City of San Gabriel

We had American Home Remodeling install one new shower and one new bath in our bathrooms the installer was very good and the finish job was beautiful. There was one mix-​up in our order, but the company did correct it, which showed that they were willing to put the customer first. We are very pleased and happy with our experience dealing with American Home Remodeling

Just moved in. Can you people please put up signs on streets informing people a permit is required to park on the street? I’m pretty sure the city has raked in enough money to put them up with every ticket being $ 63 and every single night permit being $ 4 and yearly permits being $ 120. I don’t mind paying for a permit, but it’s shady when there’s no sign saying You need them. At least give people a warning. Then there’s city hall… I think it was new years eve when they were closing at 12 pm. Wanted to get my permit done so we Called to make sure and was told to get there by 11:30. We get there at 11:25 and they said they we were too late and turned us away… are you freaken serious. Would I recommend living in San Gabriel? No. Too many freaken problems. Food in the area is great though.

Excellent town. Tho keep in mind I’m reviewing the eastern portion, since I frequent that area the most. I’m still kind of confused between the difference of San Gabriel and East San Gabriel. And Pasadena and East Pasadena. Those cities do not consider the eastern portions to be part of their cities, tho they share the same name. Little confusing. The surrounding areas are beautiful… including San Marino, Temple City, and Arcadia. These are mostly Asian communities that serve up some of the best food. Tho I’m not Chinese I’m starting to consider maybe I should learn some Mandarin just so I can order some authentic cuisine correctly. I read a review about gangs and crime… I have never witnessed anything like that even when I lived here (not to say it doesn’t exist). It’s a family friendly town, keeping that in mind the city has to make a quota every month on parking and speeding tickets. So be a look-​out, cus the tickets can be really pricey.

For my 200^th review, I’m going to review my city. San Gabriel is a fairly small city. There are two parts to this city, the decent, more affordable (in terms of rent and home ownership) section, with a 91 776 zip code, and the better, but less affordable part having the 91 775 zip code.
91 776 is known as South San Gabriel, and it’s closer to Rosemead and Monterey Park. 91 775 is considered North and East San Gabriel, and is closer to Temple City and San Marino. I live in North San Gabriel, but in a townhouse because I can’t afford a single family house. From living in San Gabriel the past year and a half, I’ve noticed that although my complex has 19 units, it’s incredibly quiet, even though the unit across from me has a toddler.
Another observation is that there are a lot of Asians, specifically, Chinese in San Gabriel. Most speak Mandarin, and many assume that if you’re Asian, then you must speak Mandarin so that’s what they speak to you, until they realize that you don’t understand them. The houses in 91 775 vary in size and style. I see a fair amount of Spanish style, craftsman, and mini mansions. Most lawns are well maintained and there is definitely signs of pride of ownership, which is not surprising. Can’t really comment on South San Gabriel though.
There are many pros to San Gabriel. 1) Restaurants abound here, and I’m not just talking about Asian ones either. There are a fair number of Mexican restaurants as well. If you want, you can have a different ethnic cuisine every day of the week and can sample different restaurants for a month without having to repeat. 2) Cafes that serve boba and other coffee type drinks are also plentiful. 3) There is a Hong Kong Supermarket and 168 within walking distance of my place. 4) Schools in the 91 775 area rival those of Temple City. 5) San Gabriel Mission a must visit as it is a big part of California history. It’s one of a chain of 21 missions that were once a very important part of our past.
As for the cons: 1) overnight parking is by permit only. They’re $ 4/​night and you can get them near city hall. 2) People aren’t the friendliest and most won’t talk to you if you happen to walk by them. Most of them won’t even look at you and will completely ignore you. 3) Driving can be dangerous here as there are many oblivious drivers. Channel your defensive driver self when you’re in this neighborhood.

I’ve lived here since 2009.
CITY: North SG is a pretty nice area. Nice little streets with nice houses. As you go south (towards the 10 fwy) it starts to get worse and worse.
FOOD:
Awesome selection… hmm actually… now that i think about it. Great food is kinda limited here. There are some good chinese and vietnamese places. Can’t really think of much more. All of the places that originally popped into my head actually belong to the neighboring cities of Alhambra, Arcadia, etc. However, the strength of the food in the neighboring cities is strong enough to influence my ratings here. Points for just being so close to so many other good eats!
PARKING:
The Good: You won’t really find meters here. It’s relatively easy to park on the streets anywhere in the city. Great for when you want to host parties.
The Bad: The City does not allow vehicles to be parked on the street between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. without a parking permit. I see how this rule helps keep the city nice i guess… but EFF U SG for giving me a ticket for parking in front of my OWN house. At least i didn’t get TOWED in front of my own house like my friend in OC did lol!

I’m in this city practically every day, and for good reason too! Sure it’s a small city (7 sq. miles), but you can find so much here. So much as in food, activities, a fair amount of night life, etc. What gets me personally, is its culture. Separate from those of other places in the country is a rich Chinese culture, a city that still sends a warm welcome to other diversities.
Still, San Gabriel is not without its faults. It is a city stereotyped to be money hungry, what with subtle details such as cracking down on needing street parking permits from 2−6am. Similarly, a place heavily populated with a Chinese background may not be suitable for some.

The longer I live here, the more I adore the semi-​hidden treasures, like The Boat, Bhanu India and Howe’s, all within walking distance.

I’ve lived here practically my whole life. From Pre-​School to High School, this city is home. The center of neighboring cities Alhambra, Pasadena, Rosemead, and Monterey Park, San Gabriel is such a cozy community. From the San Gabriel Mission being used as a venue for musical performances and graduation to Mom and Pop Shops. Not to mention the hot spot for the boom of the boba and foot massage craze. The city is filled with art work on the sidewalk of drawings from students in the past.
The school district is one to be prideful of. Going from the bungalow classrooms to a beautiful two story campus, the local high school Garbeilino, is known for constantly soaring in high education. Yay for the Eagles, no prairie chickens here. Elementary schools are named after Presidents. Great city to visit and live in. The mission is a must-​stop tourist stop!

I’ve lived in San Gabriel for almost 20 yrs. Most of the following experiences have been from last five years or so.
There are numerous small gangs; there are many Hispanic gangs and Asian gangs composed of mostly teens. I have even been mugged in front of my own house. There are numerous walls around the neighborhood that have been vandalized many times and repainted many times, one in particular has been tagged dozens of times over the years.
The city changes their laws and fines without grace periods or notifications to the citizens. Example: parking on streets from 3−5am used to be a $ 35 fine, then one day, they changed it to 2−6am with a $ 45 fine without notifying anyone and appealing the fine with «i did not know the time of the law changed» is not an acceptable reason for them.
My house was once broken into and over a thousand in cash was found and stolen, the police officer was more interested in why there was over a thousand in the house and not in a bank, he even threatened to call in more officers to investigate the house and even the IRS. The police are bad in my opinion. I’ve even witnessed a construction site being broken into by some of my neighbors but the police said I could only file an anonymous report in person! I tried asking the city to enforce certain stop signs in neighborhoods and all they did was told me to record it and send them a copy.
This may be a fine city to visit, have dinner, lunch, etc. but I would not recommend living here. Research the restaurant first though, there are tons of little places here.
BTW. many of their restaurants (small and large) are excellent, especially the Asian ones. But I would avoid many of the small businesses (legal assistants, contractors, etc) because I have seen many people cheated by many small businesses here.

I like the city, but find the former Mayor to be an idoit for doing the thing that he did.