If you find yourself visiting Cupertino, CA for any reason, here are some things to do. First, if you are staying over you want to bunk at The Cypress Hotel, less than a year old and about a half a mile from 1 Infinite Loop, the Cypress is a PowerPage Five Star certified hotel, an honor we’ve never awarded until today.
If you find yourself visiting Cupertino, CA here are some things to do. First, if you are staying over, you want to bunk at The Cypress Hotel, less than a year old and about a half mile from 1 Infinite Loop, the Cypress is a PowerPage Five Star certified hotel, an honor we’ve never bestowed.
Where to start? The hotel is beautiful and looks like it was designed by Steve Jobs himself. From the tiger-striped carpet in the rooms to the Jaguar pillows and bath robes to the polka dot wallpaper and faux fur blankets, the Cypress is unique, well-maintained and the service is top notch. Rooms include free broadband Internet access, Starbucks coffee and the business center is equipped with an LCD iMac. The gym has flat-panel displays on the cardio equipment and there is a free Wine Hour from 5-6 pm. If that wasn’t enough, the restaurant (Helios, A Global Brasserie) is top notch, try the omelette for breakfast and the Chinese chicken salad for lunch.
While in Cupertino you have to take the obligatory tour of the Apple Company Store which is only blocks away. My favorite item is the Apple Thin FireWire cable (0.5 meter) (US$14), the thin profile looks great with the iPod and short (0.5m) length won’t weigh down your PB sack.
Next, take Highway 280 south to the Winchester exit and scope out the Apple Store Valley Fair. The staff is friendly, genius’ knowledgeable and you can drool over the 17-inch PowerBook rotating in the window. This particular 17 wasn’t running the Verne Troyer/Yao Ming TV commercial because the lighted display gets “too warm” and makes the pre-production PB squirrel out. Word on the street is that the PB17 is still two weeks from shipping – and that is for the early orders.
One your way back to the Cypress from the Apple Company Store stop by the new restaurant on S. DeAnza Blvd. that is literally in the 1 Infinite Loop parking lot – BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse. It isn’t quite as crowded as the parking lot makes it seem, but the beer and food are good and the atmosphere lively. Go with the Cobb salad and any of the medium or pale ales. You’d be amazed at what you can overhear in this place if you listen hard enough. There are plenty of Apple stickers on the cars in the parking lot…
