This was a beautiful hidden gem in Stanford that I'm surprised I've never seen nor heard before…read more Plenty of plant species all around to see and beautiful flowers planted everywhere. You can spend a decent amount of time here roaming around and soaking in all the beautiful plants here, where summer and spring you can have plenty of colorful plants blooming al over the place. There's a few picnic tables if you want to do a quick lunch but not a huge party can come here. Some days they have tea events as well so you can spend morning tea here.

Great Family Event... Except Someone Forgot Their Customer-Service Hat…read more We had a really good time at Gamble Garden's Second Saturday! The kids enjoyed the scavenger hunt, there were some great vendors, and the whole event had a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. I also got some pretty good footage of the scavenger hunt and everything that was going on, so there was definitely plenty to enjoy. Whoever is behind organizing the Second Saturdays deserves some credit because they're doing a great job. There was a nice variety of activities, the kids stayed entertained, and it felt like a genuine community event. Now... the reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 comes down to one particular interaction. There was an older gentleman named Matthew who was helping out and wearing a vest. Let's just say Matthew and my wife and I did not exactly become best friends that afternoon. Some of the comments he made toward us came across as unnecessarily rude and, even if they were intended to be jokes, the humor definitely missed the landing. I'm all for a little sarcasm and having fun -- trust me, I can take a joke -- but there's a difference between being funny and making people wonder, "Wait... was that really necessary?" Thankfully, the event was for our kids, not for us, so we didn't let one interaction ruin the day. The kids had fun, the vendors were great, and everything else about the experience was positive. I'd definitely recommend checking out Second Saturday if you have kids or just want to support a cool community event. Hopefully, next time Matthew leaves the comedy routine at home and sticks to the helping. Overall: Great event, great activities, great vendors, and a lot of potential for an even better experience. Just one sour interaction kept it from getting that fifth star.

The Stanford barn is one of the oldest structures on the Stanford University Campus…read more The Barn which was built in 1888 as a winery. Vast amount of grapes were planted on the farm, and according to the standards of the time produced a fine quality wine under the Palo Alto label. Leland Stanford was a big believer in the benefits of wine consumption. The building was built to last, and while the 1906 San Francisco earthquake damaged many building on campus, the Barn was untouched despite all the additional weight the wine imposed on the structure. With the inaction of Prohibition, the winery ceased operations and the surrounding land was used for conventional farming and cattle grazing.The barn was alternatively used by the carnation milk company and was also leased for the purposes of breeding purebred Troutmere. The barn continued to be used as a dairy for many years but gradually fell into disuse. With the encroachment of urban areas and the Stanford Shopping Center, it was considered for razing at one point. However, the Barn was someone restored and converted into sort of a mixed retail/restaurant/ office space. Present day there are several restaurants, and other small shops. The entire second levels are office space used by the medical school. It does have its own parking but its patrolled by private security who have that 'Mall cop" complex and can be quite aggressive even if you have business at the barn. There are no tours of the interior, but the you can walk around the extensive brick structure, and you can walk through the main part of it. There there few historical displays showing its history and allows easy access to the various shops and restaurants. Its not a destination in and of itself, but would be a fatntatic pairing with say the Cantor, or the Arizona cactus garden etc.

It's a winding, hilly, and somewhat dark drive up to the most breathtaking event venue I have seen…read morein the Bay Area. Plenty of shade and cute benches. I definitely want to have my next event here. It's quiet and full of trees and romantic. It is perfect for work events, weddings, parties, and more. Book your next event here, I promise you that you won't regret it.

After driving up a long and winding road up to the top of Skyline in Woodside you arrive at a…read morebeautiful event venue called Mountain Terrace. We attended a wedding of about 120 people. There is a huge grassy area where the ceremony was held but it would accommodate several hundred if the parking doesn't run out. The opening in the Redwoods overlooks the South Bay. A large tent was set up on the Terrace where the banquet was held. The event staff was fast and efficient in moving all the chairs from the ceremony to the banquet tables. Not sure if the food was catered or was made from the event kitchen. There is also a separate house across the lane that can be rented and utilized for the wedding party. The food with at was served consisted of Appetizers Crab cakes Mushrooms Vietnamese spring rolls Ceviche Spring mix with a warm egg Salmon with broccoli and potatoes Tri Tip with broccoli and potatoes Dessert S'mores Cannolis There is limited parking so the wedding provided shuttle buses from the bottom of the mountain.

