Courtney & Raju's Wedding

Things to Do

Campbell

Santana Row

Santa Cruz :: The Beach

Things to Do

Campbell is a small town on the edge of San Jose. It is where Raju and I live, and we personally love the area. The two hotels we have recommended in Campbell are within easy walking distance of historic downtown Campbell and the Pruneyard shopping Center.

Historic Downtown Campbell
Downtown Campbell has plenty of mom 'n' pop-type shops and restaurants. There are a couple of small boutiques selling women's clothing that I love, and also an outdoors store, a spa, and plenty of small home furnishings stores and art galleries. On Sundays there is a farmer's market, which has artisans and jewelers, fresh flowers, food vendors (there's a Russian guy who does blintzes - vegetarian savory and sweet -- and fresh seafood, such as oysters and clams. There's also a spa, Le Spa, located here - if you anticipate needing a manicure, pedicure, or a massage to relax after the long flight to California make an appointment before you leave.

Dining Options in Dowtown Campbell
Key: Good Vegetarian Options Some Vegetarian Options Zero to No Veggies

Sonoma Chicken Coop Menu
Sonoma Chicken Coop serves large portions of affordable food that's pretty good for the price. It's sort of traditional California-style food. They have beautiful salads, pizzas, sanwiches, and pasta and rice dishes. For vegetarians, the have a garden veggie sandwich, green veggie risotto, salads, and a good vegetarian lasagna. The location in Campbell also brews their own beer -- the Kolsch is pretty good.

La Pizzeria Menu
One of my favorite restaurants. Good thin crust pizzas made in a brick oven imported from Italy. For vegetarians, there are a few good pizzas with no meat toppings (not sure if there's egg in the dough though), as well as a couple of salads. For the meat lovers there are plenty of pizzas with Italian meats and a couple with seafood toppings (I love the Napoli with anchovies).

Shebele Restaurant
Ehtiopian cuisine - really good. Chances are if you are smelling something tasty it's from this restaurant. Lot's of beef dishes, also a few with lamb and chicken. Also a vegetable section, such as cabbage and chickpeas. Spicy. Everything's served with spongy injera bread.

King's Head Pub Menu
An English Pub with lots of English and Irish beers on tap. They also have the traditional pastry-wrapped meat English dishes, fish and chips, as well as hamburgers. There's a very large outdoor patio that also has a pool table and dartboard. Sometimes there's live music here too. You should be able to check out their website for the line up.

Twist Cafe & Bistro Menu
American food with a French twist. The Cafe is open during the days in the week, and the Bistro is open at night (also open on weekends). The cafe serves sandwiches, salads, and occasionally a few entrees. The Bistro is more French, more upscale.

Orchard Valley Coffee - Menu
There's also a Starbucks, but this is the local coffee shop. It also has breakfast foods, such as bagels & quiches, and sandwiches during the day.

Khartoum
No food here -- this is the local bar. Good beers on tap, plenty of tvs, and couches and chairs if you just want to hang out with people and talk.

Good Tastes - Website
A wine bar that also generally has Belgian beers, sake, cheese plates, and chocolates. Friendly staff. They also sale bottles of wine in their shop.

Jalisco
Mexican food. This place isn't actually in downtown -- it's before you get there on the same side of the street as the Campbell Inn (in the strip mall with the video store). Love the food though so it's worthy of mention.

Pruneyard Shopping Center
The Pruneyard Shopping Center has more chain restaurants and retailers. There is a Barnes & Noble Bookstore there, as well as a movie theater that plays a mix of mainstream and indie movies. If you need a bank, there's a Wells Fargo and a Bank of America here. For groceries, there's a Trader Joes.

Dining Options in the Pruneyard
Key: Good Vegetarian Options Some Vegetarian Options Zero to No Veggies

Hobee's Menu
California-style food, lots of vegetarian options. Most things here can be made vegetarian. They serve breakfast all day. My favorites here are the tamale pie (vegetarian) and the blueberry coffee cake. The blueberry banana smoothie is to die for.

