100 years of rectitude - Palo Alto, California

Sunset, April, 1994 by Peter Fish

Politically correct Palo Alto looks great for a centenarian

AH, PALO ALTO--THE place where earnestness is next to godliness, where the official automobile is a Volvo station wagon with its FM dial permanently tuned to National Public Radio.

Well, here's a secret from a Palo Alto fan and former resident who has occasionally engaged in such scoffing: those of us who make fun of Palo Alto also tend to love it dearly. We love Professorville's big old houses shaded by big old trees, we love the overheard graduate student conversations about Schopenhauer and broken hearts at the Caffe Verona, we love the fact that our dry cleaner brags about the number of Stanford Nobel laureates among his clientele.

This year marks Palo Alto's centennial, with the celebration peaking this month Scoffing aside, this leafy, civilized community remains one of Northern California's most pleasant, and is well worth exploring in its 100th year.

DOWNTOWN COMES OF AGE

Gown came before town. Stanford University received its first students in 1891, and Palo Alto, built largely as a home for Stanford's faculty and staff, did no incorporate until April 16, 1894. The big university at the end of Palm Drive has strongly shaped the city ever since.

In recent years, the city's once-somnolent downtown has become darn near vibrant. One sign of this happy development is the reopening of The Stanford Theatre (221 University Avenue; 415/324-3700). This sweetheart of a movie palace, built in 1925, has been magnificently restored by David W. Packard. The theater's screenings of classic films are often preceded and followed by a tune or two from the mighty Wurlitzer organ.

Downtown dining has likewise improved. Il Fornaio (520 Cowper Street; 853-3888) serves penne and polenta and the like in an ocher-toned setting in the Garden Court Hotel. For more casual Italian fare, try the cornmeal-crust offerings at Vicolo Pizzeria (473 University; 324-4877). Pool tables. Southern-influenced food, and an outstanding bowl of Texas chili draw a sleek career crowd to the Blue Chalk Cafe (630 Ramona Street: 326-1020), while microbrewed suds draw the same clientele to Gordon Biersch (640 Emerson Street; 323-7723). Europeans and graduate students congregate at the aforementioned Caffe Verona Restaurant & Ba (236 Hamilton Avenue; 326-9942), burger- and shake-lovers at The Peninsula Fountain & Grille (566 Emerson; 323-3131), a 71-year-old landmark recently dude up with a new tin ceiling. If you're in the mood for a setting more sultry than you thought you'd find in Palo Alto, one of our favorite ways to spend a Saturday evening is listening to chanteuse Nancy Gilliland work her wiles on Cole Porter and Rodgers and Hart at Maddalena's Cafe Fino (544 Emerson; 326-6082).

As befits a university town, downtown has a number of used bookstores: our favorites are the wonderfully atmospheric Bell's Book Store (536 Emerson; 323-7822), founded in 1935, and elegant Chimaera Books & Music (165 University; 327-1122). Next to Bell's is Turner Martin (540 Emerson; 324-8700), well known for its imaginative furniture and accessories.

Also worth a look are two unusual museums. The Barbie Hall of Fame (460 Waverle Street; 326-5841) is Evelyn Burkhalter's one-woman tribute to the high priestes of American dolldom. The Museum of American Heritage (275 Alma Street; 321-1004 is a treasure trove of antique technology, from typewriters to toy trains.

One of the joys of Palo Alto is its fine residential architecture, particularly the shingle-style homes concentrated in the Professorville neighborhood. Palo Alto-Stanford Heritage offers walking tours of Professorville and downtown each Saturday at 10. For information, call 324-3121.

April centennial events include concerts, exhibits, and, on April 16, trolley tours, presentation of a birthday cake to feed 5,000, and an evening extravaganza. For information, call 322-1994.

GETTING THERE

From U.S. 101, take the University Avenue exit and drive about 3/4 mile west to downtown. Signs point the way to a number of public parking lots, although spac can be tight at noon and on Friday and Saturday nights.