What to do while at the Stanford camp

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People pay tens of thousands of dollars to vacation exactly where you are going. I'll start and I know many of my compadres will join in:

Monterey / Carmel need I say more?

Muir Woods, just over the Golden gate Bridge

Chinatown in SF

Fisherman's Wharf / Pier 39

Shopping in the City

Sausalito / Tibburon (again over the Golden Gate)

Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk

cadDAD

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Monterey Bay Aquarium

San Francisco Use Bart to get into town.

Carmel by the Sea

17 mile drive

That's a pretty good set. Here's a link to even more options.
Or, if you're fabulously wealthy you could send them to the nearby Stanford Shopping Center for some "bargain shopping."

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Then again, there's always:

Join the protesters in Oakland supporting the cop killer...

Join the Stop Prop 8 No GAAY Marriage Initiative protestors in downtown SF...

Go down to Silicon Valley and watch the glow in the dark stuff crawling out from any number of factories after dark...

Pay exhorbitant bridge tolls and sit for hours on any one of several cross Bay bridges...

Or just enjoy our magnificent weather, virtually year round...

Earthquake anyone?

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Earthquake anyone?

Yesterday a 4.3, or as the locals say "a massage."

And don't forget BART. Don't they have something like that in Fresno too?

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Fresno Area Rapid Transit?

Don't do that to me...

cadDAD

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How about touring colleges in the area during your downtime ?

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San Jose State University

University of San Francisco

San Francisco State

CAL Berkeley

St. Mary's (Moraga)

Santa Clara

UC Davis

UOP

Sonoma State

UC Santa Cruz

Sacramento State

Did I miss any?

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UC Santa Cruz

B'Slugs don't play baseball, but they do have a top 100 Ultimate Frisbee Team.

Stanford's got a pretty nice campus itself, and it's huge.

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I will be at the fields everyday watching and enjoying my time with him and the whole experience.

J23, I hope I can provide a perspective that won't sound anything but supportive of your son and what you want for him at the Stanford Camp.
When our son was invited to the camp, I responded exactly as you did.
Over a period of time, our son left little suggestions about my enjoying the "whole experience" which I didn't really pick up.
Finally, about 2 weeks before the Camp,he was pretty blunt. He would be there playing and he knew exactly why.
He didn't want us there...period.
The reason as he explained it was that no matter how supportive we might be as parents, he would feel additional pressures to perform knowing his parents were watching. He didn't want that.
This was his camp. This would help him determine how he matched up against some of the best competition nationally. He would feel enough competitive drive without that "edge" that came from knowing your parents are in the stands.
Well, we didn't go. He played great and the Camp helped him meet the Coach who changed his baseball life and college opportunities.
So, for whatever it is worth, for our son, this was his camp. If he succeeded, he did it on his own. If he didn't succeed, it was on his own. It was a point of separation that I so much appreciated.
I became of better parent and better fan.
Our son became a much better player and proved that to an awful lot of people from that Camp until injury ended in career in Milb.

Infield Dad; you are correct.

As you know San Francisco is one of the "greatest" cities in the World. Why not enjoy this "city by the bay". You can also visit Sonoma County "wine country".

Watch the Giants, A's and enjoy this opportunity.

This morning, I drove 1 hour to the SFO and crossed the Golden Gate bridge. "It is a beautiful" view.

I "sold" this bridge many times in Japan, China, Korea and Australia.

Bob

If you haven't already considered where your son is staying, I'd recomend that you pay for the overnight part of the camp and leave him alone in the evening, part of the experience is hanging out with players from around the country rather then your family.

Sorry

I would also not devote time to watching all his games but I would check the schedule and plan on watching his evening game at sunken diamond.

I completely agree with Infielddad and CollegeParent - drop him off the first day, pick him up for a dinner somewhere in the middle and then pick him up at the end of camp.

Don't otherwise interfere or observe - let him tell you all about it - and meanwhile enjoy all the bay area (and the monterey bay area) have to offer.

send a couple of cases of water. My son and his friends dorms machines ran out of drinks. We had come to watch a game and were in ton so we brought a case of water. They were extremely thirsty.

Hey all....thanks for the great responses! We are planning on spending time visiting colleges in the area, in fact are planning on heading south down the coast to get in as many as we can. Spending a few extra days in Cali hoping to give him a taste of what college life could be like. Do the kids get lunches/dinners during the day?

"Cali" is not a term used in CA Here's my NORcal SOcal CA lingo education for the day that will help you navigate the state:

In "NorCal" highway 101 is known as "101". In "Socal" it is known as "The 101". (Its the same for all the highways, not just 101)

Therefore as you are heading south you will know you have entered Socal when you start hearing "the 101" on the radio. It will happen somewhere near CalPoly....

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And hopefully everyone knows never to call "the City" ..... "Frisco".

Calling it SanFran is OK...

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And what are we calling PacBell these days?

Last I heard it was SBC Telecommunications Ballpark...

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Wait 'til they find out about "In-N-Out Burger"

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I respectfully disagree with CollegeParent about the term "Cali". I am a fourth generation Californian and "Cali" has become an accepted nickname, but hey, I'm from NorCal. Maybe down south it's a no-no, kind of like refering to San Francisco as "Frisco" - it's "The City" if you are a local. I love the term Cali and use it often

There is a beautiful garden "FILOLI" in Palo Alto.
If you are venturing down as far as CalPoly - be realistic about how far that is from Stanford. It's good day's drive - without traffic snafus.

iheartbb,
Huh? Cali? What's that short for? Calistoga? caliente?
I've truly never heard it.

