Cinnabar winery sign (Big Basin Way, Saratoga)

In many communities such as Saratoga, Los Gatos, Los Altos, Willow Glen, Campbell and Palo Alto, there is a high premium placed on homes which are close to the downtown area.  Many real estate agents advertise these as “walk to town” but the idea is simple: it’s nearby, you can stroll, skate, ride or bike, wheel yourself and forget the car.

Downtown Saratoga, also called Saratoga Village, welcomes residents and visitors to a charming, scenic area with fabulous shops, spas, wine tasting venues, restaurants and more.  This part of the city boasts top scoring schools as well as lovely older and historic buildings and a gorgeous park alongside Saratoga Creek. Whether you spend an afternoon or a lifetime in Saratoga, this part of town will call you back again and again!

What do you need to know about buying a house, townhouse or condo in downtown Saratoga?

There are a few points which you are well served to know when purchasing residential real estate in this upscale community. We’ll touch on a few of them here: historic homes, traffic & noise, natural hazards, parking, and special issues with condos, townhouses and PUDs (planned unit developments).

First, this downtown Saratoga Village zone is historic; while not every property is deemed historic, many are and that means that there will be restrictions on remodeling and expansion of single family homes or houses. For instance, original glass in windows may need to remain if you’ve got a Victorian house dating from the 1890s, and expansions may need to be off the back of the home so that the facade keeps its initial look and feel (just examples).  This can be frustrating if you buy a luxury home that “needs work” and you are surprised later. If the house was built before 1950 or so, double check the rules! (more…)

The Little Italy San Jose Foundation is in the process of rebuilding the original Italian settlement neighborhood in San Jose, which dated back to about the 1870s, with a cultural center, authentic Italian shops and restaurants, and restored buildings.  The cultural center offers Italian language classes for adults and children both. Eventually there will be an Italian-American Historical Museum too.

Where is Little Italy San Jose?

I had mistakenly thought that Little Italy San Jose would be in Willow Glen, but that’s not the case. This little neighborhood is close to the San Jose arena in downtown and includes Henry’s Hi-Life, which was the former Torino Hotel.  You can see a map of the exact area on the LittleItalySJ site. (In the video mentioned below, we learn that originally there were 3 Italian settlements, but this one was the first. The others are Willow Glen and Goosetown.)

It’s a massive grassroots project, backed by 15 different Italian American groups or clubs, which will feature 3 archways into the neighborhood, a brick piazza, a mural underpass, a history walkway, street banners, and bocce ball courts. A few businesses are operating now, with more to come.

Volunteers have been raising both money and awareness for several years and they are making great headway. (You may recall that the old Italian cultural center, the Italian Gardens, was torn down some years ago and now is the site of apartment buildings.)  There are several projects which need donations, including the archways, bocce courts, and mural.  Or you can donate $100 or more and have an engraved brick for stage 3 of the piazza (square).

There’s a great video that can explain more about what the Little Italy San Jose Foundation is doing. Or read more on the website: LittleItalySJ.com.

Where to donate to help the Little Italy San Jose project

The Little Italy website has a number of projects that can be supported via donations:

The Archway

The Bocce Courts

The Brick Piazza

The Mural Underpass (going under Highway 87, connecting the neighborhood to downtown SJ)

Share your family’s Little Italy story

If you’d like to share some local history for this effort, your images, biographical information and more is very welcome. There’s a page for that too: http://www.littleitalysj.com/history_walk.html

On a personal note, I’m very happy to see this project moving ahead. I don’t come from Italian heritage per se but I studied Italian in college, spent a junior year abroad in Firenze (Gonzaga-in-Florence), and feel as though the Italian culture is part of my family, too.  I love the food, emphasis on family, art, music and friendliness of Italy and welcome seeing more of it here in Silicon Valley.

Greenlee’s Bakery in San Jose offers the very best (most temptingly irresistible) cinnamon bread in Silicon Valley. Located on the Alameda near Race Street, it’s just about a block from Schurra’s handmade chocolate shop (between the Shasta Hanchett neighborhood and the Shark Tank or arena & downtown San Jose) so is a good reason to visit that neck of the woods should you have company coming to town – offering a perfect excuse for stocking up on the goods!

