<p>Good catch ucbalum, there are no red eye flights from NY to SF (D’oh on my part)
nyermom-
If you decide not to drive in SF then taxis and Caltrain can cover your agenda in norcal.
SCU is very close to San Jose Airport so you can taxi there after your tour.
However, if you rent a car to get you from SFO to USF then you can drive down to SCU and turn the car in at San Jose Airport when you fly down to Orange County.
Driving in the Bay area is a matter of how well you navigate and giving yourself plenty of time for traffic.
When is the trip, this week?</p>
<p>One logistical issue with using purely taxis and public transportation and then flying out that evening is that you may have to figure out where to stash your baggage while doing the tours of USF and SCU. That is, unless everyone is a very light packer who is willing to bring just a light backpack of stuff on the trip.</p>
<p>
I hope you can work it this way. It’s better for late-risers. </p>
<p>To maximize the day: skip hotel breakfast (if it’s just Continental) and eat instead in the middle of downtown Orange. Quaint, historic. It’s a circle of outdoor cafes, a few blocks from campus. Great for people-watching, town and students together. I like the Cuban place for lunch; check breakfast hours. I recall we could park somewhere around that circle. It’s a nice introduction before walking or driving/reparking on campus for info session/tour.</p>
<p>Great tips. Seeing the town of Orange is crucial since most of our other schools are in urban areas (one of the major issues for DD). I’ve opted not to have them stay overnight since we have family in the San Jose area, but by staying near the SJ airport and catching an early flight that will allow for a latte or two in Orange. My husband wishes he could log a night in SF, but that city will be an easier sell for my D than Santa Clara and Orange. Loyola is on Saturday morning but we’ll head in anyway since we have a party to attend in LA (and D may need her “urban fix”). Big thanks!</p>
<p>I have been to a Chapman tour, and you won’t really miss anything important in the first few minutes. Also though, you have to deal with parking around Chapman, which is the worst parking in OC, IMO.</p>
<p>Thanks for the parking heads-up…I can hear hubby freaking out now.</p>
<p>DH goes to SF quite a bit and he flies in and out of Oakland. The fog in SF makes flights more unpredictable. I’m not sure if Southwest does Oakland to John Wayne. But SF is unpredictable. Santa Monica to LMU on Saturday morning is easy.</p>
<p>Oakland is pretty easy access to SF. Not so easy to Santa Clara. And a bit scary. I’ve traveled the world and the only airport parking lot I’ve gotten shaken down in was in Oakland.</p>
<p>I live in Orange County and I have an East Coast niece at Chapman. Definitely go to breakfast or lunch or coffee in Orange. There are lots of cute places. Right by campus is a place called Bruxie, which is gourmet waffle sandwiches, or I also like the “Filling Station”. If you decide to spend the night in Orange County, Chapman is very close to Disneyland. If you don’t want to actually go to Disneyland you can eat/shop in “Downtown Disney”. I also highly recommend South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa (for shopping/eating) or Fashion Island in Newport Beach (shopping eating). If you decide to stay the night in Orange County a fun place to eat is The Beachcomber in Crystal Cove State park. The traffic from the airport to Chapman at the time of day should not be bad, but as others have said, getting the car, parking, etc… might add time. Another alternative (and the way the GPS sends you) is the 55 to the 22 to Glassell. Then you just stay on Glassell, through the traffic circle, to Chapman (which will be on your right).</p>