thanks yellow, that's a good list. I'm going to be staying in SF for 3 days and san jose for 3 days. but... I'll be there with my wife and kid so I'll probably have maybe one afternoon or one really early morning to go out on my own. I'll have a rental so driving is not an issue, unless some places are just easier to reach by public trans.

Keep them coming guys, great info so far. I might even order something from amain ahead of time and have them ship to my bro-in-law.