Travel & Accommodations
Activities:
Over the past few years we have been fortunate enough to explore and enjoy the beautiful region that is the Bay Area. Some of you have arranged your flights so that you have a little extra time to explore San Francisco, San Jose, or even Santa Cruz, and we'd like to provide you with some ideas of things to do while you're there.
San Francisco - First things first, despite what the weather looks like outside, there is a good chance that downtown San Francisco will be quite a bit cooler. It hardly deviates from 60 degrees, and with the wind blowing in off the bay, it can be quite chilly in the evening and night. So be sure to bring along a heavy sweatshirt or jacket!
Fisherman's Wharf - This is a must see for anybody new to San Francisco. There is a lot of street shopping along the piers, street performers, food, and the famous Pier 39 (including Sea Lions).
Ghirardelli Square - Home to the Ghirardelli gift shop with complementary chocolate squares, as well as a menu with a vast array of delicious chocolate desserts.
Lombard Street - Known as one of the most crooked streets in the world. It contains eight hairpin turns as well as a great view of the city.
Golden Gate Bridge - Another must see! You can drive across the bridge and park at a nice overlook on the north side of the bridge looking over the bridge back into the city. Note, there is a $5-$7 toll to drive back into the city. It is free if you want to walk or rent a bike to cross the bridge.
Exploratorium - The usual spot for school science field trips, it is essentially a science and technology museum with a large number of interactive exhibits. Being the geeky kid at heart, Nick thoroughly enjoys every visit he made.
SF MOMA - For those of you with a more refined taste, the Museum of Modern Art has an internationally recognized collection of contemporary art. Its collection includes artwork by Andy Warhol, Diego Rivera, Henri Matisse, and Ansel Adams.
AT&T Park - Home of the San Francisco Giants major league baseball team. They have home games on 4/27 and 4/28, as well as 5/1 - 5/6.
Union Square - For those of you wanting to indulge in the San Francisco fashion, be sure to check out Union Square and shop until you drop, or max out your credit cards.
San Jose - San Jose is a huge city (larger than San Francisco) with almost 1 million residents, so there are plenty of things to do if you're staying there.
Santana Row - This is a strip mall of high-end shopping stores, so whether you want to window shop, buy some nice clothes, or see a couple nice cars, a walk down Santana Row is definitely worth your time.
Winchester Mystery House - One of the nation's most famous haunted houses, it is open every day with many available tour times.
San Jose Tech Museum - Another very cool, fun, and hands on activity. The different exhibits include interactive experiences in genetics, earth sciences, alternative energy, virtual design, microchips (it's like we're in Silicon Valley or something...), IMAX movies, and lots more!
Santa Cruz - Just an hour or less south of San Jose you will find the closest beach and boardwalk. Although the water is still fairly cold, there are multiple places to surf, swim, layout in the sand, or play some volleyball.
Santa Cruz Boardwalk - This is the main attraction of Santa Cruz, with arcades, rides, food, and shopping. If you venture out onto the pier, be sure to take the stairs down to the bottom where you should find a large colony of Sea Lions.
The Mystery Spot - We've been here a few times and always enjoyed the phenomenon associated with this location. Whether it be an ancient buried alien space ship, a magma vortex, or carbon dioxide permeating from the Earth, the laws of physics and gravity seem to not apply at this about 150-foot diameter section of Santa Cruz.
Hotel:
We have negotiated rates and reserved a block of 10 rooms at the Courtyard Marriott - San Jose Airport. You have the option of either reserving a room with 1 King Bed, a room with 2 Queen Beds, or a room with 2 Double Beds. The hotel offers complimentary airport shuttle service and free parking.
Please follow the links below for your room preference. The link you select will direct you to the Courtyard Marriott - San Jose Airport web site with the negotiated rate code already entered into the appropriate field so that you can quickly make your room reservation. We have negotiated these rates for the dates of Thursday, April 26th to Monday, April 30th. You do not have to stay all 4 nights, so please select your arrival and departure date according to your travel plans. If you prefer to make your reservation by telephone, please call 1-800-321-2211 and mention that you are coming for the Chen/Rummel Wedding Room Block.
Please reserve your room as soon as possible. The 2 Queen beds are going fast, so if you click on the link and get a message that there are no rooms available, you will need to go to the link for either 1 King bed or 2 Double beds. The last day to reserve a room at the discounted group rate is on Friday, March 30, 2012.
King bed - $79/night before taxes:
2 Queen beds - $89/night before taxes:
2 Double beds - $89/night before taxes:
Other Information:
The wedding ceremony and reception will both be at San Jose Country Club. This venue is located in east San Jose, approximately 15 minutes from downtown San Jose. For guests that are flying in from out of town, there are three main airports in the Bay Area: San Francisco (SFO), San Jose (SJC), and Oakland (OAK). The San Jose airport is by far the closest to our venue, as well as to the hotel that we have the group rates for. The San Francisco airport is about an hour away from San Jose, and the Oakland airport is about 45 minutes away from San Jose.
As our wedding is on a Sunday, we are hoping that many of you would come and enjoy the entire weekend in the Bay Area. For those of you that have never been to SF or SJ, there are many wonderful things to do. As the wedding gets closer, please check back here where we'll provide a list of some fun activities, attractions, and restaurants in the San Francisco and San Jose areas.