FILOLI is a beautiful place to visit. It is about 10 miles northwest of Palo Alto. Visiting hours are somewhat irregular and restricted, so check in advance. Filoli

Nature lovers might also consider Big Basin Park. Some impressively large redwoods.

I've never heard anyone from this area (San Luis Obispo area) say "Cali", and I've lived here for 40 years.

Stanford to Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo is a 3 hour drive down 101. Nothing special about the drive, but the San Luis Obispo area and surrounding beaches are some of the best.

If I was visiting, I would take a day to travel down to the SLO area and really visit the area instead of just passing through. Stay the night there and then take Highway 1 north to Monterey. This coastal scenic route is one of the best you will ever see. It is windy and long, but well worth it. Stop often and take it in. You will end up in Monterey where there are a ton of things to do. The only thing that could be a problem is thick fog on the Highway 1 trip. That time of year it is hit and miss with the fog, and it kind of ruins the coastal scenic route. If you do plan to visit the San Luis Obispo area, I can recommend many nice places to visit.

OK, I'll chime in. I am a Cali Native (yes, I said Cali). Born, raised and still living in So Cal, and we do say Cali from time to time, but there are many other appellations - So Cal, Cal, CA, yada yada yada...

As for camp, your player may not get an eve. game at the Diamond, but we DID watch our son's games no matter where he played (will play 3 games). Other times, we simply watched others play their games...left kid alone the whole time - no talking with him, he stayed in dorms, ate there the whole time, etc. Yes, the give three meals a day - and usually do BBQ burgers on arrival day - after the Sparq testing which is first thing in the a.m. upon arrival and check in.

It is a fun but packed 3-4 days - the players will be up and at'em early every day. No time for idle hands.

As for site seeing, if you don't go to watch the camp, then by all means go see the sites - visit Santa Clara - beautiful campus. Cal is great too, but remember that it is a long time on the road (traffic, etc) between these places - Cal could take all day, or at least half.

You also MUST visit the City - absolutely - but again, it is a full day at least. And if you plan on driving south, make sure you take several extra days - worth it all.

I would take the drive frnks recommends, beautiful. Visit SLO, visit UCSB, and maybe even get to see Pepperdine, UCLA, etc.

Have a great time and a great trip!!

or is it sight seeing???? oops

Oh, one more thing....yeah, it is THE 101, THE 405, THE 91, THE 105, etc (hehe).

This "Cali" thing must be a Southern California affliction - I've lived in Northern California most of my life and have never heard a local use that phrase.

One tip on the first day - get there early and have your son get in line early for the Sparq testing - otherwise it is a very long, hot wait. Also, google the test online and have your son tryout the tests a few times - those who score the lowest are almost always those who look like they are doing the test for the first time.

I agree with the above on the water - we ended up buying a case of water and giving it to son for his dorm room - getting water on campus was a real pain.

If you do make the drive south - I'd say take Highway 17 over the hill to Santa Cruz, stopping at the Boardwalk for one of the greatest roller coasters of all time and a dip in the ocean off the beach. Outstanding place to try surfing and or beach volleyball if anyone is interested.

Continue south on Highway 1 to Monterey, enjoy the Aquarium (one of the best in the world), potentially play a round of golf (all price points available in the area) as well as many other local sights (happy to provide additional options for those who are interested as I am a local.) Continue the drive down highway 1 in the morning, ending up in SLO. If you have time check out Hearst Castle on the way. Cal Poly is in SLO.

Rejoin Hwy 101, continue south checking out UCSB and Pepperdine on the way. From there, UCLA, USC are all an hour to 90 minutes away. Come back north on either 101 or 5 depending on how much time you have.

If you are a wine drinker, Carmel Valley, Paso Robles, Santa Barbara all offer excellent wine even though they are not as well known as Sonoma or Napa.

Should be a great trip - have fun!!!

Born and raised in SoCal….lived in NorCal for 10 years….now down in San Diego…

NorCal: Is always ****ed off at SoCal…..Example….”They have stolen our water” “Hollywood is just filled up with airheads” “Our Green culture is better than yours”

SoCal: Doesn’t care, or even think about NorCal….which ****es off NorCal more…Example…..”We bought your water with the agreed upon price, get over it.” “Thanks for paying to watch Barb Wire” “Let’s all flush our toilets in unison just to waste water.”

San Diego: “Dude….stop snaking my wave”

California is a huge state with beautiful vistas and colossal problems…

Come for a visit, spend your money then get the hell out.

(I think this is the new state motto that Arnold is trying to push.)

Wow...thanks to you all for the wonderful suggestions. Based on the number of hits on this thread I am certainly not the only one who is going to benefit from all your knowledge. Thanks agin and please keep 'em coming.

J23

CALI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC7iIttp6cY

While I understand what some have posted realative to parents watching the camp, I will stick my head out and disagree. For many, there is a great deal to learn about baseball, colleges, recruiting and what your baseball player may experience. Hanging around talking with parents about what they learned for me was very helpful. Sunken Diamond is big enough so that you can be there and your kido would never know it.

Even though my son went through the camp 4-years ago, I still go down for an afternoon or evening and watch a game. It has given me an opportunity to meet several HSBBWebsters and occasionally I will see a rising star. Three years ago I saw a pitcher warming up with his right foot on the 1st base line and his catcher at the left field fence; he was throwing strikes at 300 feet. A year latter I saw the same player pitching in the college world series.

As to what to do; let me recomend lunch at the O, a true Stanford experience.