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I do, and thankfully the pilot that was flying my plane did too, though he couldn’t help but say the famous phrase himself. I was blessed to travel to San Jose, California on behalf of the amazing and phenomenal Caryn Bailey from Rockin’ Mama. My quest was to get to know the city of San Jose through its food, music and attractions, and by music I mean the 25th Annual San Jose Jazz Summer Fest celebration.
This was my first time ever to set foot in California. Heck, this was my first time to fly west of Denver! I was told the weather would be perfect there but I didn’t believe it. When I landed late at night, my driver asked if I had brought a jacket as it gets chilly at night there. I laughed and told him I am from Michigan, chilly happens at below zero.
I was put up at the beautiful Hotel de Anza. Located just minutes from the airport, this architectural beauty was the perfect home base for my 4 nights of California dreaming.
Aside from a big comfy bed and spacious room, I had a tv in the bathroom and because I was on the 2nd floor, I even had a balcony! Also in the hotel was my haven for my breakfasts at the in house restaurant La Pastaia…
The highlight was probably the jazz performances held right in the hotel, the Hedley Club Lounge. With such intimate settings, it was just a really nice way to spend my working weekend away from home.
The weekend was packed with amazing activities, the first of which was a tour of the Winchester Mystery House. This is the home of Sarah Winchester, heir to the rifle fortune. Legend has it that she had builders make doors and windows inside that lead to nowhere, all in hopes to fend off eveil spirits. You can read the full history here. This was one of my favorite activities of the weekend, not scary, not haunted as some say it is, just really really interesting. Honestly, Sarah was very ahead of her time in her processes for designing and adding on to her beautiful house. The only scary thing was her stairs which were low rise due to her arthritis and the fact she was only 4’10”. Some were very narrow though and I was scared if I gained any weight I couldn’t fit.
Next was lunch at Left Bank, a French cuisine lovers place *cough*me*cough*, located in Santana Row, where I had steak and it was delicious, as was the wine!
Then it was straight over to Village California Bistro where we enjoyed a wine tasting and dessert pairing. The highlight to me was the Panna Cotta paired with Wrath wine!!
After that it was back to the hotel for a nap..yes I said it, our reps planned some great down time in the schedule so that we could refresh! Later we were invited to attend an exclusive press event that included the Mayor at the Silicon Valley Capital Club. This was my first almost faint moment because this Midwest girl saw MOUNTAINS! It was neat event because I was stopped twice to have my picture taken and trust me, that NEVER happens!
Dinner was at the Loft Bar and Bistro. They had some really delicious appetizers including scallops and red onion strings. For my entrée I chose the Pork Piccata, which was very tasty with the garlic mashed potatoes!
After dinner we went to the venues where the jazz acts were playing and caught Bootsy Collins. We then retreated back to the VIP only area where we had some wine and refreshments, snacks, and got to sit on comfy couches with PayPal providing charging stations on the tables for phones and stuff. THAT was cool. This was where I decided that the people of San Jose were so nice because they would talk to me out of the blue and ask me how I was doing and making sure I was coming back tomorrow. So different than up north where nobody seems to want to make new friends at all. Saturday began with a VIP brunch at the Silicon Valley Capital Club again, delicious food and even more delicious Mimosa’s!
Next it was time to go check out the opening act of the Jazz Fest, Snarky Puppy. I normally love to listen to almost any type of music but these guys were so good I had goosebumps!
Afterward, we went and hung out at the VIP area again where they were serving lunch and drinks and we just chilled for a bit. We took in a show at the City National Civic of San Jose theater. This theater had the most beautiful architecture!!
After a quick nap it was time for dinner at the Arcadia. By this time my jetlag caught up to me and I couldn’t eat much but the hors d’ouevres were amazing….including mini lobster corndogs!
After dinner it was straight to the City National Civic of San Jose theater again to see George Lopez!! George was funny but his opening act really had me laughing without a break. The guy seriously had me CRYING from laughing so hard! Pictures aren’t allowed at his shows so I couldn’t take any but I will say I thoroughly enjoyed the show!
Finally we went back to the hotel where a few of us hung out in that amazing jazz room and enjoyed a nightcap. I went to sleep early though because I was just exhausted. It was a very busy and very fun day!
Sunday started with my last breakfast at the hotel restaurant, La Pastaia. I think it was sometime during this meal that I realized I felt much better physically and emotionally started to fall for the city. The people, the food, the lack of mosquitoes and humidity..I instantly wanted to fly my husband down to visit so we could make plans to move there one day. We got to tour The Tech Museum of Innovation and it was soooo neat. It is almost as if they knew I was coming because the visiting exhibit was all about food, and the fact that almost everything is interactive, including music exhibits!
I realllllly loved that museum! Next it was lunch time at The BlackBird Tavern. This place had some of the prettiest and most tasty food of the whole weekend. I couldn’t decide between a burger and a chicken sandwich so my pal Jamie and I decided to split and share 😀 It was a good idea too because Mmmmmm…
I’m pretty sure I had the best dessert, it had lavender cream..I gobbled that right up!
A few of us decided to go shopping instead of unwinding. I had some Boba Tea and we found a cute souvenir shop, and walked by some great places to chow.
And then we met up with our man from Team San Jose and we all walked to the California Theater to catch the Taiko featuring The Bangerz. This show was so amazing that I took over 200 photos and video ALONE. It was absolutely and completely amazing, the Taiko group of drummers choreographing a routine to music being mixed and mastered by the amazing Bangerz DJs. I cannot emphasize how much you need to catch one of these shows if they are ever in your area!
Later we met with the rest of the crew for dinner at San Pedro Square Market. This is like a farmers market only with small restaurants, from burgers, to sushi to sake all reasonably priced. My personal favorite was the desserts!
We watched all the cute little kids playing and stopped to chat with a young mom and she was so beautiful but so aware, from vaccinations to GMO we were on point with her, she was just so friendly.
After it began to get dark I gave my hugs to the other ladies and walked back to the hotel with my rep because I had a very early flight. Back at Hotel de Anza, I gave one last hug to the Team San Jose guys and headed to my room to pack and get ready to go home.
It was an amazing 3.5 days. I am so fortunate that I have been able to travel outside of Michigan and visit some amazing cities and this one is at the top of my list. It has the perfect temperature to save my husband and I from the horrible and gray winters and super humid summers. I went to San Jose with an open mind and came home ready to go right back with my family.
Thank You Caryn for allowing me to visit this city on your behalf!
Candace Reid authors the site Serendipity Mommy and is currently working on achieving her dreams as a travel food writer.
Images: Candace Reid
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