Baylands - Redwood City, CA Area Guide

Redwood City began as Redwood Creek, a deep water channel that transformed the area into San Francisco's best working port. Originally inhabited by the Ohlone people, the Spanish missions devasted their population before the channel was discovered. Businesses erected along this channel thrived with their proximity to the port, expanding the area into the charter city that currently exists as Redwood City.

The historic architecture can be seen throughout the city thanks to the Historic Preservation Ordinance. The San Mateo County History Museum offers long-term and interactive exhibits and provides hands-on experiences with the local school district. The museum charges $6 for adults and $4 for students and seniors.

Redwood City keeps the arts alive through its ART on the Square annual event, featuring music, children's activities, celebrated artists, sculpture, fine arts, and knitted and fabric art.

Some of Redwood City's prime eateries lay only 3 miles away from Baylands, less than a 10-minute drive away along Broadway St.

Vesta transforms tapas into a full meal, calling them "small plates" to be paired with your choice of a white- or red-sauced wood-fired pizza. Patrons favor the Sausage and Honey Pizza, which features mascarpone cheese, serrano chili and spicy Italian sausage. You have to try the Charcuterie tapas of salame rosa, soppresata, proscuitto and olives. Although the atmosphere lends itself to a more upscale restaurant, Vesta does not enforce a formal dress code and also supplies parking for its cycling customers. Make a reservation, or expect a longer wait for a table in the outdoor area.

Only a block away from Vesta stands La Viga, a seafood restaurant that incorporates local sustainable ingredients to create unique latin dishes. La Viga earns its press-covered status from the moment you sit down by offering chips, gourmet salsa and attentive service. Chef Manuel Martinez receives high praise for his Pescado Sarandeado, a branzino fish grilled whole served over saffron rice with vegetables and covered in a chipotle tomato sauce. The Cochinita Pibil showcases a yucatan-style braised pork served over creamy plantain and cilantro rice paired with pickled onions and oranges. Try the coconut flan for dessert served with fruit and made in-house.

Even Redwood City's nightlife thrives in this same area. Located only 3 miles from Baylands, 840 Wine Bar and Cocktail Lounge makes cocktails using only freshly squeezed fruit juices and fruit purees and holds an extensive wine list. The atmosphere plays off its wine theme, utilizing wine barrels as tables and wine corks for decoration. Though all of the cocktails receive great reviews, the Scottish Mule and House Sangria remain consistent favorites. Come in on a Friday or Saturday night to enjoy a live DJ or band. With three televisions, a fireplace and comfortable seating, 840 Wine Bar and Cocktail Lounge allows you to relax and feel at home.

Public transportation readily services downtown Redwood City rather than the Baylands area. However, residents and visitors can reach downtown Redwood City via the SamTrans bus line at $2 a trip or $5 for a day pass. Once downtown, go throughout Redwood City or venture into Palo Alto on the Caltrain for $3.25 to $13.25 through one of the six of the train's "zones." The Palo Alto shuttle can be reached via the Caltrain, which travels to 15 different stops at no charge for its passengers.

Redwood City contains a number of reliable cab companies. For a personalized experience, Uber and Lyft both offer rides. Just download the Uber or Lyft app to have someone pick you up.

For those driving themselves, you can easily access Hwy 101 or I-280. Cyclists and pedestrians may have some difficulty traveling in Baylands, but Redwood City has plenty of bike trails and bike-friendly roads.

The most notorious park in this area remains the Baylands Nature Preserve located a half hour drive from the Baylands neighborhood. This park exhibits 15 miles of tidal and fresh water habitats, which can be witnessed from the many walking, running and hiking trails. People come to kayak or canoe along the San Francisco Bay and to catch glimpses of birds migrating the Pacific Flyway.

Hoover Park offers amenities such as ball fields, a playground and basketball courts closer to Baylands in Redwood City. Mostly all of the local parks feature play areas or playground equipment for children. Though leashed dogs are welcome in these parks, they must be kept off the sports fields and the children's areas. Shore Dogs Park provides a dog-welcome environment.

Redwood City features a number of city-wide annual events. Some of these include the city summer concert series, music and movies on the square, Hometown Holidays and the salsa festival.

Baylands in Redwood City nearly doubles the national cost of living and is 2 percent higher than San Francisco. Getting to the center of Redwood City from Baylands via public transportation may cost between $5 and $10, considering only the SamTrans bus line travels from Baylands to the surrounding areas. If you want to get to San Francisco or Palo Alto, transferring from the bus to the train can easily cost you over $10. A one-bedroom residence rents for approximately $2,300. A bottle of beer ranges from $4-$6, and gas prices tower at about 9 percent above national average.

Baylands residents will have to trek outside of Redwood City for the best shopping options, but the drive to downtown Palo Alto clocks in at about 20 minutes. Less than 10 miles away sit the Stanford Shopping Center and downtown Palo Alto, which features a number of shops for art, clothing, books, and accessories. As this entire area houses residents with money to spare, Stanford Shopping Center tailors to high-fashion seekers. This dog-friendly outdoor mall features its landscaping as one of its perks with plenty of benches for shoppers to rest between stores. Consisting of high-end stores such as Gucci, Neiman Marcus, and Burberry, this popular shopping center's only trouble lies in its limited parking options. Stanford Shopping Center offers luxury options without having to drive into the middle of San Francisco. This place draws a crowd on weekends, so prepare to have trouble parking then. In Her Shoes not only sells an extensive inventory of women's jewelry, clothing and accessories but it also donates 100 percent of its funds to the Global Fund for Women. This moderately priced store appeals to women looking for elegant to casual to business attire while remaining the world's largest charity funding women's rights. If you're shopping for the perfect gift for her, run in and get a gift card so that she can pick that perfect something herself. Both a historical landmark and home to over 150,000 volumes, Bell's Books features rare, new, and used books. As soon as you walk into Bell's Books, note the floor to ceiling bookshelves. The avid collector can muse over the 17th-century collection printed on handmade linen paper while the fiction lover skims through the newest best seller. Bell's Books frequently services award-winning authors, celebrities and political leaders as well as the general book-loving community. Step into this thriving business to witness it's old-fashioned charm and massive book selection. Baylands' residents have a number of grocery stores to choose from, including Safeway, Grocery Outlet, Whole Foods and Dehoff's Key Markets. However, the favorite of these remains Sigona's Farmers Market - a family-owned produce and specialty store. With organic fruit and over 250 varieties of cheese, no other grocery store competes with Sigona's options. You can even purchase dried fruits, nuts, balsamic vinegar or olive oil online and have it shipped to your home.