BIGMallrat's Editorial Review
 Santana
row is the to-die-for lifestyle shopping
center in the Bay Area. Billed as an urban neighborhood, it's a stone's
throw from the South
Bay powerhouse, Westfield Valley Fair
mall. In order for anything of this size to compete, it would
have to be bold and different. That is what we found here.
Atmosphere
Santana Row features architecture that is reminiscent
of a European village; you may feel as if you should
be speaking another language. Other buildings
evoke a feeling of turn-of-the-center millhouses.
Evident in the details, you can see great care was put into the design
of the center.
The DeForest building, which houses Tanglewood,
was named after Lee DeForest, a local resident who invented the
vacuum tube.
Stores
Most of the retailers are high-end, uber-chi-chi.
never-outside-of-San-Francisco, such as Gucci and Burberry. You can
also find Crate & Barrel, Best Buy, The Container Store, and
Design Within Reach, among others.
Food
There is a number of restaurants throughout the
center, some offering outdoor seating. All reminiscent of the Champs
Elysees. Strange as that may seem in sunny San Jose!
Parking
Parking really wasn't a problem, considering we
expected the worst coming off Stevens Creek from 880. But, the lot
handled just about everyone and we even got reasonably close to many
stores. I'd definitely recommend the shuttle going to Valley Fair
if you plan to do both centers in a day. By all means, don't drive!
It could take forever and parking at Valley Fair is best left to
the valet.
Location
Santana Row is located in San Jose, off I-880
at Stevens Creek or I-280 at Winchester. The area is often congested
due to the popularity of this and Westfield
Valley Fair mall. Don't be surprised if you start the wait just
trying to get off the freeway.
In summary
Go to Santana Row! Fine stores and fine people
are worth a look, even if "just drooling."
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