The city of San Jose is home to slightly over a million people, making it the 10th largest city in the U.S. It rose to fame in the early 1990s from the burgeoning high tech industries and dot com firms mushrooming all over the valley. It has earned the alias, Capital of The Silicon Valley, boosting the city's income per capita to one of the 3rd. highest in the world; coming in just behind Oslo and Zurich. Historically, the valley was home to many farms and businesses centered around agricultural products. If we trace back even further, the valley was predominantly settled by the Ohlone peoples. With the arrival of the Spaniards in 1769 in this region, the future of the Ohlone peoples and the future of the valley changed forever.
There is a popular song in the 1960s called "Do You Know Your Way To San Jose". It is about a native San Jose girl who failed to succeed in the entertainment business in Los Angeles and had to return to her hometown. Curiously, I wonder how many Los Angeles natives have failed to succeed in Silicon Valley today and had to pack up to return to LA!
Day 1- Maui To Mineta San Jose International
Our first class flight with Hawaiian Air from Kailua-Kona to San Jose via Maui went smoothly on board the Airbus A321neo. There are only 16 seats in this section and ample space to stretch out fully even for a tall person like myself.
I felt bad for all the travelers flying into the Hawaiian islands for these next few days as the islands are getting pummeled by a strong system called Kona Low; bringing with it much rain, and snow to the mountain peaks. Many parts of the islands especially Maui and the Big Island had reported landslides and flooding; causing major roads to close. It was gloomy an dreary as we took off for sunny Cali. The flight time to San Jose from Maui took about 5 hours with one full meal served.
Arrival at San Jose was smooth as we watched the night lights from a distance. We flew past Half Moon Bay and over the Santa Cruz mountains.
It was quite a chilly night, at 50 Fahrenheit in San Jose as we walked to the car rental terminal. This time we rented an Audi as we have never driven the SUV before. Before heading to our vacation rental, we had to stop at our customary Malaysian food grub to grab something quick. A great way to end a long travel day!
Day 2 - Circle Drive Around SFO
It was a really nice and sunny day in the Bay Area today, so we decided to take the long way around to San Francisco city. The traffic was curiously heavy for a Saturday, but still moving and very manageable. The Audi is turning out to be a good choice with its stiffer handling and great cabin comfort. It certainly made the drive easy. As we arrived in San Francisco, we decided to stop at Daly City to have lunch at Banana Island. The food here is primarily Malaysian Chinese. It seemed that they had some supply chain issue with their curries, such that they substituted some with what tastes like Thai curry. Certainly not the same thing and somewhat disappointing when you want authentic Malaysian food.
After having our fill, we drove to Sunset to take a look at a recent disaster that took place here, literally a exploding house along 22nd Ave. When we arrived the entire street was closed off to traffic. So we walked down the street and there it was... a burnt out shell where the house used to be. The explosion must have been massive as it severely damaged the houses immediately next door, and blew out the windows of several homes on this street.
Soon we made our way up to Presidio. We could see the crowds of people in Crissy Field and walking along the Golden Gate Bridge. On entering the east side of Presidio there is a row of ex-military houses that always looks so quaint. This time we stopped to capture the view.
We then decided to visit Fort Point National Historic Site. Here there were many bikers - both manual and auto. It was fun to see so many people out and about enjoying the sunny day.
Further, east within Presidio we came upon the San Francisco National Cemetery. It was a quiet overlook with the Golden Gate bridge peeking from behind the trees. This was certainly a far cry from the busy tourist spots below the bridge.
In leaving Presidio, we exited via Lombard Gate and proceeded through Pacific Heights. Somewhere along Broadway we noticed a police car parked along the side of some of these expensive homes. This is police protection for Nancy Pelosi, as she has been threatened so many times for being a Democrat and the former House Speaker. Its sad to think that this is what modern day politics has become...
Soon we made our way past the Marina, and on to Embarcadero. There were many tourists and locals up and about. As we passed the clock tower we could see many kids skateboarding and bicycling along the promenade. This is where the city kids hang out.
The total drive around the bay took a good part of the day. Our return had us cross the Bay Bridge going past Oakland and down to Castro Valley. By this time we were of course hungry again! This time we stopped by the Malaysian mamak (Muslim Indian) restaurant in Pleasanton called Curry Leaves Bistro. We had to have the Nasi Kandar, which of course never disappoints. Another good way to end day 2!
Day 3 - A Visit to Lick Observatory on Mt. Hamilton & Heli Tour Over SF.
