- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Leo J Ryan Memorial Park
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
25 reviews for Leo J Ryan Memorial Park
25 reviews in English
-
Review from Bounty h.
San Mateo, CA
12/31/2011 1 Check-in Here
Cant go wrong with Leo J Ryan Park.... I just wish the recreation center was less costly for events. I have been wanting to celebrate something there, but it is so damn expensive....
Anyway this is a masterpiece. If you have not been there, you got to be visiting very very soon. -
Review from Christina G.
Los Angeles, CA
12/14/2011 1 photo
Beautiful park! Come during the sunset--the light is gorgeous when it sparkles on the water against the backdrop of water-front homes. Very calming and relaxing just to take a walk here. Or sit at the gazebo, surrounded by the water on three sides.
-
Review from Liana R.
San Carlos, CA
12/30/2011
I recently took up Stand Up Paddle boarding, and the relative tranquility of Leo Ryan lagoon is perfect for the beginner. I've really missed the great workout and the lovely, quiet peace the sport offers during the cold weather. There is a community center on the site that has nice, clean restrooms to get in and out of your wetsuit. In the early morning hours, the water is pretty calm. Although skimming through the water is much more invigorating out in the Bay - (you won't have a staring contest with a harbor seal at LJR ;) - learning and confidence-building are better facilitated in a more controlled atmosphere. There are also windsurfing students on the lagoon, assorted kayakers, and a paddleboarding group that meets up for a water trek a couple of times a week!
-
Review from Emmalouise B.
San Mateo, CA
Right on the water the view here is gorgeous and so relaxing. Who would have thought such a place could be found in Foster City?
Amenities include Basketball, Bocce Ball and Tennis Courts, Rec Center, Picnic area and Restrooms.
There is also an outdoor Amphitheater and a Gazebo on the lake as well as wide paths so it's suitable for walkers, runners & cyclists.
Close to the E. Hillsdale Blvd shopping precinct it's a perfect location to pick up an Ice Cream at Cold Stone before taking a relaxing stroll along the waterfront. Perfect place to spend a lazy afternoon.
EDIT AUG '11:
Reading other reviews I gotta laugh at some of the comments... calling it an 'artificial river'... It's a lagoon, it's natural water and it's still.Listed in: Activities
-
Review from Sean M.
San Jose, CA
7/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
Well my review of this park is up for edit later. I am commenting on my limited experience with it during the 4th of July fireworks event.
I was very impressed at the setting of the park and the event. The waterfront is pretty urban-tastic. Great place to go for a stroll, a picnic setting, relaxing evening with a book and a glass of wine(probably prohibited but whatever).
The grass is well kept up. The park has an overall clean feel to it(wouldn't swim in the water of course).
The water area seems very relaxing for a nice small kayak paddle session or some wind surfing. Not sure of boating regulations or limitations here though.
I will definitely be back in the area for a non-event experience to report further on the facilities and quality of the park. -
Review from marevie t.
San Jose, CA
9/18/2011
Finally got the chance to walk around this park today! Its a short distance of a walk, but great for the water and definitely has been kept clean through out. I think I'll call this my "go to" park to just hang out on the grass and pull out a good book. Kinda neat.
-
Review from Shereen R.
Dublin, CA
3/22/2011 3 Check-ins Here
This rec center is a multi-purpose facility. Many of the classrooms feature a view of the Lagoon and are perfect for meetings, workshops or small parties.
The rooms are home to various adult & youth activities and classes. For larger meetings, parties, weddings or special events, the Lagoon Room is spacious, and features hardwood flooring, a wet bar and a spectacular view of the Lagoon.
The interactive map on the website is a great resource to help determine what room best suits your needs. -
Review from Romy I.
Oakland, CA
Updated - 9/19/2010
I used to think this was a great place when i started but I can now say it's one of the most dangerous ones in the Bay Area. What's particularly deceptive is that it appears to be this friendly, middle-class community, so the superficial cues like the lack of graffiti and the nice cars mask a lot of really weird mojo.
- When in doubt, run screaming to the Tennis players for help. They are really good people, and they were the ones who had a sense of decency and friendliness when I said hello.
- Conservative rightwing guys who look like little league dads have a fondness of standing in menacing groups near the community center. They like to stand in empty hallways near the women's bathroom as you exit to make you feel scared and threatened. I don't get this. You're a tall, rich powerful guy with all the privileges of the world, you look like the biggest weakling in the world trying to threaten a smaller woman who's done nothing against you.
Thank God I have a sense of morality and am not going to stop pointing out bad things just because people like this feel a need to threaten me.
