A Taste of San Jose

Although many events at the conference were catered, I was able to get out and sample some of the local eateries,

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Downtown San Jose offers a number of shops, restaurants and bars, and depending on where you are staying, you can easily walk most places downtown. For a terrific day trip, take the train into San Francisco.

Rooms at the Fairmont are spacious and luxurious. A well-stocked minibar, ironing board, iron, hair dryer, separate shower and bath facilities (marble), non-smoking rooms, modem connections, shops, dry cleaning, laundry, valet services and more are offered the business traveler. I was fortunate to have a room on a higher floor and facing the mountains. While I would likely not choose the Fairmont on my own (I prefer smaller, more intimate hotels), the conference I attended was held at the Fairmont, so it was quite convenient to stay here. It would be very easy to get used to the Fairmont level of comfort: what a treat to return to your room at the end of a long day and find Belgian choclates on your pillow, your bed turned down, and a soft terrycloth robe laid out for your convenience. If you can (or want to) spend big bucks for a hotel, you will be wonderfully pampered. Do not hesitate to ask the concierge about any sort of travel arrangements you may need: the staff is very courteous and anxious to help their guests.

Step into the Hyatt St. Claire, and you''re taking a step back into a more gracious era in living. The main lobby on the ground floor gives you the effect of being in someone''s living room (although a very large living room!). Comfortable sofas and deep soft chairs are grouped with oriental rugs, plants, and lamps.

The rooms, while smaller than those you will find at the Fairmont, are certainly just as comfortable. Imagine sleeping on a soft goosedown mattress (and if you are allergic, just let them know and it will be changed). The bathrooms are tiled, feature teak counters, and mine had a lovely mural painted on the ceiling. Furniture is cane and rattan, and reminds me of movies which show old fashioned British plantations in India or some such place.

Amenities include daily dry cleaning and laundry service (except Sundays), minibar, TV, phone, modem connection, radio/alarm clock, and ironing boards.

When you return from a day or work or sightseeing, you will find your bed turned down and a tempting pastry from the lobby shop on your bedside table.

NOTE: While weekday rates seem to be as high or perhaps higher than the Fairmont''s, Fridays and Saturdays are available for $99/night (at least they were when I stayed there last week).

Not wanting to pay the high price of breakfast in my hotel's restaurant, I went off one morning in search of food and found City Bagels. You won't notice the complete lack of decor when you see the tempting bagels, pastries and muffins offered, as well as a nice assortment of coffees and other beverages (including smoothies!). City Bagels offers about half a dozen different types of bagels, a dozen different types of muffins, and several varieties of pastries (made fresh on the premises daily!). A medium coffee and muffin (I chose lemon, and it was warmed for me) was only $2.40; a real bargain!

If you're looking for a place that reminds you of your favorite pub in the UK, Trials could be it. Except for the American accents, I was convinced I was in England. The pub is decorated in a typical dark wood style, and the cozy fireplace in the back room is a nice accent. In addition to typical "pub grub", Trials serves a number of imported beers and ales. Like my favorite pub in London, Trials has its "regulars", and they are a friendly, fascinating bunch. If you're in Silicon Valley and looking for the best bangers and mash this side of the Atlantic, give Trials a try; open 7 days from 5pm. www.trialspub.com

The flying Pig Pub is a fun place to eat and drink, sit by the fire, or play darts. The small pub has an interesting mix of patrons: tourists and downtown business types rub shoulders with college students and locals. Some tasty microbrews are available, as well as wines and mixed drinks. Try the Cinncinati Chili and chips appetizer: a layer of chili and cheese and plenty of chips. Good food, drink and service make this a fun spot to sip a few brews and relax after a long day.

Several of us wandered here for dinner after our conference. Stepping inside the restaurant is like stepping into another country. The menu have colorful cloth covers, Thai music plays in the background, and the servers are dressed in beautiful traditional dress. The satay here is accompanied by a wonderfully creamy peanut sauce, one of the best I've tasted. Treat (or shock!) your tastebuds with Sweet Basil Chicken.......and make sure you have a gallon of water handy to extinguish the fire!!

An excellent selection of poultry, beef and seafood dishes is available. Try Singha, the Thai beer, as a compliment to the food.

Judging by the people waiting at even the early hour we arrived, this is a popular spot with the locals. A great place for good food and lots of it, but probably not a good choice for quiet or romantic. Original Joe's serves good, hearty traditional Italian cooking, and lots of it. There's nothing fussy or trendy about it, but you definitely won't leave hungry! Try the chicken cacciatore, served with a side of ravioli. I'd also recommend the shrimp with linguini; the sauce has a wonderful lemon/buttery flavor.

I just stopped in for a quick snack, but this fast food Chinese place seems to do a good business, especially at lunch time. Fast food renditions of the traditional favorites are offered...try the eggrolls for a quick, inexpensive snack or lunch.

Before joining our Grayline tour, we decided to have lunch in Chinatown. Since we knew we were going to be on a bus for quite a while, a light dim sum lunch seemed the perfect choice.

