A Perfect Summer Saturday in San Mateo

Start slow. Grab a cup from one of the best coffee spots in town, then point the car up the hill to the Saturday farmers' market at the College of San Mateo. It runs 9am to 1pm and it's the biggest around, eighty-plus vendors with produce, flowers, food trucks, and prepared food, plus one of the best views on the Peninsula. Go early if you want the good stuff and an easy parking spot.

Once your market haul is in the trunk, drive out to Seal Point Park at the east end of 3rd Avenue. It's the old city dump, capped and reborn as a breezy bayfront park with a big three-acre off-leash dog park and the Bay Trail running right through it. Locals come out here to walk, run, hike, and jog the long staircase that faces the water. Pick a direction and go: head north toward Coyote Point for a walk along the water and make your way back, or south past the golf course, where you can post up and watch the kite surfers skim the bay with the San Mateo Bridge behind them. Pack a lunch and make an hour of it, or save your appetite for downtown.

If you didn't pack a lunch for the trail, swing into downtown and grab a small bento from Kaz Teriyaki Grill on 4th Avenue, a tiny takeout counter locals have leaned on for years for fresh teriyaki with homemade sauce. Carry it over to Central Park and eat on the lawn. When you're done, wander into the park's Japanese Garden, a quiet koi-pond corner most visitors never expect to find in the middle of town, and walk off lunch under the maples.

Refreshed, head back into the heart of downtown and just wander. B Street and the blocks around it are stacked with shops, boutiques, and cafes, easy to lose an hour in. Our downtown walking tour and downtown guide both point you to the highlights worth a browse.

Catch your breath after all that walking, then settle in for dinner. You're spoiled for choice: go big with all-you-can-eat rodizio at Espetus Churrascaria on B Street, pick a downtown standby from the eat and drink guide, or work through the best sushi or best pizza lists. Downtown keeps it walkable, so park once and take your time.

Cap the night close by. Start with a cocktail at Mortar & Pestle on B Street, an industrial-chic lounge known for house-made syrups and Indian-inspired drinks, then walk over to O'Neill's Irish Pub to hang with the locals over a pint. For more spots to end the night, the happy hour guide has you covered. That's a full San Mateo Saturday, market to last call.

If your weekend is flexible, the Central Park Music Series brings free live music to the park every Thursday evening through August 6. Grab dinner to go, spread out a blanket, and let the kids run. It's summer in San Mateo at its easiest.