I'm glad you posted this, as I'm considering working at a startup in Palo Alto. If I end up moving up there, I can say with near-certainty that at least one geek in Palo Alto will be out drinking beers on weekend nights!
Ask HN: What do geeks in Palo Alto do on weekend nights?
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Re: Ask HN: What do geeks in Palo Alto do on weekend nights?
#12I'm a big fan of Friday Night Waltz (http://www.fridaynightwaltz.com/), which is cheap, fun, social, and darn good exercise too.
Re: Ask HN: What do geeks in Palo Alto do on weekend nights?
#13I lived in Palo Alto for a couple of years, and basically just didn't go out (weekend or otherwise) after 8pm unless one of my friends with a car wanted to drive to San Francisco for the night. Caltrain is fine during the day on weekends (e.g., for shopping and dinner outings) but shuts down far too early to really do bars/clubs/concerts in the city and still get home. (BART has similar issues, if you're trying to get in and out of east bay.)
The upside is that the city is only 40 minutes away; the downside is that SF tends to be kind of a black hole for culture, sucking everything cool into the city limits and leaving the south bay with all the strip malls, supermarkets, and car dealerships.
If you're going to school or working a startup, it can be survivable. There are enough coffee shops, cafes, and restaurants around downtown Palo Alto to let you pass a lazy Sunday afternoon pleasantly enough, and the occasional trip to SF by car (or by train, with a hotel stay in the middle) helps to alleviate the boredom.
Re: Ask HN: What do geeks in Palo Alto do on weekend nights?
#14Beats me. I had to leave the South Bay because it was driving me insane. I worked on an acquired events-related startup, and when we lived in the South Bay, none of us went to any events. Although SF is tantalizingly close, it is always too much of a hassle when you factor in transportation or parking.
No specific knowledge of this area yet, but in a similar situation elsewhere I/we just grabbed a hotel room in the city for a night or two.
Re: Ask HN: What do geeks in Palo Alto do on weekend nights?
#15Reading these posts it seems to me that there is a huge opportunity for an entertainment-oriented entrepreneur in Palo Alto.
For Heavens sake, someone open up a bar for these guys and don't charge a cover for women!
Re: Ask HN: What do geeks in Palo Alto do on weekend nights?
#16Three are more restaurants in Palo Alto/Mountain View than you can imagine. I had a very good time trying different ones out (sometimes with people from work).
Re: Ask HN: What do geeks in Palo Alto do on weekend nights?
#17I'm a big fan of Friday Night Waltz ( http://www.fridaynightwaltz.com/ ), which is cheap, fun, social, and darn good exercise too.
And for those people who feel their dancing skills are inadequate, one of the best dance instructors in the country (Richard Powers) gives two hours of introductory lessons before the dance. The atmosphere is very friendly and welcoming.
Re: Ask HN: What do geeks in Palo Alto do on weekend nights?
#18On weekends on the peninsula there is still plenty to do. Catch up with folks at their houses, go to bars/restaurants like Town and The Refuge. Go to Rooster T Feathers in Mountain View for a comedy show. Pampas in downtown Palo Alto has a great Friday night happy hour.
Other times I'll drive up to the city. When I lived in Mountain View I used to occasionally get a hotel room in the financial district - $70 on Priceline for a 4* hotel. Now I'm in San Carlos it's only a 20 minute drive to SOMA which is great, or otherwise 40 min by train.
Re: Ask HN: What do geeks in Palo Alto do on weekend nights?
#19Go to the city. Go out in Palo Alto. Work. Play board games with friends.
What's it like going out in Palo Alto?
It depends on what you mean by going out. There isn't a lot of stuff, and sparse offerings of typical "nightlife" type destinations (clubbing, live music), but there are a decent number of bars if you're into sitting around drinking beer and chatting. Rose & Crown has a good craft-beer selection.
Also, a bunch of random stuff happens at Stanford now and then, if you're into things like http://slork.stanford.edu/
Re: Ask HN: What do geeks in Palo Alto do on weekend nights?
#20I lived in Palo Alto for a couple of years, and basically just didn't go out (weekend or otherwise) after 8pm unless one of my friends with a car wanted to drive to San Francisco for the night. Caltrain is fine during the day on weekends (e.g., for shopping and dinner outings) but shuts down far too early to really do bars/clubs/concerts in the city and still get home. (BART has similar issues, if you're trying to ge…
>(BART has similar issues, if you're trying to get in and out of east bay.)
Fortunately, the AC Transit 8xx bus lines run from the Transbay Terminal in the city along East Bay BART routes after BART shuts down and leave every hour (and every half hour for awhile on weekend nights.)
There are SamTrans buses that take you between the city and Palo Alto after Caltrain shuts down but they leave every hour and take a couple of hours for the trip.