Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum & Planetarium This museum contains one of the largest collections of Egyptian artifacts on the West Coast. In addition to ancient mummies, the museum has a replica of an ancient tomb. Admission 1660 Park Ave. includes a show in a 1930s-era planetarium. San Jose, CA Phone: 408-947-3635 Wednesday-Friday 9 am-5 pm, Saturday and Sunday 10 am-6 pm. US$9 adults. http://www.egyptianmuseum.org Computer History Museum Originally started in 1979 in Marlborough, Massachusetts, the museum was moved to Mountain View in 1996. The museum walks visitors through 2,000 years of computer history via more 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd. than 20 educational installations, including mainframes, analog computers, robotics and San Jose, CA autonomous vehicles. Phone: 650-810-1010 Wednesday-Sunday 10 am-5 pm. US$15 adults. http://www.computerhistory.org Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose The exhibits and programs of this highly regarded museum are designed to entertain and educate children. Older children will learn everything from how electricity is created to the ways 180 Woz Way different cultures use seeds. For little ones, there are exploratory labs featuring water, sand, San Jose, CA bubbles and balls. Phone: 408-298-5437 Tuesday-Saturday 10 am-5 pm, Sunday noon-5 pm. US$12 general admission. http://www.cdm.org Neighborhoods & Districts Willow Glen An oasis in the middle of San Jose sprawl, Willow Glen used to be a marsh full of willow trees. Ther area was drained in the early 1900s to plant orchards. Today, it is a relaxing area for Lincoln Avenue (between Coe and shopping and dining. Locals enjoy wandering through the tree-lined neighborhood and along its Minnesota streets) major street, Lincoln Avenue, which is filled with restaurants, coffee shops, boutiques and day San Jose, CA spas. A farmers market is held at the Garden Theatre May-October Saturday 9:30 am-1:30 pm Phone: 408-298-2100 . http://www.willowglen.org South First Area (SoFA) SoFA (South First Area) is San Jose's downtown arts and entertainment district. It's home to many galleries, nightclubs and several good restaurants. The San Jose Stage, ICA, San Jose South of First Street (west of San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles and the California Theatre are all located there. The SoFA district State University) incorporates some of the city's most interesting architecture, too—check out the old movie San Jose, CA theaters. Phone: 408-279-1775 http://www.sjdowntown.com/sofa Page 3 of 13 Copyright ©2021 Northstar Travel Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. San Pedro Square This historic strip in downtown San Jose is home to two of the city's oldest buildings—the Peralta Adobe and the Fallon House.