

Ask HN: Visiting SF, should I check out Silicon Valley? - martinwnet

I&#x27;m from the UK and will be visiting SF for a week in April. Is it worthwhile to heading down to Silicon Valley to check it out?<p>I&#x27;m aware a lot of the area is simply large business parks, and companies won&#x27;t let you just wander into their offices uninvited. These are places of work after all, not tourist attractions.<p>Having said that...<p>Is it worth trying to get a tour of the Googleplex? Or trying to get a tour of other headquarters (Facebook&#x2F;Apple)? Or a tour of Stanford? Is there anything else worth seeing?<p>I will not have a car either, but suppose I could hire one for the day if it was necessary.<p>Other suggestions welcomed!<p>EDIT: If any Google&#x2F;Apple&#x2F;Facebook employees can snag me a tour I&#x27;d be greatly appreciative, email in profile.
======
ulfw
Rent a car (you'll need one) and head down to walk around Stanford's beautiful
campus, then have a coffee in Palo Alto before heading over to see Google's
campus and shoot some pics. Then off to nearby Cupertino to buy some goodies
at the company store in Building One. Not much else to see in the Valley I'm
afraid.

~~~
martinwnet
Any recommended coffee shops?

~~~
ulfw
Definitely hit Coupa Cafe in Palo Alto where a ton of startups have been
'made'. Ramon makes some dope cappucinos too there.

------
sparkman55
It is possible to take the train down to Palo Alto from SF, rent a bike from
the bike share system, take a leisurely ride down Palm Drive and around
Stanford campus (2-5 miles along bike paths) and then back to Palo Alto for
coffee (or something else tasty). Coupa Cafe is a good place for coffee, as
ulfw mentioned.

If you want to tour one of the big companies, find a
friend/acquaintance/recruiter, and catch lunch. These companies compete on
quality of meals...

Also, if you're going to rent a car, I highly recommend visiting some
Redwoods. The best around are in Big Basin about an hour south of SV. There
are also some just north of SF in Muir Woods.

~~~
martinwnet
I'm not averse to cycling, I just didn't think it would be too scenic around
the Valley.

Unfortunately I have no contacts in these big companies.

That's a good shout on the redwoods, I had no idea this was on offer near the
SF area, thanks.

~~~
matt_s
We're planning a family vaca to California for the first time this summer and
planning on Muir park.

Also if you end up renting a car you may want to check out Yosemite (3-4 hr
drive). That is on our list.

------
eugeneross
I could only vaguely remember my time in San Francisco due to the fact that I
was only three years of age, but that didn't stop my parents from taking me
everywhere within the city. Although I may have not recalled any of the
visits, after we had moved out of Cali, I always hear how we should've toured
Stanford and what a great opportunity we had. Don't miss that opportunity!
Schedule a tour of the campus, I'm sure you'll be glad you did.

~~~
martinwnet
A Stanford tour looks interesting, looks like they have a general walking tour
and more specific science/engineering tours that you can book.

------
crixlet
This is probably old news, but if you haven't already read Steve Blank's
Vistors Guide to Silicon Valley, i'd recommend it before your trip.

[http://steveblank.com/2011/02/22/a-visitors-guide-to-
silicon...](http://steveblank.com/2011/02/22/a-visitors-guide-to-silicon-
valley/)

------
lfender6445
A meetup group might have more value for you - but the googleplex does sound
interesting.

~~~
martinwnet
Are there any cool, generous Googlers here that would be able to arrange a
tour? My email is in my profile, I would be very appreciative.

------
markhall
What are the dates of your trip?

~~~
martinwnet
I'll be in SF 9-16th April.

~~~
markhall
Just dropped you an email

