What I Love About San Mateo
S and I are approaching 9 months living in sunny San Mateo. We have contemplated moving somewhere more affordable, but we've decided to stay awhile. In rejoice of a decision made, I am taking the time to list what makes San Mateo great for us.
Transportation in General: Not until I wrote this list did I realize how important transportation is to me.
Walkability: Sidewalks and clean air for when you walk outside are so underappreciated. However, I'm from a rural area where there are no sidewalks, and then I lived in India for a while where there is smog and where I once got "bumped" by a car while I on foot. For this I am grateful.
Bikeability: This is a little mixed because Hillsdale Boulevard doesn't have bike lanes. However, for the most part I feel safe biking around San Mateo. The city's partnership with Lime (an app based bike use program) makes cycling possible for me. For this I am grateful.
Caltrain: There are three Caltrain stations in San Mateo (Hillsdale, Hayward, San Mateo). This makes getting to the city really easy. For this I am grateful.
Rideshare: You expect this in a metropolitan area, but you appreciate it if you are from a rural area or somewhere without the service. For this I am grateful.
Enterprise: Prior to moving to San Mateo, I had no experience renting cars. Without any research or backing to my belief, I always considered renting cars to be tossing money in the trash. This still can be true, especially if you have the option to own. However, renting a car at weekend rates only when required has made day trips really affordable. For this I am grateful.
Proximity to the Airport: When I think about a dream living location, there is an international airport within two hours. San Francisco Airport is less than 10 miles from our flat. For this I am grateful.
Parks: S and I take morning and evening walks daily at Los Prados Park. We catch little league soccer and cheer on the Lady Bugs on Saturdays. There is also Central Park with the Japanese and rose gardens, which we make a point of relaxing in whenever we are downtown. Another great outdoor space is just outside WholeFoods; there's a water feature that you can sit by and totally tune out the world around you. For this I am grateful.
Restaurants: We have fallen into our same habit of going to the same places and ordering the same dishes. We like what we like, okay? This means Charm Thai Eatery for crab fried rice and pad kee mao. We've just scratched the surface in exploring restaurants and have so much work to do. For this I am grateful.
Farmer's Market: The farmer's market at San Mateo College isn't the cutesiest market. It takes place in a parking lot at the college, which isn't really central or easy to get to without a car. But, the products are great and it's still a fun experience. For this I am grateful.
Grocery Stores: I thought living next to Marina Market would be awesome, but it's repeatedly shut down by health inspectors and the cleanliness inside reflects why. This aside, San Mateo has Drager's and Whole Foods. These shops are high end but we've built this into our budget because we value quality organic food over owning a car or shopping for clothing and other material goods. For this I am grateful.
Barnes and Noble: It feels great to be surrounded by real books. This is a regular weekend spot for us wild things. We stay for a while, browse our different sections, and flip through magazines while enjoying coffee (S) and chai (me) from the cafe. The only negative here is that S is single-handedly trying to keep this brick and mortar shop in business. Yes, I realize there are way worse things a husband can be splurging on. The real win will be when we make it to the library. For this I am grateful.
Peet's: When I was an undergraduate at UW Madison, Peet's opened in the Memorial Union. Until I moved to San Mateo, I believed Peet's was just another bogus on-campus, university-run coffee shop. Now, I've grown to love and appreciate Peet's. While they're still a corporation, I prefer to support them over Starbucks. What about Phil's and all the other local places? For Phil's I can brew a pot of coffee at home, and I don't need someone to add milk and sugar for me. I'm just not hipster enough to enjoy the experience. For this I am grateful.
Hillsdale Mall: We don't do tons of shopping, but it was nice to have a Nordstrom and a shopping mall in walking distance leading up to our wedding and other events. For this I am grateful.
Right-Size Houses: I love to the look at the houses when I'm out and about. San Mateo has neighborhoods, but it doesn't feel like urban sprawl with the tiny lots and right-size houses. The million dollar plus price tags for these adorable homes makes feel a mix of nausea and depression. Nevertheless, I like the idea of living on a smaller footprint and still having room for a small garden in a walkable city. For this I am grateful.
Landscape: Something is always in bloom here. It's November and my pepper plants have new fruit budding. My plants are happy on the balcony year round. I watch succulents grow more in one summer on my balcony compared to the same plant's growth over a decade in an Illinois sunroom. It's magical to see something grow so quickly. For this I am grateful.
Weather: The weather is exceedingly moderate here. This means that very little energy is required to keep your home at a comfortable temperature. Of course, when we moved in January, I thought it was going to eventually get hot hot hot come summertime. Not so my friends. It was a moderate summer. And just as I gave up on the feeling of fall, the leaves started changing to that pretty deep burgundy. The seasons are alive! For this I am grateful.
(On a more serious recommendation, do check the weather before you move somewhere. You really do not need tank tops and shorts in San Mateo, and you definitely need a winter coat in Delhi, India. Just putting this out there.)
Travel Potential: The road trip and weekend getaway options for the Bay Area are epic. We've had so many expenses and out-of-town events this year, but this is something I really hope to take more advantage of in the future as our budget and schedule allow. For this I am grateful.
NextDoor: NextDoor is an app for connecting with community. Our balcony table and chairs are compliments of a neighbor on this app. There are so many material goods being offered up for free or very little. People also use it to discuss public issues, gardening woes, lost pets, and more. For this I am grateful.
Nandi Yoga Studio: I saved this for last. There is a difference between practicing yoga at a gym and at a dedicated studio. Yoga in a space specifically for yoga offers a spiritual side that's difficult to recreate in a gymnasium or aerobics classroom. Mostly this is because of the people. Nandi Yoga offers a really special practice that is spiritual and physical. For this I am grateful.
Okay! That's my current round-up of gratitude for San Mateo. Of course, the grass is always greener on the other side of the street or the bay or the country or the world. San Mateo is not perfect. Cue in my major complaints: no form of rent-control, affordability, and distance from family. However, at this moment, I'm choosing to focus on the positive!
Photo: Flowers at Hillsdale Mall taken March 2018.

















