Downtown

Redwood City sometimes gets a little bit of bad wrap these days—especially when considered in comparison to some of its more hoity-toity Peninsula neighbors. Downtown Redwood City, however, is a pretty cool spot. The lower rents seem to make it a much easier sell for business owners.

Here’s what you can do in Downtown Redwood City:

1. Go to a really good restaurant. There are actually a number of them:

--Donato Enoteca: The best classy restaurant in Redwood City, this Italian restaurant really rocks it!

---New Kapadokia: A great Turkish place which I would also recommend.

---Tarboosh—a Mediterranean joint which I particularly enjoy.


2. Go to cool nightspot. There are actually more cool nightspots in Redwood City than a lot of places in Peninsula:

---The Redwood City Underground Pub: Just a classic pub scene with a pretty good crowd.

--The Living Room: A 90’s coffee house style bar (think Central Perk with beer); you know, red walls and couches.

---840: Really cool decorating—feels a little bit like you are in an underground wine cellar. Kind of romantic. Good date spot. Best cocktails in town.

--Sodini’s: The place to go if you want to torture people with your karaoke.

3. Shopping:

--Pickled: Somewhat pricey women’s clothing store. You can find some nice stuff.

--Old Navy: Yes, they have the usual suspects here as well in terms of chain stores.

4. Movie Theaters:

--The Century 20: Big megaplex—all the mainstream movies are here. Right now for example, Hunger Games and the remake of 21 Jump Street.

5. Family Fun: You are also by a lot of place to go just for outright family fun:

--Malibu Castle Golf: A humungous miniature golf course.

--Malibu Grandprix: Go Kart racing at it best!

--Batting Cages: Part of the same fun park area.

So put simply Downtown Redwood City has got it going on. It is definitely a destination for weekend fun.

So what about actually living in this area?

I couldn’t really recommend that. There is just too much going on and too little selection of places to live—although I can see the attraction of just walking to your favorite restaurants or bars rather than driving in.

An apartment around here is moderately priced for the Peninsula, with a one-bedroom going for $1450/month.

Overall, I would recommend living somewhere else and just renting a place here.

Situated along the southern side of US Route 101, Downtown Redwood City is your typical downtown quarters of a mid-sized California town. It has, however, gone under a recent facelift (Redwood City’s 2006 redevelopment project). As a result, the district offers plenty of fine dining options, boutique shops, mid-rise commercial buildings and office parks. For perspective residents, the community is rather dense, with a total population of 10,000 within a 1 square mile terrain. And demographically speaking, it is made up mostly hispanic residents (over 60%), with a large white minority.

Downtown Redwood City’s quarters is a varied assortment of commercial makeup. Its largest establishment is the Cinemark Movie Theater, a 20-screen multiplex located along Broadway. Moreover, right down the street is the popular Fox Theatre. The venue hosts a variety of live shows and concerts almost every night. As for the rest of the neighborhood, visitors will come across the various shops, boutique stores, ground floor retail space, local government buildings and large parking garages that have sprouted up in recent years (most of which sit along Broadway). The area always seems to be buzzing with window shoppers and the drive-in workforce. However, there are a few ragtag commercial blocks and gaudy shop fronts sprinkled throughout the area. For the job seeker, there are a plethora of mid-rise office buildings (surrounded by above and below ground parking garages) and office parks plotted around the fringe of the community.

If you’d like to live here, the community is largely rental friendly. Apartment buildings and duplexes are somewhat sparse and located within pockets of the neighborhood. Their price tags are upwards of $1,000/month, while median household incomes are just below $45,000/year. Its one biggest perk is its proximity to the San Francisco Bay (within a 5-10 minute drive). For young families, the Sequoia Union High School District skirts the western corner of the neighborhood and serve the communities of Atherton, Belmont, East Palo Alto and Ladera to name a few.