San Jose update…

Back in October, I proudly announced San Francisco’s #1 ranking among Conde Nast Traveler readers. At the same time, I pondered what San Jose advocates would say in a readers survey. Well, never let it be said that I’m not obsessive–I have the answer.

On my flight to San Diego this week, I read a 15-20 page paid advertisement for the City of San Jose in the United Hemisphere magazine. Here are the subjects of the photos and headlines in this paid advertisement–my assumption being that if you want to entice readers to travel to your city, then you draw them in with the San Jose equivalent of the Golden Gate Bridge! Well, you decide:

– Santana Row (an upscale, outdoor shopping mall)
– a farmers market
– the San Jose Sharks (the local NHL hockey team)
– pictures of the restored downtown shopping district
– the San Jose Symphony
– golf
– scientists using beakers
– the Technology Museum
– people drinking wine
– a plaza with playful fountains that spray you when you walk by
– an remodeled airport minutes from silicon valley companies
– home to Apple, Google, eBay, Cisco, and Adobe
– the headline: “50 miles south of san Francisco”
– a convention center
– the San Jose Grand Prix (1.6mi circuit through downtown)
– Children’s Discovery Museum
– Winchester Mystery House
– brown grassy hills for mountain biking
– many hotels
– san Jose university

Uh, huh. Hmmmm. “Well, honey. I’ve got the brochures. Instead of going to San Francisco this year, I booked us a room at the San Jose Hilton. Did you know they are only 50 minutes south of San Francisco? AND they have scientists!”

Please.

I DID learn two cool facts from this advertising section:

1. 58 companies with market capitalizations over $1 billion are headquartered within 12 minutes of the San Jose airport.
2. 34% of the nation’s venture capital is invested in the region!!

So, in response, I dug up one of the pictures we took while driving visitors around the city. This is the famous view of downtown with the Painted Ladies in the foreground. I think that makes a much more compelling tourist photo than the Google World Headquarters!