Literally, my only complaint is how busy it gets (especially for parking) and hard to walk on the…read moresidewalks it is. But just being able to walk down with family or friends and admire all the beautiful lighting and decorated homes is such a vibe!

Crowded and it's really only one block that's decorated. The surrounding blocks are normal. Highly…read morerecommend coming earlier in the evening to avoid the super crowds and park a couple blocks over to walk. I can't believe they let people sell the lighted balloons here, like Christmas in the Park. It's $20 / balloon, fyi you can buy 10 of those balloons on Amazon for the same price. But tis the season? Almost every house on the ONE block is super decorated and babies/kids love it. It's a good little stop by.

It was really good this year! I am noticing a trend of more artists less "cheap factory-made" stuff…read moreand I couldn't be happier. Great pottery/ceramics, jewelry makers, painters, photographers, and more. I enjoyed leisurely strolling along, taking my time and enjoying chatting with some of the vendors. I grabbed a virgin Pina Colada which was very tasty and chock full of real blended pineapple. By the time 2:00pm rolled around, I realized I was hungry and noticed a booth selling BBQ'd oysters, these things were huge! And looked amazing. 3 giants oysters for $10. They had garlic, parsley and as he put them on the plate, the guy scooped pure melted butter and poured on top of them, with a wedge of lemon! Wow, I have to say those things were insanely delicious, and worth the money. Just a fine treat. Believe me, I was tempted to go back and get 3 more!!

Festival is nice with food kid activities. Food was very pricy for the quality and super greasy…read more There are a bunch of good freebies (Creators Chicago Mix anyone?) There's also a bunch of people trying to sell you stuff like time shares. Overall a nice way to spend an hour or two particularly given no admission fee but it is overpriced on the stuff that counts. Crab roll - decent amount of crab on a tasty buttery bun. Life cilantro calamari - oily, greasy and gummy - "don't recommend Corn - the kind you pay $0.40 for at the store only $4 instead.

We visited the Palo Alto Festival of the Arts this past Sunday, and had a wonderful time exploring…read morethe many activities and vendors along University Avenue, a row of seemingly endless booths. Food, art, and merchandise  galore, to be viewed and/or purchased. Fascinating art displays caught my eye at every corner, so unique and simply remarkable. The Italian Street Painting Expo featured pastel paintings by chalk artists (my fave was the Sleeping Beauty piece... cuz how could I not love the rabbits in the boots!). Chopin & Chandeliers was an interactive piano with a "play me" sign just calling for musicians among the crowd to showcase their talents and entertain attendees under a shaded tent decorated with chandeliers sculpted from upcycling materials (ie. plastic bottles). The live entertainment was amazing and enjoyable, getting the crowd on its feet and in the mood for this joyous event. The rhythmic sounds of the violin and keyboard, by Tom Rigney & John R Burr, was a treat for my ears. And the late afternoon band on the Waverley Stage, The Cook 'n Fenny Combo, kept the good vibes going, heavy on the harmonica, tambourine, and guitar, performing hits like Joan Osborne's One Of Us. This was a great festival with free admission, lots to see and do, well organized, welcoming atmosphere, friendly people, and easy street parking less than a block away in the afternoon.

First time here to this upscale art festival as after all the toney, well heeled folks in this area…read morehave disposable money. I really enjoyed this festival and unlike other festivals in the Bay Area there were not as many food vendors which was fine as University Ave has a plethora of great restaurants to choose from.

The Festivus is back this weekend with loads of foods!…read more Sonoma Teriyaki has a food tent set up grilling and frying some serious grub! Their skewers are truly amazing. So juicy and flavorful. They're super addictive. The same folks serve up some fried goodies, too. Fried Artichokes are huge and juicy with a nice crunchy batter. Come on over this weekend and enjoy some music, art, wine and some great food! UPDATE: Sunday of the Festivus - round 2 of food feasting! Potato Twister is very unique and natural on a stick they will put anything on it you like, really cool peeps at this food tent. Lobster Food truck is here! Lobster Roll and Clam Chowder really good! Come on down! The weather is mild today too!

Large selection of vendors and everyone is nice and friendly…read more Its safe for children and adults and it's a great walk if you just want to walk and look around. They have a variety of good trucks and a bunch of mom and pop stores that sell art work, popcorn, soap, dishes, etc. Found Polar Fizz drink company which is handing out free soda. Which helped since its so hot today. For those of you who like free stuff towards the end near Starbucks and CVS they're giving out free bags and Frisbee, etc.

I found this festival purely by chance while the Hubby and I were in downtown Redwood City to see a…read moreMovie. We had about 90 minutes to kill so had a look about, There were lot's of tents with games set up for children to play, a mini market selling crafts and some food stalls but I saw a severe lack of Salsa! lol. Maybe I shouldn't have taken the name too seriously as I was expecting to be able to get some Chips and Salsa to eat or even see some Salsa Dancing but no. There was also a big tent set up for Tequila tasting but there was not one drop of Tequila in sight or any indication when the event might start. I witnessed about 5 minutes of Music in the main square where a very large group of people had gathered waiting but then... nothing. For 10 minutes we stood there thinking ''well, everybody else is here, there must be something big about to happen''. So we waited... and waited... Still nothing. We eventually got bored and headed to The Sandwich Spot instead.

