San Francisco Business Studies

Day 1

Flight to San Francisco

Flight to San Francisco: On arrival you will be met by your driver and private coach and transfer to your accommodation. After dinner you will be able to explore the Fisherman’s Wharf which has been developed into a trendy district of shops and restaurants. There is a vibrant harbour and active fishing fleet which serves the numerous eateries here, as well as proving fish for one of the most iconic sights – the large colony of Sea Lions that bask on the pier.

Day 2

Exploratarium and Golden Gate Cruise

Exploratorium: This morning we travel to Pier 15 where we visit the Exploratorium, San Francisco’s world-famous interactive science museum. There are more than 650 exhibits to discover in a hands-on environment which is in equal parts, science, mystery, and pure fun. It’s more than just a science museum – it’s the kind of place you can completely lose track of time. The main exhibits are dynamic and hands-on with various cool experiments and mind-boggling contraptions.

Golden Gate Cruise: After lunch we have a Golden Gate Bay Cruise which goes directly under the massive 4,200 foot span of the Golden Gate Bridge. As you head back into the Bay you travel past the legendary town of Sausalito, which was once home to the 1960’s Hippy generation. You cruise around the infamous Alcatraz Island and on your way back to Fisherman’s Wharf, you’ll see the Bay Bridge and Coit Tower in the distance.

Day 3

Factory Tour and Coit Tower

Factory Tour: This morning you travel by coach to the city of Fairfield where you do the Jelly Belly Candy Factory Tour. You will have an escorted tour where you get to see the production line and learn how they make the famous jelly beans. This is a sixth-generation family-owned business and some might say it owes much to Ronald Reagan’s endorsement of their product in the 1980’s! There will also be an opportunity to sample the products and there is a shop to buy souvenirs at discounted prices.

Coit Tower: This is San Francisco’s iconic tower on Telegraph Hill. We take the elevator to the top for a sensational city panorama which includes the skyscrapers of the business district right across the Bay to the Golden Gate. The Tower was built in 1933 using funds from the bequest of Lillie Hitchcock Coit, an eccentric and wealthy San Franciscan.

Day 4

Full day in Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley: Today we spend a full day exploring Silicon Valley, the heart of California’s computer, semiconductor and tech industries. We begin down memory lane at arguably the birthplace of the modern Silicon Valley, the HP Garage in Palo Alto where Stanford University students Bill Hewett and Dave Packard started their company. The garage is now on the National Register of Historic Places. We continue with a visit to Apple founder Steve Job’s boyhood home at 2066 Crist Drive. This modest, single storey property in Los Altos is where he built the first Apple computers in the 1970’s. We continue to Cupertino and visit to Apple Infinite Loop Campus where you can browse the latest products from the tech giant.

Computer History Museum: We make our way back to San Francisco, stopping for shopping at the NASA visitor centre before continuing to the Computer History Museum in Mountain View. As well as providing a history of the evolution of computing including early personal computers, with many iconic exhibits, there are interactive displays that teach programming.

The Tech Museum: Our final visit is to The Tech in San Jose. This centre of science, technology and innovation and includes a Body World’s exhibition featuring dissected human bodies and body parts preserved through a process of plastination.

Day 5

Silicon Valley and Stanford University

Silicon Valley Today: This morning we return to Silicon Valley. This time we drive across the Bay Bridge and travel through Oakland to Fremont for a drive past of Elon Musk’s sprawling Tesla Factory and HQ. We continue with drive-pasts of the Googleplex and Facebook campuses. We continue to Santa Clara where you visit the Intel Headquarters Campus and its highly automated silicon chip factory. The tour documents the history and development of the Intel semiconductors, microprocessors and chip design and there are various interactive exhibits which encourage students to explore on their own. The museum explains what Silicon is, where it is found, and how it is developed to create the latest Intel chips.

Stanford University Tour: In the afternoon we visit the campus of Stanford University for a guided walking tour of this most illustrious of American colleges.

Day 6

Alcatraz Prison and Pier 39

Alcatraz: This morning we take the ferry across the Bay to Alcatraz Island and the famous prison which bears its name. The prison was closed in 1963 but in the years that it operated it became notorious as the prison from which there was no escape. Surrounded by the icy waters of San Francisco Bay with its fierce currents, the only route out was by boat. The Clint Eastwood film Escape from Alcatraz recounts the only unresolved prisoner escape where three convicts absconded, presumably by going into the water, never to be seen again.

Pier 39: In the afternoon we spend time at Pier 39 which is a lively mixture of retails outlets and restaurants and where you can do some souvenir shopping. We also spend time at Union Square, the heart of the city, with its fashionable shops.

Day 7

Natural History Museum & Golden Gate Bridge Walk. Evening Flight Home.

Natural History Museum: This morning we travel to Golden Gate Park where we visit the Natural History Museum at the California Academy of Sciences. The interactive museum creates unique ways in which you encounter animals, whether it be walking under a water tunnel or through a rainforest exhibit. The building nestles into Golden Gate Park and blends with its surroundings.

Golden Gate Bridge: We then travel a short distance to the Golden Gate Bridge itself. Completed in 1937, the bridge is probably the most recognisable in the world. The span is around 2km so it is a long walk to the middle point, but there are fantastic views of the city and the bridge is a great place for a final group photo. We then transfer to the airport for the homeward flight.

Day 8

Arrive Home

Arrive Home: Our flight arrives back in the UK today.