Gamble Garden is a lovely and quiet respite in Palo Alto. Whenever I'm in the area and have some…read moretime, I stop by for a stroll around the garden to see what's in bloom. There are benches to sit and gather. I've seen a wedding in their outdoor area and I believe you can rent the house for events. They have classes and you can volunteer in the garden too. At one time, it was also a location for photo shoots. One of my lifestyle photos was shot here. A space of beauty and peace. I appreciate that it's free for anyone.

This is a nice place to go checkout. I was originally turned onto this place by my neighbor who has…read moreworked her and volunteered for years. Several times I came out here just to check it out, I was amazed to say the least. For some reason, perhaps the setting or just the ambiance and the whole flowers her reminded me of other parks, even San Jose rosegarden, which is located in an upscale part of San Jose and preludes a very nice neighborhood of homes behind, reminicent of downtown Palo Alto. I have come out here on two occassions with friends of mine that are my neighbors that like to frequent this location. If you are looking to pass some time and enjoy looking at gardens...you have arrived. Thanks Gamble Garden!

I just threw a 90th birthday party for my mother and chose the University Club to stage and cater…read morethe event for 60 guests. It was fantastic. Chelese, the event manager was extremely easy to work with and the staff was very helpful. I expected the food to be good but it was truly outstanding. I've rarely been to an event for a large number of people where the food was so exceptional and many guests raved about it. I strongly recommend the University Club as a venue for your event.

I absolutely love the University Club of Palo Alto!…read more For me, the highlight is the pool. I love swimming here--there's an excellent lap pool where you can sign up for lanes, a diving board for extra fun, and plenty of open swim time for families. Kids can't get enough of the swim team, and there's even a shaded baby pool that's perfect for infants and toddlers. The tennis courts are top of the line, whether you're playing just for fun or competitively. The tennis pros are fantastic, and the whole tennis community here is great. Pickleball is also really taking off--it's always fun and social. The gym has everything you could want: Peloton bikes, free weights, machines, and a full range of classes. Beyond fitness, people also gather for bridge, mahjong, and other activities, so there's something for everyone. The food is excellent, the full bar is always a plus, and the events calendar is packed. There are great adult activities (salsa dancing, wine tasting, Aloha nights) and plenty for kids too (kids' night out, movie night, and more). Best of all, the community is welcoming and friendly. It's easy to meet people here, and many members end up making lifelong friends. All around, it's a wonderful club--I can't recommend it enough!

Rengstorff House was a wonderful venue for our wedding! The house and gardens were so beautiful…read morethat very little additional decoration was needed. We especially loved that there are multiple outdoor spaces to utilize for different portions of the event. The venue staff were very friendly, responsive and helpful to work with as we planned the event.

Rengstorff House is located on the premises of the Shoreline Parklands. This is a historic…read moreVictorian house / mansion and it is Mountain View's oldest home. There is a shared parking lot. My bf wanted to do docent-led tour, but unfortunately we showed up shortly after they closed on that Saturday afternoon (they closed at noon). We walked along the outer perimeter of the estate - hoping to get some photos, but there were some people taking photos at the front of the house, so we ended up leaving. Overall 3 stars, but rounded up to 4 stars because we did not get the full experience for a fair review.

The Stanford barn is one of the oldest structures on the Stanford University Campus…read more The Barn which was built in 1888 as a winery. Vast amount of grapes were planted on the farm, and according to the standards of the time produced a fine quality wine under the Palo Alto label. Leland Stanford was a big believer in the benefits of wine consumption. The building was built to last, and while the 1906 San Francisco earthquake damaged many building on campus, the Barn was untouched despite all the additional weight the wine imposed on the structure. With the inaction of Prohibition, the winery ceased operations and the surrounding land was used for conventional farming and cattle grazing.The barn was alternatively used by the carnation milk company and was also leased for the purposes of breeding purebred Troutmere. The barn continued to be used as a dairy for many years but gradually fell into disuse. With the encroachment of urban areas and the Stanford Shopping Center, it was considered for razing at one point. However, the Barn was someone restored and converted into sort of a mixed retail/restaurant/ office space. Present day there are several restaurants, and other small shops. The entire second levels are office space used by the medical school. It does have its own parking but its patrolled by private security who have that 'Mall cop" complex and can be quite aggressive even if you have business at the barn. There are no tours of the interior, but the you can walk around the extensive brick structure, and you can walk through the main part of it. There there few historical displays showing its history and allows easy access to the various shops and restaurants. Its not a destination in and of itself, but would be a fatntatic pairing with say the Cantor, or the Arizona cactus garden etc.

