The review is for their library, I have not yet tried their classes. This tiny library is a gem for…read morefinding Chinese books for children. Pros: - Accessible, free parking in the building's parking lot for up to 2 hours. - Packed with a variety of CDs, books, DVDs in Chinese, traditional and simplified. Items looked new and in very good condition. - Signing up is free and easy: I just walked in with my ID, and they printed out two cards for me while I browsed. - Clean and neat, with some tables and chairs to encourage browsing/reading. - Friendly staff Cons: - Place is small: On one hand, it is easy to keep an eye on the children, but on the other hand they have to refrain from running around. - Limited hours (see webpage), though there is a bookdrop for returning. - 6 items limit, unless you are a VIP (paying) member, with a 2 week borrowing term. The items may be renewed once. All in all, I am glad to recommend this place and commend them for providing so many resources to Chinese students.

A Meaningful Community Event…read more The EPA Center recently hosted a wonderful community event that was thoughtfully planned and well prepared. What stood out most was seeing the children smiling, families genuinely enjoying their time together, and volunteers serving with so much heart. It was more than just an event. It was a meaningful time of bringing people together, creating memories, and strengthening the community. You could really feel the care and effort that went into making the day special.

I've worked with Alison to organize a Holiday Volunteer Day for my company, TrialPay. We always…read morehave a great time setting up the Toy Store and we feel lucky we can be a small part of making the holiday's special for local kids who may otherwise not get any presents. This will be our 5th Year volunteering with them and we couldn't be happier to support the great work they do!

Unprofessional. Do not donate to these people…read more CSA advised me to get a 3-day pay-or-quit notice from my landlord. They said they'd put me on a waitlist for rental assistance. So I did that. Three months later, CSA hadn't even contacted my landlord. My landlord refused to accept my offer for partial rent and has proceeded with eviction. One of the women there, Jocelyn (or Jacklyn?), is always neurotic and hostile to me. I have no idea why.

I came from China a few years ago. I stay at my daughter's house to take care of her kids. Now that…read morethey are all in school, I do not have much to do. One day I hopped on the Palo Alto free shuttle. I heard two Chinese people talking about La Comida. They said that seniors , those over 60, are welcome to go there for lunch. I joined them, and went to their lunch program at Masonic center, in downtown Palo Alto. I am so happy to meet some other Chinese speaking diners. The food is full of nutrition, freshly prepared daily. It includes salad, main dish ,side dishes and dessert, plus coffee/tea, and milk. The helpers are all volunteers, they are so kind and caring. I am going there often now. There is live music , movie day, line dancing on Wednesdays, and games to play. Please encourage your parents to come and join the lunch program.

After eating at La Comida last week and having a wonderful meal I was impressed by the fresh…read moreingredients used. The quality of the salad, main course and dessert were all yummy. I have eaten at Stevenson House and Masonic and both had nice placemats and flowers that set a nice feeling. I recommend you try it.

When I moved back to Palo Alto with a 2 year old joining PAMP was the first thing I did and I do…read morenot regret it! What a tremendous resource for everything from posting questions to the online forum to attending kid's activities and mom's night out at discounted prices to fun large family events. The community is amazing and continues to grow. Priceless!

PAMP is a phenomenal resource for parents on the Peninsula! I've found life-long friends as well as…read moremy hair stylist, dry cleaner, kids nanny and preschool. The member discounts alone are reason enough to join!

A well-established Palo Alto environmental nonprofit, with many projects underway, most notably the…read morehabitat restoration and stewardship project on Arastradero Preserve, a collaborative effort with the City of Palo Alto that has been going on for 10 years. Visit their website to learn about their many other projects, which change periodically as Acterra responds to changing conditions and priorities. Props go to Acterra for Arastradero, the Business Environmental Awards, and their ongoing fiscal sponsorship program, which has nurtured many powerful, high-impact local environmental startup groups over the last 20 years. Occasionally, however, they seem to experiment with rather slow-moving in-house programs that generate fanfare and consume funding but are light on delivering results. This, I find, is not a judicious use of public-benefit funds. In all fairness, of course, not all projects succeed, and some experiments are worthwhile; nevertheless, some recent projects such as the "Green@Home" initiative (which sends "tiger teams" of three people to "green" a single household by installing CFL bulbs and whatnot) just seem outright goofy from a cost-benefit perspective. Because of this recent trend towards slow, expensive 'wonderfulness" in preference to rapid, tangible achievements, I suspect they would benefit from some fresh blood and fresh perspectives somewhere in the upper echelons of the organization--board or management. On balance, though, this 30-year-old outfit is doing a great job of pursuing its primary mission of "acting locally" for the good of the environment, and has enriched the lives of many, many local people who have volunteered with Acterra's projects or attended its events.

I attended my first Acterra Business Environmental Awards last week and came away from it feeling…read moreso uplifted and inspired. This event draws much-needed attention to businesses that promote sustainability, creating a strong community of learning, support, and mutual inspiration. Their other projects are also so cool and seem to fly under the radar; right now they are working to convert people to driving electric cars as well as installing free solar panels on the homes of low-income Bay Area residents to lower their energy bills. If you are able to volunteer with them or donate, I really recommend it!

