Nashauna Drummond, Lifestyle Coordinator
Hoover observatory offers a beautiful view of the campus and Bay area. - photos by Nashauna Drummond
California is ideal for sightseeing. There are numerous picturesque vineyards, San Francisco's popular Golden Gate, Hollywood of course, and the list goes on. However, if you happen to find yourself in the not-so-popular city of Palo Alto, then you are about half an hour from San Francisco and a far cry from all the famous sights of the state, especially when transportation is limited.
On a recent visit to this out-of-the-way city, I found myself in a pickle that threatened to dampen my sight-seeing adventure.
When I got through the serious business of my assignment, I wanted to see what this city had to offer. I was in the middle of Silicon Valley, but not in the middle of any 'action'. Stanford University and Stanford Shopping Center were just 15 minutes from my hotel and were featured in most of the brochures in my information package, so that seemed a very good place to start. Besides, shopping is always fun!
Stanford Shopping Center and University
Memorial church at Stanford University was built by Jane Stanford in honour of her husband.
On a map, the university and shopping centre seem just across the road from each other. Unfortunately, in actuality they were farther. This shopping centre of 140 shops is a shopper's paradise. The biggest brands are there; Macy's, Bloomingdales, Gap, Victoria's Secret and Louis Vuitton (with bigger price tags of course). A little bit of window shopping never hurts though. After an eyeful of shopping (which can be very exhausting), the observatory beckoned with a panoramic view of the city.
Stanford University was built in 1891 by Leland Stanford and his wife Jane as a monument to their son, Leland Jr, who died of typhoid fever before his 16th birthday, while the family was vacationing in Italy. Though a very large and historic university, its major selling point for tourists (or just the greatest attraction for me), was the Herbert Hoover observatory. Born in an Iowa village in 1874, Herbert Hoover, the 31st president of the United States of America, grew up in Oregon. He enrolled at Stanford University when it opened in 1891, graduating as a mining engineer. The tower was completed in 1941 to celebrate the university's 50th anniversary.
At 285 feet tall, it can be seen from miles around and this is what I used as my landmark as I searched for the university.
Walk, walk and more walk
The best way to see anywhere is by walking. But doing that for five hours is a stretch and wears the fun out of the experience. After getting directions from a friendly fellow in one of the stores, I headed out to find Quarry Street. But that was a task in and of itself. Instead, I ended up on Orchid Street. Luckily, the old faithful dome of the observatory soon came in sight and I decided that if I should just follow the dome like the north star, I'd be fine. So down Quarry Street I headed, keeping the dome in sight.
Stanford University
The entrance to Stanford University from Quarry Street was pretty inconspicuous. The university appeared to be more of a little city. Finally, it opened up in font of me; large, sprawling, well-manicured lawns, conveniently located park benches, beautiful buildings, a gigantic parking lot and a closer view of the observatory. Again, more walking. It seemed just across the lawn, but as we got closer, it appeared to be retreating, mockingly.
The streets of the campus are not traversed by numerous motor cars, but by bicycles. Dozens and dozens of students zipped by on bicycles. On such a large campus it makes sense as the preferred transport. The main building of the campus (which seemed to have been there for centuries) was perfectly nestled among trees, some of them that seem to have been there just as long.
Observatory
Herbert Hoover observatory. If you are afraid of heights, just admire this from the ground.
The observatory is a major landmark for Stanford University.
The observatory seemed pretty short from outside. The Hoover Tower is part of the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace, a Stanford-affiliated public policy research centre founded by Herbert Hoover. Visitors are only allowed on the ground floor where there are three rooms with many items from the president's career. But I didn't browse much, in these rooms, my aim was to get to the top. Our tour guide, Chris (a third-year biology major), loaded everyone in the elevator and headed to the 14th floor.
The other occupants (Asian tourists) made jokes about the ghost of the dead president. As soon as the doors opened, I was hit by a burst of frigid air. Being from the tropics, I find any temperature below 50 degrees cold. The observatory offers a fabulous view of the Bay Area and a very beautiful, lush campus. If the day was warmer, it would have been nice to just relax, take a deep breath and enjoy the view.
Everything is beautiful at Stanford Shopping Center: the shops, the clothes and the prices.
California has many green cities with roadways such as the tree-lined Orchid Street.
The ground floor of the Hoover Tower contains memorabilia from President Hoover's career.
