Photograph by Mark Kocina
Catherine Previns and Robert Corey enjoy the trees, water and general peace and quiet of Vasona Lake County Park, which this year earned several titles: best place to think, best place to kiss and best place to escape cell phones.
Best of Los Gatos 2001: Places and Spaces
Outdoor enthusiasts, skateboarders, gardeners, thinkers, hikers, bikers, shoppers, tourists, dog-walkers and even kissers will all find something to their liking in Los Gatos--at least if they read this category, which is chock-full of the best places and spaces to see and do fun things in town. Here we present everything from the best place to hide from the boss (at one's own risk, of course!) to the best place to kill an hour (but please no violence!) And, unlike last year, this time we actually have a place to recommend for the best "secret" parking place downtown! Read on and be enlightened.
Best Place to Think, to Escape Cell Phones, to Kiss
Vasona Lake County Park
Voters already named Vasona Park--along with Oak Meadow Park--as the best place to throw a kid's birthday party. However, in the Places and Spaces section, Vasona gets to stand on its own.
With 151 acres, how could Vasona not be a great place to think--it's got enough space to get lost! And with the hustle and bustle of life in the Silicon Valley, that might not be a bad idea. After all, the streets and are full of construction, jaywalkers and bad drivers, and the stores are filled with people babbling into cell phones and writing on personal digital planners.
Vasona, on the other hand, is full of fresh air, singing birds, mature trees, grassy meadows and a placid lake. It may sound idyllic, but it's also accurate! Additionally, Vasona offers hiking and biking trails for releasing the pent-up aggravation caused by having too many cell phones and pagers in too little space.
It's even the perfect place to get a little romantic. Perhaps it's the secluded rocks and benches on which couples can hold hands before locking lips. It may be the idea of rowing across the lake, or perhaps it's just a spontaneous thing that happens when two like-minded individuals explore the great outdoors together.
Vasona Lake County Park, entrance off Blossom Hill Road between Roberts Road and University Ave., 408.358.3741
Best Place to Skateboard
Hollywood Video
In a town where it is deemed "unlawful"--with posted signs to this effect--to ride inline skates or skateboards on most pieces of commercial property, it's interesting that such a visible location as Hollywood Video would be named skateboarders' favorite spot for doing ollies, nollies, kick-flips, 360-flips, nose slides, tail slides or whatever else tickles their fancy.
Then again, the prospect of being chased away never really keeps skateboarders away for long. Besides, Hollywood Video does have some pretty cool places to 'board--smooth cement sidewalks, short flights of steps and even some railings for a real challenge.
Hopefully, if the town continues exploring the idea of building a local skateboard park, skateboarders will eventually gain an area that they can truly call their own, without bothering anyone else in the process.
Best Secret Parking Place Downtown
Old Town Underground Parking Lot
Unfortunately, all of Los Gatos' truly secret parking spaces are destined to remain that way, as the majority of voters who filled in this category emphatically wrote "I'm not telling!" or "That's a secret!"
Those drivers not privy to this classified information have only two other choices: drive through every nook and cranny of town to discover these secrets on their own, or simply use a parking lot like the rest of us.
Fortunately, there happens to be one lot that is less-used than all the others, and that's the one underneath the newer part of Old Town. Located off University Avenue, the property was formerly known as Town Lot 2. It is now home to a handful of upscale retail stores and eateries on ground level and a lighted parking lot of more than 200 spaces below.
Best Garden
45 Broadway
Halfway up Broadway is a gem of a home with a jewel of a garden. The 117-year-old, multi-tone Victorian has been owned by Peter and Denise Carter for the past 31 years. Along with restoring the home and its guest cottage, the couple also created and maintain extensive landscaping all around their home.
Framing the front lawn is a neatly trimmed hedge, joined by rows of fragrant roses in every color and size--although it's easy to miss the house's street number, it's impossible to miss the property itself.
The back of the Carters' home offers more gardeners' delights, including quaint walkways, potted plants, patios and eating areas on different levels, metal and cement garden sculptures and beautiful topiaries, which the Carters shear themselves. There's also a greenhouse for more delicate or exotic blooms.
