Things to do in San Mateo next week?

December 5, 2008 4:28 PM

What to do during evenings after conferences next week in San Mateo?

I've browsed through the significant number of previous questions about this area and what to do there in general, so I've gotten some great ideas so far.

What's happening specifically next week during evenings that would be easy to get to without a car, from approximately here?

I'm in town for about a week starting Monday, and will only have time after about 6PM. I like galleries, photography, art, architecture, and SCIENCE!. I'm not very interested in clubs or bars.

posted by odinsdream to travel & transportation (17 comments total)

Oooh sorry, but there's nothing around there. Maybe there's a "downtown" Foster City? If you can get to buses (check 511.org, there's a shopping center diagonally across the 101/92 interchange. If you can get to downtown San Mateo there's a bunch of stuff, and San Carlos would be fine for a week. You might be able to play the ponies at Bay Meadows, and there's a proper mall at Hillsdale and El Camino nearby. That's about it from me!
posted by rhizome at 4:43 PM on December 5, 2008

That's not a great place to be without a car, but you're close-ish to the Hillsdale and Hayward Park Caltrain stations. This will get you up to San Francisco, either directly, or via BART by transferring at the Millbrae station. This doesn't get you a whole lot of time in the city, though, as the last Caltrain leaves SF at midnight.

If you'd like some place more local, a good place for SCIENCE! is the Hiller aviation museum, a bit south on 101, but they close at 5.
posted by zsazsa at 4:49 PM on December 5, 2008

I know you said you were not interested in bars but if you ARE interested in trivia nights there's a pub there that does them every Wednesday at 8. That's about the extent of my San Mateo experience.
posted by Zaximus at 6:45 PM on December 5, 2008

If you like sushi, downtown San Mateo has a few good restaurants in that are quite inexpensive. Whenever I'm out there from the right coast I'm all over that raw fish.

Speaking of the aviation - I don't know what your budget is, but the San Carlos airport is sort of close. Weather permitting, you could get an "intro flight" from an instructor at West Valley Flying Club that includes a bay tour. Fullish moon next week should help. Now that's sightseeing!
posted by exogenous at 6:55 PM on December 5, 2008

You could take Caltrain to Palo Alto and then a Cab or loooong walk to Stamford campus to check out the architecture. It's pretty at night.

Could you rent or borrow a bike? You can take a bike on caltrain and extend your reach.
posted by bottlebrushtree at 7:44 PM on December 5, 2008

I'd second the Stanford recommendation. I wouldn't bother heading to downtown San Carlos or Fester City- they won't offer anything you won't find closer in downtown SM. If you haven't been to San Francisco, you should go and just budget for taxis where the train won't work. That's where all the galleries are.
posted by rama at 8:18 PM on December 5, 2008

Stanford has free buses from the Palo Alto Caltrain Station: the Marguerite Shuttle . In the evening the regular shuttles stop running about 8 or 9pm, but there is a late night shuttle that runs less frequently.
I recommend the campus in general, but specifically:
Cantor Arts Center (map) (FREE ART WOOO)
Memorial Church (map)

Otherwise take the train into San Francisco. Union Square is somewhat walkable, but better if you cab it probably, from the end of the Caltrain line at 4th and King. The Macy's there has their annual holiday windows full of cute puppies and kittens from the SPCA.
posted by sarahnade at 9:29 PM on December 5, 2008

rhizome, Bay Meadows has closed.
posted by jeri at 10:59 PM on December 5, 2008

San Mateo is essentially a bedroom community to the larger cities north and south of us, and you are staying in an especially quiet corner of San Mateo.

I live in Belmont (small town next door to San Mateo) and grew up in Foster City (which is essentially where you are staying), and I can tell you that honestly, there's not much to do around here in the evenings. Sorry. The area in which you are staying is particularly quiet. There are some nice walking paths, and it isn't too far a walk to get from your address to the paved walking path that rims the Bay. It's very safe but unfortunately not well lit. There's also a driving range and pitch and put golf course within a mile walk of where you are staying that's open into the evening.

Also, you are within walking distance of one decent restaurant -- The Fish Market, and some OK restaurants in the shopping center across the freeway from where you are staying.