My fiancé and I had our wedding here in June. All of the staff we encountered before and during our…read morewedding were so helpful, nice, accommodating, and professional. They truly went out of their way to make us feel special. Tiana the event planner, was so great, flexible, very responsive and on top of everything. She truly tried to make our wedding process as seamless and easy as possible which we truly appreciated. The grounds and buildings at the Arts Guild alone are so beautiful, it made the ambiance even more special. The food overall was good and their lamb chop appetizer is outstanding. We got so many compliments on the signature drinks we picked - Paloma and Gin Hugo Spritz. Gustavo the bartender made them so good! I'd also highly recommend using their preferred DJ company called Big Fun DJ. Woody was our DJ, and he did a great job with the music and was very personable and easy to work with. This place is truly a hidden gem, and would highly recommend if you are considering this place for your wedding venue.

This is a nice place to come and walk around for about 15 minutes. I love gardens and they had a…read morewalkway adorned with roses and roses in a courtyard with a fountain. There is a restaurant but it's kinda pricey. I think this place is more for special events but they have a couple of artist stores there. I even saw a cat roaming around, maybe he lives there. For a garden I wouldn't come out of my way for it but it's worth stopping by if going to the nearby Stanford shopping center

WOW! My husband and I blindly rented the patio at Lucie Stern for our wedding welcome event as we…read morewanted to host all of our guests who were coming for near and far. We were looking for a reasonably priced place where we could bring in food and booze to make it financially possible for us. This ended up being an amazing option that allowed us to take advantage of the usual great PA weather. Our wedding was in July and we spent $0 on décor and it was totally fine as the patio was SURROUNDED by blooming shrubs and flowers. It was the perfect size for a cocktail/casual buffet style open house dinner for 80-100 people. It didn't feel to bare and oversized. We set up food stations in each corner along with a bar which encouraged folks to circulate around the space. We booked this venue without having seen it and were really floored by how beautiful and transporting the setting was - it felt like a little garden that could have been in Spain or Italy or Mexico with the red shingles and all. The main downside of this venue is that it is very popular (book early), is very DIY (hire a planner, it's worth it as there is a LOT of coordination required to pull this off), doesn't allow hard liquor, and doesn't come with a rain plan. While this is a slim chance of rain, it's tough to not have any backup plan for a big event. Note that our event was in the evening so sun could be an issue earlier in the day. We rented the adjacent interior room as a plan B which my friends ended up using for their choreographed dance practice so it came in handy...but do be prepared to shell out some bucks for a space you likely won't use (and for your peace of mind). While the liquor parameters were annoying, to be honest we didn't to get too drunk the day before the wedding and then be hungover for the big day. Our wedding venue also didn't allow liquor so instead of serving straight wine, we came up with aperitifs to put a twist on the offering (ie aperol spritz, kir royale, white port and tonic, etc). Highly recommend working with Denise of Denise Lillie Engagements who made this event come to life. I relied on her for everything down to the décor (most of which was lent to us by her). She recommended great bar tenders that helped with set up / breakdown and perfectly poured our custom drinks (we sent specific recipes for this and they executed perfectly). Lucie Stern is a great venue for a wedding or large family event that allows you to bring in alcohol at cost though does require planning (and a planner). We highly recommend it and think it's great value.

It's difficult to review a community theater, rather than an individual performance but I will give…read moreit a shot... In background, I've probably seen a dozen shows here over the last 8 years. They've ranged from classics to experimental and from dramas to musicals. While the shows obviously vary in quality, I've always enjoyed them and been impressed by the acting. Compared to other community theater I've been to, this is a notch above. The building itself has an intimate and historical feel. It was built in 1934 in a Mediterranean style. The seating is a bit worn and may be cramped if you're a larger person but the acoustics are great and the sight lines are good from everywhere. There's not a bad seat in the house. There are snacks and drinks for intermission and, as has become increasingly common, you can pre-order. The bathrooms are in the building next door but it's a very short walk. All in all, a charming little theater with good plays.

