Do you know the way to San Jose? I love that song! And I never appreciated it quite as much as when I finally took my first trip to San Jose and began to see the city for what it is.
San Jose is many things: a piece of California history, a cosmopolitan center shaped by generations of immigrants, a Spanish colonial pueblo, a Gold Rush-era city, a center of aeronautics and space research, the heart of cutting-edge technology—and so much more.
I took two trips to San Jose in the space of two weeks, but I'm combining them into one experience for you.
My sister and constant travel companion and I decided to see a concert at the historic Shoreline Amphitheatre, tour a bit of the San Jose area and enjoy a truly great road trip. Then we discovered that my brother wanted to meet us for the Winchester Mystery House Fright Nights event for Halloween.
We couldn't resist!
Planning a series of road trips takes a bit of strategy—and can lead to a few hiccups—but I'm sure it will all work out in the end. (Fingers, toes and arms crossed.) 😂
The first question: where do you stay?
San Jose itself is a sprawling city, but it's also part of the larger Santa Clara Valley and Silicon Valley region, tucked between the Santa Cruz Mountains to the west and the Diablo Range to the east. Surrounding communities include places you've probably heard of—Mountain View, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale and Cupertino.
And if you know this part of California, you know how easily one city seems to flow into another. Sometimes you cross from one to the next without even realizing it.
For our first sojourn, we decided to stay in Mountain View near Shoreline Amphitheatre and Hangar One (more on that later!). For the second trip, we'd move closer to the Winchester Mystery House.
I think we made a good decision—but only time will tell.
We started our planning around the one thing we absolutely couldn't change: the concert tickets.
We went to see Godsmack, with Stone Temple Pilots and Dorothy opening. And believe it or not, Godsmack is currently my niece's favorite band. 😂
We'll spend the next day exploring San Jose before heading back home. I really do love a good road trip!
I'll update you as we make our way through San Jose and see what we discover along the way.
And if you want to follow the adventure in real time, come find me on Instagram @thehollyabroad and TikTok @hollyabroad for photos, videos and all the little moments that happen between blog updates.
See you soon! ❤️
