I got dropped off here from taking the Caltrain from SF. It's a small little station and then they…read morehad the buses right outside waiting for you. I didn't realize they have free shuttles that take you to Stanford campus which was nice. I just hoped on one to the mall. I didn't know exactly where I was going but the bus driver was helpful. Nice & convienent.

One of the nicer and spacious train stations in my opinion. Catching the train is always nice to…read moreavoid being stuck in traffic. Palo Alto station has decent parking and close to downtown Palo Alto, so it's about a 5 minute walk from food and drinks. The station connects to Standford shuttles which are free if you're headed to Standford campus or hospital,Sam Trans & VTA buses. The upgrades to electric are much nicer, cleaner and quieter.

Was waiting at the station this afternoon for the #625 northbound train. It came. It stopped. NONE…read moreof the doors opened. After about 2 minutes, the train left. There were 40 people on the platform just staring in disbelief. No announcement, no message, no conductor. (Yes, it was the correct train -- the message board said so and the timing was correct.) I missed an important appointment, and probably got charged (and definitely was charged for parking).

This is a clean, easy-to-navigate CalTrain station. As far as train stations go, there isn't much…read moreto see. You can park in the parking lot or simply walk to the station. Thankfully, I live near this station. I can walk under Alma Street via the pedestrian underpass (at Jerry Bowden Park) and take a quick left and arrive at the station. The building is usually unattended (although I have seen security guards a few times). TICKETS: You purchase your boarding passes/tickets at the machine. I usually purchase an all-day pass and keep it in my wallet. A train conductor will periodically ask to see it. WHICH SIDE? If you're traveling north bound (from Palo Alto to San Francisco or anywhere in-between), you'll need to cross under the tracks via the stairs/sidewalk just south of the building. If you're traveling south bound, you can simply wait on the building's side of the tracks. That's about it! Oh...there isn't very much covered seating (a few covered benches). Thus, if you're traveling in the rain, you might want to bring an umbrella. The bicycle cart tends to be near the front of the train, so you'll want to stand near the northern covered bench if you're bringing a bike.

What many do not appreciate is how vast the campus of Stanford University is. Bikes are an…read moreessential part of student life as is the Marguerite Shuttle The concept of free transportation predates the founding of the University. Back then (1880's) Leland Stanford operated a free horse buggy that moved people from the train station to what was his Summer estate (now the vast university). By 1909 there were street cars that performed the task. In 1963 with a subsidy from the city of Palo Alto, the service transitioned to buses. Finally in 1973, Stanford began funding the service completely. The name "Marguerite" is taken from the first horse that pulled the wagon back in 1880. Today the service discoverer the vast University main complex. It also makes runs to the two Caltrain stations in Palo Alto, as well as a spur that heads over to Mountain View, a line to the East Bay, and to the SLAC complex. The Marguerite is free, and you can catch it at any of the stops dotted through the campus or along its routes. The buses can be quite crowded during events and commute times. The service is making a transition to all electric as well as hybrid buses, but they still rely on diesel ones as well. The buses are usually clean and well maintained and at least during the day the buses are pretty frequent. As with most transportation systems they do have different hours for nights, holidays, and weekends so plan accordingly. They do have an app that will have schedules and live updates to make it even more convenient to use.

I'm a big fan of yelping transit whenever possible…read more This shuttle was twenty minutes late (unheard of in my experience in private shuttles) but ended up working out since the 522 is never on time and I was connecting from it. The transit.511 directions were incredibly confusing (and inaccurate) and the bus sign is fairly hidden from view by another sign but the driver was polite and helpful and I got where I needed to go on time. Be aware that the "Live" VTA they tout isn't actually updated yet for this shuttle. So beyond waiting at the stop, you will have no idea when the next shuttle might show. All in all it helped me out today, but if I had to use this daily I'd go crazy.

Absolutely horrible connections. No way you can make it from one bus to another. They are either…read moretoo late or they see a connecting bus arriving but can't wait one minute for person to cross the street.

The 522. Oh the 522…read more This is possibly one of the worst routes in the Southbay. It boasts people shaving in the back of the bus, screaming obnoxious cat calls and a serious homeless problem. The front seats have been broken on at least three of the buses that serve this route. Many of the buses are dingy and they never run on schedule. Often they're ten minutes early to 15 minutes late, and with no regularity. I use the 522 because I have to, because if there were any other option I wouldn't. I'd love to see someone clean up this route!

The City of Palo Alto provides a free shuttle. I was doing an SF-to-Palo Alto commute using public…read moretransportation for a short while and this shuttle is a lifesaver and saved a little bit of money for me. One of the stops is at the Palo Alto Caltrain station and one of the stops along the route was probably 1/2 mile away from where I worked. Best of all is that the shuttle is free of charge and anyone can use it. The shuttle slow at getting to destinations and is a little late at times when you're waiting it but it's very convenient.

Convenient, free shuttle that runs in a loop around Mountain View and stops close to just about…read moreanywhere you might want to go. You can take it clockwise (gray route) or counterclockwise (red route). The shuttle is clean and spacious and has free wifi; when I rode it on a Saturday, it was pretty empty. Its weekday hours were also recently expanded to 7am to 7pm, making it a viable work commute option. You can even track it live via a website or phone app (I haven't tried the app), which makes catching the shuttle a breeze. I did notice both times I rode the shuttle that there was an incident of someone shouting at the driver to stop because they needed to get off, but it was hard to tell whether the driver had missed their stop request or they had tried to get off somewhere that wasn't a stop.