Today's and President Day's weather forecast calls for sunny skies with the highs in the upper 60's. After that, a cold Canadian front will bring wintery conditions to the area for the rest of the week. So, we took this window of opportunity to pay a visit to Mount Hamilton, which normally freezes over when the winter storms come in. Although only standing at 4,265 feet it is host to the Lick Observatory which is home to a 3 meter Telescope.
This is also a great spot from which those who brave the winding ascent can be rewarded with views of Silicon Valley from the east. The drive to the top is on a serpentine narrow road with steep drops. Besides that, there were many motorcyclists as well as bicyclists to avoid as we weaved our way to the top.
Once at the top, there are several historical buildings to visit. It is hard to imagine that people used to stay up here to physically manned the telescopes. Today, most if not all, are remotely managed; except for the singular brave soul that has to do the manual reset(!)
We also tried to hike to the top of Copernicus Peak. Alas, it was not to be as we were greeted by a locked gate and fence. It is said that one can sneak in from the back further down the road, but we did not feel like trespassing this day. It's a pity when one is unable to visit these interesting places. This one even has a fire lookout tower.
From the top of Mount Hamilton, we then made our way back to the Hayward Executive Airport. We had booked an afternoon helicopter flight over San Francisco. Its a great way to get a bird's eye view of all the sights around town and the immediate surrounding bay area. Our flight was on a Robinson R44 Raven-II. Its a small helicopter with a max seating capacity of 4 including the pilot. This day it was perfect weather for a helicopter ride as it was clear skies and no wind at all.
The flight was about an hour long, and we took in all the sights from Hayward, San Bruno, the Bay Bridge, Embarcadero, Coit Tower, Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge, Presidio, Golden Gate Park, Palace of Fine Art, Treasure Island, the many buildings in the downtown area, and back over Oakland. The flight was smooth and our pilot did many tight turns to give us the best photographic angles.
Sadly, as we returned over the Bay Bridge, there was a major accident involving three vehicles. It looked pretty bad from above as we circled above like how the TV station helicopters do. Hopefully, no one was too badly injured. There are so many daily accidents along the highways in the Bay Area; so much so that we just stopped counting.
In all, it was a good flight and we would recommend it. We should try the night flight too, but we don't think it will be as impressive as the one over Manhattan.
Here is the full flight video.
Day 4 - Driving Pacific Highway 1 to Big Sur and Capitola
As the weather held up for President's day, we decided to take a scenic drive along Pacific Highway 1 to see Big Sur and to visit Capitola. This area was recently damaged by the Atmospheric River which brought torrential rain and surf to the area. But before we hit the road, we decided to stop and try yet another Malaysian restaurant called Satayman in Fremont. It was certainly a good stop! We found our favorite non-spicy Malaysian meal - Gon Lor Char Siu Wanton Mein. It certainly was not disappointing, and the portion was huge! It certainly was enough food to last the day.
Once on the road, we took a drive through Carmel By the Sea. It was quaint and busy. The bay was full of people walking along the somewhat hard sandy beach. Certainly not the same as the beaches here in Hawaii. It was strange to see everyone bundled up in sweaters and coats on a beach. No flip flops or bikinis! The custom houses along the beach front were interesting to look at, as were the pine trees that were bent in many wind blown shapes.
As we travelled south along Pacific Highway 1, we could see several spots where the road has been washed away. These became one way traffic lanes. Thankfully, the state had already cleaned up most of the thoroughfare and therefore, the drive wasn't too bad. There were many scenic spots along the way, with the usual suspects as seen in so many Instagram postings. Having said that, Pacific Highway 1 was closed just after Big Sur State Park.
Regardless, we still got to see Rocky Point, Point Sur, Bixby Bridge, and McKay Waterfall. It was nice to see the epic homes dotting the coastline. Though it must have been pretty scary during the storm. We also spotted an interesting peak called Pico Blanco (or white peak), whose prominent white peak stood out against the rest of the hilly green slopes. It's a long 14 to 22 miles, and a good example of the type of hiking available in the area. We might try that one day.
On our way back we headed towards Santa Cruz. There we stopped to pay a visit to the scenic town of Capitola. Here the damage caused by the storm was still very evident, with piles of wood still strewn all over the beach and many beach front shops still boarded up. It must have been very scary for the folks that lived along the waterfront.
Having said that, we could also see that the community is resilient and in short order has already progressed towards salvaging and rebuilding. Right next to the damaged shops we could see several continuing to thrive.
After about 6-7 hours of driving we decided to stop by Little Vietnam, San Jose for dinner. Here we were greeted with a plethora of Vietnamese restaurants on every corner! We tried the one called Bun Bo Hue and it was indeed pretty good soup! Nothing like ending a long drive with a bowl of hot soup noodles.
