Bay Area Shopping Malls

[discover]

Hello everyone. I am working on a website featuring shopping malls in the bay area. If you have a few minutes tell the world about your local malls! Thanks is advance for any help.

Discover Malls

[FromCityToRural]

Always near and dear to my heart is Valley Fair on Stevens Creek Boulevard in San Jose...now it's called Westport Shopping Mall at Valley Fair or some stupid thing like that. Anyway, it's got everything you'd want in a mall, and was expanded not too long ago. I highly recommend the California Pizza Kitchen, if you've never been, they make some wonderful pizzas. Other attractions include Macy's, Nordstrom's, Gap, Williams-Sonoma, and other contemporary places.

Basically across the street is Santana Row, which is a nice upscale mixed use development. The ground floor is made up of upscale shops and restaurants, while the upper floors are mostly condos and some offices, if I recall correctly. I highly recommend Straits Cafe, Southeast Asian restaurant with some excellent food and great service.

Up on the peninsula is Hillsdale mall. Never been in there, but I've been by it several times. It struck me as an upscale kind of place.

Down closer to where I lived in Milpitas is the Great Mall of the Bay Area, basically a large outlet mall. It was formerly home to a Ford manufacturing plant which produced the very '67 Mustang Convertible we own now. After it was shut down, it was in the mid '90's converted to a mall. There's not too much to write home about in this mall, although it does have a PacSun and a couple other good stores.

[gothamking]

I think SJ's Valley Fair and Santana Row really are the best shopping experiences in the Bay Area (and I've been to 'em all). In fact, the Merc reported a few weeks ago that VF is intending on inc reasing its retail space by a third (its already quite large), while SR is moving ahead on more shopping and aqdding another hotel.

[StevenRocks]

There's blog run by my friend Scott on the same subject:

http://bigmallrat.blogspot.com/

[FromCityToRural]

I think SJ's Valley Fair and Santana Row really are the best shopping experiences in the Bay Area (and I've been to 'em all). In fact, the Merc reported a few weeks ago that VF is intending on inc reasing its retail space by a third (its already quite large), while SR is moving ahead on more shopping and aqdding another hotel.

Valley Fair's always been a very nice mall. It has a good mix of upscale and "normal" stuff. I was never too fond of the layout after they added the last part, but it's still a cool place. I like Santana Row, too, but was never quite as comfortable there. Still, if Valley Fair didn't quite have good enough stuff for you, Santana Row probably would and it's right across the street and makes a nice complement to Valley Fair.

[dpbaker]

Valley Fair wasn't so nice prior to its major remodel. It is nice now, but I really don't enjoy going there. Parking is too often an issue, especially at Christmas time. Cheesecake factory there, overwhelmingly popular. don't know why, food is mediocre in my opinion.

Vallco fashion Park used to be O.K., but the recent years have really seen a massive decline in business, lots of businesses going under. It is under remodel though (parts), and maybe new ownership (anybody know?). New theater going in. Might revitalize it, but my guess is it'll be hum-drum indefinitely. Valley Fair w/Santana Row is too close, and too much competition. Vallco no longer offers anything unique or exciting.

Wetsgate Mall; small potatoes. Boring in my opinion, almost lost it in the recent past, but several new stores came in after a minor remodel and they are doing well. Lots of shops and restaurants now that are very popular.

El Paseo de Saratoga. Used to be a nier atmosphere; outdoor style with lots of waterways, waterfalls, fountains. Now it's more or less a boring strip mall with a movie theater. Blah. At least they have a Peet's Coffee.

I like the atmosphere of Stanford Mall. Some nicer, upscale shops. I feel like I'm the only one without a Benz or a Porsche when I go there. Not as convenient from where I live, but worth a trip occaisionally. Nice market there (Andronico's). Not as insane around Christmas as Valley Fair, which I like.

[FromCityToRural]

I liked Valley Fair pre-remodel, although I'll admit it's better now...the addition seems tacked-on and is a tad bit confusing at first.

I've spent a lot of time at Stanford (I went to Palo Alto High, just down El Camino...my parking spot overlooked Stanford Stadium!), and it always seemed too stuck-up for me; there's just too much money and too many stuck up women (and girls) in PA. There are some good stores in there though.

As for Vallco...that one's always been ghetto. It's almost like a ghost town in there, the decor is sadly outdated, and the stores are nothing special. That place I think could be saved with a remodel, though.