Traveling to San Jose (maybe before moving there??)--need some tourist ideas! (San Francisco: foreclosures, renting)

[jlhermes]

My husband is interviewing in San Jose for the second time (actually, Cupertino), and they've suggested I come out this time to check out the area. We're from Wisconsin, and the kids are staying with relatives while we're gone. We're planning on being there from Saturday to Wednesday.

Can someone give us some ideas of things to do and see while we're there (aside from the obvious Golden Gate, Alcatraz, etc.?)

Also, we need to check out neighborhoods and surrounding cities in the likely event that we'll get an offer and need to move. We have two young ones--five months and 17 months. It would be nice to find some kid-friendly neighborhoods. Some suggestions in this category would be helpful. TIA!

[bobby_guz_man]

Golden Gate and Alcatraz are in San Francisco. You're in the wrong forum.

[zitsky]

OK, Cupertino and San Jose are very different as you can imagine. If you can afford it and work is in Cupertino why not stay there. Or, you could live on the peninsula, maybe Mountain View then commute down to Cupertino. You haven't said what your budget is.

If you have time you could drive down to Santa Cruz or over to Half Moon Bay and check out the beaches there. But you won't have time to go everywhere. San Francisco is nice if you have the time.

[bentobox34]

If I was taking such a trip, I would concentrate on getting a feel for the neighborhoods you would live in, the places you would frequent, etc., in the event you actually made the move. I would skip Golden Gate, Alcatraz and other touristy San Francisco stuff. SF is 50 miles away from San Jose and is not part of the daily lives of most people in the South Bay, unless they commute that direction for work. If your husband gets the job you'll have ample opportunities to go be a tourist in SF on the weekends.

You mentioned looking for "kid-friendly neighborhoods" but didn't mention a price range. If you are fairly high-income, think close to $200k or above, Cupertino and neighboring cities (Los Altos, Mountain View) are great for families and will give your husband a short commute (worth its weight in gold around here). If you want to spend less, look into Sunnyvale, Santa Clara and San Jose in descending order of cost. I can only comment on specific neighborhoods in Santa Clara. I enjoy my neighborhood known as the Old Quad, surrounding the university, and think it's great for families (I'm raising a 3-year-old) as long as you stay out of the immediate 2-3 block radius of the university itself, where the frat houses tend to congregate. Just walk around on a weekend evening and cross any street with an active beer pong table off your list. There is another neighborhood to our southwest that Google Maps labels "Forest-Pruneridge" - a semi-triangular shape bounded by Stevens Creek, Winchester and Saratoga, that I enjoy as well - lots of beautiful homes with front porches and a great park (Everett Alvarez). Lastly, I'd recommend the Rose Garden area of San Jose, southeast of I-880, which has the library we go to most frequently.

Again, I can't really recommend touristy activities because with your limited schedule I'd focus on learning about the area as a potential resident. However if you're outdoorsy I'd recommend heading up to the Santa Cruz mountains immediately outside Cupertino, such as Fremont Older Open Space or Castle Rock State Park - to discover one of the best aspects of living in the Bay Area.

[blueskywalker]

Come over to the ocean side of life.
Do see Big Sur. Travel over HWY 17 and head south on HWY 1. Visit Monterey. The aquarium is excellent. South from there, visit Carmel Village. Hoity - toity but lovely. Then head on down to Big Sur.
If you do come over to the coast, if possible, avoid commuter hours on 17 and 1. For example, you do not want to leave San Jose any time after 2:30 pm or so for that will bring you into hellish traffic on HWY17 and HWY1. Leave in the morning after 9 or so and then, when coming back realize that there will be commuter traffic in Monterey county after around 3 or so. North on HWY1 during the week-days is not too bad but on the weekends, things get gnarly in both directions.
Drive with great care on 17. It's a roller coaster of a road. Both hands on the wheel.

[jlhermes]

Originally Posted by bobby_guz_man

Golden Gate and Alcatraz are in San Francisco. You're in the wrong forum.

I'm aware, but this is not helpful.

I guess I have two motivations: 1, I need to check out the area for buying a house and raising a family. 2, I'm thinking, hey, Husband and I get four days' free vacation and want to do/see something touristy. Let's take advantage of it!!

Perhaps I'm biting off more than I can chew. To some of your points, perhaps doing touristy things should wait until we move. If we move. And with that big if, I wonder if it pays to do the touristy thing during this trip in the event that we don't take the job.

I have absolutely NO understanding of surrounding areas, distance, etc., so the latter posters have helped regarding distance and recommendations with driving and taking the highways--many thanks. I think I need to put "Milwaukee" where SF is and see how far cities are in relation to cities outside of Milwaukee.

I've experienced Chicago traffic before, but I've never been to CA. I get the feeling (even before you all said anything) that it's hairy.

And I have no clue what our budget would be as it relates to house-hunting. Right now we're in a 2200 sq. ft. 4 bed/2.5 bath house and we pay $1700 a month. I'm looking at the possibility of renting a house two-thirds that size in the Sunnyvale/Mountain View/Cupertino area for three times the price. House renting seems to be a bigger thing there than in Milwaukee.

