Tracypie

Howard is great, it runs one way North to South and if you are visiting it is close to lots of attractions. The Metreon is a block away , there's shopping at Westfield Centre, the InterContinental Hotel, Yerba Buena and the Moscone Center. It's also easy to get on and off the freeway from here.

I love Fifth because it's near everything. You can enter Westfield Mall from 5th, it's close to Market Street and one block from Yerba Buena and the Metreon. So much to do in a small area. Westfield Center has everything - high end and low end stores, a movie theater and an awesome to die for eatery in the lower level. You can access it through BART or get their via MUNI. There are also plenty of parking garages connected and nearby which is your best bet if you drive. Street parking is next to impossible.

Front street has a variety of things to offer stretching from Jackson Street to Union Street. Starting at Jackson Street there is a beautiful park called Sydney Walton Square Park. This is a great place to take stroll or coffee break if you work down in that area. At Front and Jackson you have the famous Kokkari restaurant which offers some of the best Greek food in the city.Cross over Broadway and head further North and you'll see Channel ABC 7 and NBC 11 news stations along with other business offices and various parking lots. At the far north end (corner of Union & Front) is a Stiljl cafe.

This is the perfect place to raise a family. It's located off the beaten path with leafy trees, a church at the corner and nearby access to San Tomas Expwy which has lots of strip mall shopping on it, including fast food if you are in a pinch. Super close to 280 freeway. Good schools nearby. Lots of families on the street and friendly neighbors.

Cisco Way is dedicated to Cisco. Each side of the block is lined with Cisco office buildings and there are more than 20. The buildings are secure, you need a badge to get in. There is not a cafeteria in every building and they are not open to the public. VTA is the transportation of choice if you need to get over this way or driving. Plenty of parking lots available and people usually drive from building to building. Quiet mostly, great wi-fi access.

There is only one reason to go to Cherry Street in San Carlos and that's for sushi. Ganko Sushi has the best sushi on the peninsula (in my opinion). I've been eating there for over a decade. Always consistently, fresh and delicious. The service is awesome from the no-nonsense waitress.

Other then Ganko Sushi, there is a big parking lot and a couple of office spaces. It is also SUPER close to Laurel Street where there is tons of shopping. So, get some sushi and then walk it off and do some shopping.

Baker Street is a quiet, leafy street lined with trees. All residential and close to Presidio. Parking is a bit tough and often you have to park on nearby California. It's not too busy with cars, and it's a great place for couples or to raise a family. Clean and safe. Good for families, not good for singles as it is far from everything. You can get to Fillmore area but it's still a bit of a hike.

Greenwich is a great place to live because it is close to everything in North Beach. Close to Washington Square Park, close to great restaurants, close to the library and Telegraph Hill. It's pretty quiet and has that neighborhood feel to it.

There are some great schools nearby, plenty of public transportation, and parks. Definitely a great place to raise a family and if you are single, a great place to access the heart and vibe of North Beach without the noise.

The Mission is one of those places that has great food, a good nightlife, but it's sketchy in some places even during the day light hours. It has some really cool shopping areas and combined with the great restaurants can make it trendy.

The people do not seem overly friendly, perhaps that's because they are guarded. I don't particularly like going to the Mission by myself and I really hate going at night. It's not like Hunter's Point or anything like that, but at night in some parts, it just feels like the ghetto.

The nightlife is great if you are single. So many places to hang out at that are hip and trendy. You can get anything from jazz to grunge. It's very cool in that respect and like I said, some of the best food in the city.

Market Street goes all the way through the Castro and that's where I was today. The thing about the Castro is that it's vibrant, flamboyant and trendy. If you were gay and never lived in the Bay Area and then all of a sudden moved here and were free to be able to come out as you are and be widely accepted into a loving community, then this would be the place for you.

For those not into that lifestyle, the Castro still offers up some really good restaurants, great little boutique local shops and a fun atmosphere (although I wouldn't recommend bar hopping here unless you were gay). In mid-June everyone struts their stuff, gay,lesbian, transexual, transgender - you name it for the Pride Parade. It's quite a site to see!

The Castro is friendly and is a great community.

Bryant Street runs from the Embarcadero to Cesar Chavez over in the Mission. Down by the Embarcadero it's clean and leafy but as you head further West toward the Mission it gets a little dirtier and way down near 12th it gets a little sketchy. I was down there today to go to Bed, Bath and Beyond, REI and Nordstrom Rack, so during the day, it seems fine. I just wouldn't walk around there at night.

It does have some good shopping between 7th and 9th (REI, Nordstrom Rack, Trader Joe's, Pier1 Imports, Bed Bath & Beyond). There's also the Concourse at 8th and they usually have trade shows there of all sorts. From crafts to green energy.

