Visitor’s guide to San Jose

San Jose, CA, USA

So let us assume for a moment that you are not a video game and / or D&D junkie (and you remember things like corkscrews when bringing over bottles of wine to your friend’s house).  Barring that, what does one do for amusement in Greg’s home town?

Let’s start with the touristy stuff…

Just Walk around:

There is typically something unusual and interesting going on in town.  This city is where millionaire hi-tech execs meet the green movement, where Gay culture mixes with ancient Spanish Catholic missions, where Asian immigrants, Midwestern Americans, Hippies and Mexican nationals all somehow manage to blend their culture or figure out how to coexist.  Art and wine festivals, Celtic tournaments, Ren faires, farmer’s and flea markets… there are so many little things about the city that are just uniquely San Jose.

 

The Winchester mystery house:

Probably the oddest destination in San Jose.  If you ever wanted to know what would happen when you give an absolutely crazy woman an unlimited budget and a “do what you like” building license, then look no further than this place.  Take the tour, it’s worth it.

 

The Tech museum of innovation:

Perfect for inquisitive children aged 6 to 90.  If you ever played with legos (like Tiffany) or built walking robots out of construx (like Greg) this place will keep you amused for countless hours.

 

Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

 

There is, to this day, a little child inside me that squeals with delight as he tells his mother about the process that the ancient Egyptians used to remove the human brain prior to mummification.  I have this museum to thank for that.

 

Santana Row:

Yes it’s trendy.  It’s trite.  It’s a overpriced hyped up outdoors shopping mall but it’s got some nice restaurants and it’s pretty to walk around.  It’s also across the street from the century theaters where I cringed at the “new” original Star Wars trilogy oh so many years ago…

 

The Food:

Look, nothing can make you appreciate your home cuisine more than living abroad for a few years.  And you don’t miss the home cooking, because that you can bring with you, even key lime pie as long as you plan ahead. (Except the Swedish meatballs Mom, it’s OK, we miss them)  As for fine dining, most places have that too so again, not much to be missed.  What you miss are the places you can’t replicate in your home kitchen and that don’t exist outside your region.  Do you have any idea how long it’s been since Greg could get In-n-Out burgers!?  Or since Tiffany has had Little Caesars!?

And if you have not ever had it’s-it ice cream you have never truly visited the Bay Area.

 

Now that we have the basics covered, next time we’ll look at the fun stuff us locals do –

 

Food can make you fall in love with a place.  Take for example Germany, a land we have never visited but are absolutely infatuated with based solely on the kind people, awesome language and amazing bread.

 

About the authors

Greg and Tiffany are traveling around the world on sailing yachts and keep a video blog of their (mis)adventures. If sailing to Tahiti on a 44 ft sailboat, 3-day delays for wine tastings, getting pooped on by seagulls, opening coconuts with dull machetes, sailing past tornadoes and ukulele Christmas carols are for you, then check them out at www.CoastGuardCouple.com!