I'm also grateful that I'm far more mature than the people who make this place a dangerous place for nice people. I can separate the sick bullies from the good people, and I'm very careful not to paint the entire community with the same brush. it's just a lot of bad elements causing a bad time for good people. They are the same kind of people who block trains from built in Burlingame and obsess over property values. They are going in the wrong direction and want to drag everyone down to their level.
Even more disturbing: these groups of conservative thug people in nice clothes are joined by old grannies and housewives who have nothing better to do than stop their car, stare menacingly at anyone there who doesn't fit into their idea of a perfect upper middle class community and then drive away.
If Christianity were a state religion which it probably should be, then the government should excommunicate these people. they are really spreading a lot of bad feelings. It can't help but affect the young people who should be able to enjoy this beautiful place.
- There are some shady women working in the community center next to the skatepark. This is NOT a place for female skateboarders to go-you will have to pacify a lot of mean-spirited conservative women who wear too much make-up. A girl started screaming uncontrollably at me, kept running out of the center saying nasty things and tried to turn people against me, then finally had to be carted away into a car by her boyfriend. I thought she might get a gun and kill me.
All through this a really aggressive conservative dad with a kid kept cackling and egging her on. His kid is going to be so messed up.
it's such a shame, it's such a great park and the kids are relatively OK, so all the bad stuff comes only from the parents. I feel bad for the children that come here--there are so many misguided adults int heir community.
I feel bad for the adults who are decent people but too afraid to stand up for being a decent human being.
I don't know why, but the feeling is always friendlier from the 1st generation immigrants who live there. Maybe it's because they have experienced what it's like to be an outsider and relatively disadvantaged and have a sense of morality. I'm sorry that I would have to write such a bad review of such a beautiful place, and that tehse people might unfairly be associated with the bad mojo that is Foster city, but maybe things might take a turn for the better if I speak my mind.Listed in: Skateboarding in the Bay Area
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
3/12/2010
The Foster City Skate park is one of the nicest beginner areas I've encountered so far. As they say,… Read more »
-
-
Review from Mona W.
7/15/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Not really a park just a small recreational area next to the artificial river. There are some good amenities like tennis courts, bocce ball and basketball courts. The waterfront is quite pretty and the park is very well maintained. A great place to relax and chill.
-
Review from Monica F.
South San Francisco, CA
4/13/2008
Love this place! The lagoon here in Foster City is unlike any other place here in the peninsula. Very family friendly, and overall relaxing atmosphere. I went kayaking here the other day and it's just a wonderful setting for laying out and reading a book, having a picnic, taking a walk or doing any recreational activity for that matter! There's an area where you can rent paddle boats, wind surfboards, or kayaks.
You'll never know that this city was built on a landfill with a location as beautiful as this!Listed in: Neither Yuppie nor…
-
Review from Apryl L.
Belmont, CA
7/4/2011
Still the best firework show on the Peninsula...I love it! Check out the extra events this year: http://www.fostercity....
-
Review from Henry S.
Dublin, CA
4/22/2009
This is such a beautiful park! Its very calm, serene and live with water fowl.
There is a large walking path and waterfront bocce ball court. The lawns are manicured and is a great place for a picnic on the water. This park features many cool amenities such as a large out door amphitheatre which sits right on the water, bbq & picnic tables, tennis courts, a community center and ample parking. -
Review from James L.
7/26/2008
I have some photos from the late 1970s (or is it early 1980s?) of my dad and uncles walking by the lagoon with their shirts off and making fools of themselves in true fob fashion. I think they even caught fish here a couple of times.
Anyway, if you ignore the fact that the park is adjacent to an extremely busy/noisy road, that it is entirely an artificial creation with a somewhat McMansion vibe to it, and that the eutrophic conditions in the lagoon make the water unappealingly murky, this is actually a great place to hang out and relax.
I prefer my parks to be less manicured and artificial and to have more than just a token dusting of trees, but I am a huge sucker for water features and waterfront views and I loved coming here as a child to look at the jellyfish bobbing up to the surface from the depths.
I wouldn't ever make a special trip to this park if I was looking for a place to spend a large chunk of my day - there honestly isn't much to do here unless you go out on the water - but whenever I'm in the area and I have some spare time the idea of having a quiet sit out by the lagoon and resting the mind is irresistible. -
Review from Gloria H.
5/13/2008
Enjoy this place because my hard earned money contributed to its beauty!
They did a fantastic job on this park. The grass is rich green, the flowers always blooming all along the lagoon so you are enjoying everything nature has to offer.
My nieces love coming to this park - so much space for them to run and be a kid. -
Review from Matt N.
