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for all the Ipers who spend endless time in the Valley (like me) 36 Hours | Palo Alto, Calif.
From: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Fri, 07 Mar 2003 06:51:17 -0500
36 Hours | Palo Alto, Calif. March 7, 2003 By TOM and KATHE GIBBONEY WHEN the founders of Palo Alto put their California dream together, Leland Stanford, the railroad magnate and politician, had just created a university on part of his huge horse farm across El Camino Real, the old Spanish mission road. The result, more than a century later, is a well-educated, diverse, creative community basking in the sunshine 40 miles south of San Francisco. The Palo Alto-Stanford synergy has produced, among other things, the entrepreneurs and skilled technicians who went on to build computer-industry giants like Hewlett-Packard and Sun Microsystems. Although the Silicon Valley boom has faded since the 1990's, you will still see clumps of computer engineers out for lunch on University Avenue, perhaps creating the next Internet. Friday 7 p.m. 1) Dinner and a Classic Movie Try the Greek cooking at Evvia, just off University Avenue (420 Emerson Street, 650-326-0983). Start with pikilia, grape leaves and dips with pita (serves two for $14.50), and white bean soup with sun-dried tomatoes, arugula and mint ($7). Evvia's rib-cut lamb chops are mesquite-grilled ($25.95). Afterward, cross the street to the tiny Gelato Classico (435 Emerson, 650-327-1317). Even if you can't manage a cup of gelato, note the trompe l'oeil art on the side of the adjacent building, by Greg Brown, who has painted whimsical murals on more than a dozen Palo Alto buildings. Now catch the 9:30 movie at the Stanford Theater (221 University Avenue, 650-324-3700), where Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers and other classic stars come alive in an auditorium faithfully restored by David W. Packard, son of the David Packard who, with William Hewlett, started the computer company bearing their names. (They were Stanford students at the time, and the company is still based in Palo Alto.) Saturday 8 a.m. 2) Stanford by Bicycle Get a light breakfast at Prolific Oven (550 Waverly Street, 650-326-8485), perhaps cherry strudel ($3.20) or zucchini carrot muffins ($1.45). Add a latte ($2.44) and head to the Campus Bike Shop (551 Salvatierra Street, 650-723-9300). For $15, a serviceable bike is yours for the day, with a map of the campus. Coast down to the central campus. Take some time to roam the Quad, a series of squares lined with tile-roofed sandstone buildings. Don't miss Memorial Church, with its colorful tilework and 140 stained-glass windows. If you are in luck, someone will be playing the church's magnificent pipe organ. 10 a.m. 3) Rodin and 'Stone River' Park your bike at the Cantor Center for Visual Arts (328 Lomita Drive, 650-723-4177) and tour the outdoor sculpture garden. There is no admission charge and you are welcome to touch any of the 20 larger-than-life bronzes by Auguste Rodin, including the monumental "Gates of Hell." Other notable sculptures nearby include Andy Goldworthy's "Stone River," built from the rubble of Stanford buildings damaged in the 1989 earthquake; Maya Lin's "Timetable," an intriguing granite, steel and stone cylinder; and 40 painted wood and stone sculptures completed in 1994 by artists from Papua New Guinea. 1 p.m. 4) Organic Lunch Savor the goodness of organic food at the Cool Cafe (328 Lomita Drive, 650-725-4758), where Jesse Cool, the chef, obtains nearly all her ingredients from farmers and suppliers who she knows avoid the use of chemicals. Try a cup of the seasonal soup ($5) and the chutney chicken salad sandwich ($8.50) or the mushrooms and leeks with goat cheese on a baguette ($8.50). Before turning in your bike, cruise around the Oval to Hoover Tower, a 285-foot bell tower with an observation deck that offers spectacular views of the campus, the city and San Francisco Bay (open Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., 650-723-2053). 4 p.m. 5) Soak the Stress Away Make a reservation so you can ease any aching muscles after your bike ride in a healing hot tub at Watercourse Way (165 Channing Avenue, 650-462-2000). A soak is $19 for one person for an hour until 5:30 p.m., after that it is $26 per person, $22 for a group; $21 with sauna or steam until 5:30 p.m., after that $24 per person, $28 for a group. It can be followed by a massage ($88 to $90 including the hot tub). An invigorating cup of Peet's coffee or tea (153 Homer Avenue, 650-325-2091), free if you purchase a pound of beans, will perk you up for a walk on University Avenue. View the latest computer toys at the Apple Store (451 University Avenue; 650-617-9000) and then drop into Niebaum-Coppola (473 University Avenue, 650-752-0350), a cafe offering a full selection of wines from Francis Ford Coppola's vineyards. 