San Jose

San Jose

San Jose is Silicon Valley's anchor city, much bigger than San Francisco by population, and culturally underrated because everyone drives through it on the way somewhere else. The Vietnamese food scene (especially in Little Saigon) is one of the best in the country. The weather is impossibly mild, the Santa Cruz Mountains rise to the west, and the tech money funds a genuinely excellent restaurant scene.

Trenton

Trenton's downtown is anchored by the famous 'Trenton Makes The World Takes' bridge sign over the Delaware River, a relic of the city's manufacturing past. It's the New Jersey state capital, sitting roughly halfway between Philly and NYC, with quick train access to both. The food scene leans on solid Italian and an emerging Latin American presence. Workmanlike, with history.