I should add that you can now buy Greenlee’s famous cinnamon bread at many local Whole Foods markets. But they are not nearly as fresh as if you walk into the shop itself. Besides, at the Greenlee’s store you can also buy the mini size, which is a whole lot safer for most of us. (more…)

Recently our neice, Christine, began her college career at Santa Clara University.  We have told her about and shown her a few landmarks in the San Jose & Silicon Valley areas.  She knows about Greenlee’s amazing cinnamon bread, fun & upscale Santana Row, the great little Italian restaurant near campus called Mio Vicino, and much more.

Equally accessible on her new bicycle is a great little place that makes hand made chocolates: Schurra’s in San Jose – right on the Alameda, perhaps 2 miles from SCU (address: 840 The Alameda, close to Race Street, in San Jose). I have promised to put together a map with local highlights and that will definitely make the grade!

Schurra’s has been a part of central San Jose for nearly 100 years – it was founded in 1912 and managed to survive the Great Depression and now appears to be thriving through our Great Recession.

Step into Schurra’s and breathe deeply.  The smell of the rich chocolates is almost intoxicating!  There’s a huge variety so there should be no trouble finding something for everyone in your party!  There are chews, truffles, creams and nuts. Dark chocolate and milk chocolate.  Dried fruits. Gift boxes galore.  Holiday specials.  You name it, they seem to have it.

There’s even a little cooler full of ice cream, too.

So hop on your bike, walk or drive your car and visit this very cool old icon of San Jose.  It’s goodness that harkens to a bygone era when this valley was known for it’s produce and not its high tech, when it was called The Valley of Heart’s Delight.  Take a nibble…or two….  Enjoy a taste of living history! (While you’re in the neighborhood you ought to go to Greenlee’s too and get some of that cinnamon bread for later! It’s practically across the street and is another historic business in Santa Clara County.)

Schurra’s
840 The Alameda
San Jose, CA 95126
(408) 289-1562

Other yummy businesses nearby: Greenlee’s Bakery (you gotta try their cinnamon bread!)

If you are thinking of relocating to Silicon Valley, perhaps you are looking for a great part of Santa Clara County with exceptional schools, community involvement, a fabulous library, beautiful parks, unique shopping and dining.  Saratoga offers all of that and much more.  Today I took a few minutes to photograph the downtown area, which is known as “Saratoga Village” or just “the village” to locals.

This is just a small introduction to one part of town.  I hope you will enjoy it.

A quick introduction to downtown San Jose via YouTube. Downtown San Jose is Sharks Territory (NHL team), home to a diverse number of theaters and museums (including a quilting museum) and a huge variety of shops and restaurants. When the Sharks arent playing at the Arena, the Shark Tank becomes a musical venue too.

In summer, fireworks and many events draw large crowds downtown.

In winter, downtown offers Christmas in the Park and a palm tree encircled ice rink as wonderful ways to enjoy the sunny, cool days downtown. The Catholic Cathedral features free musical concerts for all from many groups around Silicon Valley, with each concert performed twice in many of the evenings leading up to Christmas.

Theres loads to do in downtown San Jose!

The city of Campbell, California,  was founded by Benjamin Campbell and local history of the region as “Campbell” goes back over 150 years. His first land purchase there occurred in 1851, and he planted it with grain and hay. This was a busy place during the orchard and fruit canning eras of the valley; it boasted three canneries in what is now the city of Campbell. Situated perfectly along the railroad line to Los Gatos, the Campbell area became a shipping center for the prized produce of The Valley of Hearts Delight.

Interestingly, while the city’s origins go back to the orchard era, Campbell was not incorporated until 1952. As with many other incorporations in Santa Clara County at that time, it was largely as a defensive maneuver against being swallowed up by the fast growing city of San Jose.

Today Campbell has a small town feel while offering a quaint downtown area, good schools, and more affordably  priced homes (for our valley, anyway). Crime is low and there’s great community spirit. Downtown Campbell is a destination for many with some excellent restaurants, shops, art galleries and museums. Campbell is also home to several excellent parks and movie theaters and recently became tied in to the light rail system too, making it not just a great place to live, but also a great location for businesses who want to be more “green” and give its employees a better shot at using public transit.

See more articles on Campbell within this blog – the Campbell real estate market, events, photos and much more.

For more information about Campbell, visit the city’s official website at http://www.ci.campbell.ca.us.