This was a hidden gem in downtown San Mateo! Great curated offerings on Asian American history,…read moreAsian cultures and languages, fiction, cookbooks, children's books, etc. They keep up to date on new releases as well. I saw plenty of titles I would expect in an Asian American bookstore, as well as many others that I was glad to learn about. The offerings seemed to be majority East Asian though were not restricted to that. The shopkeeper was welcoming and gave a tour of the different sections, and found some good picks for us. I wish I had taken photos of the interior, but I was preoccupied with browsing! If I wasn't on a schedule I could have spent a lot longer there. This is definitely worth a visit and they're doing important work!

I was so excited to see the Asian American Curriculum Project when I looked up bookstores in the…read morearea while we were visiting San Mateo today. I used to visit East Wind Books in Berkeley often before they closed, so I was happy to see another store that focused on writings by Asian authors. It was a great selection to choose from in every category! I wish I had taken some photos! The gentleman working was super friendly and explained where everything was and how it was organized. We had a great time browsing and found some great books to bring home. We were even gifted some handmade knitted bookmarks! We will definitely be back when we have even more time to browse!

I enjoyed MOAH for its educational exhibits. My review is…read morefor the beautiful garden area and canopy as an event space. You can use Peerspace app to book this for events Thurs-Sun between 4-10pm. The gardens are wonderful for an intimate outdoor wedding or reception. I booked it for my wedding reception. The string lights add a romantic touch to it. Lauren who helps manage the space is very responsive regarding any questions. They provide banquet tables and chairs for a reduced fee. Also our guests loved the venue (30 total seated comfortably). A wonderful, budget friendly event or photo shoot location. Always keep garden clean! Thank you for giving us a memorable day!

Went to a private event there and we were able to tour the museum. There were some very…read moreinteresting displays. I liked how they showed the evolution of items over time like cameras, calculators, etc. it's a small museum but with displays worth seeing. I appreciated seeing the museum plus the attractive grounds

Very cute Rose Garden. Each rose/plant had a unique name. There was a maze & it was cute to see…read morekids playing hide and go seek. I definitely took advantage taking photos with the gazebo as well. Glad we went, because it was so peaceful. Great way to end our day adventure.

Another garden spotted at Central Park! Not really a big garden but I like how well they designed…read moreit. I didn't really take much pictures since I've took en a lot in this park. I stayed here for a few minutes since I got tired of walking around for too long. It's a good place to visit especially when you're into how it's laid out.

What to do after brunch on Sunday in Palo Alto? Head to the Foster! Parking is a breeze, the…read moreadmission is free, and the experience works for all ages! As a dabbler in watercolors, I was transfixed--some of these paintings are huge--and he does not use photographs! As an educator, my mind was brimming with opportunities to integrate his work into humanities and human geography classes. The Foster website has excellent resources. This is a must see if you are in the area!

This turned out to be one of my favorite stops, especially when I'm in between appointments in Palo…read moreAlto. I knew in advance that on Thursdays (2nd & 4th weeks only), the public street parking in front of the building was off limits for street sweeping/no parking between 7am-11am, so I got very lucky pulling up in front at 11am sharp. Nice. Easy walk. The Foster Museum was very simple, decent, positive, and relaxing environment filled with gorgeous nature views/sketches/watercolor artworks by the U.K. artist, Tony Foster. Good feeling here. Free admissions and good customer service staffs. You can just walk in or register online. There's a tiny gift area not far from the public restrooms. I signed the guestbook at the end of my walk. Good place to hang around/includes unlimited paper, paper/pencils/samples/etc. If you like to sketch and get some creative inspirations, all the nature artworks in the gallery is definitely a good place to start. Not huge, but perfectly quite and calm for art lovers. You can request for an orientation and/or tour as desired. Great first impression during first visit. It's the positive feeling I get from observing the energy and various colorful artworks. Simple and stress-free. Good value/free admissions is totally worth the 1-2 hours here. They also host art classes too, but I will need to take time to browse around online. Good vibes. Staffs are friendly inside. Hidden place. Love it.

Note: there is a Hotel, Studio, and Museum at these two adjacent related locations…read more Also a fee is now charged for the musuem.

This trinket trade box is on 20th Ave, between Pacheco and Quintara. Plenty of parking in the area…read moreso just park anywhere and walk to it First of all, the box is painted a gorgeous purple/blue! I love seeing how owners decorate and set up the boxes! The inside wall is a mirror which gives it such a cool effect Open up for lots of treasures, cute stuff. I found socks, ton of beaded bracelets, stickers, toys, even smaller pull out drawers for SMALL trinkets. Pretty nicely organized! Big thanks for the owner for setting this up for everyone. As I was checking it out, an older gentleman walking by asked me what this box was and I was happy to explain it to him. Fascinating and lovely isn't it?

I have not been to Downtown San Mateo for years. I believe the last time I went is when my family…read moreand I decided to go to a high-ended Filipino restaurant. Also, this is my first time visiting here by myself. It's really quiet here just like other downtowns I visited in the Bay Area. It's expected since probably most people come here to shop and dine at restaurants. Very peaceful here which I like, but at the same time, I wish it's a bit crowded whenever I walk in downtown. It's really cheap coming here since many parking areas offer fair prices. However, it doesn't really seem like a place where I can mostly hangout at. I would still come here for eateries and explore around though.

It was our 2nd time to Downtown San Mateo. Our last time was in 2023. We found many new restaurants…read moreopened this time even though many are overpriced. Parking was a bit hard to find but it was a great town to go for dining or go to the movies or shopping. FYI, you have to pay for parking in Downtown San Mateo.

My partner and I were strolling through Palo Alto, enjoying our lattes, when we unexpectedly…read morestumbled upon an art gallery called Node. Initially, a rather unsettling piece, a realistic head on a mechanical dog caught our eye, and we almost walked away. But curiosity got the better of us, and we decided to venture inside. To our surprise, entry was completely free, which felt like a rare treat on a Thursday evening! The art itself is incredibly futuristic, cool, and unique. You can definitely see AI's influence, but it's used in a way that feels genuinely innovative and distinct. The exhibits delve into politics and even feature some artistic nudity, all presented thoughtfully and provocatively. The most captivating part for me was an installation at the very back: robot dogs, each with the head of a famous figure like Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, or Elon Musk, moving within a roped-off perimeter. It sparked so many interesting conversations between my partner and me. This gallery offers a lot of artistic commentary and a truly unique experience. I highly recommend checking it out if you're in the area!

I decided to randomly come here after seeing jts possible to see robot dogs with peoples heads on…read moreTikTok and Reddit. The viral videos and so It's only open on the weekends? It was a bit of a drive and I arrived, parked farther and walked. The building itself is pretty small and all you get are a few exhibits. With a group of highschool kids employed by the place who play music loud enough to give you stuffy / ringing ears I am not familiar with the artist, he seems to specialize in digital art? To be blunt, the art itself is... bland and boring. It's more easier to see it online than going through the effort of seeing it in person. They try to glorify NFT art however we all know they become worthless for obvious reasons? Plus several images on the wall are very inappropriate I don't recommend anyone to buy anything here. The merchandise is over priced under the brand of trying to sell a tech brand When truly, it's just selling hype or profiting from it