Karen Kyle, special assistant to Dean Caroline Simard, says the outdoor dining in the district reminds her of European cafes.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — When Karen Kyle lived in Europe, she enjoyed the abundance of outdoor dining options where people of all ages enjoyed one another and the pleasure of a good meal.
But San Jose is Kyle’s home. So for a similar experience she meets friends on Santana Row, a district of restaurants and shops about 15 minutes away from Northeastern University’s Silicon Valley campus, where Kyle works as special assistant to Dean Caroline Simard.
“It really reminds me of the open cafes and people off their phones and looking at each other and chit-chatting and shopping,” Kyle says. “It’s just a really nice place for people to go and decompress and have a nice meal.”
Named after a former San Jose planning commissioner — not guitarist Carlos Santana — the district is car-free (with nearby parking) and often features live music. Sometimes folk and sometimes Latin, but always enjoyable while sitting and visiting with friends, Kyle said.
A San Jose resident since the late ’70s, Kyle moved out of town for a few years and came back to find Santana Row changed. In 2002, a fire broke out in a building under construction and spread to surrounding apartment buildings in the Row. It was the largest structure fire in San Jose’s history.
But reconstruction led to improvements and additions. A mix of restaurants, salons and shops, Santana Row is now also home to a movie theater and Hotel Valencia, where Kyle spent New Year’s Eve recently when her sister was visiting from out of town. There is also a spa near the hotel where Kyle goes to unwind.
A shopping and dining district, Santana Row is also a neighborhood. Three high-rise condominium buildings surround the walkable tree-lined lanes. Valencia Park is situated within the Row, providing green space.
“There’s a little bit of something for everybody,” Kyle says. “But it’s really the nightlife and even the afternoon, people sitting out and supping and laughing. It’s a place that I highly recommend that everybody goes to when they come to San Jose.”