My in-laws just moved here about six months ago and it is a super cute location. Most of N. Humboldt is occupied by Woodlake Apartments which used to be a former college campus. The grounds of the apartment complex are huge, with 6 pools, wide pavements and geese. However, it's not just seniors who live here, families and couples live here. It's a really nice community. There's a Safeway and Walgreen's right around the corner with a Starbucks, nail salon and gas station too. If you want retail therapy you'll have to go into downtown San Mateo or downtown Burlingame, both about equal distance from N. Humboldt.

Alhambra runs from Cervantes and then turns into Francisco St after about 4 blocks. It's very residential, yet so close to the action of the Marina on Chestnut Street. It's pretty quiet overall. There's a school nearby on Fillmore and a library a few blocks away on Chestnut. There's also a lot of retail therapy on Chestnut in the other direction.

Alhambra is also close to the Marina Green (about four blocks) which is big long patch of green grass.

Francisco in the Marina district is one of those streets where it can be really quiet away from the noise. On the flip side, if you want a piece of the action, you just walk one block over to Chestnut. Public transportation is only a block away, along with bars, restaurants, gym, movies and retail stores. If you are single, it's a great place that's close enough to the action, yet far enough away where you can get a good night's sleep.

Great retail therapy. Plus, 2 movie theaters and tons of bars/restaurants all within a few blocks.

There is little to no parking on Avila but there is a strong sense of community among its neighbors. For Halloween this year they blocked off the street and had a Halloween block party for all of the families. Kids could run out into the street with no worries. Lots of houses, lots of families. Super close to the heart of the Marina on Chestnut Street where you can find a gym, movie theaters, drug store, cafes, restaurants, and bars. Great location.

I was visiting a friend yesterday during the day (a weekday) and I accidentally took up 2 parking spaces. To be honest, my car is rather large so unless you had a SMART car or Mini, it probably wouldn't have fit.

After visiting for about 3 hours, I returned to my car to find a note on the windshield that said,"Hey Jerkoff, Why are you taking up 2 parking spots? Good way to get your car keyed!!" - While I appreciate the "warning" I feel like that could have been said a bit nicer.

Aside from the grumpy neighbors, whoever left the note had a point. The parking is super tight. It's extremely beautiful with all old Victorian homes in beautiful pastel colors and is one block from the famous Alamo Square park. So I can see why they got a little grumpy, but they should have known I didn't live there and was just visiting. Cut the visitors a break.

I lived in San Mateo for 15 months and it was great then, but now it's even better. In the past few years the downtown has burst with new businesses. There's a movie theater - right near the train station, new restaurants and cafes, plus a lot more spas and salons. It's becoming almost as upscale as Burlingame. It's also super easy to get around and walk to things.

Everything that is worth seeing is located between 2nd and 5th avenues from El Camino until about one block South of B Street (toward 101 freeway).

They even have a wine festival where local merchants participate and you go from place to place and sample wine and food. A festive family event.

I lived here for almost 2 years when I worked down in Silicon Valley. I wanted to be close to the city to go out at night, yet not have a heinous commute to work. Belmont was only about 30-35 minutes to Silicon Valley (45min with traffic). It had a cute little downtown shopping center at Alameda de las Pulgas & Ralston Avenue which offered everything from a supermarket to a post office to hardware store. It literally has everything you need.

The other great thing about Belmont is that it's close to 2 malls - Hillsdale and Palo Alto which was great for weekend shopping. Super friendly. Good schools and close to 2 community/local colleges: Community College of San Mateo and College of Notre Dame.

4th Avenue is THE place to be in San Mateo in terms of shopping and dining. From El Camino to the 101 Freeway you'll find something to tickle your fancy. There are a ton of great restaurants from sushi to sandwiches and Italian to fine dining. You will not be disappointed. I also love the fact that you can go workout at Equinox Gym or 24 Hour Fitness right up the street. There's a great little park near by (Central Park on 5th) to sit and have lunch or go for a stroll.

Also, 4th Avenue is super convenient to the CalTrain which drops you off at 2nd Avenue right downtown.

My sister-in-law lives here and her husband was also raised here and it has developed over the past several decades. 9th Aveneue is a great location for a family because it's far enough away from the downtown, located near a cute park (Central Park) off of Laurel Ave and close to St Matthew's church. It's not that far to walk to downtown but it will take about 20 minutes.
Draeger's supermarket is nearby at 5th and there's a 24 Hour Fitness at 4th. Downtown is less than a mile if you want to walk it. But there's also plenty of parking available.