South San Francisco

Truth be told, the 'rough' reputation that South San Francisco has is nowadays mostly undeserved. The first thing you'll notice is a gigantic sign on the hill between South SF (or as the locals say, "South City") and Brisbane which reads in block capitals: "SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO THE INDUSTRIAL CITY". Yes, it is industrial, but not so much anymore. Mostly what that means is there are a bunch of warehouses and train tracks in the southeast corner of South City, and whoops now you're at the airport.
The people of South City seem to be broken down ethnically into thirds, with a third being Pan-Asian (Chinese, Japanese, and a sizable Filipino population - see Daly City for more), a third being Mexican/South American, and a third being white folk with a concentration of Italians.
Weather-wise, South City is on the cusp between fog and sun. Sometimes the fog is carved off by the mountain between South City and Pacifica, but other times it continues on through and keeps things cool. It can get windy in the hills any time of year.

• By plane. South San Francisco is just north of and adjacent to the San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
• By train. The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train system connects SFO and South San Francisco, with just one stop at San Bruno in between. BART also connects South San Francisco with San Francisco and the East Bay. CalTrain connects South San Francisco with San Francisco and the South Bay.
• By bus. The bus system SamTrans (San Mateo County Transit Authority) connects South San Francisco with the rest of the Peninsula.
• By car. Two major freeways, US 101 or Interstate 280, connects South San Francisco to San Francisco and to San Jose.

Culturally, South City is pretty barren. It is after all a suburb, but you are 20 minutes away by BART or car from the heart of San Francisco, 20 minutes away from the glorious beaches of Pacifica, and 20 minutes away from Burlingame. SSF is a mouse among giants. After you've seen Sign Hill, you've seen the highlight. Strip malls and lots of single family homes and apartments dominate the city. You can park your car when you go shopping (no mean feat if you lived in San Francisco itself) and can get around pretty much anywhere. Few suburbs enjoy as much diverse cultural attractions within a 20-minute radius as South City.

• The GrandSouth City's downtown strip. This is where you can find some authentic Mexican bakeries, pastries and burritos.

• Serramonte Shopping CenterA mall located in Daly City just south of where the coastal Hwy CA 1 and mid-peninsula Interstate 280 meet.

• A commercial strip runs south from Serramonte along Gellert Blvd. for a few blocks.
• At Gellert and Westborough is the Westborough Square Shopping Center
• El Camino Real and Westborough Road centers on a commercial cluster for everything you might wish to find.

• Tanforan Shopping CenterBuilt on the site of the old Tanforan horse racing track in San Bruno, but is considered home to many South City people. Through the good times and the bad, this mall has held its own.

Food-wise, South City offers up some of the best Mexican and Italian food you could ever hope for. Indian and Thai food is not much spoken for.

• Hung To Seafood Restaurant

  phone: +1 650 877-0828
  address: 221 South Spruce Ave
  Outstanding dim sum is served here. Go with several friends if you can, so that you can try more items.

There are plenty of bars to get soused with the locals.

• Best Western Grosvenor Airport Hotel

  phone: +1 650 873-3200
  address: 380 S Airport Blvd

• Comfort Suites San Francisco Airport

  phone: +1 650 589-7100
  address: 121 E. Grand Ave

• Days Inn South San Francisco-North

  phone: +1 650 873-9300
  address: 1113 Airport Blvd

• Embassy Suites - Airport South

  phone: +1 650 589-3400
  address: 250 Gateway Blvd

• Holiday Inn Express San Francisco Airport North

  phone: +1 650 589-0600
  address: 373 South Airport Blvd

• Holiday Inn San Francisco Airport North

  address: 275 South Airport Blvd

• Inn at Oyster Point30 oversized suite-style lodging accommodations near SFO International Airport and attractions. Park and Fly, and extended stay packages available.

• Larkspur Landing South San Francisco

  phone: +1 650 827-1515
  address: 690 Gateway Blvd
  Complimentary airport shuttle, healthy breakfast, fitness room, spa, grocery shopping and more amenities.

• Motel 6 San Francisco Airport

  phone: +1 650 877-0770
  address: 111 Mitchell Ave

• Residence Inn San Francisco Airport/Oyster Point Waterfront

  phone: +1 650 837-9000
  address: 1350 Veterans Blvd

• Comfort Inn & Suites San Francisco Airport West

  phone: +1 650 589-5089
  address: 611 San Bruno Ave East, San Bruno, California, USA, 94066
  Free WiFi, complimentary breakfast, airport shuttle, free parking, and complimentary fitness passes

North to the heart San Francisco, east to catch a flight out of SFO, south to the Peninsula, and west to the beaches—all within 20 minutes.