5 Best Sights in The Bay Area, California

Few streets in the Bay Area can match the dramatic scenery of Stanford’s entrance from downtown Palo Alto. For about ⅔ mile, palm trees line the street, which runs in a direct straight line towards Memorial Church. The Santa Cruz Mountains emerge on the horizon, and it all looks as if it was framed intentionally for postcards. Palm Drive runs into a giant grass area called the Oval, named for its distinct shape, which revolves around flower plantings shaped as an "S" for Stanford. On sunny days, Stanford students are always out in force studying on the grass or playing Frisbee. It can appear like a university admissions brochure in real life.

The historic second block of Main Street is known as Ark Row and has a tree-shaded walk lined with antiques shops, restaurants, and specialty stores. The quaint stretch gets its name from the 19th-century ark houseboats that floated in Belvedere Cove before being beached and transformed into stores. If you're curious about architectural history, the Tiburon Heritage & Arts Commission has a self-guided walking-tour map, available online and at local businesses.

Palo Alto’s “second downtown” actually was its own town named Mayfield until it joined the neighboring city in 1925. Back then, the main difference between the towns was that Palo Alto was dry and Mayfield was predominantly saloons. Things are quite different a century later; the old Mayfield’s main thoroughfare, California Avenue, is now a favorite dining and shopping destination for the nearby Page Mill Road tech workers and Stanford students.

Térun’s ( 448 California Ave.) Neapolitan pizzas are among the best on the Peninsula, while the Latin cuisine and rum cocktails at La Bodeguita del Medio ( 463 California Ave.), named for Ernest Hemingway’s favorite bar in Havana, have a devoted following. Bistro Elan ( 2363 Birch St.) and Protégé ( 250 California Ave.) are the two fine-dining standard bearers on the street. Mediterranean Wraps’s ( 443 California Ave.) lamb and beef shawarma plates and falafel wraps are a popular choice for the lunchtime crowds. A pair of coffee shops are the morning heart of the corridor, with Backyard Brew ( 444 California Ave.) serving excellent coffees in a hidden garden setting, and the quirky Zombie Runner ( 344 California Ave.) producing a terrific chai tea in addition to coffee from beans roasted by the café (it was previously a running shoe store with a small coffee kiosk, then fully switched and no longer sells shoes). California Avenue really shines every Saturday morning when it hosts what most residents consider the Peninsula’s most impressive farmers' market. And every day of the week, there’s a fun European vibe because it’s now permanently pedestrian-only to expand restaurants' outdoor seating options.

The heart of Downtown Mountain View, this constantly bustling street runs from the Caltrain station (where a few blocks are pedestrian-only for outdoor dining because of the COVID-19 pandemic) to the City Hall complex that includes the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. Fast-casual restaurants and ramen shops tend to be the main destinations during the daytime, while the bar scene in the evening is livelier than in any other city between San Jose and San Francisco.

A pair of excellent coffee shops anchor the ends of Castro Street: Red Rock Coffee ( 201 Castro St.) and 1 Oz Coffee ( 650 Castro St.). Once you’re caffeinated, make sure to try downtown’s two premier French bakery/pastry shops: Alexander’s Patisserie ( 209 Castro St.) and Maison Alyzée ( 212 Castro St.). Doppio Zero ( 160 Castro St.) is the best restaurant of the crowd directly on the street, serving superb Neapolitan pizzas with an irresistible soft, lightly charred crust. Just off Castro Street are a pair of dramatically different establishments, both worth a visit: Steins Beer Garden & Restaurant ( 895 Villa St.) and longtime fine-dining icon Chez TJ ( 938 Villa St.), where the careers of many top Bay Area chefs began.

Downtown Palo Alto’s main street is a continuation of Stanford’s Palm Drive after the university stretch reaches the Caltrain station. Shops, restaurants, and an always popular Apple Store (it’s no different than other stores but considered special since Steve Jobs lived nearby) line the blocks of the street until it becomes residential.

The crown jewel is the Stanford Theatre ( 221 University Ave.), a magnificent ode to classic Hollywood. Across the street is Lytton Plaza, a spacious, eclectic gathering place where surely somebody will be putting on an impromptu concert or protest. Toward the eastern end of the downtown area is what previously was another Hollywood Golden Age cinema, the Varsity Theatre. Its classic Colonial Spanish and Mission Revival–influenced architecture is still stunning as a tech shared workspace and a Blue Bottle Coffee café ( 456 University Ave.).

There are dining highlights up and down University Avenue, led by contemporary Vietnamese stalwart Tamarine ( 546 University Ave.) and the silky hummus specialty at Oren’s Hummus ( 261 University Ave.). The quieter side streets off University Avenue also feature several standout restaurants including Ramen Nagi ( 541 Bryant St.), the Georgian cooking of Bevri ( 530 Bryant St.), craft cocktails with excellent French bistro fare at Zola and BarZola ( 565 and 585 Bryant St.), contemporary Indian cuisine in lavish surroundings at Ettan ( 518 Bryant St.), Taverna’s ( 800 Emerson St.) excellent modern and rustic Greek dishes, and Bird Dog’s ( 420 Ramona St.) captivating contemporary Californian menu.