Driving north on 101 I enjoy looking at the gently rounded Belmont hills studded with homes and looking slightly European. Belmont, aka Bella Monte or beautiful mountain offers the luxury of two worlds: hills for those who like a more private lifestyle and flat lands for those who abhor windy narrow roads and challenging parking! What’s it to be, a view of the planes coming in to land at San Francisco airport, or one of the neighborhood with children riding their bikes? Belmont has both.
To say that Belmont has a formal downtown might be stretching it a bit, but it does offer a small shopping community around El Camino Real and Ralston and another charming shopping center around Ralston and Alameda de las Pulgas; this is the Carlmont Village Shopping Center that has a certain low-key charm reminiscent of bygone days. If friendly service is of value to you, this is the center to drop by and browse.