“Downtown San Mateo  
is thriving as a 
regional destination.” 
Mackenzie Jakoubek

Downtown San José (my home town) is, well,… a work in progress. Downtown Los Gatos is quaint, but congested and overpriced. Downtown Campbell is a comfortable place to meet a friend for lunch or dinner or to enjoy an ice cream at the Campbell Creamery. Downtown Santa Clara,… uh,… doesn’t exist. It’s true! There’s no “downtown” in Santa Clara, much to the disappointment of locals who have been trying to create the downtown once envisioned for the Mission City. 

Downtown San Carlos is nice. With a few blocks of Laurel Street closed to motor vehicles, and a variety of eating establishments, it’s one of the nicer small town destinations on the peninsula. Downtown Burlingame doesn’t have much, but it does have Copenhagen Bakery, which is enough to get me to visit there fairly often.

The downtowns in Los Altos and Mountain View also offer some nice options for meals or get togethers with friends. None of these places, however, compare with the ambiance and sense of belonging I experienced in downtown San Mateo.

That’s where I met my sister, Cathy, for lunch on Tuesday. I took the train up from the South Bay. Cathy lives in San Mateo. We met at Peet’s Coffee at 3rd & B Streets. After enjoying a drink and some good conversation, we wandered up B Street to 1st Street, where Jeffrey’s Hamburgers is located right on the corner. Eating at Jeffrey’s is like stepping back into the 1950s. I ordered a cheeseburger and I got a real cheeseburger, not a cooked-from-frozen beef disc. Cathy and I shared an order of French fries, which were better than the fries served at most burger joints I’ve visited. To top it all off, I ordered a vanilla milkshake. Just like in the 50s and early 60s, it was blended in a tall, metal container, then poured into a traditional milkshake glass. It was topped with whipped cream and a cherry. When it was brought to our table, the server also left the metal container in which the dessert had been blended. There was enough milkshake left in the container to refill my glass completely, and the taste was exceptional. 

After lunch we walked through downtown to San Mateo Central Park, where our family of origin had spent many Sunday afternoons in our childhood. The park is home to a stunning rose garden filled with countless varieties of colorful flowers.

Downtown San Mateo is a community with character. Former San Mateo City Councilman, Jerry Hill, proudly remarked, “At a time when other municipalities are trying to invent a sense of character and identity,… San Mateo — with the largest downtown in the county — has long had a sense of place and community… San Mateo is about downtown — it is the theme of our city.”

Yes, downtown San Mateo is a regional destination, not just another stop along the CalTrain tracks, and it is thriving. If you’re not familiar with this area, I urge you to check it out. You won’t be disappointed.