Best Street for Victorian Homes, Street With Community Spirit
Tait Avenue
Among the longer of Los Gatos' residential streets, tree-lined Tait Avenue spans approximately a half a mile. But it's so much more than just an arbitrary stretch of grass, dirt, gravel and blacktop.
One of Tait's distinguishing attributes is its abundance of Victorian homes, which has obviously impressed many voters--some Los Gatans, and even some visitors. The period in which Victorian homes had their heyday ran from the 1840s to the turn of the last century, with many styles emerging within that time.
Some of the more common include Gothic Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Stick, Shingle and Folk. While perhaps only an architectural scholar can distinguish each and every one from another, there's no doubt that an end-to-end walk along Tait provides a very interesting--and beautiful--history lesson!
On a less serious note, Tait is also the place to be when it comes to having fun. From neighborhood block parties to lemonade stands, this street exemplifies what a neighborhood should be: tidy, attractive and, of course, friendly and safe. It's also a good place to be on Halloween as it boasts an amazing maze of decorations and a delicious deluge of loot for costumed kids to gather from their generous neighbors. Following on Halloween's heels is Christmas, at which time Tait explodes in an array of colorful, bright holiday lights and displays.
Best Place to Hide From the Boss
Carry Nation's
Although the Los Gatos Weekly-Times does not condone skipping out of work to fortify oneself with potent potables, there are obviously folks out there who do, because Carry Nation's--a longtime neighborhood bar--has been named Los Gatos' best place to do just that.
The ornate, tinted glass windows at the entrance are a first line of defense for thirsty souls seeking solace, as they make it difficult to peer in from outside. Once inside, there are lots of tables and chairs at which to hunker down, not to mention the bar itself. And when the music is playing, one could even badmouth the boss out loud--no one would likely hear it.
Since the real Carry Nation was an early-20th century leader of the temperance movement, no doubt she wouldn't approve of her namesake venue, but perhaps of the bar's specialty drinks could bring a smile to her face. One such beverage is the Chill'em: premium vodka plus cranberry and grapefruit juices, served in a highball glass. Rumor has it the martinis are darn good, too.
Carry Nation's, 8 N. Santa Cruz Ave., 408.354.1771
Best Place to Take Tourists
Downtown
In most cities, this would be an enormously vague answer, but Los Gatos is a town, and that makes a difference. Unlike many downtown districts, this one is safe, classy and easily traversed in one afternoon. It's a shopper's dream and a people-watcher's delight, so what better place than this to bring those out-of-towners?
The major arteries of N. and S. Santa Cruz Avenue, W. and E. Main Street and University Avenue have shops of every shape and size, price range and merchandise type. Unlike a shopping mall, however, downtown Los Gatos is not bounded by walls, billboards, entrance pillars or arches.
Tourists--prepare to be impressed! Downtown Cat Town is made up of an abundance of antique shops, bars and coffeehouses; a generous handful of gift stores and women's and children's clothing boutiques and a smattering of jewelry sellers and art galleries. There's also a nearly international array of delicious eateries, not to mention lots of stores for which there are no one-word labels.
Best Shopping Center (Tie)
Old Town
King's Court
Something old and something new--that's an apt description of Old Town, one of Los Gatos' best places to shop. Once a run-down shopping area spanning two levels, it's now a bustling shopping experience spanning two sides of the street.
Only the gnarled oaks and quaint wood decking give the older portion of Old Town any resemblance to its original namesake. But that's OK, because it is now home to popular establishments like Borders Books, California Cafe and Papyrus, as well as independent businesses like Cave Masters--a wine store facility, and the 26-year-old Indian Store--Old Town's only original tenant.
On the other side of University Avenue is the newer Old Town, built on the site of former Town Parking Lot 2. It contains chain stores, such as kitchen giant Sur La Table and clothing giant The Gap, along with independents such as Azadeh women's boutique and the locally founded seafood restaurant Steamers.
Although it must share its reign with Old Town, King's Court still offers up a repast fit for a king--or queen, in today's politically correct terminology. Shoppers could probably live their entire lives on the necessities and luxuries provided by the two anchor stores alone: Lunardi's supermarket and Long's drug store.
