What to see in california?
 

ok going to visit my parents in san jose 3rd week in june. So far on the list is obviously san jose and san fransisco, alcatraz, some redwoods. anyone got any particular places i should go see, places to eat. nothing TOO far unless it's a must see.

san jose is pretty far from Alcatraz and redwoods.

san jose is 50 miles from sanfran and alcatraz is right there?

edit: and muir woods with redwoods is 67 miles

by far i mean like more than a couple hour car ride

Infinion Raceway, and the massive amount of wineries in the napa vally.

Food:
Ebisu Sushi - San Francisco Japanese Cuisine

Jelly Belly factory tour near Vallejo. Marriotts in Santa Clara. 6 Flags in Vallejo. Go to Sonoma for wine tasting.......not as trendy as Napa but a lot more fun. Scomo's restaurant on the pier....

Monterey/Carmel area is pretty cool, only about 90 min from SJ. Point Lobos State Preserve in Carmel is excellent if you're up for wildlife and crashing surf views. Casanova in Carmel is one of my favorite restaurants anywhere.

If you can get a decent car, take the 101 south to Greenfield, then drive Carmel Valley Road (G16) up to PCH in Carmel. It is an absolutely great sports car road, but the trip is a few hours.

well i didn't plan on renting anything, so i'll only have my parents ram 2500 which isn't exactly a curvy road machine.....however both of my parents harleys are out there if i can coax the wife into a backseat ride

san jose... downtown is kinda fun in a "shadow of SF" kinda way.

if you go up to muir woods, make sure to stop at all the awesome brew pubs on the way. especially Russian River in Santa Rosa. Awesome place.

You might also want to cruise the El Camino just for kicks. though it's never been the same since 1992...

oh and take it over 17 to santa cruz. great beaches.

going to Monterey and Carmel you'll pass by Laguna Seca

There's an aquarium to see in Monterey that's ok. Carmel is cool, just mostly scenic stuff. 17 mile drive is cool too, but I think they started charging people to get in. Hurst castle is pretty neat too, but that might be farther off than you're willing to drive.

No.Cal is more scenic and nature oriented fun it seems. I prefer buildings to trees though.

Any chance you're going to So.Cal?

good suggestions so far guys thanks

probably not heading to socal based on time, i've only got 5 days(+2 traveling) and i kinda have to spend some time with the parents, plus the more i do with them hopefully i can get pops to foot the bill;), problem is cali is huge and there's tons of things to do and see but it's all spead out too far for my time constraints

yeah hopefully i can find some of these places and chill for a while, i suck at vacations though...i spend too much time on the run trying to see everything and i miss out on relaxing

Winchester Mystery House is in SJ and pretty cool to visit. Even if you are not into the paranormal shtick the house is just a trip.

Sarah William Winchester Mystery House || Birthday Parties San Jose || House Spirits San Jose || Winchester Mystery House San Jose Ghost || Winchestermysteryhouse.com

oh, I thought san jose was further south. If you want to do the wine thing, send me a PM and I'll make your life a thing of beauty.

For sure you should check out the technology mesuem in San Jose... if your a techie at all you should get a kick out of it. Also, just driving up and down North First Street in San Jose to see all the damn cool tech companies is also fun too.

If you are a foodie, the choices in down town Palo Alto and Los Altos are killer! Citizen Cake in downtown San Francisco near the city hall is cool to boot. Snotty as hell place for a $300.00 dinner for 2; but sooo damn worth it.

Winchester house is a must see as are the beaches in Santa Cruz and boardwalk for belly-button weather :)

If you are into cigars, there is a killer shop in Palo Alto... my friend Mohammed owns the joint so if you go there just tell him Matt says hi.

Downtown San Jose is quaint and fun... after 8 Pm there are a shitload of meat markets for those on the prowl. California girls are the best!

finally, if you are into high-end shopping, Santana Row in San Jose is great for the well to do. There are a few great clubs / lounges in the mix of stores that will make you feel like your on the movie set of "21" during the better times.

shit man. i am jealous and wanna go back to silicon valley!!!!

Cheers,
Prospero

Monterey's ok, some good hiking trails around here and close to Laguna Seca. There's an SCCA event at LS from the 19th to the 21st. I do believe there's a charge to get into 17-mile drive with a car now, yes.

i leave tomorrow morning, any last minute suggestions, i will have my parents ram and 2 harleys at my disposal

Big Basin State Park isn't far from there. It's good, but there are some bitchin roads between there and San Jose - some beautiful hill-climb stuff, complete with canyon racers on sport bikes.

That, or anywhere along PCH would be an ideal Harley cruise.

wow, you guys covered pretty much everything.

I second the area on santa cruz and monterey. Great area, it's about one hour away from San Jose. You can head to Santa Cruz through Hwy-17, then from that point, head to Monterey on Hwy-1. It's a nice scenic drive too.