Togo's
A sandwich and salad shop.

Rock Bottom Brewery Menu
Another brewery with good beer (my fave is the Brown Bear). They also have good food -- lots of twists on classics such as Mac N' Chicken (which can be made vegetarian), Chicken Friend Chicken, and sandwiches, salads, and pizzas. Any of their burgers can be made with veggie burgers, and they also have a portabello sandwich.

Tandoori Oven
Americanized Indian food. The vegetarian options are somewhat limited here - saag paneer, cucumber salad, kofta curry, a veggie wrap, and usually a vegetable of the day. Lots of sandwiches made on naan, tandoori chicken, and shish kebabs. Mango lassis are sometimes great, sometimes subpar.

Left at Albuquerque
Tex Mex.

Le Boulanger
Sandwich shop similar to a Panera bread (bakery meets sandwich shop).

Kyoto Palace
Japanese steakhouse where they cook at the table. They also serve sushi.

Santana Row

Santana Row has upscale shopping and dining, with shops such as Burberry, Tommy Bahama, Ann Taylor Loft, Gucci, Brooks Brothers, Anthropologie, and many more. There are also spas, a Borders bookstore, Z Gallery, Crate & Barrel, shoe stores, chocolatiers, and many dining options here. There's plenty of places to hang out outside, including an area with an oversized outdoor chess board (and normal chessboards), many outdoor eateries, and often on the weekend live music in the square in front of Maggiano's. A more mainstream movie theater is located here, and the Winchester Mystery House is just across Winchester, and the Westfield Valley Fair Shopping Mall is just across Stevens Creek Boulevard.

Dining Options in Santana Row
Key: Good Vegetarian Options Some Vegetarian Options Zero to No Veggies

Strait's Cafe Menu
Asian fusion. There are some vegetarian options on the menu, and many of the items can be made vegetarian. This is a great place to go grab a small plate of food, or to share many small plates (or large plates) with a larger group. The food runs the gamut of Thai, Indian, Singaporean, vegetarian, seafood, chicken, beef and lamb.

Amber India Menu
Upscale Indian restaurant. Plenty of options for vegetarians and non-vegetarians.

Wahoo's Fish Taco Menu
Like the name says, fish tacos. And shrimp, and a few chicken entrees too. Pretty cheap for Santana Row -- more fast food in style.

Pizza Antica Menu
Pizzas, salads and pastas. Pizzas are made in a large brick oven and they have a lot of interesting gourmet toppings such as pears and carmelized onions.

Thea Mediterranean - Menu
Mediterranean food. Very good. Great yogurt for dessert too!

Left Bank Menu
French food. The menu is ever changing, but the one time I ate here it was good.

Blowfish Sushi to Die For Menu
A fun and funky place. Sushi as well as a few entrees. Japanese anime plays on the flat screen tvs and there's always some loungy music playing. Try the oysters here, as you get a large shell full of wasabi roe on the side that is wonderful.

Consuelo Mexican Bistro Menu
A more gourmet-style Mexican food that's really tasty. And their margaritas will spoil you. In the summer there's the El Jardin Tequila Bar in the center of the road across from Consuelo's (owned by the same people). Sit outside and enjoy a sandwich with your margarita.

V Bar - Website
Swanky is a good word to describe this place. Take the elevator from the street up to the main lobby, and take a right out after exiting the elevators (before you make it to the lobby). This is a good place to chill out, have a drink, and even have a bite of dessert.

Cocola Bakery
Yummy desserts, good coffee, and chocolate croissants!

Yankee Pier Menu
Seafood. Lots of it!

and Beyond...

If you are able to stay in California a little longer, below are some places we love to spend the day or the weekend. So, make a vacation of it!

