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OT - Need information from US ladies

Acratopotes's picture

Submitted by Acratopotes on Thu, 04/27/2017 - 3:32am

Championship in Ice hockey is August in San Jose USA, California....

10 days and only 4 games.....

Now coming from Mars.... ROE is about 1USD : NAD 14.00,
Accommodation is at Country Inns

to safe a bit of money, I need to know of places to eat cheap, entertainment, scenery sites and more or less price ranges, best transport options for a group etc, places within walking distance

What's good to see and what's not worth paying an entrance fee for..

Please keep in mind Martians are on the way..... we are another breed of people

Comments

Acratopotes's picture

Submitted by Acratopotes on Thu, 04/27/2017 - 7:39am

I want local info lol.... tripadvisor will only give tourist info }:)
will check it out

Tuff Noogies's picture

Submitted by Tuff Noogies on Thu, 04/27/2017 - 7:59am

i'd love to help, but that's not a side of the country i'm even remotely familiar with...

i hope you have a BLAST!!!

Acratopotes's picture

Submitted by Acratopotes on Thu, 04/27/2017 - 8:03am

hey I'm not going, just organizing helper lol.. and my friend knows I have allot of awesome US pals that could help me

do you seriously think if I came to US I will skip your nest? Nope not for any sport my friend lol...

DaizyDuke's picture

Submitted by DaizyDuke on Thu, 04/27/2017 - 8:15am

To be honest, I would contact the Country Inn and Suites that you are staying at. Pretty much any hotel you stay at in USA will have tons of information on local attractions and any time I have ever asked a desk clerk for directions, information etc, they have always been a wealth of information.

lintini's picture

Submitted by lintini on Thu, 04/27/2017 - 9:03am

I'm from Fremont, right next to San Jose. PM me if you want and I'll try to start looking up the best prices for group activities.

How long are you staying for?

Acratopotes's picture

Submitted by Acratopotes on Thu, 04/27/2017 - 9:09am

dammit now I wish I went with.... then I could've popped in at your nest...

it's a 10 day stay.... 4 days fly....that's why i declined going with as chaperone.

Gave the info through to one of the mothers and we decided that she will simply take her own kid and his one friend on hotel days,for walking around and sight seeing, eating at local places not the hotel. no use in trying to arrange a group event... ages range from 9-25.... The team coach can deal with it seeing that they all pay for his travels.

lintini's picture

Submitted by lintini on Thu, 04/27/2017 - 9:29am

Think of all the mischief you are missing out on!

Are they staying next to the arena? What kind of food do they like?

Acratopotes's picture

Submitted by Acratopotes on Thu, 04/27/2017 - 9:33am

oh no, I've bene on these sort if things to many times.... I'm the gate keeper and party pooper now a days lol,
but If I went alone... oh boy.... do not think USA is ready for a person like me Wink

We have no idea where's what, they gave us the hotel name and said it's close to the arena, we rented a bus to take your there and back.... all we could find out that there's a water park close by... not walking distance but who cares...

I would've been more involved if I went with, now I'm just making sure that every one pays, that there's a small reserve for water park entrance, and trying to get the best exchange rate possible.... for a parent this side sending over a kid, in our Martian money we are talking about 80-100K per person, flight,accommodation,registration and bus rental

Accommodation includes breakfast and buffet kind of dinner only. people will still need pocket money, and lunch money.

Exjuliemccoy's picture

Submitted by Exjuliemccoy on Thu, 04/27/2017 - 1:05pm

Is the group flying into San Jose or San Francisco? SF is fifty miles up the coast and one of the US's most beautiful cities. Well worth scheduling a day of sightseeing.

Uber is a popular way to get around, and cheaper than taking a taxi.

ESMOD's picture

Submitted by ESMOD on Thu, 04/27/2017 - 4:12pm

When I lived there, I loved going wine tasting in Sonoma. It was better than Napa for me. But I'm not a serious wine drinker.. so Sonoma was nice.

Acratopotes's picture

Submitted by Acratopotes on Fri, 04/28/2017 - 2:29am

straight into San Jose...... getting those kids through the airport will be a challenge lol,

glad not the chaperone on this..... been chaperone on 6 events... never again, not at my age hahahahaha

momjeans's picture

Submitted by momjeans on Thu, 04/27/2017 - 3:51pm

San Jose is my hometown and it's HUGE. I guess it really depends on where you're staying. Downtown, or outskirts of town. I agree, asking the hotel is a great start to the inquiry.

I second the Winchester Mystery House.

smomofone's picture

Submitted by smomofone on Thu, 04/27/2017 - 5:09pm

I may not be popular for saying this, I have lived in Sj all my life and quite frankly I find the Winchester house a bit too $$ for what it offers. I've been there a few times and the price has gone up but not much to see really. The history behind the home is fascinating though.

It depends on what the group likes and where you are staying. Uber is probably the least expensive way to commute around here, just make sure you ask for large autos. If $ is an issue I would say try the local open reserves for an awesome hike up the trails. Taking a trip to the beach would be awesome and not much money. Santa Cruz is about 40 mins to an hour away and has a boardwalk. Monterey Bay Aquarium is about an hour and a half, 2 with traffic.

But if you want to stay local, try Rancho San Antonio Open Reserve in Cupertino. Its Beautiful. So is Vasona Park in Los Gatos but that is smaller and more park like than open space. Downtown offers a few museums and an art district off of First Street. I volunteered at the Quilt museum and they have an awesome gift shop with handmade items. They have the Art Museum on Market Street and across from it the Tech Museum with Cesar Chavez Park in between. Nice place to have a picnic after the museums. If you head down to the Rose Garden area there is a beautiful park full of roses and the Egyptian Museum. If the kids are into History you can try the San Jose Mission in Fremont, that is the mission the spanish settlers built to convert native americans in our area to christianism back in 1797. There is also one in Santa Clara but I am not sure if you can get in without a permit. I've been there for a wedding and it is beautiful, its on campus at Santa Clara University. You can also stop at the more popular one in our area on the way to Monterey, San Juan Bautista, beautiful large and well kept and full of early 1797 California History.

There is quite a bit around here but to be honest I would second taking the time to visit San Francisco and its many beautiful culture rich parts of the city. And while up there take a drive across the golden gate to Sausalito, its a beautiful little town. Oh now that I mention it, about a 3 hours drive south you can take the 1 down the coast and up and take in the beautiful Scenery that is the Big Sur Coast. IT IS WORTH THE DRIVE!

Rags's picture

Submitted by Rags on Thu, 04/27/2017 - 5:23pm

WE lived in San Jose and Santa Clara (next door to SJ) for about a year in the mid 90s. The Bay area is about as expensive as it gets in the US so cheap is relative. Transportation ... even for groups is not too bad since BART goes just about everywhere. I would do a lot of research on local food places before you travel and map things out as much as you can if budget is a critical limitation.

The nice thing about the Warf area in SF is that much of it does not require an entry fee and you can get their readily on BART. I highly recommend seeing SF, crossing the bridge to Sausalito and the Marin Highlands, hitting Los Gatos and Saratoga (the closest Red Woods are there), and the Santa Cruz board walk. If you want to go farther then Monterey, Canary Row, and the Aquarium can't be beat IMHO.

Have fun.