A nice sweet bus for everyone to ride. Of course when the pandemic hit on March 2020 it was all…read moreempty but we are not here to talk about that. I want to talk about how cool this bus is. I am not from Mountain View but this cute little shuttle does great magic for people who are native to the area. People of all ages ride this. There was one time where it can be full of young people who want to save gas on getting around their city of residence. Other times it's a mix of people from age 4 to 85 that want to go to the doctors, San Antonio Shopping Center or a random Starbucks. On Saturdays it can go near Shoreline so if you are biking near the VTA bus yard this bus can be your resting area thanks to their bike racks. I live in a low-income area of San Jose and are really jealous that nothing like this exists near where I live. I wish it did so I could save money on gas. Note: We are still in a pandemic so please wear a mask. Staff here wear masks and seating is limited so continue to social distance.

Ten years ago, I tried Caltrain once. I was driving in the region by 35 years old. Then I was…read moretrying Caltrain again this year 3 times. I found that Palo Alto was sunny and warmer than Berkeley CA. Berkeley started to feel less comfortable and Palo Alto shopping center was a nicer oasis. The two Caltrain stations at Palo Alto and Menlo Park are very interesting to visit. The Menlo Park station features an old Victorian building that is painted fresh but not in use. Nearby is Philz and El Camino Real. Walking distance to Caltrain. It's 2025 now. The next stops are Redwood and San Carlos. Worth visiting and trying Caltrain after all this time. The modern design is interesting. The weather is so nice that it's outdoor and nice in the evening by Friday night and the weekend. The train is still newer than Bart trains. More attendants and bathrooms and seating as well as chargers and outlets. It's different...same region. For the 2 college campuses that you could visit if you find that positive.

This is a clean station located in the beautiful city of Menlo Park. The train is *generally*…read moreon-time and its really a pleasant stop to wait at before your train arrives. Unlike other stations, Menlo Park CalTrain is quite safe and not suffering from a homeless encampment problem. You can choose to purchase you ticket at the station itself (before the train arrives!) or opt to purchase it via their mobile app (which I suggest, as its more convenient and allows you to get there a little later). It's great a small suburban neighborhood has a CalTrain that gives it such easy access to other parts of the Bay Area.

Location is very clean. I tried to get here to catch the 4:36 express, but the parking lot was…read morepacked! People finally got to their cars and spots opened. Had to wait 20 minutes for the next limited train.

I love riding the train and even more so since they converted to electric trains. The new trains…read moreare quieter and offer a pretty smooth ride. One of the best things about the train is seeing all of the little towns along the tracks. One of my favorites is Mountain View. The train station is on the edge of a busy downtown street lined with shops, restaurants and interesting people. Step off the train and you're right in the heart of the action. There's plenty of parking and getting to either side of the tracks to access the north or southbound trains is super easy. The next time you're on the train, consider making a pit stop in Mountain View.

I did some research on the best way to get to a 49ers game before I went to the Thursday Night…read moreFootball home opener last night. I'm on the peninsula side so it made since for me to drive to this station and then take the orange line to Levi's stadium. This station shares it's parking with the Caltrain station that's on the same stop. $6 flat fee parking for the whole day even though I was only there for 2-3 hours tops? That's a win. The orange line was there to so I didn't have any delays getting to the game either. It's great that they take Clipper Card too since I didn't have to buy a separate card just to ride the VTA.

First time rider impressions: I had no idea when the next train was due to depart as the digital…read moreplatform signs only mention time of day & some rot about the superbowl. I simply stood in an empty train figuring that eventually the doors would close & we'd be in motion. After 15 minutes, we were on our way. The trip to downtown San Jose from Mtn View takes a solid hour and is not for the hurried. However, I'm glad to both not have driven and paid 2.00 one-way for my troubles, so the slog of a journey was worth it. I spied bike parking (four slots only) for those of us two-wheeler types in each train car. It's a nice gesture, but doesn't seem enough. VTA lightrail is tidy and spacious. I have to say it reminded me of the solid public transport systems in certain European countries I've visited and I was impressed. The clientele, like society at large, is a mixed bag. I had a few crazies on my round trip journey today, but managed to just ignore their rantings. Bart/Caltrain habituees: VTA lightrail is like riding a bus; tap in at boarding, but don't, like I stupidly did, tap out.

We decided to get a car service for 3 couples who were going to dinner and to the ELO concert on…read morethe day of the event. I wasn't confident we would be able to get a car but Gary came through for us! We got their very large SUV and had his driver CK drive us. Everything went smoothly and they even had champagne glasses for us as we had to do a little pre party celebration as it was my wife's birthday as well. He showed up almost 10 min early and got us down to SJ in good time. Gary was very personable and I felt like I knew him for a long time even though it was for the first time. He followed up with us even during our ride to make sure everything was going smoothly. I highly recommend Palo Alto Limo for your special occasions! -David

Love this limo service! Definitely the best that my husband and I have run across. Online booking…read morewas easy, and the process was clear. Scheduling confirmation was received within the hour. They pick you up and have a bottle of water waiting for you. The cars are clean and comfortable. They ask if this is your first visit, and if so point out some places of interest. Loved that they could 'read' their clients and be chatty.... or not, based on the client's mood and need (sometimes an overly chatty driver can be an annoyance). One of the fabulous cars they have to offer is a Tesla. Yeah, that's right.... you might get picked up in a Tesla. Who doesn't want to see one of those in action, huh!??! Payment is easy with the credit card and an invoice is received within hours of drop off (which is perfect for the business traveler). Am I missing anything? Gary is the owner and he's super nice. My husband has used this service a few times since our initial visit. He will continue to use the service whenever he has business in the area!