Santa Cruz

In Santa Cruz, there's the beach boardwalk, which is the oldest amusement park in California. It is right on the beach (so wear your swimsuit under your shorts and t-shirt) and has roller coasters and other thrilling rides and the usual beach junk shops and junk food stands. If you drive just a little south of Santa Cruz towards Capitola, there are two state beaches - New Brighton State Beach and Seacliff State Beach. It's a great way to spend the day, though for those from the east coast, just keep in mind it's very different. The water is cold, the waves are rough, and you should bring any food/drinks you will want in a cooler, as there's only some public rest rooms here. But, you might see sea otters or sea lions (? some sort of seal-type creature) playing in the ocean.

Links
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
New Brighton State Beach
Sea Cliff State Beach
Fishing - Stagnaro Charter Boats
Fishing - Bayside Marine

Monterey & Carmel

Monterey and Carmel are about a one and a half hour drive from Campbell. Monterey has a wonderful aquarium located directly on the Pacific Ocean/Monterey Bay. It's the only aquarium to have a live kelp forest exhibit (which is really beautiful and more spectacular than it sounds). They also have sea otters, a huge tuna tank, sharks, an octopus exhibit, and more. The aquarium is located in Cannery Row, and area with lots of shopping and dining right along the bay. Fisherman's Wharf is a mile or two away with more shopping and eating. You can occasionally see sea otters playing in the water there.

Carmel is just a short distance from Monterey, and in between the two is the famous 17 mile drive where Pebble Beach is located. It's a beautiful drive and there's more wildlife to be seen here. There's a charge ($8 I believe) to drive through, but it's worth it. You can go in from the Pacific Grove gate and exit through the Carmel gate and be right in Carmel-by-the-Sea, a small town with no street addresses (you'll find everything here by "it's on such-and-such street between street X and street Y) that is probably most famous for its previous mayor, Clint Eastwood. You'll find plenty more shopping and dining here, as well as a nice beach (with a really steep hill to the ocean - guaranteed to get the leg muscles working). Keep in mind the climate is much cooler here -- you'll definitely want a sweater or jacket.

Links
Monterey Bay Aquarium
17 Mile Drive
Pebble Beach
Wine Tasting in Monterey County
Carmel-by-the-Sea
Fisherman's Wharf - Monterey
Cannery Row - Monterey

Pacific Coast Highway - Highway 1

Links
National Scenic Byways site
Big Sur

San Francisco

There's a ton to do here. I've pulled out a few things from a very old email I had put together that scratches the surface. There's also Union Square, Westfield Shopping Centre, Golden Gate Park, the Ferry Building, and I'm sure many, many other places to check out in San Francisco.

Pier 39: Shops and dining. Also, this is the place with the dock full of sea-lions. From a lot of the restaurants you can see both the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. If you want to go to Alcatraz, get your tickets in advance, online.

Ghiradelli Square: Another little shopping area with lots of chocolate! I think there are 3 or 4 Ghiradelli stores in the area. You can walk here from Pier 39. You can catch a cable car around here too.

Chinatown: It looks like the pictures :-) I've only been here once, and I ate at one pretty decent restaurant and one not so good restuarant (don't ask me the names, I have no idea). I've read somewhere that they have a market on Saturdays. Dim Sum brunches are a big thing too, though you can easily find this stuff in the South Bay - Cupertino.

North Beach: San Fran's little Italy. Restaurants and small boutiques.

The Haight: Apparently it used to be full of hippies? :-) Boutiques, vintage clothing shops, etc. can be found here, along with some pretty neat bars (check out the Magnolia). Plus it has a house that the Greatful Dead used to live at.

Sausalito: Not technically part of the city, but really great views of the city and really beautiful, plus if you drive here you get to cross the Golden Gate Bridge! Lots of art galleries, jewelry stores, shops, and dining.

Wine Countries

Monterey: Check out montereywines.org

Sonoma: Check out visitwineroad.com and rrvw.org

Napa: Check out napavalley.com