Day 5 - de Young Museum, Golden Gate Park
The forecast for the day was a high of 57 degrees F and a wind advisory of 25 mph winds with gusts up to 50 mph. Yet it was deceivingly bright and sunny! But with the wind chill it certainly felt like in the 40s. According to the weather forecast, it will progressively get colder through the weekend, with snow in the mountains and early morning frost for where we are. This change in weather is due to the Canadian artic winds coming down from the north, bringing with it more wintery weather over the USA. Driving on the highway was a little tricky as one could feel the car get pushed by the winds. There were debris and uprooted trees all over the city, making it a pretty busy day for the city's clean up crews. Some vehicle owners were not so fortunate, with downed tree limbs ending on top of their cars.
With the weather playing havoc today, stayed in for the morning and then we decided to brave the wind across the Bay Bridge to Golden Gate Park in the afternoon. It was not to have a stroll under the waving trees but rather to visit the de Young Museum. Nice and safe out of the blustery winds.
Although de Young was established in 1895, the building as it stands today was rebuilt over its old location in 2005. This new structure is definitely a tribute to modernist architecture and carries the iconic copper façade. It was designed by architect Herzog & de Mueron, in collaboration with principal architects Fong + Chan Architects. Today this building sits opposite the California Science complex and is considered a must see attraction in Golden Gate Park.
It took us about 2 hours to visit all the galleries. These ranged from contemporary to native and modern art.
Of the many framed art we enjoyed most were the Still Life pieces. These looked so real that it perhaps looks better than their real life counterparts!
There were 3 major sections that we did not visit and will have to return next time to see. We didn't get to visit the tower, and the Ramses exhibit was not open today. Additionally, the main hall was under construction for its next visiting exhibition starting in April. Regardless, it was a good visit with many interesting items to view.
Definitely a great activity to do when the weather isn't too cooperative!
Day 6 - Venturing around San Jose and its surrounding areas
We started the day by taking the I880 from Hayward down to San Jose. This time the highway travel was uneventful, although we did see a couple of near misses(!) Since we had a slow start to the day, it was already lunch time! So our first stop was a place just outside of Little Vietnam, called Chicken Licious. They specifically specialize in Hainan Chicken Rice. On the menu were also Nasi Lemak, and something called Ayam Penyet (Smashed Chicken).
Oddly, we were starting to notice that these eateries don't seem to be busy anymore. The highways during the mid-day are smooth going. In fact the weekend traffic is now worse than the weekday traffic. This is but just one of the Covid-19 side effects. Not sure how long it will last, but it is certainly so, as many still work from home remotely.
Our next stop was to visit the Apple Park. Unfortunately, only Apple employees are allowed into the park. However, visitors do get to experience the park virtually. So we paid a visit to the Apple Park visitor center. This building houses an Apple Store, a café and the virtual experience of Apple Park. It was of course reflective of Job's Zen style, with interesting neo-modernism architecture.
After seeing Apple Park, we then swung by the Winchester House. We did not go inside but instead stopped to catch a glimpse of the fabled house attraction which is said to be the crazy invention of the Winchesters who were haunted by the many folks who were murdered by their Winchester guns. Interesting attraction which inspired a horror film as well.
San Jose's downtown was about a twelve block square. Market street is where all the business hotels are and there are a few attractions in the area too. This included the San Jose Civic Hall, the Tech Interactive Museum, and the Plaza de Cesar Chavez.
Having traversed around the city up close from First to Seventh Streets, and through the San Jose State University, we soon found ourselves heading for the hills. We first tried to access Alum Rock, but it was washed out by the recent heavy rains and therefore, was closed to the public. So we decided to take a drive up along Sierra Drive to the Sierra Vista Point.
The views from the top were magnificent as we could see all of San Jose, Santa Clara and its surrounding areas. We could also see Mount Hamilton, and the surrounding Los Buellis Hills. There are several trails in this area shared by hikers, bikers and horseback riders. These trails also link up with the trails in Alum Rock.
Although we enjoyed the views, we could not go hiking as it was freezing cold! Temperature was clocking in at about 40 degrees F and if you factor in the wind chill, it was even colder. So we walked a bit and quickly ran back to the car! By now the sun was setting and it provided a nice drive around the back pass Calavarez reservoir and back into Milpitas.
Day 7- SF MoMa
We woke up today with frost on our garden and walkway. This means its museum day! Personally, I am slightly bias against contemporary art, especially abstract ones. It goes against the axiom of science and mathematics - in which they are created to simplify the complexities of nature (and life) making every outcome in this world deterministic. Art, however, evokes the perception of the mind of the onlooker, and each person might be affected differently. There exist a randomness quality intrinsic in a piece of art work - be it on purpose by design or be it by chance from the onlooker as he/she stumbles upon it. Art pieces can be interpreted in many ways. As science tries to over simplify dynamic systems, art on the other hand over complicates realities.
