Bay Meadows

Meet some of our newest San Mateo residents: Julie and Chris and their two adorable boys who recently relocated from Chicago. They couldn’t be more thrilled with their new home, and one of the main reasons they love it so much is that their front door opens up to the Community Garden, a.k.a. Persimmon Park. Julie is originally from England, so when searching for their next home, it was very important for her and the boys to have “green” space. Luckily, they were able to find just that right outside their door, and they absolutely love it, mostly because every evening her boys can go outside and play with other kids in the community. But Julie says it’s also been great because it gets the adults outside too, which makes it easier to get to know your neighbors and their children.  We are excited to have another family relocate to Bay Meadows, this time all the way from the Midwest. Here’s what Julie had to say when we met…

Why did you choose to move to San Mateo?

Chris was offered a job in Palo Alto, and San Mateo seemed central to everything we needed— schools, public transport, shopping, restaurants, and my husband’s family—and it was a great compromise from the city living we were used to in Chicago. Our son, Jamie, also plays ice hockey, and it was the best location for access to rinks locally. Although the Belmont rink is due to close, we are lucky he still has the Redwood rink, where he plays on the Mites team.

Three features we “love” most about our new home are:

Our front door opens onto the gorgeous Persimmon Park, which means that we have a yard without having to do the gardening! The space is fantastic for our needs. We have a spare room for family and friends, which is a must with most of my family and friends coming from the UK. It’s brand new, and we don’t have any renovations to complete. I also love the fact that we have access to the vegetable garden; I can’t wait to put my plot to use this year.

When we spoke last, you mentioned how much you love living off of Persimmon Park. Can you describe what’s it’s like on a typical evening and give a little more color to why you love living where you do?

We love living next to the park because it’s beautiful and Jamie can grow up playing with the neighborhood kids outside. Jamie arrives home in the evening and can’t wait to get his homework done so that he can get outside and see his friends. Often the parents end up socializing at the same time. Without the children, we probably wouldn’t chat as often as we do, so it’s nice to have this natural social space.

Have you found that you’ve met neighbors at Bay Meadows?  Do you socialize together? For someone new moving in, how would you recommend getting to know new faces around the block?

Whether you have a dog, a child, or a gardening plot, there are many ways to meet the locals. I’ve met most of the neighbors on our block by walking the dog and via my son’s interaction with other children. I love walking around the community and bumping into familiar faces. I don’t yet know all the names that go with the faces, but everyone is extremely friendly. A small group of parents on our block regularly meet outside our home and starting to have started socializing together. We are planning a BBQ and a potluck with our immediate neighbors in a couple of weeks, and I can’t wait. It will be so much fun socializing at home and not having to drive. I also love that our neighbors look out for one another. We have our own little neighborhood watch team.

Quick Fireround: one word or Phrase

Favorite way to spend a Sunday afternoon together: Walking the dog with my husband and sitting in Persimmon Park watching my son play with his gang of friends.

Favorite thing to do in San Mateo: We love eating out and travelling to Half Moon Bay on the odd weekend to sit outside the Ritz Carlton and enjoy the scenery. There are some lovely restaurants in the area for any kind of occasion.

3 words you’d use to describe Bay Meadows: Community, social, diverse.

 

Conveniently located between San Francisco and Palo Alto in San Mateo, Bay Meadows offers new homes for sale and for rent within walking distance of Caltrain. Ease of transportation is only one of the many amazing aspects of Bay Meadows. Beautiful, new, clean homes sit among 18-acres of parks, a community garden, and within walking distance of Whole Foods, Chipotle, Crunch Fitness and more. Learn more about our ‘hood by following our Facebook page.