Menlo Park

Anderson Collection at Stanford University is a collection of 121 contemporary and modern American sculptures and paintings gifted to the University by Harry W. and Mary Margaret Anderson and Mary Patricia Anderson Pence.

The collection is the core of the larger collection the family has been acquiring for the last 50 years and is considered one of the best private collections of American modern and contemporary art in the world. The collection is on display in the University's new building designed to host this special gift. The Anderson Collection building is located next to the Cantor Arts Center, across from Frost Amphitheater and Bing Concert Hall.

314 Lomita Dr, Stanford, CA 94305, Phone: 650-721-6055

Located on San Francisco Bay at Highway 101 and Marsh Road, Bedwell Bayfront Park is a large 150 acre bayside park surrounded by several industrial plants, with vast open spaces, grassy hills, perfect for hiking and flying kites. There are clusters of eucalyptus and acacia trees dotting the landscape. The park is surrounded on three sides by the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

People working for companies nearby use the park for a lunch break, walking or resting on the grass. There is an extensive trail network, mostly unpaved, some flat and some fairly hilly. Climbing one of the hills is worth it, it opens up views of the bay and surrounding mountains.

Allied Arts Guild is a historic Spanish Colonial style complex and garden oasis created to provide home to artists' studios, unique shops and Blue Garden Cafe. Opened in 1929, Allied Arts Guild offers an inspiring environment for working artists and craftsmen, beautiful gardens for a quiet stroll, many benches for resting, and unique shops for shopping.

The Guild complex currently hosts twenty artisans, and most of them combine their space for studio and retail use. The Guild is owned and operated by the Allied Arts Guild Auxiliary, which supports critically ill children at the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. The beautiful space at the Allied Arts Guild is popular venue for special events such as receptions, weddings, seminars and meetings.

75 Arbor Rd, Menlo Park, CA 94025, Phone: 650-325-2450

A part of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, a San Francisco Bay Area regional greenbelt system, Ravenswood Open Space Preserve is one of 26 open spaces that comprise more 60,000 acres of diverse landscape. Ravenswood is a 376-acre preserve located on the edge of East Palo Alto which consists mostly of marshland and sparse grassy vegetation. It is composed of two areas separated by private properties.

One is located next to San Francisco Bay, south of the Dumbarton Bridge. The larger southern area is located near Cooley Landing in East Palo Alto where a former salt pond is reverting to marshland. At both ends of the Ravenswood Trail there are benches and overlook platforms which are great for bird-watching, especially during migration periods.

East Palo Alto, CA 94303, Phone: 650-691-1200, (website link)

Kepler's Books has been the cultural and intellectual hub for Menlo Park and the entire Peninsula since it was founded in 1955 by Roy Kepler, a notable peace activist. The bookstore was, and still is, known for its very popular literary events, its great, diverse selection of books and magazines and its important role in the community. Kepler's democratized reading by being one of the leaders of the paperback revolution in the 50's and 60's in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The bookstore grew into a cultural center for the faculty and students of Stanford University, intellectuals and pacifists and other people who were seriously interested in books and exchanging ideas. The bookstore was a venue for many special events such as concerts by Joan Baez and Grateful Dead. While the role of bookstores has changed with the advent of electronic reading, Kepler's is still thriving and continues to have a large number of loyal customers and regular events, continuing Roy Kepler's mission of promoting literacy, critical thinking and opening minds.

1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA 94025, Phone: 650-324-4321

Flood Park is a 21-acre green space in the middle of a predominantly urban environment. Known for its huge, native bay and oak trees, the park has a number of designated areas for picnics, with tables and benches. There are also fields for softball, horse shoes, tennis, petanque and volleyball. The baseball field, which is located in the eastern part of the park, is in high demand in the summer.

When the park was established in 1936 it was considered a crown jewel of the Bay Area park system. It had a swimming pool, an administration building, the caretaker's residence, the maintenance area and two restrooms. The swimming pool, which was probably one of the first public pools in the States, was removed in the 1970s.

215 Bay Rd, Menlo Park, CA 94025, Phone: 650-363-4022

The Guild Theatre was built in 1926 as a burlesque house under the name Guild Theatre, near the today's Menlo Park downtown. In the 1940's, the theatre changed its name to Guild Theatre and had its façade ‘loped off' and rebuilt when El Camino Real was widened.

Once reopened, it started featuring motion pictures. This oldest theater on the San Francisco Peninsula that is still standing is famous for two huge golden wings on both sidesof its enormous screen and funky old-fashioned decor that came from various other theatres after they were demolished. Today the Guild Theatre shows mostly independent and foreign language movies.

949 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA 94025, Phone: 650-566-8367

The Dutch Goose has been Menlo Park's favorite family pub since 1966, the place where you bring the family for Sunday burgers or a couple of friends to watch the game while sampling one, or more, of pub's twelve beers on tap and ten wines by glass or bottle. You can eat inside, surrounded by large TVs, or outside in the "Duck Blind," a dog-friendly shady patio featuring large rustic benches and a full bar.

The daily menu is posted on a chalkboard, but everyone's favorite is a cheeseburger with the fixings. Ask for the Goop, the Goose's special sauce. Other treats from the kitchen include smoked brisket sliders, grilled cheese with chicken tenders and fabulous sweet potato fries.

3567 Alameda de las Pulgas, Menlo Park, CA 94025, Phone: 650-854-3245