Didn't know this event was going on until a friend told me to stop by. There was lots of stuff…read moregoing on, face painting, salsa dance off, bounce houses, salsa tasting. It was definitely a fun weekend event worth going to (since it was free). You do have to purchase salsa tasting packs though. I bought the 20 dollar pack, but I definitely think that it was unnecessary. Stick to the smaller amount because we had way too much for two people. My gripe is that my top three votes didn't make it to the top three?!?! Wtheck, maybe my tastebuds were off that day.

We really enjoyed the Charlie Brown Christmas special here. Parking is pretty easy. You'll need to…read morereserve tickets online for the performances. Acoustics here are amazing and you can hear all the instruments from any part of the studio. Great for adults and kids!

Stanford Jazz Festival 2023. $50+ to sit in Campbell Recital - a classroom! $60+ to sit in…read moreDinkelspiel - probably the worst music venue in the Bay Area! Keepin' the riff-raff out, that's for sure. Stanford's endowment is $40 billion. Checked Bing Concert Hall prices? No (non-Stanford) student or senior rates. Isn't an MBA an entry into the largest crime syndicate in the world. A law degree lets you and your cronies set the rules. Medical degrees don't change a corrupt health care system. Stanford churns out in equity like a fine tuned machine. They owe the local non-Stanford community some small consideration, like reasonably priced tickets to their grossly expensive events. That'll be the day! Ha!

The Annual Stanford Pow Wow is so fun. It is definitely something the whole family can do. Don't…read moreforget to get an Indian taco. So delicious and check out all the booths, jewelry, clothing, tribal gear, tribal, wear arts and crafts beads. So much fun. I am looking forward to going again next year.

The Stanford Powwow is an annual event held every Mothers Day weekend on the campus of Stanford…read moreUniversity. The multi day celebration takes place at the Eucalyptus Grove on the corner of Galvez and Campus Drive. First held in 1971 it is a celebration of Native American Culture For the last decade I have had the privilege of attending the Powwow. Mostly we walk over during a lunch break as I work the weekend its always on. The biggest attraction for me at least is the singing, dancing, drum circles, and of course the ceremonial dress that the dancers wear. Its very clear that alot of time and effort goes into these. From the beadwork, to the feathers, each is a individual work of art. The dancing and signing area also impressive as well. There are a ton of booths selling a variety of native American jewelry, pottery, T-Shirts etc. Its quite a variety and seems to grow each year. The food booths present a variety of different food from Greek to Mexican. There is always a fry bread vendor and if you have not had the experience you should try it at least once. Moderation is the key with frybread. You eat too much too fast and you will have the buyers remorse LOL. That being said its a fun event for everybody and kids always seem to love it. Located near the Cantor and other landmarks it can be either a few hours or the whole day, or part of a multi stop trip.

They say when you go to one art and wine festival, you have gone to them all because the suppliers…read morein those festivals are similarand the same. However, I still have fun at this year's festival. I love the chalk arts, the artists are talented! I also love the "cake candle" supplier this year. Cute stuff for you to explore the For you to explore the artsy side of you. As for food, I didn't try the food truck as most of the time, you couldn't find a place to sit down to enjoy your food. I hate holding the food and tying to find a curbside or a bench somewhere to eat. So awkward, you know? LOL. Will I come back next year? Probably not but this is still fun do if you don't have a plan that weekend.

First time to this Festival and initially felt a little claustrophobic walking the first two blocks…read morewhen we arrived around 12:15 pm on a Saturday. However, after walking the first two blocks and for whatever reason there seemed to be more space to walk without bumping into other folks. Weather temperature was perfect and it's nice that Castro street is lined on either side of the street with trees which shaded the sun. I actually ended up buying a piece of sale cloth stainless steel bracelet from one of the vendors.

Awesome band, love the internationals! The beer stein was huge and authentic German beer good. The…read morefood was authentically good. Dancing fun!

This may not be the biggest Oktoberfest in the Bay Area but it sure is a fun one!…read more I actually volunteered to pour beer for several days and during breaks I was able to join in the festivities. There was a huge tent set up for music, games and dancing, with tables set up inside and outside. They also had various bands and dancers each day. German beers and food were available for sale, along with some traditional clothing. Every participant received either a 1L stein or a .5L glass mug and a ticket for one beverage. Additional tickets needed to be purchased for food and beverages. The weather was great throughout the week and everyone seemed to be having a great time! Parking is plentiful on the street and in various garages nearby. I have never enjoyed singing along to John Denver and Sweet Caroline so much! Yes where were lines for everything but they moved fairly quickly. Kids were welcome and there were plenty during the day.

The Menlo Park Farmers Market is tiny but nice! I like to show up right at 9AM on Sundays, before…read morethey get busy or the flower selection dwindles. It's also the easiest time to find parking, since the area gets busier as the day goes on. The market has a good selection of produce and flowers, but no prepared foods or coffee. They also usually have a live music performer. Credit cards are generally accepted, the vibe is pleasant and laid back, but dogs are sadly not allowed. Will continue to return!

My friend and I decided to check this out since we were in the area. It was close to closing so we…read moredidn't stay too long. We got some tomatoes, super sweet. Grapes and some pistachios while we were there. It's a nice little farmers market. It gets busy and since its across the street from Trader Joe's, parking is difficult. If I'm in the area I will go again, hopefully earlier so I can browse more.