Far East Cafe may be one of the few restaurants on the planet that has private booths (a curtain covers the front) for the patrons (we sat in just a regular booth). High ceiling, dark wood, and decorative pieces make for a pleasant ambience.

We shared a dim sum appetizer platter, featuring eggroll, pork balls (cooked ground pork and spices....yummy), and dumplings stuffed with ground meat and spices.

The main dim sum tray had dumpling with shrimp, and dumplings with cooked pork and spices. Everything was hot, tasty, and, NOT greasy. Every other place I've had dim sum (including China!) it was been too greasy.

We each had a soft drink; our lunch selection + drink came to about $8-9/person, including tip. I hope to come back and check out other menu items!

I normally do not patronize hotel restaurants, but Il Fornaio had come highly recommended, and the quality of the food and service did not disappoint. While I found the decor pleasant, the noise level was not what I'd expect for such an upscale place, even on a busy Saturday night.

The antipasto alone is enough to fill you up, with a nice selection of prosciutto, marinated olives, roast eggplant, scallops, and other delights. I had canneloni, stuffed with ground meat, mushrooms, and featuring a light sauce.....very tasty!

Although I recommend Il Fornaio for the food and service, which were both excellent, I prefer a quieter place, especially when it's rather pricey.

Ever since my trip to Hong Kong almost four years ago, I've been hooked on collecting Chinese snuff bottles. These small, decorative (and, in another era, useful!) bottles can be made of materials such as bone, ivory, semi-precious stone (jade, tigereye, coral, lapis) and painted glass.

It seemed that San Francisco's Chinatown would be a good place to look for a piece to add to my collection. Eventually I wandered into the China Gem Company, and fell in love with a beautifully carved amethyst snuff bottle. As the proprietor pointed out, it is an unusual piece, as one rarely finds large pieces of amethyst made into something other than jewelry.

After a bit of haggling, we agreed on a price, and the amethyst snuff bottle now sits proudly on my shelf.

Unlike many other shops I'd been in that day and shops elsewhere, the proprietor did not promise me all sorts of fantastic discounts if I bought more than one item. I wasn't encouraged to buy something I didn't want just to get a good price on the amethyst piece. He negotiated a bit, and then left the decision to me, as to whether I felt it was a good price. I felt I was dealing with a honest merchant, which, when buying antiques and collectibles, I generally have concerns about.

If you are in San Francisco, and in the market for jewelry or oriental art, I'd recommend a stop at the China Gem Company. (415) 397-5070; Henry Bong, owner.

I wanted to spend my one free day after my conference ended in San Francisco, which I'd never been before. I found (from the helpful staff at the Fairmont) that I could take CalTrain from San Jose to San Francisco. On weekends, the trains run every hour on the hour (both ways), and the cost is $9/person, a great deal! NOTE: Unlike trains in Europe, these do not provide snacks, so you may wish to pick up something to drink or munch as you travel. I used the 1 1/2+ ride to call Grayline and make a reservation for their 2:00 tour.

When my companion and I reached San Francisco, we decided to spend the time before the tour going through Chinatown on our own, and took a cab straight there. Chinatown is a definite must: it's certainly nothing like what we have here in Chicago; you can walk for miles it seems. I almost wanted to just spend the entire day in Chinatown!

After a quick dim dum lunch, off we went to catch our tour at Transbay Terminal.

When our tour got underway, we were first taken past the Civic Center, the new Main Library, the Opera House, Davies Symphony Hall, and some other buildings of interest downtown. Our first stop was Old Mission Dolores, the birth place of the city. Next stop was Twin Peaks, for a breathtaking view of the city and bay.

We headed over to Golden Gate Park, where I opted to spend our time in the lovely Japanese Tea Garden. I didn't get an opportunity to cover a lot of its 4 acres, but I guess that means I need to visit again...... We stopped at Cliff House and Seal Rock, and enjoyed the majesty of the Pacific Ocean.

We crossed the Golden Gate Bridge twice, and had an opportunity to stop and take pictures of the bridge and the bay.

The tour concluded at Pier 39 at Fisherman's Wharf, where I had just enough time to take a few pictures of the sunset over the water, and catch the train back to San Jose.

If you only have a day to spend in San Francisco, I'd recommend a tour as the best way to get around and see the sights. There's no way I could have covered that much on my own in one day, and I certainly got my money's worth!

NOTE: The pickup point at Transbay Terminal was the only downside to the tour. You check in at the Grayline window there, and get your tickets. The Terminal was rather desserted and homeless types were hanging around. I'd say it's best to check in for your tour as late as you can, then go directly to your bus and it shouldn't be a problem.

Although certainly more known for its award-winning cuisine, a couple of friends and I found Bella Mia the perfect spot for a few after-dinner drinks. If you want a quiet spot with plenty of ambiance, good service, and relaxing music as a background to your conversation, this is the place.

The bar is located in the front section of the fireside clubroom, and features the usual mixed drinks, a nice selction of wines, microbrews, and imported beers. I was drinking an imported Italian beer, which set me back about $9 for two drinks, including tip.

An ATM machine is conveniently located in the back of the clubroom, near the restrooms.