San Jose at a Glance: Located just off the Pacific Ocean, San Jose has prospered since it was founded in 1777. Located in Santa Clara County, the city was the first civilian settlement in California. With a current population of 918,800, San Jose is the third largest city in the state behind Los Angeles and San Diego and the 11th largest in the country.

If you look up San Jose in a dictionary, the word money will likely pop up. The city is ranked No. 2 in the U.S. in disposable income based on a median household income of $71,000 a year. The reason for this is that San Jose is the hub of Silicon Valley.

Attractions: In between tourney games, be sure to check out the attractions available in this Silicon Valley hotspot.

San Jose is home to scores of bars, restaurants, hotels, theaters, beaches, theme parks, vineyards and wineries, country clubs, museums, an aquarium, an opera, a ballet and myriad other attractions.

One of the city's stranger venues is the Winchester Mystery House, a 160-room Victorian mansion built by the heiress to the Winchester Rifle fortune, Sarah Winchester. The rambling manse, constructed from 1884 to 1922 and never completed, features oddities such as staircases leading to the ceiling, hidden rooms without doors and 40 different flights of stairs.

For more information on San Jose, check www.sanjose.org.

About the Compaq Center at San Jose: The arena is located in the heart of downtown San Jose at West Santa Clara Street and Autumn Street. The 8-year- old arena can hold up to 18, 500 screaming basketball fans, which is nearly 4,000 more than McKale Center holds. The Compaq Center is the home of the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League. A quick fact about the Compaq Center is that the structural steel used in the arena weighs about the same as 300 African elephants.

Dining and UA activities: Wildcat supporters are encouraged to check out the pre-game lunch and pep rally at Lou's Village, located a mile southwest of the Compaq Center at 1465 W. San Carlos St.

Lou's Village is owned by self-proclaimed "big Wildcat fans" Tom and Tim Muller, whose daughter graduated from UA. The owners played host to the team in the early '90s during a tourney stop.

The $20 per-person buffet lunch begins at 1 p.m. Thursday, followed by the official UA pep rally featuring the UA pep band, cheerleaders and mascots.

Saturday's pep rally, if necessary, will begin 2 1/2 hours before game time. Admission to both pep rallies is free.

Lou's Village also offers free parking and a free shuttle to the game.

For more information on the pre-game festivities, call 408-293-4570.

If you make your own travel plans: Fire up the Winnebago because if you decide to drive, you are in for a long haul. From the offices of the Arizona Daily Wildcat, the Compaq Center at San Jose is 822 miles away - which is approximately 15 hours of driving time, according to Yahoo maps. We at the Wildcat suggest flying. As of press time last night, www.hotwire.com posted a fare of $394, which for short notice is pretty good. That flight leaves tomorrow from Tucson International to San Jose International and comes back Sunday. Happy travels!

Weather Report: If you decide to go to San Jose, you can expect pretty nice weather. The high tomorrow is 70 degrees and should be cloudy. The only day when you should see some light showers is on Friday.

Tickets: Though the Compaq Center in San Jose is already sold out for the NCAA West Regional games this week, Wildcat fans still interested in making the journey still have an opportunity.

Bon Voyage Travel is still taking names for its waiting list to purchase travel packages to San Jose, which include game tickets if needed.

The packages include round-trip tickets on a non-stop charter flight from Tucson to San Jose, as well as a three-night hotel stay and shuttles to and from all games and events.

Package prices are $1,095 per person, and game tickets - which are only available in conjunction with the package - are an additional $110 per person.

The Bon Voyage office reported an increase in calls as the tourney approaches, so ticket hopefuls are encouraged to call soon.