Generally speaking I am not a fan of shopping malls, but Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, situated in the heart of Silicon Valley, is in a league of its own. It is considered to be Northern California’s premiere open-air shopping which includes upscale high end stores like Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, Neiman
Marcus, Wilkes Bashford, and over 140 world-class specialty stores. With designer facades and interiors beyond the the boring commercial architecture of old, since its major renovation several years ago. There are a number of amenities that makes spending time at the center an
absolute delight. This place is a monument to affluence and privilege as it can get, and boasts “breathtaking gardens, sculptures, and fountains, that accent the garden-like environment that people come all over the world to see. The Center also has an abundance of places to sit outdoors, where you can have a cup of coffee, or an ice cream cone, people watch and dog watch. There are about 14 restaurants to choose from including P.F. Changs China Bistro, True Food Kitchens, The Melt, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar and California Pizza Kitchen to name a few. Cecile, our son, Jason and I decided on the spacious and sustainable Pacific Fresh Westcoast Fish House. It appeared that we all in the mood for salmon. Jason had a salmon burger on a poppy seed bun with salad and fries; Cecile enjoyed a salad with grilled salmon and I had two Salmon Tacos with refried beans and salsa and chips.
While Cecile and Jason were waiting in line to buy some See’s Candy, I took some photos of artist, Albert Guibara’s humorous three signature Bronze "pin heads” sculptures that were designed and built on site in Burlingame, CA. A lifelong resident of California, Guibara was born in LA, and spent the entirety of his professional life in San Francisco. I also love visiting the whimsical Frog Fountain called the "Merfrong Family” public fountain (1978) by David Gilhooly, that is always filled with coins thrown in by passersby. It is always a great hit with kids and adults alike.
