The Rose Garden Neighborhood

One of my favorite San Jose areas is the Rose Garden neighborhood. The San Jose Municipal Rose Garden has been a favorite for our family since we moved to San Jose. We usually bring a picnic and my son rides his bike around the park while we walk. We have even had a few Easter egg hunts in the garden. I have also gone over there on my own just to sit and relax with a cup off coffee and listen to the relaxing water fountain and take in the sounds of the surrounding nature. It's a place where you feel transformed away from San Jose. A couple of years ago when I started my blog I came here and took a bunch of photos of all of the different roses. I ended up taking some of my favorite photos and made a card with an inspirational quote on it for my Etsy shop. Along with the beautiful gardens the neighborhood is full of amazing historical houses. Recently I went on the Rose Garden Home Tour and it was very exciting to tour homes that were fully decorated by professional local decorators and florists.

The main business area of the Rose Garden neighborhood is on the Alameda. There are mainly restaurants, bakeries, and a few shops. Usually after the Rose Garden we have lunch at Rosie's New York Pizza which is next to the Peet's Coffee. If you park on the side street Hanchett Avenue you come across this lovely mural painted on the Peet's Coffee building of a bicycle with roses and a heart balloon. I just love this mural. It makes you feel like it is part of this special neighborhood and it welcomes you with a warm fuzzy feeling! It makes me want to design a cute vintage bicycle party invitation. 

Rosie's New York Pizza is one of my family's favorite places to eat in this neighborhood. They have great New York style pizzas, great salads, and my favorite are their homemade garlic knots, served with marinara dipping sauce. The owner is the sister of the owner of Cafe Rosalena, which I have yet to try. Their mother Rosalinda Geldner owns Greenlee's Bakery down the street next to Cafe Rosalena. Funny that they all the have the name Rose in their names. 

On my recent adventure day in the Rose Garden neighborhood I went into Greenlee's Bakery for the first time. I can't believe that I waited this long to go into this fabulous place. This bakery has been there since 1924. They are known for their Cinnamon bread which is sold all over the Bay Area. They use all local suppliers to source the freshest and most authentic ingredients. I decided to have brunch there. The women working behind the counter recommended trying one of their crepes. I had the Florentine Crepe which was amazing. It had spinach, feta cheese, and onions, which balanced well with the sweetness of the crepe. After trying the crepe they gave me a free sample of their Mexican wedding cookie, which is my husband's favorite cookie so of course I got some to take home to share with my family. They were delicious! It was fun being there that day since they were making King Cakes and getting ready for Mardis Gras. I spoke to the manager about my blog. He gave some of the history of the local businesses and also let me take photos of the bakery. I definitely need to bring my son back here. He will love it. 

After Greenlee's I went across the street to Recycle Bookstore which is the same used bookstore that is in Downtown Campbell. This store has been in the Bay Area for 40 years. It has two shop cats, along with a huge selection of books for kids and adults, new and used. This is a sanctuary for book lovers. I took a look around in the kids section and picked up a used Mo William's Piggy and Gerald book called "We Are Invited To A Party". My son loves these quirky books. We actually just went to the live show called "We Are In A Play" at the Palo Alto Children's Theater. One of our favorite parts of the show was the skit of this book. Such a better deal to get this book used at about half the price. 

To end my Rose Garden adventure day I ended on a sweet note and the historic candy shop Schurra Fine Confections. This shop has been around since since 1912. Albert and Justin Schurra started their confection business with retail stores in Stockton and Modesto. In the 1930's they opened their store on the Alameda. It is a beautiful historic building. They had fun displays of Valentine treats. Apparently at Easter they have a fabulous display of Easter Candy. I will have to bring my son back to check it out. They lady behind the counter suggested getting their sea salt caramels with dark chocolate. She gave me two free samples. It was a perfect combination of salty with sweet. This is a great local place to purchase gifts for birthdays and the holidays. You can definitely eat your way through this charming neighborhood.