Lakeside

This is actually the area around the SFSU campus. San Francisco State University like a lot of the state schools is somewhat of a commuter school. Although some students will move close to campus, since most students are from California to begin with at SFSU, you don’t get quite the college town experience that you do at Stanford or Berkeley.

That said, there are still a fair number of students who do want to get the full college experience at SFSU and therefore do search out apartments that allow them to walk to class. This can get kind of tricky in this area however, since many of the nearby neighborhoods have prohibitively high rents for students. In this neighborhood, prices vary quite a bit with individual rooms going for sometimes as little as $600 while a two bedroom house next to campus might go for $2600. This is a lot of variation, so shopping around and being patient helps.

As far as the actual neighborhood goes, 19th Avenue is really busy and so it does create a bit of a noise problem. There is also a fair amount of graffiti and many students have complained to me that they do not feel particularly safe around campus, especially at nighttime. Reported crimes don’t seem to bear this out, so it may have more to do with perception than with reality in this case.

Just off 19th however, the squat, little homes that make up the residential streets are very well-kept and look almost idyllic. It is a stark difference as compared with somewhat fast-paced urban feel of 19th Avenue.

Mercy High, a Catholic prep school, is at the northern end of neighborhood. It gets good reviews, but of course, because it is a private school, it is not required to post its test scores, so it’s hard to say how good it actually is. It definitely has some stiff competition from nearby Lowell High School, which is one of the best public schools in the city.

The Stonestown Galleria (Stonestown is actually an alternate name for Lakeside) is on the eastern end of the neighborhood—it is a big mall of the Fast Times at Ridgemont High variety, so you will certainly be able to go shopping for clothing or whatever you should need here. There are few restaurants there as well including an Olive Garden (now that’s Italian!). You basically have all the conveniences of a suburban area.

As far as nightlife, the campus has a pub and pool hall right on the southern end which is a bit of a hangout for SFSU students—though really, most head into the city to really party. As far as restaurants, beyond the amazing cuisine of the aforementioned Olive Garden (sarcasm alert!), you also have a couple of fairly mediocre sushi places and a handful of other fairly forgettable type establishments—basically the same kind of places you can find in a million other suburban areas throughout the country.

Put simply, this neighborhood is really just about SFSU and little else.

Lakeside is a skinny strip of land wedged between San Francisco State University and Merced Heights. It is mostly known for its middle class character, manicured front lawns bordered by white picket fences and neatly arranged homes. Some college students even rent homes here with its close proximity to the university. City noise can be quite disturbing for the locals with highway 1 running along the western border and busy Junipero Serra Boulevard edging the eastern border.

Although the neighborhood is quite clean and well-maintained, there’s little perks within the area. The district offers a neighborhood shopping center (Stonestown Galleria) which includes the essentials: a cafe, deli, grocery stores, big name shopping stores and fast food restaurants.

For public transportation, the community benefits from the M line that travels up and down 19th Avenue. As well as the K and T line that runs east and west. During the week, the Muni is usually packed with college students from San Francisco State University but many students exit on 19th and Mercedes Way (where many Lakeside residents hop on). However, the district offers plenty of street parking for the avid driver.

Many of the locals benefit from Harding Park Golf Course, which lies just west of the neighborhood. Rates are a bit expensive, but the course offers 18-holes.

The Lakeside neighborhood is located directly east of San Francisco State University. If you happen to be going to this school, the location can’t be beat. I imagine a lot of faculty members and their children live in Lakeside.

This part of town is bordered on the East by Junipero Serra Blvd and stretches north all the way to Sloat Blvd. Incidentally, Lakeside is also home to Lakeside Presbyterian Center for Children, which has been called the city’s best preschool. However, don’t move to Lakeside just to get your kids into this school. As with most “fancy” preschools these days, there is a significant waiting list. Personally, I am not into the snobby preschool scene, but to each his or her own.

Another advantage to Lakeside is that you will find a ton of shopping at Stonestown Galleria, which is essentially a large mall next to San Francisco State University. The mall has all the traditional offerings including a Nordstroms, Borders Bookstore, and movie theatre. If you are more into traditional mall stores like Gap, Banana Republic and Macy’s, you will appreciate the location of Lakeside being so close by to all this retail.

Lakeside is a compact, long and narrow community bordered by Highway 1 and just to the south of Sloat Boulevard. Here you will find the Merced Library on Stonecrest Drive, Stonestown Galleria (for all your shopping needs), and San Francisco State University down on 19th Avenue.

Grab a bite at the upscale diner named Lakeshore Café, known for its great service and good food. This café has ample parking and a low noise rating making it quite cozy.

If you want to get your child enrolled in one of the more prestigious pre-schools in the Bay Area, look no further, Lakeside Presbyterian Center for Children has it all in terms of high-end education. Expect a waiting list.

If you need a good dentist, and I did a few years back, Lakeside Dental is known for excellent care and treatment.