Santana Row

Calling Santana Row a shopping center is like calling Carlos Santana (no connection) a guitar player. It’s true, but it only scratches the surface. Opened in 2002, the design of the shopping district in central San Jose draws from successful elements seen in public squares and shopping boulevards from Barcelona to Beverly Hills: brick plazas, open-air restaurants, fountains, public art, flowerboxes, and upper-floor rentals and condos that make it a neighborhood as well as a dining and shopping haven.

Santana Row is roughly four blocks long and three blocks wide, stretching from Stevens Creek Boulevard to Olsen Drive, with Santana Row also the name of the main shopping street. It’s on this street (or just off it on the side streets and pedestrian alleys) that you’ll find most of the higher-end restaurants and shops.

The Row’s popularity is extraordinary, with big crowds filling the restaurants and shops even on chilly weeknights. A perfect afternoon and evening at the Row starts with a blueberry tart and espresso drink at Cocola, an insanely busy bakery, at an outdoor table. Next, it’s shopping (there are 70 mostly upscale shops and stores) and perhaps a visit to one of the nine spas or salons.

As the sun descends, get a table at one of the Row’s many restaurants, like Yankee Pier, Amber India or Left Bank. Next, catch a movie at the CineArts 6, which specializes in indie and foreign films. Finally, it’s time for drinks at Rosie McCann’s Irish Pub or the outdoor El Jardin Tequila Bar. If you overindulge, the 213-room Hotel Valencia is right on the Row, so simply check in.

The Valencia is worth more than a mention because it’s where you’ll find among the best restaurants, bars and spas on the Row—and they’re easily overlooked as they’re on the hotel’s upper floors. The Ayoma LifeSpa is an ayuverdic escape; Citrus offers romantic, open-air fine dining on the hotel’s third-floor courtyard; and Cielo is a rooftop wine bar with a view of downtown highrises.

Shopping streets like Beverly Hills’ Rodeo Drive, Palm Beach’s Worth Avenue and Carmel’s Ocean Avenue are nicely emulated by Santana Row. If anything, the Row has them beat, because it’s less snooty and may draw even bigger crowds.

HelloSanJose tip: Every Sunday year-round from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Farmer’s Markets fill Santana Row’s Piazza di Valencia (in front of Rosie McCann’s) with fresh produce from the fields and orchards of Northern California farmers.

- by Bob Cooper, San Jose Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Bob Cooper

Bob Cooper is a full-time freelance writer (www.bob-cooper.com) who writes about travel, outdoor sports and health. He is a monthly contributor to Runner's World and has written recent articles for other national magazines such as Continental, Ladies' Home Journal and Inc.