"The Hidden Charms of Second Street"
If you're new to Santa Rosa, you might wonder: Just where is 2nd Street, anyway? It is a discontinuous stretch of roadway that gets truncated by the State Building, Transit Mall, and then Santa Rosa Plaza (what people here usually mean when they refer to "the Mall"), and at last by the freeway. In fact, even when it finally continues for a short distance on the west side of the freeway, it is basically in name only, since it is mostly a large parking lot.
Second Street proper, then, is located to the north of all this, in the lush Brookwood neighborhood, mostly between D St. and Brookwood Ave., and parallel to Sonoma Avenue.
One of the things I love about 2nd St. is the presence of honest-to-goodness redwood trees! So it is one place in Santa Rosa where you can live or at least stroll amongst these majestic giants without having to visit a park. The buildings themselves are a mixture of upscale private homes and small businesses such as medical offices, social agencies, and at least one restaurant.
Ca'Bianca, a northern Italian restaurant (at 835 2nd), is located in a beautifully restored historic house (white; Ca'Bianca means "white house") from 1876. A complete meal will set you back about $50, but you can do it for less by sticking to fewer courses.
As an added bonus, 2nd St. is on the edge of Santa Rosa's "medical row," so there is quick and easy access to a wide range of medical care.
