27 Jun Aside from Living Here, San Mateo Is Fun for Your Assignee and His Family

What is the best part about living in San Mateo? If you’re primary concern is commuting, it does take about 30 minutes from any part of the Bay Area. Living next to the 92 bridge means you can avoid Bay Bridge traffic.  Also, San Mateo is now one of the cities that California Corporate Housing serves.

San Mateo is known for its groundedness and strong community spirit while also giving the same vibe as Silicon Valley’s innovators and startups. Work-life balance is certainly a principle lived out by its denizens — and it shows in the overall peace and contentment visitors are quick to see among long-time residents.

Neighborhood associations and various civic groups take an active part in securing and promoting the welfare of their members. Assignees with very young children in particular would be relieved to hear of the many local government programs that enhance the rights of these young individuals, while creating safety mechanisms that prevent their slightest abuse or neglect.

Like the other cities surrounding it, San Mateo has its own list of choice destinations. But again what assignees, especially those with families and young children, would be drawn to are fun activities that are a bit different from the usual park, museum, or nature trail. Plus, the fact that it has one of the best high schools in northern California.

San Mateo’s homey, serene atmosphere belies a spirit of fun and enchantment that sizzles just under that calm. It’s like there’s a surprise in every corner, or a wonderful story to be told. Assignees who would want to try something unusual and entertaining can try the following destinations below—and chances are they would leave those places with experiences that they would find hard to forget.

If you’re thinking about living here, it’s easy to find information online but if you want to experience it first, nothing replaces going with your family to check it out.

CuriOdyssey would be the first stop for science lovers, kids who want to know more about the world around them, and the rest of us who want to recapture the part of the magic we had left behind as we grew into adulthood.

This “serious science playground,” as described in its website, allows its visitors to encounter first-hand rare animals in their natural habitats. About 100 of them house unique species like golden eagles, bobcats, and desert turquoises, and the visitors who talk the 4,000-foot aviary walkway get a first-hand look on how to properly take care of them. Then natural science exhibits take the visitor away from the lab and immerse them first-hand to interact with the soil, the sunlight, and running streams, opening their eyes to the secrets that propel gravity and the power of the sun.

The aptly titled Come Float with US  is a place to de-stress unlike any other. The assignee or visitor can take a break from his cares and float in a tank that is filled with warm water and 1,000 pounds of salt. The floating sensation lets the user’s mind and body relax, and often brings about a deep and restful sleep that is difficult to experience in our adrenaline-charged world. Expect assignees who work long hours and long nights to rejuvenate themselves in this oasis of harmony and peace.

The Pulgas Water Temple is a monument and a museum that has a watery twist. It is an engineering feat that shows how the best minds in San Mateo brought water to their once arid regions, channeling it through 160 miles across California. The waters were drilled in the Sierra Madre Mountains and funneled to the San Francisco Bay Area. It took more than 20 years to accomplish this feat, and the Temple is a reminder to the visitor and resident alike of the kind of pioneering spirit that made San Mateo what it is today.

The Reading Bug is an alternative to the hard-wired worker who spends the rest of his days in rooms filled with screens and gadgets. In this library-cum-storyteller-center, he can slow down and re-ignite his imagination by poring through the dozens of print (and not electronic) books in the shelves. But unlike the usual library, there are actual book clubs where he can discuss ideas and the things he had read about with kindred spirits. Kids can listen and play along as live readers re-enact and perform their favorite fables and tales.

The Ryptic Room Escape is a thriller that makes the visitor the hero of the action-laden plot. But this one does it in real-life and not in the safe digital confines of a virtual reality game. The visitor (or assignee) has to solve the mystery of a certain location or he will never get out. He can find himself in a spaceship held hostage by aliens or a haunted house ruled by poltergeists. While there are opportunities to run and hide, as in any thriller, the best bet to escape the prison and win the game is to use one’s deductive and creative-thinking abilities to solve the many puzzles laid across the mysterious rooms.