When most Bay Area residents associate a city with the greater Bay Area they think of San Francisco. But “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?” And that San Jose is larger and safer than San Francisco and boasts much nicer weather?
Here are some little known facts about San Jose:
San Jose is the 3rdlargest city in California. San Jose’s population in July 2009 was 964,695. San Francisco’s population was 815,358 in the same month, about 15% smaller.
Wiki reports, “Today [San Jose] is ranked as one of the safest cities in the country with a population over 500,000 people. The designation is based on crime statistics reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in six categories... As of 2009, the city had the second lowest violent crime rate of any city with 500,000 or more residents, second only to Honolulu.” And according to City-data.com, San Jose has a lower average city-data.com crime index than the U.S. average city-data.com crime index. San Francisco has a higher average city-data.com crime index than the U.S. average city-data.com crime index.
Regarding climate it’s no surprise to most people that, “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." You won’t have that problem in San Jose where many, including myself, grow orange trees, fruit trees, heirloom tomatoes, and have vast, thriving gardens. It is not a coincidence there is a tomato that does well without seeing much of the sun for our sister city up north, its literally called “San Francisco Fog.”
I couldn’t help but checking out Wikipedia.org to compare San Jose and San Francisco temperatures. You will see in the summer months from June through August that San Jose ranges on average from 11% to 25% warmer than San Francisco!
To learn more details about these two great cities:
But what's there to do in San Jose, you ask. Plenty! You will not have time to take in all the cultural indulgences and gastronomical delights.
First, Rick Jensen at SJDowntown.com does a fabulous job summarizing the upcoming events, many of which are free. Check out:
MUSIC
I have season tickets to Opera San Jose and can vouch for the excellent, up-and-coming talent that is featured in this intimate and beautiful theatre:
Friends also turned me on to high definition Opera on a budget... The Metropolitan Opera playing in high definition theatres. You can find the The Met's schedule at:
And then go to Fathomevents.com to find the movie theatre near you:
I have other friends who literally live 30 minutes from The Met and can well afford the $120 to $320 opera tickets, but they prefer high def theatres now where they can hear the backstage interviews as well. You may turn into an opera fan after all!
If Broadway is more your cup of tea, San Jose has that, too:
Jazz aficionados will have an abundance of choices with San Jose Jazz:
And Piano lovers will enjoy the Steinway Society:
The HP Pavilion hosts not only athletic competitions and the San Jose Sharks hockey but also concerts:
OUTDOORS
After a nice meal and concert, the next day you may feel like a hike or stroll in a park. I used to live in Stanford as well as San Carlos and have hiked many mid-peninsula parks. But a few of my favorite San Jose Parks are here in my backyard of the south bay:
And if you want to drive just a little further to the Pacific coast, a whole host of California State Parks beckon:
I also have not gone to Henry W. Coe State Park but have various friends who love hiking and horseback riding there:
And then, if you don’t want to hike yet but want to take in scenery virtually, you can virtually visit the state parks at this fun site with dozens of 360-degree panoramic scenes:
A garden recommended to me but I have not yet visited is Hakone Garden in neighboring Saratoga:
And if you love Irises, you will be overwhelmed by Nola's Iris Garden in the western hills of San Jose that has well over a 1000 varieties of richly colored and textured irises. It's very casual and rural in feel, but the exploding bouquet extraordinary irises is refreshing. And Nola and her husband, Gary, are very nice and will answer your questions if you want to create your own Iris garden. I go at least once every spring, usually more than once because various Irises will bloom at different times in the spring to early summer:
SHOPPING & DINING
San Jose's local version of Rodeo Drive is Santana Row. Treat yourself to a walk down this lovely street which boasts fine restaurants as well:
One of my favorite upscale restaurants in the entire Bay Area, although a bit of a drive, is La Foret. Even Palo Alto and Los Gatos restaurants can't hold a candle to La Foret for me, but then I've been a half a dozen times to Paris and that is still not enough French food in my lifetime:
FOR THE FAMILY
does a wonderful job summarizing upcoming events.
Most young people and people young at heart know about the amusement park at Great America:
And the Tech Museum is popular educational entertainment for all ages:
Do You Know the Way to San Jose?
When you fully discover San Jose, its diversity of people, beautiful climate, breadth of first class cultural events, and abundance of parks, you may make the southern Bay Area and its fabulous treasure trove your very own backyard. Have fun exploring and let me know if you find any further treasures I should add to this list! - Catherine
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