A month ago, myself and 15 other Macaroni Kid publishers from around the country met up in San Jose, CA. I had never been to San Jose or even remotely close to that part of the country and I had no idea what to expect, but I knew I was SUPER excited to see my Macaroni Kid sisters and hang out for a few days as a guest of San Jose. The entire trip was AMAZING, I would like to share my favorite parts of the city and my getaway with you.
The WEATHER. Before checking out the forecast, I figured it would be HOT and HOT and HOT. It was hot here, why wouldn't it be even hotter there in July? Maybe silly reasoning, but nonetheless, that is what I thought..and for anyone that knows me, knows I love spring and fall. Not too hot and not too cold. The weather in San Jose was PERFECT! It was chilly in the morning, chilly at night and perfect during the day - low 80's. They get about 300 days of sunshine a year and barely any rain during the summer months. With the average lows in the winter around 42 degrees and the average highs in the summer around 82 degrees, I might just pack up and move there!
The SCENERY. From the moment I stepped out of the airport, I noticed the mountains sourounding the city. Yes, we have plenty of mountains here in New England, but these are different. Because there is almost no rain in the summer, the mountains are mostly brown with a few trees here and there. My description is probably not doing them justice, they are so pretty and you can see them from almost any part of the city. From what I was told, the mountains are completely green in the winter months, I might have to go back then to compare.
As I walked down the streets, there were parts that looked like a movie set - colorful flowers, streets lined with endless trees, old historic buildings, mixed with modern artwork and water spouts that anyone could run through. One of my favorite things, which I am pretty sure I pointed out about a hundred times, were the little white lights strung from almost everywhere, they were hung from tree to tree going down the street, over outdoor tables at restaurants and at the outdoor marketplace. I wanted to immediately go home and string little lights all over my backyard!
The FOOD. I love to eat, I love food period, this is no secret. We were lucky, they planned out every meal and fed us constantly, to a point that I said... do we really need to eat again?? I am not going to eat, I will just choose something little and I am still full from our last meal. Yup, those were my famous last words, along with just about everyone else...BUT, we all ordered food, and we all ate it.
The first night we went to San Pedro Square Market for dinner, if you have ever been to Quincy Market in Faneuil Hall, picture that, but...different. San Pedro Square Market Place is comprised of a two different buildings with a variety of "food court style" restaurants and bars, no deciding what kind of food you feel like in advance, everyone can walk around and choose what they would like - sushi, tacos, pizza, crepes, sliders, dessert...I could go on. I am pretty sure we ordered from just about every restaurant and then shared the food among our group. There is seating indoors or outdoors and they have live music or a movie almost every night. I must mention the salted whiskey caramel I had after dinner...the best.
The next day for lunch we went to Savory Kitchen and cooked our own meal, later to be served to us! Savory Kitchen is privately owned and such a cool concept. It is great for groups like ours, corporate team building, birthday parties or just a fun night out. Three chefs helped us prepare two appetizers and a main course, while putting up with lots of laughs. We did good, and the food was delicious! You can find two of the recipes on the Macaroni Kid EATS website.
Dinner that night was at First to Market. Everything served at First to Market is locally sourced and most stuff is made right there in-house, including the fruit purees and syrups used in their cocktails, they have quite the cocktail list! I got adventurous and ordered elk as my main course, it was AMAZING! Just before that, was the first time this trip I said I was not eating...I managed a drink, salad, entree and dessert.
I know you are probably hungry now and heard enough about the food, but there is one more very noteworthy meal I have to share - lunch at Left Bank. As much as I love food, and I am married to a chef, I can be very simple at times...I love a good grilled cheese. So, moments after saying, really this is it, no more food, I can barely fit into the clothes I packed... I looked at the menu and with a little bit of translation help, I realized there was THE grilled cheese of grilled cheeses as an option, with fries of course. No way I could pass up on that for a salad, plus it came with a salad too. I am just going to direct you to the pictures I took, here and here... no words needed.
The FUN STUFF. No matter what you enjoy doing while on vacation, you are likely to find it in San Jose or close by. We stayed at The Fairmont San Jose, which was within walking distance of the Tech Museum, the San Jose Museum of Art, City National Civic, and many other local treasures. Just a short drive away is the Winchester Mystery House, fun for the whole family, and the "Rodeo Drive" of San Jose, Santana Row - if you love shopping and/or people watching, this is the place to be!
If you couldn't already tell, I had a great time with some of my best friends in San Jose! San Jose is a city that I would love to visit again, either as another adult-only getaway or with my family. Most think of San Jose and Silicon Valley for the techie crowd only, which it can be...they do have free “Wickedly Fast Wi-Fi” throughout the city, but it is also a perfect getaway for just about anyone! We had the pleasure of hanging out with some members of Team San Jose, and they do their very best to make their city very welcoming!
Be sure to check out the album of photos I posted on the Macaroni Kid Cranston/Kent Facebook page too!
I was a guest of San Jose for the purpose of this review. Accommodations, meals and most activities were complimentary. No compensation was received and all opinions are my own.
