From LA to San Francisco Continued

After spending three days in San Francisco be sure to drive down the I-280 towards San Jose. Take your time. The view along the I-280 is amazing. It’s well worth stopping at some of the vista points along the way. And, be sure to turn down Page Mill Road into Palo Alto, which is a quaint but wealthy town home to Stanford University. It’s also home to some of the richest Venture Capitalist firms in the world. So, if you’re looking for cash, it’s not a bad place to be. Grab lunch and then head back down Page Mill Road and onto the I-280 south on your way to San Jose.

Before you get as far along as Palo Alto, as your leaving San Francisco, just about at the turnoff to a small town called Pacifica (well worth visiting) you’ll notice a line of clouds in the sky. All of a sudden the clouds completely vanish and the sky is as blue as it could ever be and the wind becomes warm. That’s when you know you’re on your way to San Jose. San Jose is almost always sunny and always much warmer than San Francisco. It’s also more spread out than San Francisco. Downtown San Jose is fantastic. In fact, San Jose really is a hidden diamond in California. Everything is close by and the weather is perfect. The nightlife is great because you can walk outside without being cold.

San Jose has also gone through a revitalization and there are many new clubs and restaurants opening. The architecture in San Jose also has a more Mexican style, which adds a nice cultural feel to the city. I’d recommend spending two or even three days in San Jose. Be sure to stay downtown for the first day and night but then move to the Bristol Hotel on Bascom Avenue. The rooms at the Bristol are very spacious, the price is right and its close to the Prunyard Shopping Center, where you can grab a great meal, go to a movie and then hit a local pub (right beside the movie theatre). On your second day, be sure to hit Vasona Lake County Park for a morning run and then grab a Starbucks on Blossom Hill Road and Los Gatos Blvd right next to the Ferrari dealer. If you’re staying three nights, I’d spend one night downtown and two nights at the Bristol and explore Los Gatos and South Saratoga for the last day.

Then you’re off to Santa Cruz along the I-17.