Cupertino (pop. 65,000) is situated up against the foothills of the Santa Cruz mountains. It is something of an anomaly being the one city in the South Bay that doesn't have a distinct town center or main street. It is home to Apple computer and a handful of other tech companies, some prestigious schools and quiet neighborhoods.
It's 15 minutes west of San Jose and 45 minutes south of San Francisco. The nearest railway, [http://www.caltrain.com Caltrain] (connecting San Francisco with Gilroy, stops in downtown Sunnyvale, about a ten minute drive from the city center.
Cupertino has 2 major streets: De Anza Blvd., which runs North-South, and Stevens Creek Blvd., which runs East-West. The intersection of these two streets is in the center of Cupertino, and most of the businesses and shopping centers in the city are located in the area.
Highways 85 and 280 cross through Cupertino. These provide excellent access to the western cities in the South Bay, and to downtown San Jose (respectively).
Public transportation in Cupertino, as is the case for much of Silicon Valley, is very poor due to the low population density and demographics of the region.
Traffic is not much of an issue and major streets come with bike lanes, so biking is relatively safe.
At the intersection of Highway 85 and Stevens Creek Blvd. is De Anza College, the community college for the area. It houses the [http://www.flintcenter.com Flint Center for the Performing Arts], where major events in the area take place. It is one of the largest community colleges in the area, and has an excellent reputation.
At the intersection of Highway 280 and De Anza Blvd. is '''One Infinite Loop''', the headquarters of [http://www.apple.com Apple, Inc.]
McClellan Ranch Park, on McClellan Rd. has an old farmhouse (with pigs!) and a short trail along the creek to walk. Cupertino also a bunch of suburban parks, notably Memorial Park on Stevens Creek Blvd. which has ponds with ducks.
Hiking trails can be found in the Fremont Older Open Space Preserve, with is connected with the Mid-Peninsula Open Space Preserve, offering even more options. Streets generally have bike lanes and (sparsely-used) sidewalks that can be good for jogging.
Apple's headquarters features "The Company Store." The store sells Apple logo merchandise not available at its standard retail stores, including t-shirts and small gifts, iPods and accessories, but does not sell most Apple hardware. It is open 10am to 5:30pm Monday thru Friday, and closed on some American Holidays.
There are a number of stores in the strip malls along Stevens Creek Blvd and De Anza Blvd in Cupertino.
The following hotels and motels aren't in Cupertino proper but are very close, in San Jose, Santa Clara, and Sunnyvale. Downtown San Jose is home to the finest hotels in the area.
Be careful to check for ticks [http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/ld_prevent.htm] after hiking in fields in the bay area. There is a high rate of lyme disease transmission in the Bay Area. If a bulls' eye rash develops at the tick bite site, immediately seek medical help and treatment with antibiotics.