San Francisco, CA
3/21/2007
This park is pretty cool, it is along the waterfront with a gazebo and some trees and stuff. Would be cooler if there was a skateboard park or something. My mom just got married here.
according to the website:
Leo J. Ryan Memorial Park encompasses 20 acres overlooking Central Lake, the largest water expanse in the lagoon system, and is home to the William E. Walker Recreation Center. Besides the wonderful waterfront setting, the Park includes an outdoor amphitheatre, sailboat tie-up facilities, boardwalk, lawn areas, and a gazebo on the lake. (Restroom facilities are also available.) -
Review from Jillian R.
Fremont, CA
7/31/2008
love to go this place for 4th of july fireworks! make sure to get a little bit early so you can be able to grab a seat on the clean cut grass RIGHT IN FRONT of the water! it's so pretty at night.. a bit chilly, but thats whats nice about this place. you can bring blankets and such..
nice romantic spot too if youre looking for one, or at least i think. -
Review from Kalin P.
Anchorage, AK
6/15/2008
Clean bathrooms. Need I say more??? We just moved here and are completely impressed with this park. Beautiful flowers and well kept grass.
-
Review from Rachel K.
Belmont, CA
5/29/2011
THIS PLACE IS GREAT!!! I am having my bat-mitzvah (I'm a jew, don't hate) at the rec center because I think the scenery is beautiful. We bring our sailboat here all the time and it's great. I would give this place five stars, but there is goose/seagull poop everywhere! :l it's pretty nasty!
-
Review from Apollo L.
Sunnyvale, CA
11/23/2006
Magnificent park fronting the Foster City Lagoon that features accessible docks and lots of room to get out there, stretch your legs, and enjoy the water front scenery. In the summer, the pavilion hosts concerts. I think this would be an excellent spot to put a kayak in the water. Can't wait to try it out.
-
Review from Leo C.
Union City, CA
7/9/2010 1 Check-in Here
This place is nice and big, they have a huge water area where you can rent boats and kayaks. I like the fourth of July fireworks here.
-
Review from W S.
San Mateo, CA
12/18/2008
I love water, and I love lakes, especially artificial lakes. My dream is to live by such a lake one day. =)
I went here with my mother-in-law on our way to 99 Ranch. We figured we would fit in a walk somewhere before doing our grocery shopping and heading back, but I didn't know where to stop at specifically. I drove by a lake that looked friendly to the public, and so when I saw a parking opportunity, I quickly seized it.
It was pretty windy that day, but there was not a cloud in the sky, so that made me happy. We walked around on a path right next to the condos by the lake, and then walked back to the main area with the tiny amphitheater and the statues. We talked about my wedding most of the time...I'm glad she enjoyed it and thought it was beautiful...my wedding that is, also...the park was beautiful too. Hahaha. -
Review from Julia L.
Berkeley, CA
3/9/2010
I like walking near the lagoon and being so close to the water. It's just very WINDY here though and gets pretty cold. Also check out the gazebo, that's pretty fun. One time I drove here with my Indian takeout food during lunch and tried to sit near the water, but my food almost got blown away so I ended up eating in the car. Good thing I didn't spill chicken tikka masala everywhere. The water is so beautiful nonetheless though. Nice place to do some beginning wind-surfing or kayaking!
-
Review from David O.
Foster City, CA
7/20/2009
I love Foster City so don't get me wrong but for a park its really coming up short .... for me FC its among the most beautify communities in the bay area so to have a park that is smaller than Costco across town is pretty sad indeed ... How many people that live in Foster City really spend their recreation time here? This is a great city so why is our park not as great?
-
Review from Mee-stique K.
San Francisco, CA
7/11/2007
If you like to take walks along the waterfront, here is a great place to go.....you can sit on one of those benches and read a book or go to a covered gazebo sitting right on the water and just ponder about the meaning of life. :-P It is so relaxing you don't want to leave.
-
Review from vidya r.
Redwood City, CA
9/11/2010
We have loved this park for all the reasons mentioned by other Yelp reviewers: beauty, peaceful location and more. However, we had a very unpleasant experience this past Friday that has left me with a very bad taste for this park and the community that visits it. It was about 7:15 pm on Friday evening; my parents and my 4 month old baby (in a stroller) had to stop and feed the baby. While I was sitting on one of the park benches feeding the baby, a dog came running towards me (and the baby) and stopped just a couple of inches from the baby's head. My baby was scared and started to cry but the dog would not go and nor would the dog's owner do anything about it. When I asked the dog owner to take the dog away from us, she made very demeaning racial and xenophobic remarks and walked away still leaving the dog near us. I am reporting this incident to the police and at the same time, want to caution everyone about such dangerous and unpleasant people that visit this otherwise splendid park.
