Walnut St, Downtown

This is definitely a working-class street in every sense of the word, minus the Kaiser Permanente smack dab in the middle. But the neighborly spirit is definitely alive here, as I learned with no fewer than two examples just recently:

1. I went to the Salvation Army to go donate some used clothing. I pulled into the parking lot, stepped out, and started to wander around trying to figure out where I was going. A little girl, who couldn't have been more than ten years old, approached me, asked me if I was looking to donate, and told me where I needed to go (the location down the road). All that without even asking - I've had paid sales associates in Palo Alto ignore me when I've tried to ask where to locate something.

2. In the same breath, I went to Napa Auto Parts to get a headlight replaced. I have no knowledge of car repair and made this very clear to the man at the counter, who said that "they don't touch the vehicles." I asked again, joking that I wouldn't tell, and he came out to take a look. When he couldn't figure out how to do it, another guy came out a minute later to check it out and said "I can't make any promises, I'm just a customer." When HE couldn't manage, they sent a third guy out, a mechanic (also a customer), who made it work no problem and then gave me an unsolicited estimate on what I needed to get fixed on my engine. So TWO customers, none of whom were required to give me the time of day, gave me the helping hand that I needed.

So if that is the treatment that the people in the area give me, I don't even really care what the rest of the street holds...

Many people would say the Veterans Blvd is the heart of Redwood City. I think every city has a road like Veterans Blvd which serves as primarily the main road where the malls, banks, restaurants, movie theaters and various other places are located. Various Blvd houses all of those places, some residential places and a couple of parks. It is one of the busiest streets in Redwood besides the freeways at least in traffic count. The road was repaved a couple of years ago and expanded to a total of four lanes with two on each side and a barrier was erected some three inches off the ground. Traffic can be heavy at times especially during rush hour and the weekends. If you want to enjoy a very common consumer activity then there is no avoiding Veterans Blvd.