Mark's Musings

Monta Loma Neighborhood and the Mid-Peninsula

Categories:
Tags:

Monta Loma (MLN) in Mountain View, CA is a great neighborhood. We have very little crime, are well connected to transit, and people often get to know their neighbors, e.g. more likely to find some sense of community. Long before nextdoor, the community had a website, mailing list and for a while, a wiki. We have block parties, a gardening group, CERT team, etc. There was (and maybe still is) a babysitting coop. MLN is located near many high tech employers like Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Apple. Google X is located at the edge of the neighborhood. MLN is close to Stanford, Foothill College, Stanford Hospital, Camino Hospital. Caltrain provides access to San Francisco, and San Jose is a reverse commute drive (which is good, because rush hour traffic the other way is brutal).

History

Monta Loma was constructed in the 1950s as affordable housing in a “California Modern” style by three different developers. It’s on the northern end of Mountain View, adjacent to Palo Alto, and Los Altos. The neighborhood is bordered by the roads San Antonio, Middlefield, Rengstorff, and Central Expressway. Originally the residence were people in the “trades” and “white collar workers” looking for starter homes. Many never “upgraded” because they loved the neighborhood. In fact, we have several multi-generational family who live in several homes because they all wanted to stay in the neighorhood. In the late 1990s the demographic shifted as the original residents retired to less expensive locations and the houses (then selling for $1M, now >$2M) were generally only “affordable” to people in high tech. Like the rest of the Bay Area, the neighborhood is multi-cultural with a significant number of people who were born outside of the USA. When I walk through the neighborhood park I often hear English, Russian, German, Mandarin, Spanish, Hebrew, plus a number of languages I can’t identify.

Transportation

I can mostly walk or bike to my daily routines, but most people are car dependent. Monta Loma is well located for getting around the mid-penisula, or a base to explore the Northern California.

  • Walk to San Antonio Center, The Village at San Antonio, and Monta Loma Plaza with a selection of stores, restaurants, fitness facilities, art studios, and an Icon movie theater.
  • Bikeways routes to many local companies, schools and city centers. Some notes for recreational cyclists. Just be careful. Motorists aren’t as careful here as some places. I have a number of friends who have been severely hurt by careless motorists, especially on Foothill Expressway.
  • Cars have fairly easy access to 101, 280, 85, and Central Expressway. There are a few cars in the neighborhood listed on Turo. Enterprise, Hertz, and Avis have small rental car offices within a couple of miles. In the past I found good rates from acar which is a local rental company a mile from the neighborhood, but recently they haven’t had any availably.

Groceries & Supplies

Less than 1-2 miles from the center of Monta Loma:

  • Safeway: The most common grocery store around the area. Smaller store located in neighborhood in the San Antonio Plaza, larger store is in The Village at San Antonio.
  • Trader Joes: Quirky grocery store beloved by it’s patrons. Reasonably priced, small but well curated set of fresh foods, with a very tasty selection of prepared and frozen foods, especially their appetizers.
  • Whole Foods: Pricy organic groceries. Whole Foods has a nice selection of prepared foods. Whole Foods also has an Amazon pickup-drop off center.
  • Walmart, Target, Costco: classic big box stores with just about everything you might need
  • Piazzas: Locally owned grocery. A bit pricey, but good selection
  • Dittmers: Classic German butcher shop with excellent sausage, meats, and interesting collection of imported European food.
  • Crossroads Speciality Foods: imported European, middle eastern, and west African foods.
  • Midwife and the Baker: Local artisan baker.
  • Cost Plus World Market: Imported packaged foods and household goods
  • Drug Store: Safeway in The Village at San Antonio, Target, and Costco have “in store” pharmacy. The closest 24-hour drug store is now the Walgreens at Grant and El Camino.
  • Mountain View Ace Hardware, Bruce Bauer lumber, True Value Hardware

Nearby there are a number of farmer’s markets and many ethnic grocery stores including large supermarkets like Ranch 99. If you are looking for a shopping mall, Stanford Mall is the closest. Westfield Valley Fair Mall in Santa Clara is one of the larger / better indoor malls.

Restaurants

Within a mile of Monta Loma I would recommend

  • Saaj: reasonably price fast/casual Mediterranean
  • Armadillo Willie’s: Texas style BBQ
  • Estrellita: Mexican, with traditional dishes from Chiapas and Oaxaca
  • Pacific Catch: Fresh fish… there are better places but none closer
  • Dumpling Garden: The closest Chinese restaurant. Food is decent. Best Chinese is in Fremont and Cupertino.
  • Sushi Jin: Pricy but good sushi. Fish flown in from Tokyo.
  • Il Fornaio: Local chain of Italian restaurants
  • The Breakfast Club: Local brunch chain started in SJ
  • Dohatsuten Ramen: Ramen & Japanese “tapas”
  • Craftsman & Wolves: Tasty pasty and small bites
  • Poke Bar location inside Ava’s on Castro street is a bit more than 1 mile, but it’s the closest Poke place and one of Jackie’s favorite

Also within approximately a mile there are a number of other restaurants including: Rincon Sabroso, Baji’s Cafe, Wild Onion Bistro, China Wok, Fairchild Public House, Shake Shack, Mendocino Farms, Dong Lai Shun, Veggie Grill, Boba Bliss, Mizu Sushi, The Counter, Chilli, Gen Korean BBQ, Wingstop, Sushi 88, Chef Chu’s, Esther’s German Bakery, Teaspoon Los Altos, Pasta Mart, Noodle Talk, Sushiko, A Good Morning, Veggie Garden. Breakfast Club should be opening shortly.