I've eaten here multiple times and each time was a unique experience. It is a quite different to…read moreother private restaurants since this is within Stanford University. Today's visit, I was accompanied by a few coworkers and had enjoyed their company during my meal. I've ordered the Stanford Mule (no alcohol) for my drink and Roasted Salmon Filet but had requested to have it grilled cooked, I wanted some grilling smell and taste to it. When cutting into the salmon filet, its texture was well kept outside and the inside was perfect, juices were still there and flavor is strong. No signs of burning the filet and the inside wasn't dry at all. I didn't need to drink my mule but, I wanted to savior the salmon longer before any sipping of my mule. One good note is that the food didn't take too long to be prepared, probably at most 15 minutes, hard to tell since I was in an interesting conversation with my coworkers. Great lighting while sitting outside. Was sorta warm during a heat wave but we needed some sunlight and outdoorsy vibes. I'd come back here anytime when I have the time with coworkers, could be pricey but the quality is there.

Went here with a family friend, who is the wife of a faculty member…read more FOOD: Ordered a salad with tofu and a side of fries. I remember the salad was quite big! SERVICE: We weren't sure to call a waiter over to pay, but eventually, we figured it out. PARKING: I parked in the Tresidder lot, so you might have to pay (metered) All in all, not that great, not that bad, don't mind going back!

I love this place for both the ambience and the assorted snacks…read more Does anyone know when the village hub is going to reopen or if it is going to be closed for summer?

One of the prettiest locations in town. The outdoor patio is great!! However I had not been in a…read morewhile and saw that they hired all new staff and apparently a new bakery...? My cappuccino was very subpar and disappointing, it used to be my favorite in the area. The almond croissant I got also tasted different and STALE Not to mention, prices also increased. I hope they can get increase the quality of their products as it used to be a real gem, now it has a very generic taste.

We had our wedding here last month- what a find! It had practically everything we wanted for our…read moreDIY wedding. We held our ceremony outdoors, followed by outdoor cocktail hour on the other side of the patio, and an indoor reception. The patio is enormous! And, we comfortably fit 14 tables of 10, a head table, and a dance floor in the hall. The venue has a supply of rectangular tables, as well as standard round tables, and black folding chairs. But, they don't supply the man power to help you set up. So, choosing the right catering company who would do all of that & more is huge. Here is why we chose this venue: 1. The price was reasonable! Despite not being Menlo Park residents, the price still fell within our budget. 2. Along with rental of the Sequoia Room, we got the adjacent large patio the entire evening as part of the rental price. 3. The kitchen was right by the room, and was spacious enough to fulfill our catering needs. 4. Free parking! And, lots of it. 5. There was no particular way to set up the place. They provided us with floor plans, but it was up to us & our caterer to figure out a layout. (This can work for or against some people, but it worked for us!) We were able to create what we envisioned. 6. Our guests were able to sit comfortably away from direct sunlight under the canopy the venue had outside. -1 star for: 1. No dimmers in the Sequoia Room. So, when sunset came (which was during the tail end of dinner), the hall was darker than we expected. Luckily, we had enough uplights surrounding the gigantic room. But I wish I had knew this, so I could've gotten more tea lights for the tables. 2. When we were in the middle of open dance, the hall got hot & stuffy. The AC was maxed out, they brought in fans, the sliding doors leading to the patio were open, but they weren't enough to keep the place cool. 3. They only allowed us to serve beer, wine, & champagne. We were okay with it, since we had our wedding on a Sunday, but it sure would've been nice to have actual signature cocktails! Overall, we had an easy time working with this venue! If you're a creative bride and/or enjoy DIY projects, you should definitely consider this place. The hours you can hold your event are flexible, and Ricardo (primarily who we worked with) was nice & helpful.

I had my bridal shower here. The staff was so nice and accommodating. Blank canvas to make your…read moreparty your own. This space was perfect for my event. Thanks again to all the staff!

Beautiful location. Our wedding was picture perfect! We had the wedding of our dreams.read more

Rengstorff House is located on the premises of the Shoreline Parklands. This is a historic…read moreVictorian house / mansion and it is Mountain View's oldest home. There is a shared parking lot. My bf wanted to do docent-led tour, but unfortunately we showed up shortly after they closed on that Saturday afternoon (they closed at noon). We walked along the outer perimeter of the estate - hoping to get some photos, but there were some people taking photos at the front of the house, so we ended up leaving. Overall 3 stars, but rounded up to 4 stars because we did not get the full experience for a fair review.