Palo Alto, CA

Martin @ofriceandcities
Sep 5, 2019
5 min read

Palo Alto is an interesting hipster-esque town that is located near San Jose California. Palo Alto translates as "tall stick" named after a coastal redwood tree, "El Palo Alto" and it is mostly known for being the home of Stanford University and Stanford Hospital. For me, it is a hip town that consists of many great restaurants, shops and bars. It is the perfect stop to and from San Francisco and Half Moon Bay. It makes an interesting choice for a spontaneous day trip. This is a cheaper place to stay the night in the bay area and below I talk about what you can do on a one to three day weekend!

We spent a three-day weekend In "Big Stick", here is our trip itinerary:

Introduction

Though the hotel rates are somewhat more affordable compared to nearby popular towns SF and SJ. Palo Alto is one of the most expensive cities to live in. It is a beautiful green town with tall trees a feature of almost every street. The homes here are also stunning which definitely attracts the interest of Silicon Valley. Palo Alto is home to the headquarters of many high-tech companies including Apple, Facebook, Logitech, Intuit, Pinterest, Google, HP, Skype, Tesla, and Lockheed Martin. Palo Alto has an interesting history with ties with the California Gold Rush. The city and University were both founded by Leland Stanford. The city is an ideal destination for nearby attractions including sports games, concerts, and visiting nearby cities San Francisco and San Jose.

Pro-Tip #1: The Hilton Garden inn has been the most comfortable hotel stay I have had in this city. If you are looking for a cheaper alternative consider Airbnb. You can stay in nearby San Carlos for even further savings with Airbnb.

Downtown Palo Alto

One of my go to spots in Palo Alto is the "downtown" area near Stanford University. University Avenue is packed with the city’s main hot spots most of which are chain restaurants. I love walking along both sides of the street when I come here the bay area weather is usually nice and this city is covered in greenery. The pictures above do not do it justice you will have to take my word for it! Grab some ice cream or a cup of coffee and enjoy walking this street day or night! This is definitely a must when visiting the city, it is a hot spot to get something to drink and eat before heading out to Half Moon Bay, a nearby sports game, SJ/SF, or even IKEA! Once a year and usually in August, University Avenue is the location of the annual Palo Alto Art Festival. It is a very unique event as it is heavily regulated to whom may participate as a vendor. The rules are in place to support small local artists, you can find more information on their website. On this street, you will find plenty of restaurants, bars, cafes, ice cream/boba tea and shops.

Pro-Tip #2: You will be able to find plenty of free street parking here which is definitely a rare practice in the bay area.

Food Game

I wanted to highlight four of my favorite places to eat and drink in the downtown area. These include Umami Burger, Ramen Nagi, Teaquation and Salt & Straw. Umami creates mouthwatering creations, it is one of the juiciest and flavorful burgers id ever had! They were one of the first to adopt the impossible burger to their menu and expand the menu to include wings. Ramen Nagi is a Ramen restaurant from Tokyo, they have brought their famous bowls to Santa Clara. The Palo Alto location boost long lines so be careful to get their early before they open, rest assured the ramen is incredible. Even the vegetarian bowl is tasty which also includes two pieces of fried hash browns. While you wait in line I suggest you pick up a small snack! Salt & Straw serves what I believe is the best ice cream I have ever had. They create interesting blends such as "Marionberry goat cheese habanero" and "Breakaway Matcha with Koji Fermented Blueberries." One of our favorite bars in this town is Teaquation, they create interesting drinks with infused with tea. The drinks are both delicious and refreshing. We love to stop here for their mimosa flights!

Pro-Tip #3: You only pay a toll in the Dumbarton Bridge when you head towards Palo Alto. On the way out there is no charge. Plan ahead if you wish to save a few bucks!

Fun Events

Sports and concerts will surely attract your interest. Palo Alto is not far from sports venues that host the A's, Raiders (for now), Giants, SJ Earthquakes, 49ers, Sharks, Warriors. I definitely recommend building your trip here around these events! We decided to do just that when LA Galaxy visited SJ Earthquakes at Stanford Stadium. It was a nice and fresh day out and it was perfect for a few hours of football action. We were very excited to see Zlatan Ibrahimović in person! In the end, SJ won in a dominant 3-1 win. It was a fun reason to come to this city and eat at our favorite restaurants and have a drink at Teaquation before walking over to the stadium. Even if you are here for a concert of comedy show, please give yourself some time to explore the city!

Pro-Tip #4: Palo Alto also hosts street events such as the Art Festival. Be sure to look online to find any upcoming events!

Stanford University

Stanford University is a private research university and is recognized as one the world’s top universities. It was founded in 1885 by Leland Stanford as a memory for his only child. Currently, there is a student population of about 17,000 and it is highly competitive to be admitted. It is the Alma Mater of 30 living billionaires and producer of many members of Congress. The campus is about 13 square miles making it one of the largest in the country. The campus is very nice and overs good photo opportunities. It definitely is an interesting place to briefly visit during your trip to Palo Alto especially if you have a relative or loved one that has high dreams of attending this institution.

Final Thoughts

Palo Alto is a small but very exciting city. It is home to many world renown institutions and it provides you with a taste of the bay area without the hassle. There is a little something here for everyone, you will find art, boutiques, great food and laid back bars. It is a nice place to pit stop along your way to another destination, it is a great location to stay if you're in the bay for a sports or entertainment event and it serves as a gateway to Half Moon Bay. I usually build my trip around visiting this city, the closest IKEA to my house is in Palo Alto and if I am not shopping I am here for a game or comedy show (or for the food/ice cream).

Email me at ofriceandcities@gmail.com if you enjoyed the article, if you went to Palo Alto and tried anything I mentioned or if you did something I totally missed!

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