I’m not referring to a town in Rizal Province in the Philippines. Rather, this is San Mateo, one of the suburbs near San Francisco, California, USA.
It’s 20-30 minutes away from downtown San Francisco and about 10 minutes away from SFO airport. We could even hear the planes as they land or take off. So, before my flight back to Manila from San Francisco, my grade school buddy, who is also named Claire, toured me around her neighborhood in San Mateo.
I spent a good three hours in San Mateo. It was a small place but it was very welcoming to me. No intimidating skyscrapers in sight that would usually be found in urban jungles. I got around their downtown area. There was a small movie house and plenty of restaurants. They have almost all kinds of cuisine. Name it, they have it–Indian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Mexican, etc.
Claire pointed to me some shops and the library, which she frequents. She also brought me to her house. But not before we had a short dinner in a Japanese restaurant.
How I wish I could have spent a day or two to explore the place, but I never had the chance. I got a taste of San Mateo but I wasn’t sated. I hope to get a good serving the next time I visit this place.
The summer in San Mateo is warmer and less foggy than San Francisco.
Yes, I like it there!
This does look very quaint and welcoming, San Fran is amazing this might be a nice place to go though to get away from the hustle and bustle.
You can walk in their streets and have a quiet lunch in one of the restaurants. 🙂