Bay Area Travel Guide | San José Attractions & Food Recommendations

On a work trip to the Bay Area, I flew into San José a few days early to explore — here’s my guide to eating and sightseeing! 🍽️✨ San José Attractions Some say it's just a residential area, but as a tourist, I found it fun to visit iconic Silicon Valley tech spots and campuses! Santana Row: A popular shopping district with festive vibes 🛍️🎄. Nearby, you can also visit the Winchester Mystery House. Apple Park Visitor Center: Essentially a flagship store where you can use AR to view the office buildings 🍎📱. Google Visitor Experience: Great for buying merch and souvenirs! The campus is spread out, so be prepared to walk after parking 🚶‍♂️🛍️. Meta Headquarters: Skip it — not much to see except a sign 🚫🤷‍♀️. Stanford University: Beautiful campus! Don’t miss the Bookstore for souvenirs and the stunning Memorial Church 🏛️📚. San José Food PHỞ HÀ NỘI: Everyone says the Vietnamese food here is great — tried the pho right after landing. The broth and drinks were tasty, loved the lunch meat spring rolls, but the fried chicken tomato rice was just okay 🍜🌯. MoonTea : Another "alternative" to Chinese tea brands — decent but not amazing. The stinky tofu and grilled sausage were just so-so 🍵😐. Shang Yu Lin : The peanut milk tea was a delightful surprise! With mochi, soybean powder, peanut bits, and taro balls — savory, rich, and not too sweet. So fragrant! The pork floss cakes and fried green beans/king oyster mushrooms were average 🥤🥜. Hunan Impression: Waited in line forever — not really worth it. The mouthwatering chicken and stir-fried beef were extremely numbing and pricey 🥵💸. Dzui's Cakes and Desserts: Went out of my way before leaving San José for their durian smoothie — so good! Durian crêpes and pork floss bread were alright too 🥤🍰. San José Hotel Hyatt Regency Santa Clara: We stayed here — breakfast was excellent! Loved it 🏨☀️. #BayArea #BayAreaFood #BayAreaTravel #SanJosé #SanJoséFood #SiliconValley #SiliconValleyTravel #CaliforniaTravel #StudyAbroadLife #LifeInNorthAmerica