Being a cold and rainy day, we were ready for some brainy complications... Not to mention six floors of it! The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) not only houses incredible art, but its building itself is a statement of art. Located off 3rd street in downtown San Francisco, it's a great place to spend the afternoon.
When you enter the museum, one is greeted with its expansive foyer that spans all six floors. Here there is a huge multimedia screen with digital art running in a loop. There are bean bags to rest on and appreciate the digital displays. Looking straight up, one will also see the transparent walkway located on the sixth floor.
From the main foyer, one takes the stairs up to the 3rd floor. Looking back at the elevator banks, there is a great wall of blue!
Once on the third floor, we took the left and went out to the outdoor sculpture garden where these was a huge living wall of plants. Also, up on the fifth floor, there is also another outdoor sculpture garden just outside of Café 5. Unfortunately, the café was closed, but the sculpture garden was open and not crowded at all.
Many of the art pieces at the museum were large full wall size images. Some were statements about political events, while others were idiocentric observations with bright colors and strange conversation pieces. Some taking every day items and making them something to talk about.
At the top on the sixth floor, there was the video installation called "The Visitors". This is a unique single take music video in which all musicians were in different rooms and they could only hear each other to then play this impromptu ensemble. As you walk through the room, each room will play louder. Its an interesting experience and indeed a conversational piece.
Curiously, on the sixth floor there is also an outdoor installation which is just the sound of a woman singing. From here one can also appreciate the surrounding buildings.. Can you see Where is Waldo?
After spending about two and a half hours at the museum, we walked across the street to the Yerba Buena Gardens. Here there was a fountain dedicated to Martin Luther King. It seems that everywhere we looked there were statements about black freedom and rights.
Across the park, we could see the many tall buildings in contrast with the old church and the grassy greenery. This spot provided a nice respite from the craziness of the city.
Day 8 - Chasing Snow
This morning it was grey, wet and cold! It had been raining all night long. We could see frost on the hills opposite us, and we could not see into the bay at all, because it was covered with dense fog. The forecast called for snow on all the surrounding mountains above 1000 feet. As soon as we saw some blue sky, we head towards the Santa Cruz mountains. But then blue skies where we were doesn't always translate to blue skies elsewhere.
We drove to Mount Unumhum via Hicks Road, but unfortunately, the road to the top of Mount Unumhum was closed by the ranger. So we instead had to hike from the lower park along the Woods Trail. It would be two miles to get to the Mount Unumhum trailhead from the Woods Trail. Then it started to rain...
There was ice on the ground but not enough to build a snowman and we could see in the distance the snow covered peaks of the hills. Unfortunately, it would be 7.8 miles to complete the loop, but since it started to rain, we decided to turn back. Perhaps another time when the weather is better. So we head back to Fairview, and here it was sunny again!
We could still see snow on the far hills, but other than that, one would never know that the Bay Area was experiencing freezing rain and snow.
While standing out on the patio, I could see several birds high up above. It was nice to see Californian wildlife in the area. We had a white tail deer in our garden on the morning and now several Turkey Vultures and Buzzards. Not to mention the occasional Cessna Citation jet as well.
Fairview is a nice housing area on a bluff overlooking Hayward to the west and Castro Valley to the north. We can see the distance outline of San Francisco city in the distance across the bay and Oakland International Airport. An interesting contrast to the green rolling hills of San Leandro.
Soon the sun was setting, and it provided for the greatest show on earth!
Day 9 - North Bay and Marin County
We took a driving excursion to the city of Martinez to pay a visit to John Muir's old residence on the side of Mount Wanda. The house was built in 1882, with about 10,000 square feet of living space, nestled on a hill overlooking the Alhambra Valley.
John, who hailed from Scotland, is better known as the Father of America's National Parks. Together with Teddy Roosevelt, they took the initiative to preserve America's forests and natural resources; making them into public parks.
Though perceived as a stoic figure amongst America's conservationists and activists, he was recently criticized by the Sierra Club, for making derogatory comments about Black people and Indigenous peoples that, "...drew on deeply harmful and racist stereotypes." Regardless, he is among the pioneers who advocated for the preservation and conservation of America's natural wonders. Without him, there won't be any national parks in America for us to cherish and enjoy. This land can forever live up to it's namesake, "America The Beautiful", largely due to his vision and his writings on nature.