There are more options a short drive to Castro Street in Downtown Mountain View, Main Street in Los Altos, California Avenue in Palo Alto, and University Avenue in Palo Alto. For the best food you will want to head up to San Francisco or to the Napa Valley, but there are a number of restaurants in the mid-peninsula / South Bay I would recommend. Most are chef / owner operated:

  • Vaso Azzurro (Mountain View, Italian). Friendly, good food, a bit noisy indoors
  • Alpine Inn (Portola Valley, Burgers and wood fired pizza). Most seating are picnic benches which are shaded by umbrellas next to a creek.
  • Alice’s Restaurant (Woodside, Brunch & Burgers) At skyline drive and 84. Great place to stop while biking, hiking, or motoring near Skyline.
  • St Michael’s Alley (Palo Alto, Californian) Classic, long time favorite
  • Taverna (Palo Alto, Greek)
  • Evvia (Palo Alto, Greek)
  • Wildseed (Palo Alto, Vegetarian) Tasty and beautiful oat tree/outdoor seating.
  • Vino Locale (Palo Alto, Wine Bar) Music, art, wine, small bites. Started out trying to recreate experience of local bar on the piazza serving only local foods wine.
  • Cascal (Mountain View, Tapas). Very noisy inside, outside great in good weather. Can dance. Food is “ok”.
  • Flea Street Cafe (Menlo Park, Farm to Table). Vegetable tasting plate is always good
  • Amber (Mountain View, Indian)
  • Vive Sol (Mountain View, Mexican). The guajillo chicken is excellent. The extended family also owns Fiesta Del Mar, Palo Alto Sol, La Fiesta.
  • Gochi Fusion Tapas  (Mountain View, Japanese Fusion)
  • Happy Lamb Hot Pot (Mountain View, Chinese hotpot)
  • Cafe Nur (Los Altos, Turkish)
  • La Bodeguita Del Medio (Palo Alto, Cuban)
  • Sundance (Palo Alto, Steak)
  • Bistro Vida (Menlo Park, French)… feels and tastes like small bistros in Paris
  • Rosewood (Menlo Park, Bar Food) Sliders are good, Jazz Saturday nights, interesting people watching, infamous for “Cougar Night” on Thursdays.
  • Dish Dash (Sunnyvale, Mediterranean)
  • Kabul (Sunnyvale, Afghani)
  • Zareen’s (Palo Alto, Pakistani)
  • Coconuts (Palo Alto, Caribbean)
  • Palo Alto Creamery (Palo Alto, Diner)

Some places that have been recommended to me but I haven’t tried yet.

Fast food that is within a couple of miles includes: In-and-Out Burgers, Panera Bread, Five Guys, Jersey Mike’s Subs, Krispy Cream Donuts, Subway, McDonalds, Peet’s Coffee, StarBucks, Little Caesar’s Pizza, Panda Express, Chipotle, KFC, Taco Bell, Jack in the Box… I am sure there are others as well.

Nearby Points of Interest

The following are generally places that are within a 15 minute drive. There are many more places in the greater Bay Area.

Parks

  • Monta Loma Park – tiny park used by families with pre-school aged children. There are cut through where Laura Lane bends, and the where Anna turns into Elka Ave.
  • Rengstorff Park – community pool, skate park, picnic area with grills
  • Eagle Park – community pool, large fields
  • Shoreline Park – Where Mountain View meets the bay. Picnic area, kids play area, small “lake” where you can rent small sailboats and paddle boats. A couple of small restaurants, a historical house you can rent for gatherings all connected by a multi-purpose path which goes from near the SFO airport down to Sunnyvale.
  • Shoup Park – Los Altos. A pretty redwood grove with a small creek, picnic area with grills, and a “party house” that can be rented for gatherings.
  • Rancho San Antonio – Closest park into the Santa Cruz foothills. Rhus Ridge is the closest trailhead. The parking lot is typically full. Often need to park at Foothill College and walk to the trailhead.
  • Wunderlich Park – A bit further (in Woodside), but one of our favorite. Nice hikes including the possibility of a mid-hike lunch of Alice’s Restaurant on Skyline drive.
  • Bicycling – Not a “park”… a number of good road bike routes. I understand the Santa Cruz hills have a number of great mountain bike paths, though I have no personal experience.
  • List of all the Mountain View City Parks

Children

Health Care & Emergencies

Dial 911 to reach emergency operator on any local phone / cell phone

The two closest emergency rooms are about the same distance from our home.

The two biggest medical practices in the area are Sutter Health/Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) and Kaiser

Other Information

Discover more from Mark’s Musings

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Leave a Reply