However, that's not even close to what King's Court is all about. The large center with an even larger parking lot is also the venue for a coffeehouse, a sandwich shop, banks, a dry cleaners, a gas station, a card shop, a salon, a photo developer, various ethnic restaurants and The Wild Bird Center. The Wooden Horse, Los Gatans' past and present favorite place for buying toys and games, also calls King's Court home.
Best Place to Kill an Hour
Borders Books
As anyone who's ever visited a bookstore within the last five years knows, the places are no longer just about books, and Borders is one of the best examples of this movement.
Technically known as Borders Books, Music & Cafe, the large store in the Old Town shopping center truly offers something for everyone. Although modern and trendy, it has plenty to appeal to bookworms of the old school--namely, racks upon racks of hardcovers and paperbacks of every conceivable genre, and then some! Some customers browse the tomes just to pass the time, some make mental notes on what they want for an upcoming birthday, while others are prone to making impulse buys. Borders welcomes them all.
But the store doesn't stop there. It also stocks all the latest music CDs and a large quantity of videocassettes and DVD movies for children and adults. If all that shopping causes a visitor's stomach to growl, all the better, as Borders also runs a cafe brimming with hot and iced coffee and tea drinks, cookies, cakes, bagels and savory breakfast and lunch items. And what better way to kill an hour than having a snack and discussing a new book with an old friend?
Borders Books, 50 University Ave., Unit 280, 408.395.6622
Photograph by Tsutomu Fujita
Los Gatos resident Greg Derry enjoys bicycling along part of the Los Gatos Creek Trail. He shares that fondness with many other voters, as the trail was named the best place to ride a bike.
Best Place to Ride a Bike, Place to Walk a Dog
Los Gatos Creek Trail
Like a popular student athlete always picked first for the team, the Los Gatos Creek Trail is always picked for one or more honors among Los Gatos' best. This year, it's the in place to be for bike riding and dog walking.
At 14 miles long, the trail is plenty long enough to get a biker's heart rate up to the optimum level. Along with providing a cardiovascular workout, biking the trail is also a great way to build and tone lean leg muscle. And unlike health clubs or gyms, the trail is completely free, 100 percent open-air and full of scenery that changes each and every day. The only catch for the trail's numerous bicyclists is that they must share the road with inline skaters, runners and walkers as well.
Many of those runners and walkers show up with their faithful workout partners--their dogs. Again, with so many miles and so much fresh air, the Los Gatos Creek Trail is an excellent place for Rover to rove. After all, dogs appreciate variety just like their owners, and the trail is great for meeting and greeting new faces, of the canine and human varieties. There is one catch here too. Since the County Parks and Recreation Department does not maintain an automated pooper-scooper service, all pet owners are expected to clean up after their dogs answer the call of nature.
Best View When Stuck in Traffic
The Mountains
The answers to this category came with different wordings, including "Santa Cruz Mountains," "Los Gatos Mountains," "Highway 17 south through the mountains" and just plain "the hills." What's clear, however, is how much Los Gatans love the mist-covered mountains of home.
Granted, being stuck in rush-hour traffic is always a drag, but beautiful scenery can always sweeten the deal. Here in Los Gatos, we have Lexington Reservoir to look at (when it contains water, that is), its connected gorge formed by Los Gatos Creek, various rocky ridges and, of course, the lush woodlands that turn the mountains into a patchwork quilt of greens and browns.
Not everyone pays attention to the differences among the oaks, maples, sycamores, redwoods, madrones, buckeyes and trees-of-heaven that forest the area, but they would certain notice if these trees were gone.
Best Suggestion for Next Year's Ballot
Best Veterinarian
Los Gatans spoke, and the Los Gatos Weekly-Times listened. Next year, we promise to bring back the category that garnered the most votes for a reprise: best vet! With categories singing the praises of the best place to board pets and buy pet supplies, it only stands to reason that we also honor the compassionate folks who care for those pets--whether furry, feathered, finned or scaled.
Best of Los Gatos 2001
Civic Pride
Dining and Entertainment
People at Work
Goods and Services
Kid Stuff
Los Gatos, California Since 1881
