ReTRo HouSeWiFe

WEEKEND GETAWAY - CALIFORNIA

San Jose

I never used to like San Jose, but on my last visit I have to admit I was quite impressed! The .com boom has effected some real changes to the city of San Jose, allowing it to show off some of it's unique treasures in style! I am classifying San Jose as a great Family destination because of a few SPECTACULAR destinations for kids (those both under the age of 18 and over).

The Tech Museum

You have never seen anything like the San Jose Tech Museum! It makes science so much fun you had better warn your children before they go in that they might come out wanting to be scientists!

The official title is the San Jose Tech Museum of Innovation, and is centrally located in downtown San Jose, California at the corner of Park Avenue and Market Street, near Interstate 280 and Highway 87. (View on Google Maps)

The inside of the Tech Museum looks even cooler than the outside, and looks very modern and futuristic. No stodgy laboratory atmosphere, it could easily be a modern design museum.

The best part though, are the exhibits. Nearly everything is hands-on, and visitors can do some really neat things like make a 3-D photo of ones own noggin, video tape oneself giving a mock address to congress on one's favorite issue, or using the Thermocamera (a camera that uses temperature instead of light to make a picture) to take a full body heat picture!

The Thermocamera was my favorite, and I swear it detected my sore pinky toe that had been hurting all day. The outer part of my shoe was bright red on my thermo-image, but only on the foot with the sore toe! Pretty amazing, eh?

You will get to play with stuff you didn't even know existed, and will learn a ton about it without even trying. Curious about genetics? Then take in the great genetic medicine exhibit. You will be able to say "Deoxyribonucleic acid" (or DNA) before you know it!

Find out how close we really are to the Bionic Man or Bionic Woman!

Plan on staying the whole day, or at least several hours at the Tech Museum. You will not be bored, and neither will your kids!

Shopping in San Jose

Shopping in San Jose has taken on a whole new meaning with the arrival of Santana Row, the new living/working/shopping mall in San Jose.

Santana Row is one of the nicest shopping malls I have seen in the United States.
It has glitz, style and wonderful atmosphere, and is a really great place just to hang out and spend time.

There are a ton of great restaurants, and they have outside seating, so you can sit, have a bite to eat, and do some FAB people watching! Yes, the beautiful people have come out of the woodwork and are on display at Santana Row.