Destination Burlingame

October 25, 2013 — Burlingame, SFO, tourism

I stayed recently in the town of Burlingame, CA for a 5 day visit to the Bay Area. I chose the spot for the convenience to the airport and the great little guest cottage I had found on air bnb.  The dueña is a designer, of both the interior and the landscape kinds.  The space and garden are so secluded and private that I enjoyed the instant retreat when I stepped into my yard.  I had planned to spend time in San Francisco and the East Bay during my 5 day stay.  The CalTrain 6 blocks from my cottage made the transport  into town simple and fast.  I spent two days without leaving the town of Burlingame because the first was exploration, and the second was enjoying the town with my friend from Berkeley.  I was pleased to introduce locals to the fabulous La Corneta Taqueria downtown, where the salsa bar is second to none anywhere.  When my friend Donna came to visit she gave me an intuitive reading, which was excellent.  After that we just did not feel like going out to town, so we took the advice of the landlady and tried GrubHub for food delivery.  While we drank the wine my landlady had provided a nearby Indian restaurant prepared a feast and delivered it to the cottage.  We dined in my lovely backyard dining area, savoring the food and the private setting.

The downtown shopping area of Burlingame is full of cute individual businesses and a few key chains like Starbucks.  The two extreme star businesses are the PEZ museum, near the train station down town, and Nini’s Cafe, which was only a couple of blocks from my house.  Nini’s is the only place in California where you can look around and see absolutely nobody looking at a cell phone.  The atmosphere is maintained by three generations of family proprietors who run the business in person, taking very good care of loyal customers. After my giant Popeye omelet, I am now a loyal customer myself.  I found the town of Burlingame to have everything I like and nothing that I don’t like.  I would recommend the garden cottage to anyone for a layover or a retreat in the San Francisco area.  It is charming, extra comfortable, and designed for serene privacy.  The neighborhood is just lovely.