Things to do in Silicon Valley

South Bay

Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Mountain View, and surrounds.

On Campus at Stanford University

Walk through Stanford - especially along the oval

Rodin Sculpture Garden

Papua New Guinea Sculpture Garden (in front of Roble)

Climb onto a building's roof

Sneak into the Frost Ampitheater at Night

Sneak into the Old Chemistry Building (supposedly seriously scary)

The men's bathrooms next to the History Corner and Languages Corner

During the school year, these are almost always unlocked. Imagine the swankiest public bathroom you can, and now make it Chamber-of-Secrets-esque. They look like funny little huts from the outside, but inside they're pretty amazing. I don't want to give too much away, but there's a lot of funny/raunchy legends about these places. People even throw parties in them sometimes.

The Whisper Circle next to MemChu

One of my favorite Arillaga gifts. It's on the right side as you face the front of the church, and just looks like a sort of circular bench area. Go stand in the middle of the circle, and speak out loud to hear what happens.

Many more here.

Palo Alto, Evening

Hookah Bar (though the staff aren't the nicest which often kills the vibe, unfortunately)

Any bars on University

Stanford Theatre

Ice skating at the Winter Lodge (closed during Summer)

Rooftop hot tub at the Four Seasons: Supposedly there is a waterfall! This sounds pretty epic.

Visiting the rooftop hot tub at the Four Seasons. It has really intense and pretty lights, and the pool is super warm. And there's a waterfall! A hot waterfall! It's totally romantic -- or, if you want to go with someone who's just a friend, that's totally fun, too. Because why are pools so beautiful?

You can go about this a few ways. Either just walk in and take the elevator to the 4th (I think?) floor. Or, if that would make you feel guilty, start out at Quattro, the bar/restaurant downstairs. After a $16 cocktail or two each, you'll probably feel a more justified -- plus, why not make a night out of it? Or, if you're a real goody two-shoes, you could actually just get a room for the night, depending on your budget.

Sensory Deprivation Tank (e.g. Float Bay Area)

Slightly Further, Evening

Dave & Buster's: 33 minute drive. Expect to spend around $20 on food and $30 on games.

Movies: Mountain View

Movies: Redwood City

Go Karting: Gokart Racer in Burlingame is great. Other places have much worse reviews. Roughly $50pp.

Paintball: Santa Clara Paintball. Roughly $50pp.

Evening Pretty

Joseph D. Grant County Park. Head to Quimby Rd, and look for a spot to stop and look out of the San Jose area. The view is amazing!

Climb the observatory at Stanford. Technically trespassing. Amazing view.

Foothills Park. Go to the end of Alexis drive (Gmaps).

Just leave your car by that gate, hop over it, and walk up to the hill you can see in the attached image. Not only will you be able to see the stars, but also all of the Bay Area beneath you, and you'll also be the only people there, cause it's not a very popular spot. Source: Quora

During the Day

Palo Alto Zoo on Middlefield Road

Computer History Museum

The Dish

Baylands Park

Image Source: Flickr

Bell's Books

Kepler's Books in Menlo Park

Foothills Park (Residents of Palo Alto only. Soon to test to see if a Stanford Student ID is sufficient proof-of-residence)

Bowling Zone in Sunnyvale, 18 minute drive

California Great America in Santa Clara. Awesome. ~$40pp to get in, ~$15 for food, ~$15 for parking for the group.

Cuesta Park in Mountain View for some Bocce Ball.

Rockin' Jump in San Carlos (23 minute drive)

Sky High Sports/Jump Sky High in San Jose/Santa Clara (25 minute drive) - $13/hr pp

Laser Quest in Mountain View

Shoreline Lake in Mountain View

You can drive if you have a car, but it's also right along the beautiful and legendary Baylands Bike Trail, which is an excellent way to start the date. Then rent a sailboat, paddleboard, windsurfer, paddleboat, or whatever.

Enjoy lunch or drinks at the little cafe by the boathouse before you head home. Lawn Bowls at the Palo Alto Lawn Bowls Club

Hiking/mountain biking/picnicking at the Pearson-Arastradero Preserve (10 minute drive)

Foot massage at the Happy Feet Foot Spa. $30/pp/hour (+tip). No reservations required, but worth it to call 30 minutes ahead.

Duck Pond in East Palo Alto

Date Activities

Note: All of the other items could also be date activities.

Contra dancing

Contra dancing. Omg! YOU HAVE TO TRY IT! It's a New England folk dance that's sort of like line dancing, but different. No experience is required -- just show up on time for the free lesson and then dance the night away. TRUST ME. You will love it. You will laugh. And it will be awesome. You won't (and shouldn't) dance with each other the whole time... but after messing up a lot and wondering what the heck is going on, you'll be thrilled to be back in each other's arms. The Palo Alto Contra Dance people meet at the United Methodist Church (it's just the venue, though -- the event is not religious) from 7:30-11pm on the 2nd, 4th and 5th Saturdays of each month. People of all ages attend and are welcome. There's a caller to make sure you know what you're doing... and there is always live music.

Go to a Spa: Watercourse Way seems highly rated

Further

Go to San Francisco.

Santa Cruz beaches

Ocean kayaking in Santa Cruz

Kayaking in Monterey

White water rafting in the American River

Hiking at Sequoia or Yosemite National Park

Hiking in the Muir Woods

Another great list

Food

Weekend Brunch

University Cafe

The Creamery

Stacks in Menlo Park

Lunch/Dinner

Plutos

Crepevine

Oren's Hummus

Veggie Grill

Dinner

Cheesecake Factory

Joya

Homma's Brown Rice Sushi

Mexican

Taqueria El Grullense in Palo Alto (well reputed!)

24-Hour

Jack in the Box in Palo Alto

Subway in Palo Alto

Happy Donuts in Palo Alto

Drink

Old Pro

Wine Room

Nola's

Rose and Crown

Antonio's Nut House

Boba

I used to be a huge Verde fan (taro milk tea or taro freeze)... until I discovered Tea Era's roasted barley milk tea. Since then, it has definitely replaced Verde as my favorite boba in this area.

My personal favorite is Fantasia (Cupertino Village), followed by Verde (Mountain View). General consensus among my group of friends are that Verde has better pearl, but Fantasia has better tea... Also, don't forget to order half-sugar in Verde; they're super sweet.

I've tried Tea Era and Tapioca Express too, but I like them a lot less.

I recently discovered Ocha Tea Cafe on El Camino and Grant. They make the tea fresh using an expresso machine, just like the way the best places do it in Taiwan.