On the Ground

[bjarvis]

So far, everything is going well. Even the weather is nearly perfect!

My flight was a delight, I was able to collect my luggage and find the car rental agency easily. My car was indeed waiting for me and my Crackberry's GPS helped me get from the airport to the hotel with minimal pain.

I've checked in at the Crowne Plaza Mid Peninsula and connected to their free in-house wifi. I am now going to find my way to the nearest Caltrain station which is, I'm assured, at a local mall where I hope to grab a quick bite for lunch.

Comments

[allanh.livejournal.com]

Silly man. I lived in San Mateo & Foster City for 23 years. You could have asked me. :)

Here are some restaurants and places to be aware of near your hotel. I'm not going to put exact addresses; you know how to use search engines. :)

1. IHOP in Foster City - yeah, I know, but it's 24x7

2. Whole Foods in San Mateo (101 @ Hillsdale); their prepared food market is quite good.

3. Ditch the Japanese place in your hotel (assuming it's still open) and go to Fuji Sukiyaki on 3rd in San Mateo for incredibly good sushi and teriyaki. How good is the sushi? Even I'LL eat it. (Note: Avoid the Vietnamese place next door; it has really bad service.)

4. For great Chinese, drive a couple of freeway exits south (towards San Jose) to Ralston Avenue, take it all the way up (west) to Alameda De Las Pulgas, and in the Carlmont Shopping Center, go to Gin Mon Chinese.

5. There's a great Vietnamese place on El Camino Real just south of 92. I've forgotten the name, but the food is good and the prices reasonable.

6. Liquid Sushi (El Camino just north of 92) is good, but quite expensive. Fuji (see above) is a MUCH better deal with friendlier service.

7. La Cumbre Taquiera (28 N B St, San Mateo) has burritos roughly half the size of your head. I'm not kidding. Fresh, cheap, fast, and nummy.

8. Breakfast and lunch are faaaabulous at Stacks' in Burlingame. Originally gay owned, I believe it's changed hands, but all they do is breakfast and lunch, and they [still] do it quite well. http://www.stacksrestaurant.com/

9. There's a Red Robin and a Mimi's Cafe in the large shopping center near your hotel.

10. If you like chicken (the eating kind), there's a Boston Market near your hotel. In the same mini mall, there's also a Starbucks, Jamba Juice, and a Noah's Bagels.

11. If you continue up 3rd Avenue (past Fuji Sukiyaki), you'll find what's left of downtown San Mateo, including a movie multiplex and various shops and restaurants. Most of it's there to support the movie theatres at this point, but there are a few gems in the rough if you take the time to explore. Kingfish is a N'awlins place; good food, but not worth what they're charging.

12. If you're craving Cajun/Creole, drive down to San Carlos and go to CreoLa. They've always been gay friendly to Randy and me, and the food is good enough to satisfy Randy, who spent part of his childhood in Louisiana. http://www.creolabistro.com/

That should be enough to get you started.

GEEK PEEK: Foster City, by the way, is a master-planned community with good enough traffic planning that less than a dozen intersections need traffic lights. There's a great biking/walking/running path that encircles the island. The hotel staff should be able to direct you to the nearest access. If you've ever used a Fiery graphics engine ... this is where EFI is HQ'd. Also VISA International and VISA USA, who built the largest buildings in Foster City.

[woofpup.livejournal.com]

Welcome, to the Bay Area.

[jeffbriggs.livejournal.com]

DO YOU NEVER STAY HOME???