The Muir family lived in this house for over 20 years. It was given to John by his in-laws (the Strentzles) who moved to the area in the 1750s at the time of the gold rush. Over time Dr. Strentzle accumulated over 2600-acres and started an orchard. John married their daughter Louisa in 1880, and partnered with his father-in-law to run the farm for over 10 years.
There are many fruit trees in the area, from apples, peaches, pears, lemons, and pomegranates. Since it is still winter, the trees were bare except for a few pear trees that were starting to flower. There was however, a pretty large lemon tree way in the back that was full of fruit.
Within the garden there were also a few redwood trees, that accompanied the old carriage house. We could also see the old water well and nearby creek. At the back of the orchard was the old Martinez Adobe. It was unfortunately closed when we visited due to some structural issues that the NPS was dealing with.
After visiting this historical site we decided to skirt around North Bay to Richmond and then to Tiburon via the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. We could see San Quentin with Mount Tamalpais in the distance. Once we were at Tiburon we could then see the San Francisco city skyline.
Skirting along the bay, we then drove to Sausalito and stopped at Fort Baker to take in the views of the Golden Gate bridge. There were several folks taking a walk along the seawall, as well as a few trying their luck with fishing. We also caught the Princess Cruise liner leaving the bay and heading out to sea under the Golden Gate bridge.
This was our last full day in the Bay Area, so of course we had to stop at our favorite Malaysian restaurant Layang Layang in Milpitas on our way back. Today's trip took us a full circle around the Bay Area!
Day 10 - Travel Day back to Kona via Honolulu
Today started real early in the morning at about 3:30 am. This was because our return flight from San Jose to Honolulu was scheduled to leave at 7am, which meant that boarding was at 6:20am. To drive down to the airport, return our car rental and then get through TSA, etc.. would mean that we'd need about 2 hours. So an early start it was. By this time even though it was about 40 degrees F, it didn't feel as cold anymore! I guess we were just starting to get used to it... but now we are leaving! Our flight back to Honolulu was smooth and uneventful. But on arrival at the Honolulu International Airport, our jetway refused to work! So there we were, parked at the gate with no jetway to get off the plane.. It would be 45 minutes later and at a new gate that we were finally able to get off. Thankfully, we had just enough time to hustle to our next flight gate. We finally got back to Kona by about 12:30pm HST. Then there were no taxis! And the airport was a zoo! I guess the tourists are back...
Regardless, it was a good trip overall as we managed to get our fill of Malaysian food while enjoying the sights and sounds around the bay. If anything, this is what we learnt in this trip this time around:
1) Californians are pretty resilient - despite the crazy rain, snow and wind, things were pretty much functioning without too much interruption. Of course there were still the outages and road closures, but overall they did a pretty good job cleaning up.
2) Driving in the Bay Area highways is very dangerous. We saw traffic accidents everyday and several times in a day. These were at least 3 to 4 vehicle pile ups that caused massive traffic slow downs. By our calculation, if there weren't these accidents, traffic would be pretty much smooth sailing. The primary reason for these accidents are because everyone travels at about 80 mph or faster on the freeways even when the speed limit is 65mph, AND there always seems to be some crazy person wanting to weave through all traffic at crazy speeds inclusive of tailgating at high speeds. These accidents always seems to occur because of the exits/entries too. Plus you'd think that travelling in the slow lane would be safer, but its the worst place to be as that is the active "surf zone" for entering and exiting the highway.
3) In comparison to NYC, be prepared to spend a good amount of time in the car or any other transportation for that matter, getting from point A to point B. The distances are longer here than in NYC, but the amount of time spent in the end is about the same.
4) Lost of restaurants and small businesses did not survive the pandemic. We found many out of business and gone for good.
5) Traffic patterns are markedly different than pre-pandemic. Traffic is worst during the weekends, and mid-day work week traffic is almost non-existent. Our theory is that most are still working from home so there isn't as much traffic during the work week, and then on weekends, everyone is going somewhere from home so the roads are jammed up more than during the week.
6) The immediate surrounding hills of the Bay Area are just that - hills. These are nice, but nothing much to separate or distinguish them apart from each other. We have visited the 4 major high points of the Bay Area (i.e., Tamalpais, Diablo, Hamilton and Unumhum) - all are less than 4000 feet high. All have really steep winding roads. All have the same bay view and rolling hilly landscape. The one major plus this time was the interesting illusion of high peaks when it was dusted white with snow. Suddenly we felt like we were in Canada!
All in all, it was a good trip and we will miss the good food in the area. As we said "a hui hou", we were bade farewell by the snowy hill tops of the area - a sight that hadn't been seen in the area in a very long time!
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