Old Town Los Gatos — Attraction in Los Gatos

I find everything here, which is how many downtowns should be. That's just an expression of the varied businesses I find that make my visits enjoyable, but I'm going to try to focus my thoughts on the downtown as a place that has evolved over decades.

It wasn't long ago that the downtown core was the main thoroughfare to get to Santa Cruz. Okay, maybe it was way before me, but once Highway 17 went through, I imagine downtown became a lot less congested. I do recall visits in my youth where traffic was never a problem.

Fast forward to today where there's lots more people in the Bay Area and beyond that want to reach the California Coast. On hot summer days, traffic can be a nightmare starting before noon with beach goers trying to bypass the highway by going through downtown. Movement is nearly a dead stop. This is more a CalTrans problem, but it's making visits to downtown more challenging at those peak times. So, this city is making moves on what they can control.

One of the most striking recent changes is allowing restaurants to construct permanent outdoor dining in place of parking along the main thoroughfare. While people will complain about less parking, it's been a boom for outdoor dining. This is California! We barely have bad weather anymore, and very few annoying bugs to bother diners. The benefit of the pandemic is people are learning to appreciate all that can be done outdoors, and dining is particularly enjoyable. Well done city officials!

It has the added bonus of aiding traffic flow, but let's face it, this is going to be a perennial problem unless changes occur with multimodal and highway access to the beaches.

Downtown Los Gatos offers something else not found in other places, architectural interest. I know I'm in Los Gatos because of the variety of architectural styles and scales. Surrounding homes are gorgeous and well-maintained, lending to downtown's walkability. Beautiful trees help scale the downtown and provide just enough shade for comfort. I'm learning to visit often but at off-peak times, and I usually dedicate some time to...

I grew up in Los Gatos. I remember when Old Town first opened as a retail enterprise in 1967. All the shops were run by local artisans. There were leather workers, candle makers, things like that. The place exuded a hippy vibe.

It became very successful. I expect that the rents went up because the next thing we knew, the artisan shops began to disappear. Major-- and expensive--retail shops and restaurants moved in.

I went to Old Town today. There were maybe a dozen shops and restaurants that I could find. (They were all upstairs. The downstairs was deserted.) They were all lovely, but the offerings seemed thin.

The owner says, "Old Town is a lifestyle shopping destination anchored by Sephora, Anthropologie, Banana Republic, Gap, Sur La Table, Blue Bottle Coffee and three up-scale restaurants." Unfortunately, that's not accurate. Banana Republic, Gap, and Sur La Table are permanently closed. Blue Bottle Coffee is across the street from what I consider Old Town. Has Los Gatos designated a larger district to have that name?

Here's a thought. Reopen the lower level to local artisans, maybe through a cooperative that could qualify for grants. Bring back the local color, the local experience. Urge people to buy local! Bring...

If you're a shopper and like hunting for bargains or unique and special finds this area is definitely worthy of 5 stars. If you're the husband of such a person it might only be a 3 or 4 star destination for you.

The shops are mostly one of a kind gift, clothing and variety stores, many featuring locally made items and some for the benefit of...