7 p.m. 6) Rum and a Smoke Step into the Palo Alto version of old Havana at the lively Bodeguita del Medio (463 California Avenue, 650-326-7762), where Michael and Lara Ekwall have created their own version of the Havana restaurant that was a favorite of Ernest Hemingway. Stop at the bar for a mojito ($5.50) or a Hatuey ($3.50), a Cuban beer now made in Puerto Rico. In the dining room, start with oyster shooters seasoned with horseradish and habanero-infused rum ($2.75 each). Share black bean soup ($5.50) and the arugula and watercress salad with plantain-encrusted goat cheese and roasted pumpkin seeds ($9). The big meal here is paella ($22 each, two-person minimum). Or try the vegetable plate with black bean cakes ($13.50). After dessert, you may want to take your coffee or one of the many aged rums into the cigar salon, which has a well-stocked walk-in humidor and comfortable chairs and sofas. 9 p.m. 7) Jazz and a Toddy Wind down at Cafe Fino (544 Emerson Street, 650-326-6082) for a nightcap and to hear Nancy Gilliland, a local jazz singer, a pleasant way to end a busy day. For dancing to rock 'n' roll, stop at Fanny and Alexander just up the street (412 Emerson, 650-326-7183), where you can find a younger crowd. Sunday 9 a.m. 8) A Favorite for Brunch Line up at Hobee's (67 Town and Country Village Shopping Center, 650-327-4111), where a dash of salsa spices up many of the classic American breakfasts. Call ahead to get on the seating list. Try the South of the Border omelet ($7.95) with black bean chili, cheese, guacamole, sour cream and salsa, or the tofu scramble ($6.95), with fresh spinach, mushrooms, onions and tomatoes. If you are really hungry, wind up with a slab of Hobee's rich blueberry coffeecake. 11 a.m. 9) Hit the Trail A camera and binoculars are good tools for an exploration of Palo Alto's coastline on San Francisco Bay. Take Embarcadero Road east to its end and turn right. The next left, at the Palo Alto Recycling Center, leads to the Byxbee Park parking lot. Head out toward the bay on the Adobe Creek Trail, and as you walk, look for the rarely seen double-crested cormorant, the great blue heron and the great egret, as well as many species of ducks that are found in the early spring along the sloughs adjacent to the trail. Make a hard left near a concrete building about two miles out and note another species, this one wearing wet suits and hanging onto wind-surfing boards on the small artificial lake at Shoreline Park. For more information about the wildlife you have seen, drop in at the Baylands Nature Interpretive Center (2775 Embarcadero Road, open 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 650-329-2506) on Embarcadero Road beyond the Duck Pond. On your way back downtown, take a minute to stop at 367 Addison Avenue for a peek at the garage where, in 1939, Bill Hewlett and David Packard started the scientific instrument business that became a Silicon Valley stalwart. Visitor Information To reach Palo Alto from San Francisco International Airport, take United States Route 101 south to the University Avenue exit. From the San Jose airport, take Interstate 880 north to Interstate 280 and exit at Page Mill Road, the home of many high-tech companies. The Cardinal Hotel (235 Hamilton Avenue, 650-323-5101) opened in 1924 and now offers 35 renovated rooms with baths for $125 to $145 and 26 rooms with shared baths from $60 to $80. The Hotel California (2431 Ash Street, 650-322-7666), a 20-room inn near Stanford, charges $80 to $95, including a Continental breakfast at a bakery downstairs. The Garden Court Hotel (520 Cowper Street, 650-322-9000), in the heart of Palo Alto, has 62 rooms from $299 to $599. Internet access is important in Palo Alto, and all these lodgings offer it. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/07/travel/07HOUR.html?ex=1048037342&ei=1&en=4 c3e7fed72cb7c6d HOW TO ADVERTISE --------------------------------- For information on advertising in e-mail newsletters or other creative advertising opportunities with The New York Times on the Web, please contact onlinesales () nytimes com or visit our online media kit at http://www.nytimes.com/adinfo For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help () nytimes com. 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- for all the Ipers who spend endless time in the Valley (like me) 36 Hours | Palo Alto, Calif. Dave Farber (Mar 07)