First West Coast Trip

[pad406]

You know the usual talk about some place being boring, ugly, etc. Really - I have no problem with the place. It's a very big campus though, and basically getting as a student without a bike is near impossible. Parking is an issue on weekdays though, except for some limited public parking. It's impractical to park in the city and walk in, and in any case Palo Alto has parking meters everywhere. Most of the campus is faculty and student parking until 4:30 PM on weekdays.

If I can put in a plug, I might suggest a trip to UC Berkeley. Certainly a lot of history there and great views of San Francisco Bay. Might be out of your way though.

As far as the Yoda statue goes - here's a description. The lobby is also open to the public. There's another Yoda statue at Big Rock Ranch (next to Skywalker Ranch) in Marin County, but you would need to have an invitation or be there on official business.

http://thebubblybay.com/visiting-lucasfilm-yoda-fountain-at-the-presidio/

She's only 14 yet so it's just as we're in the are we though we'd take a look around. I'm sure. like any teenager, she'll change her mind about a million times between now and then.
Thanks for the link to the Yoda statue/Lucasfilm, think that's a must do for us

Don't worry, both Stanford and Cal are fine academic institutions. Cal graduates (my wife being one of them) have an abnormally high amount of school pride, though, with that comes hatred of all things Cardinal, LOL. I am a neutral third party, so you can trust me .

 

[bcla]

She's only 14 yet so it's just as we're in the are we though we'd take a look around. I'm sure. like any teenager, she'll change her mind about a million times between now and then.
Thanks for the link to the Yoda statue/Lucasfilm, think that's a must do for us

It's cool to dream, but I would point out that Stanford's undergraduate acceptance rate is currently under 5%. Not saying anything about your daughter or her credentials, but there are lots and lots of students who could be projected to do well yet still not get acceptance.

Heck - I don't know if I could still get into Cal if I had to do it again. The acceptance rate for my major was maybe 13% at the time and it that time I'm sure it's lower.

 

[pad406]

It's cool to dream, but I would point out that Stanford's undergraduate acceptance rate is currently under 5%. Not saying anything about your daughter or her credentials, but there are lots and lots of students who could be projected to do well yet still not get acceptance.

Heck - I don't know if I could still get into Cal if I had to do it again. The acceptance rate for my major was maybe 13% at the time and it that time I'm sure it's lower.

Ah well it's only third on her list and it's a long way off. I'd prefer she stays this side in all honesty but won't be standing in her way It's only as we're in the area anyway

 

[China Expat]

A note about Stanford...at my previous school in So Cal, an exclusive prep school, none of our 5.0, valedictorian-leaders-musicians-artists ever got into or even wait listed at Stanford. The last time a student from that school was accepted into Stanford was 1998; the young man was published in a magazine.

 

[bcla]

A note about Stanford...at my previous school in So Cal, an exclusive prep school, none of our 5.0, valedictorian-leaders-musicians-artists ever got into or even wait listed at Stanford. The last time a student from that school was accepted into Stanford was 1998; the young man was published in a magazine.

I went to a public school in the San Francisco Bay Area. I saw the list of where students were claiming to go. From a senior class of about 275, we had maybe five claiming to go to Stanford, along with several going to Harvard, Cornell, Brown, and Harvey Mudd College. On top of that I think quite a few of the students going to Ivy League schools had been accepted to Stanford. A classmate who was extremely well qualified got wait-listed for Stanford and MIT.

However, I had a boatload of classmates heading for UCs. At UC Berkeley I'd often see someone I knew from high school.

That being said, the number of applications at all these schools are crazy, the number of kids is higher, and many of these schools haven't gotten bigger. I remember back when all these elite private schools had acceptance rates from 13-17%, but now they're around 5%. It's certainly great to dream, but definitely have a backup plan.

 

[hilarys]

Ahh, that's fine, rivalry is ok. Just worried that there was something else behind your comment.

For Palo Alto we only plan to pass through to be honest, just see the place, not a big deal if we don't see much.

Thanks for the heads up on the Yoda statue, we'll be visiting the Disney museum so will likely pass by there on the way

As far as a couple of tech things to see I think these were good suggestions.

We live near Silicon Valley and took relatives on a tech tour at their request. It was interesting visiting places we pass by all the time but never look closely at or stop.

We took them to these places:
- Google offices in Mountain View to see the Android sculptures:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attract...id_Lawn_Statues-Mountain_View_California.html
- Facebook headquarters for photos with the "like" button sign, at the entrance to Dumbarton Bridge
- Drove around the perimeter of the construction of the new Apple "spaceship" campus in Cupertino. We couldn't see much at the time, but I've been more recently and you can see the building taking shape now. Maybe by the time of your visit it will be done.

Maybe you could leave SF on highway 101 and dart over to the Facebook HQ to see the sign and then drive through Downtown Palo Alto and then through Stanford and onto the 280 Freeway to continue your drive south. Because of your timing the day after Christmas you will not have any problems with parking or traffic. Most tech companies will be shut down for the week between Christmas and New Year's and Stanford will obviously not be in session.

Just a reminder that sometimes we can have big rain storms around Christmas time - keep that in mind for some of your driving and outdoor planned activities - have back up activities, umbrellas, coats and build in extra time for driving.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

I lived on Monterey Peninsula for 16 years. Monterey, Carmel, Carmel by the Sea, Pebble Beach, etc....the area is beautiful! Just a head's up about Big Sur right now. A large wildfire has been going on. Destroyed 41 homes. Evacuations not only in Big Sur but Carmel Highlands. I know your trip is not for a few months but be aware if you head down the coast, specifically Big Sur area, the wildfires have affected the area. Be aware of mudslides and rockslides.

 

[GoBears 1980]

Curious now, what's up with Sanford?

It is Stanfurd and the biggest problem is it isn't even a real school and says so right in its full name, Leland Stanfurd Junior University.

See? They admit it, they are a junior university. You should hop onto BART, maybe even Christmas Day since so many things will be closed, and go over to Berkeley where you can see a real university.

A note about Stanford...at my previous school in So Cal, an exclusive prep school, none of our 5.0, valedictorian-leaders-musicians-artists ever got into or even wait listed at Stanford. The last time a student from that school was accepted into Stanford was 1998; the young man was published in a magazine.

Obviously too many of the students were wasting their time in arts and music for Stanfurd's taste. If they'd been a quarterback, a star water polo player or 6'10" Stanfurd would have loved them.