Have you been to the Redwood City Elks Lodge lately? A lot…read morehas changed. If you're a member and haven't been in a while-get there! If you're not a member, become one! Lots of new families and younger folks. This is not your grand-dad's Elks Lodge. Great fellowship and charity at the same time. The new chef is awesome, they us serve happy hour food from 3-7 at the bar daily and a full pub menu on the weekends with breakfast./brunch items from 11-1.

As a wedding planner, I had an event at Redwood City Elks Lodge in May 2023. The mother of the…read morebride is a member which led us to the venue. Venue: - The space is extremely flexible and easy to dress up or down! - There are a lot of additions that were great for a party: including a stage, twinkle lights on the windows, and a disco ball. - The main ballroom is split in half with hardwood and carpet. This was extremely helpful as it was a built-in dance floor so that we didn't need to source one. - It was a bit chilly so that the patio overlooking the pool wasn't used much, but in the daytime and evening, it provided a great view! - It's always great to have tables and chairs on-hand. Their contract mentioned particular numbers of tables and chairs, though their inventory is larger than what was written in. During a previous site visit, they had 2 types of chairs that were mis-matched, though by the time the event came, they had replaced these with all matching ones. - The ceremony arch is leaning backwards a bit, but nothing that some linens and flowers can't fix! Having a ceremony arch included with the venue already is a huge plus. - There are a few ground squirrel holes in the ceremony site that could be difficult to walk on - this was easily avoidable by letting all our guests know to either wear flat shoes or chunky heels and to watch where they step. - The ceremony site is a bit of a walk from the reception, though golf carts were readily available for mobility-impaired guests. - The driveway or main entrance can be a bit tricky to find for those unfamiliar. It is set back between two residential houses, so if there are cars parked street side, the sign can be easily missed. Venue staff: - During our planning, we worked with Jared in the pre-planning and Staci on the event day. - Both venue coordinators were extremely helpful and friendly! They were both quick to respond to emails and provide information. If they did not know the answer, they were courteous and professional in getting a firm answer within just a few days. - I would note that there were some miscommunication issues earlier in planning with the board. Jared and Staci were both new to their positions at the time that they had began working with us so they weren't quite familiar with the nuances of the venue yet. They were both great in finding the answers we needed and being the middleman between my clients/myself and the board members at the lodge. - My site visit with Jared was extremely helpful with his knowledge and what is or is not permitted. Event execution: - The bar was provided by the venue. The bartenders were great and helped batch signature cocktails at the beginning. They handled large volumes very well! - The bar was split into two parts: one for "members only" and another for general guests. Considering our event had used the entire main ballroom and bar area, I felt that the bar should have been closed for public access or both lines should have been made available for the event guests. - The kitchen space is perfect for any caterer - there is adequate space for both preparations and bussing. In addition, it's always helpful to have on-site industrial kitchen appliances, a walk-in refrigerator, and an ice machine ready to go. - Catering was able to park on a patio area which doubled as a loading zone. This allowed easy entry into the kitchen and back areas without too much movement. - Restrooms: all restrooms were clean and maintained well. For 120 guests, the number of stalls available was perfect so that there was never a line. - Staci helped tremendously with set-up and helping guests who required the golf-cart. Despite only stepping into the role, she was a huge help with her knowledge of the venue! - There was plenty of parking available for active golfers, event staff/vendors, and all our guests. - The ceremony site is a distance from power, so if you are planning any music out there, I would strongly recommend a portable generator as a bluetooth speaker may not be loud enough in the open space. Overall, I would definitely recommend Redwood City Elks Lodge as a venue for all event types. In addition to the main ballroom and ceremony site, they also have a picnic area with a pit barbecue that would be great for a summer party. There is also a small stadium that would be great for performances or even something like a cornhole championship. It seems like you will need to know a member or apply for membership to host an event here, though if you're someone who is always looking to celebrate and lives in the area, Redwood City Elks Lodge is a great go-to spot!

My partner and I were strolling through Palo Alto, enjoying our lattes, when we unexpectedly…read morestumbled upon an art gallery called Node. Initially, a rather unsettling piece, a realistic head on a mechanical dog caught our eye, and we almost walked away. But curiosity got the better of us, and we decided to venture inside. To our surprise, entry was completely free, which felt like a rare treat on a Thursday evening! The art itself is incredibly futuristic, cool, and unique. You can definitely see AI's influence, but it's used in a way that feels genuinely innovative and distinct. The exhibits delve into politics and even feature some artistic nudity, all presented thoughtfully and provocatively. The most captivating part for me was an installation at the very back: robot dogs, each with the head of a famous figure like Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, or Elon Musk, moving within a roped-off perimeter. It sparked so many interesting conversations between my partner and me. This gallery offers a lot of artistic commentary and a truly unique experience. I highly recommend checking it out if you're in the area!

I decided to randomly come here after seeing jts possible to see robot dogs with peoples heads on…read moreTikTok and Reddit. The viral videos and so It's only open on the weekends? It was a bit of a drive and I arrived, parked farther and walked. The building itself is pretty small and all you get are a few exhibits. With a group of highschool kids employed by the place who play music loud enough to give you stuffy / ringing ears I am not familiar with the artist, he seems to specialize in digital art? To be blunt, the art itself is... bland and boring. It's more easier to see it online than going through the effort of seeing it in person. They try to glorify NFT art however we all know they become worthless for obvious reasons? Plus several images on the wall are very inappropriate I don't recommend anyone to buy anything here. The merchandise is over priced under the brand of trying to sell a tech brand When truly, it's just selling hype or profiting from it