WOW! My husband and I blindly rented the patio at Lucie Stern for our wedding welcome event as we…read morewanted to host all of our guests who were coming for near and far. We were looking for a reasonably priced place where we could bring in food and booze to make it financially possible for us. This ended up being an amazing option that allowed us to take advantage of the usual great PA weather. Our wedding was in July and we spent $0 on décor and it was totally fine as the patio was SURROUNDED by blooming shrubs and flowers. It was the perfect size for a cocktail/casual buffet style open house dinner for 80-100 people. It didn't feel to bare and oversized. We set up food stations in each corner along with a bar which encouraged folks to circulate around the space. We booked this venue without having seen it and were really floored by how beautiful and transporting the setting was - it felt like a little garden that could have been in Spain or Italy or Mexico with the red shingles and all. The main downside of this venue is that it is very popular (book early), is very DIY (hire a planner, it's worth it as there is a LOT of coordination required to pull this off), doesn't allow hard liquor, and doesn't come with a rain plan. While this is a slim chance of rain, it's tough to not have any backup plan for a big event. Note that our event was in the evening so sun could be an issue earlier in the day. We rented the adjacent interior room as a plan B which my friends ended up using for their choreographed dance practice so it came in handy...but do be prepared to shell out some bucks for a space you likely won't use (and for your peace of mind). While the liquor parameters were annoying, to be honest we didn't to get too drunk the day before the wedding and then be hungover for the big day. Our wedding venue also didn't allow liquor so instead of serving straight wine, we came up with aperitifs to put a twist on the offering (ie aperol spritz, kir royale, white port and tonic, etc). Highly recommend working with Denise of Denise Lillie Engagements who made this event come to life. I relied on her for everything down to the décor (most of which was lent to us by her). She recommended great bar tenders that helped with set up / breakdown and perfectly poured our custom drinks (we sent specific recipes for this and they executed perfectly). Lucie Stern is a great venue for a wedding or large family event that allows you to bring in alcohol at cost though does require planning (and a planner). We highly recommend it and think it's great value.

It is a Beautiful place for any small to mid size events . It is in the heart of Palo Alto.read more

Such a beautiful spot... great venue with wonderful staff…read more The food was amazing we had a celebration of life there and couldn't be happier with the service

This is a nice place to come and walk around for about 15 minutes. I love gardens and they had a…read morewalkway adorned with roses and roses in a courtyard with a fountain. There is a restaurant but it's kinda pricey. I think this place is more for special events but they have a couple of artist stores there. I even saw a cat roaming around, maybe he lives there. For a garden I wouldn't come out of my way for it but it's worth stopping by if going to the nearby Stanford shopping center

Chose the Quad for a one day scientific conference. It is a beautiful, tranquil space perfect for…read morefifty to one hundred guests to interact. Yamileh and her team were attentive and provided great customer service. The outdoor deck with the beautiful trees is a lovely space to enjoy lunch and late afternoon reception. The bonus of holding an event at the Quad is plenty of free parking.

The Quad Conference Center was the perfect venue for my graduation party. The space is beautiful,…read moreopen, and airy, with excellent AV resources, and the entire event ran seamlessly from start to finish. The staff were incredibly professional, friendly, and attentive throughout. A special thank you to Yamileth and Raul, who were exceptional. They made the planning process completely stress-free and thoughtfully tailored every detail to my goals and vision. Their warmth, organization, and attention to detail made all the difference. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Highly recommend!

Great place for private events. They have a full bar but it seems like they don't have any beers on…read moretap. Food was decent compared to other event venues in the area. Plenty of tables and seats, can easily hold 100 people without being too crowded, not sure about the actual capacity though

Not that we go to nightclubs much anymore, but when we moved to Mountain View, we waited in line…read morefor Gelato Classico next door which we heard so much about (we are much more foodies than dancies). The gelato line was so long at 10pm that the bouncer at Opal was enticing people to come into Opal as there was no cover before 10pm. We said 'why not' and decided to pop in for a bit and grabbed a couple drinks. It's not a bad option for the younger crowd as there a limited options in MV in general.

What a great place to spend an afternoon at the pool, or Jollly Cork bar, or time at the well…read moreequipped gym, or racket ball/squash courts, or pool room with friends. Food & bar are good, and membership fees reasonably priced, and the Fellowship unbeatable. Our family loves belonging to this Elks Lodge!

Had a girl scout party here. Paid $200 for 3 hours and you can bring in outside food but not…read moredrinks. The bar has pitchers of shirley temples though and free water. We got 3 pitchers for $14 which is pretty good! Girls had a blast!

I've eaten here multiple times and each time was a unique experience. It is a quite different to…read moreother private restaurants since this is within Stanford University. Today's visit, I was accompanied by a few coworkers and had enjoyed their company during my meal. I've ordered the Stanford Mule (no alcohol) for my drink and Roasted Salmon Filet but had requested to have it grilled cooked, I wanted some grilling smell and taste to it. When cutting into the salmon filet, its texture was well kept outside and the inside was perfect, juices were still there and flavor is strong. No signs of burning the filet and the inside wasn't dry at all. I didn't need to drink my mule but, I wanted to savior the salmon longer before any sipping of my mule. One good note is that the food didn't take too long to be prepared, probably at most 15 minutes, hard to tell since I was in an interesting conversation with my coworkers. Great lighting while sitting outside. Was sorta warm during a heat wave but we needed some sunlight and outdoorsy vibes. I'd come back here anytime when I have the time with coworkers, could be pricey but the quality is there.

Went here with a family friend, who is the wife of a faculty member…read more FOOD: Ordered a salad with tofu and a side of fries. I remember the salad was quite big! SERVICE: We weren't sure to call a waiter over to pay, but eventually, we figured it out. PARKING: I parked in the Tresidder lot, so you might have to pay (metered) All in all, not that great, not that bad, don't mind going back!