[Aerkuld]

Trying to draw on the encyclopedic knowledge of the group . . .

Two main avenues of question;

1) Long story short, flying in to San Jose on a Friday & need to be back there Sunday night. Current line of thought would be to fly into SJ, stay in San Francisco for two nights to do all the touristy stuff, before returning to SJ and leave early Monday morning. Based on the above, if visiting for a long weekend where would you suggest for good places to stay, eat, & visit on a moderate budget? Rent a car, or use public transport? It's been a few years since I've been there but the friend I'm meeting has never been - any 'must see' or 'must do' things?

OK, vaguely connected but this one is probably more complex. Ready?

2) What can you tell me about San Jose and the surrounding area? The friend I mentioned above is considering moving out that way. All I know is it's expensive, which isn't much help. Could anyone offer more insight? Any areas within a 45 minute commute that would be more reasonable than others? Head for the hills, or up the sides of the bay? Any areas to avoid? General thoughts? All I'm able to offer is my experience spending five years living in SoCal (Orange County). Other than that, I visited Sunnyvale and Santa Clara back in the late '70's and early '80's when my Uncle was working out there. Does anyone have more recent experience, or direct connections?

I'd appreciate any information and opinions you guys are able to offer.