Although it's too far to walk to, there's 12 screen movie theater in San Mateo, as well as a number of good restaurants -- sushi, Indian, burgers, pizza, Italian, Chineese, and especially Mexican are all well represented. If you can grab a cab to downtown San Mateo -- a five minute cab ride but too far to walk from where you are staying -- the theater and restaurants are all concentrated within a 6-8 block area that is surprisingly vibrant...for San Mateo.

Unfortunately, for art, science, and culture, you will need to either head to SF or get down to Palo Alto/Stanford.
posted by mosk at 8:46 AM on December 6, 2008

Thanks everyone for the suggestions so far. mosk, do you recommend any particular sushi place nearby?
posted by odinsdream at 2:58 PM on December 6, 2008

Tokies in Foster City is good and within a mile or two of where you are staying. It may also be within walking distance, depending on your definition of "walking distance."

If you head to downtown San Mateo, Kisaku is quite good and has many traditional Japanese dishes as well as sushi. Fuji Sukiyaki, while somewhat less traditional, is a personal favorite -- the owner and his wife are very friendly, and the food is also excellent. Sushi Sam's Edomata is another local place that is very good. Unfortunately, all three are in downtown San Mateo and will require a cab ride from where you are staying.
posted by mosk at 3:25 PM on December 6, 2008

Oops, I inadvertently cut this off -- here's the route map from your location to Tokies. It's a 1.9 mile walk each way, very flat and extremely safe. I would call first to make sure they are open, as I recall my sister mentioning at Thanksgiving that the shopping center in which they are located is remodeling.
posted by mosk at 3:33 PM on December 6, 2008

A couple more resources:

List of Foster City restaurants

Also, you are within walking distance of the Foster City Library.

I also remembered that you are a couple of blocks away from the Foster City Marketplace/Metro Center complex, which has a large Safeway supermarket and some lunch-spot type restaurants. You are also close to Leo J. Ryan Park, which has a lagoon and, um...well, it has a lagoon.

Enjoy your visit :-)
posted by mosk at 5:04 PM on December 6, 2008

mosk; just got back from The Fish Market, which was awesome! I'm going to try to get to Fuji Sukiyaki next.

Thanks everyone.
posted by odinsdream at 8:26 PM on December 9, 2008

Cool. :-)
posted by mosk at 3:45 PM on December 10, 2008

mosk; just got back from Fuji Sukiyaki... also awesome!! Actually incredibly awesome. I met Sonny and mentioned that he was highly recommended. The food and service were both top notch. Thanks so much!
posted by odinsdream at 8:55 PM on December 10, 2008

Lol, at your service, odinsdream. If you want the hat trick, my favorite taquerias are Pancho Villa on B St., between 3rd and 4th, and La Cumbre, also on B but near 1st. San Mateo has several outstanding taquerias! Probably not up to the standard set by Oakland or the Mission District in SF, but great by any other measure.

Pancho Villa is consistently excellent. They use fresh ingredients, home made salsas, and offer a wide variety of meat, seafood, and vegetarian fillings in their burritos, tacos, quesadillas, salads, and dinner plate choices. Very well run, with excellent service, too -- you order the food at their counter their friendly staff brings it to your table. The bus staff is relentless, and finished meals are cleared and tables cleaned as soon as the patrons leave...which is necessary, as the place does steady business all day. The seats are a bit uncomfortable, the interior is loud, but everything is very clean and the food always fresh and tasty, and can be quite healthy or not, depending on what you choose. FWIW, Pancho Villa is probably my favorite restaurant in the city - I recommend the grilled salmon burrito w/black beans. They also have a fresh juice bar. As a bonus (as if this place needed one), Yogurtouille is half a block away. We take our kids here regularly, and they love it, too.

La Cumbre is also very good, but different. It's homier than Pancho Villa, and their food has a very distinctive flavor, with more textured marinades than PV uses. Their shrimp tacos, for example, are marinated in a caper sauce that has a hint of -- curry? mango? something with some sweetness to it. Their pollo asado (grilled/chopped chicken) features a different, citrus-flavored marinade, and is very moist and flavorful. And their carne asada (beef) is also excellent. They are a fine taqueria, maybe a notch or so below PVs on the whole, but still excellent.

Glad you enjoyed the other suggestions and ate well while you were here. :-)
posted by mosk at 11:44 PM on December 10, 2008