PVT PLT MADE A VFR APCH TO THE WRONG ARPT AFTER RECEIVING CLRNC FROM INTENDED DEST ARPT TWR.

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DURING A VFR FLT TO PALO ALTO; CA; I DECIDED TO USE THE WOODSIDE (OSI) VOR R-040 TO HELP ME LOCATE THE ARPT; WITH WHICH I WAS NOT FAMILIAR. BEFORE XING THE VOR I CORRECTED MY HDG TO INTERCEPT THE 040 DEG RADIAL; BUT BECAME DISTRACTED BY TFC AND SLIGHTLY OVERSHOT THE RADIAL. NOTICING A L DEFLECTED CDI I TURNED L TO REINTERCEPT THE COURSE. I THEN CONTACTED PAO TWR AND ADVISED INBOUND FROM OSI VOR. I WAS INSTRUCTED TO ENTER R BASE FOR RWY 12 AND RPT XING THE 101 FREEWAY. NOTICING BY THE SYMBOLOGY ON THE SFO SECTIONAL THAT MY DEST WAS ON A SLIGHT PENINSULA I LOOKED FOR A PENINSULA NEAR A FREEWAY AND LOCATED SAN CARLOS ARPT. THINKING IT TO BE PALO ALTO; I CONTINUED INBOUND VISUALLY. I SET MY POS UP FOR A R BASE ENTRY; DISREGARDING THE R CDI DEFLECTION BECAUSE I HAD MEASURED THE 040 DEG RADIAL TO ARPT CTR AND I KNEW I WAS OFF SETTING TO ENTER ON BASE. I RPTED XING THE 101 FREEWAY AND NOW COULD SEE THE RWY #12 ON THE SAN CARLOS RWY BUT FAILED TO NOTICE THE ARPT NAME. PAO TWR TOLD ME TO FOLLOW TFC ON R BASE. I RPTED 'TURNING FINAL; TFC NOT IN SIGHT.' PAO TWR THEN ASKED ME IF I WAS AT SAN CARLOS AND I THEN SAW THE ARPT NAME ON THE RWY. I IMMEDIATELY WENT AROUND AND PAO ADVISED ME TO CONTACT SQL TWR ON 119.0. I DID SO; EXPLAINED MY ERROR TO SQL; AND THEY ADVISED HDG 090 DEGS AND TO RECONTACT PAO TWR. I FLEW HDG 090 DEGS AND 1400 FT MSL TO AVOID THE SFO TCA AND CONTACTED PAO TWR. I LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. I BELIEVE THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED FOR 3 REASONS: 1) INSUFFICIENT STUDY OF THE AREA DURING PREFLT PLANNING; 2) FAILURE TO CROSS OSI BEFORE TURNING ON COURSE; AND 3) DISREGARDING R CDI DUE TO A MIND SET THAT I INDEED HAD PAO IN SIGHT. IN FUTURE FLTS TO UNFAMILIAR AREAS I WILL AVOID THIS SIT THROUGH BETTER PREFLT PLANNING; UTILIZATION OF NAVAIDS AND RADAR VECTORS; AND CONSTANT DOUBLECHKING ALL INFO INFLT.