also known as "the franklin mall", this is a shopping center with a lot of history. located in "downtown" santa clara, the older district of the city, among many victorian houses, near santa clara university.
there's a little green square in the back area, in front of the post office, with some benches and a tiled fountain. it's a calm spot to sit and relax.
there is a small farmer's market on saturday mornings next to the post office, one block is blocked off. they usually have local musicians playing.
many of the buses that come thru santa clara stop here, but businesses complained, so several were rerouted to the santa clara train station on el camino/the alameda as a central hub for the area.
the anchor store on the corner was wilson's bakery, which shut down suddenly a few years back, much to the chagrin of regulars. it's still empty.
there is a post office here, but it's easy to miss. they have a sign out front right now pleading with customers to petition for saving it, it's slated to be shut down for budget cuts. pity, because i like the self-service machine in the lobby, but understandable. the best nearby alternate post office is on kiely and benton, they are open on saturdays.
other businesses include a beauty supply store and a beauty school, a liquor store that seems mainly to be frequented by the bus riders. a tiny watch shop, a fantastic italian place (mio vicino). a crappy thai place (jasmine), a usually empty japanese spot (hatcho), a relatively new vietnamese restaurant. an old school barber shop, and a boutique targeted to the younger crowd. all of the spots have character.
i used to work in the stamp store here as a kid, and my middle school is just a few blocks away, so i've spent a lot of time in this shopping center over the years.
there are two divey bars here, dasilva's broncos, which caters more to students, and occasionally has good bands, but sometimes has horrendous music (i think the nights are themed, like techno, etc). the other bar is "blinky's can't say", which is more of a hangout for the older, beat down by life crowd. stale beer smell, but people are friendly. read more