Also...what's with all the foreclosures and houses up for auction?? Is there something wonky going on that I should know about?

Thanks again for all your help! And for dealing with my random questions!

[Local123]

Originally Posted by bentobox34

If I was taking such a trip, I would concentrate on getting a feel for the neighborhoods you would live in, the places you would frequent, etc., in the event you actually made the move. I would skip Golden Gate, Alcatraz and other touristy San Francisco stuff. SF is 50 miles away from San Jose and is not part of the daily lives of most people in the South Bay, unless they commute that direction for work. If your husband gets the job you'll have ample opportunities to go be a tourist in SF on the weekends.

You mentioned looking for "kid-friendly neighborhoods" but didn't mention a price range. If you are fairly high-income, think close to $200k or above, Cupertino and neighboring cities (Los Altos, Mountain View) are great for families and will give your husband a short commute (worth its weight in gold around here). If you want to spend less, look into Sunnyvale, Santa Clara and San Jose in descending order of cost. I can only comment on specific neighborhoods in Santa Clara. I enjoy my neighborhood known as the Old Quad, surrounding the university, and think it's great for families (I'm raising a 3-year-old) as long as you stay out of the immediate 2-3 block radius of the university itself, where the frat houses tend to congregate. Just walk around on a weekend evening and cross any street with an active beer pong table off your list. There is another neighborhood to our southwest that Google Maps labels "Forest-Pruneridge" - a semi-triangular shape bounded by Stevens Creek, Winchester and Saratoga, that I enjoy as well - lots of beautiful homes with front porches and a great park (Everett Alvarez). Lastly, I'd recommend the Rose Garden area of San Jose, southeast of I-880, which has the library we go to most frequently.

Again, I can't really recommend touristy activities because with your limited schedule I'd focus on learning about the area as a potential resident. However if you're outdoorsy I'd recommend heading up to the Santa Cruz mountains immediately outside Cupertino, such as Fremont Older Open Space or Castle Rock State Park - to discover one of the best aspects of living in the Bay Area.

This is inaccurate information. There are several neighborhoods in San Jose that are more expensive than Santa Clara including Cambrian and Willow Glen. I get tired of saying this but SJ is a big city with a lot if nice areas. I personally would not choose Santa Clara or Sunnyvale over SJ. Start looking at price per sq ft people. Right now Cambrian is $648/sf and Santa Clara is $607/sf. You can't compare a city with over a million people with a town of 148,000 people. It makes no sense.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

I used to live in Santa Clara. I thought I'd just mention somewhere you might enjoy in Cupertino, if you enjoy Asian food. Even if you don't it's a fun huge grocery store that's enjoyable to even just walk around in and look at everything. They have a huge seafood section, with live fish in tanks.

I used to shop there and loved getting great deals on fresh veggies and a frozen won ton soup you could buy in the freezer section. They also have a great buffet/cafe on one side where you can eat:

99 Ranch Market - Grocery - Cupertino, CA - Reviews - Photos - Yelp

I'm not sure what other shops are in that shopping center now: Cupertino Village Shopping Center at the corner of Homestead and Wolfe in Cupertino, but even if you just go to 99 Ranch Market to check it out and eat Chinese food, it is worth going.

Another simple trip from that area would be to go to Santa Cruz and go to the beach, and walk along Pacific Avenue where there are a lot of fun shops, and it's a great place to people watch. You might even see some surfers at the beach, too.

Downtown Santa Cruz

You can take a trolley to the beach:

http://www.downtownsantacruz.com/san...beach-trolley/


Halfway to Santa Cruz, in the mountains, is a fun train trip through the redwoods. They have a train that goes to the beach, too, though I've never taken that one. The one through the woods is fun, with a tour guide who is entertaining.

Roaring Camp Railroads | Felton, CA | Santa Cruz County :: Home

One of the California missions is on the University of Santa Cruz campus:

Santa Clara University - Santa Clara University's Mission Church

Another fun place in the area (San Jose) is Santana Row. Lots of shopping and dining, including outdoor dining. All walkable and really quaint.

Santana Row

Right across the street from Santana Row is the Winchester Mystery House. Even if you don't do a tour (which I highly recommend for the fun factor, even though it's pricey), you can still walk around the grounds and go into the gift shop and museum:

Welcome - The world famous Winchester Mystery House

If you venture into San Francisco, my very favorite thing to do is take a cruise on the bay.

http://www.blueandgoldfleet.com/

And if you love SF sourdough bread, it's fun to go to Boudin's sourdough factory with restaurant and cafe, which is also at Pier 39:

https://www.boudinbakery.com/index.cfm?page_id=157

Those were some of my favorite things to do right around the Bay Area. Enjoy your trip and good luck on the job!

[bobby_guz_man]

If you head off to SF, try not to go near the sea lions. Might get shot in the back...

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Originally Posted by bobby_guz_man

If you head off to SF, try not to go near the sea lions. Might get shot in the back...

...with a harpoon by the sea lion hunters...

Who wants to make up the next line? This is fun.