Listers, family members, friends, guests.... First things first, you'll soon find out the track is located at, more or less El Camino and Embarcadero(although Embarcadero becomes Galvez as it enters the Stanford campus).
At this junction, you'll find the Town and Country Village, a very typical California outdoor shopping center. Here, you'll find a great sit-down restaurant in Hobee's(specializing in breakfast). Next door to Hobee's is Jamba Juice. Down the same side of the village is Peet's coffee, a far better alternative to Starbuck's.Back around the corner from Hobee's is a great burrito joint--Rojoz. Other eateries are there: sushi, fish house, ice cream, etc. All this 5 minutes walk from the track.....but no bars, so let's move on. Pretty good running store there, though: Metrosport...many of the Farm Geeks work there. Now, downtown Shallow Alto is north on El Camino and right(east) on University. It abounds with shops, restaurants and bars...but the emphasis is not on such fine pre/post-meet hot spots as Cooter Brown's - N'Awlins; 19th St-Eugene; Vortex-Hotlanta; Slippery Noodle - Indy....still, it's the effort that counts. Shallow Alto arrived at this moniker for a reason...just wait, you'll see. It doesn't mean, however, that fun is a tumor on the liver of the rich...it can be accomplished but with forthright determination not to look, act or be too pretty. But also be aware that cunning is often necessary as Law Officials are pretty quick to the sword in this town. So, I submit: (editor's note: Joe "Sweaty Butt" Rubio will post an actual Aggie schedule within the next 24 hours, for those willing to take the challenge.) Alpine Inn -- aka Zot's Kickoff for Aggies and friends of Aggies. This would be in Portola Valley if it wasn't so un-Portola Valley. Historical landmark at the corner of Alpine Rd and Arastradero...about 5 miles west of campus...you'll need to ask for directions most likely but worth the trip for the bumpers, burgers, outdoor beer garden, bikers, cyclists, ne'er-do-wells.... This will also serve as the post meet venue on Sunday. Aggie's Ground Zero is Moe's 541 Ramona between Univ and Hamilton...but you may remember it better when it was Ramona's Pizza and Brian Pettingill worked there. Good sports bar with knuckleheads for owners....and damn good food....starting point for every day's activities. You'll want to stop in and take a look at the SI cover with D W I G H T on the cover in his LB State uni. Blue Chalk 630 Ramona...one block south of Moe's lots of folks to look at and make fun of....couple of pool tables, shuffleboard...actually good food if you show up early enough. You can play catch with the Nerf in here...at least until they catch you. Then they make you leave. Definitely a before 8 or after 10 place. Rose and Crown 547 Emerson...one block west and parallel to Ramona sorta hard to find...no sign and in the middle of a parking lot..no entrance on an actual street. again, good (english) grub and the best beer selection in town. can get crowded for a small place late. great early(i.e. empty) if you can get there. limited seating outside. darts...but no Nerf. Left at Albuquerque 445 Emerson...half block north of University if i could only tell you.....as for the pertinent info: best combo rest/small bar in downtown Shallow Alto....if you like tequila, stop here...they have something like 4000 kinds of tequila...and DEFINITELY no Nerf here. insert: two pretty good chinese rests. sandwich Left at Albq. Fanny & Alexander's 412 Emerson...about the only place you'll pay a cover...what the connection is to a bergman movie is as much of a head scratcher as most of his movie's...but usually live bands, lots of people, dancing and limited amounts of Nerf(actually, it's a fine ground breaker...for more info, please contact Jamey Harris). and, i must say, not a bad evening meal place in the back courtyard(as opposed to the front courtyard, which doesn't exist). Gordon Biersch 640 Emerson low key...good food, great beer and women wearing ties that serve you beer. Nerf factor pretty much unknown. Rudy's 117 University down and dirty...the really great 'bar' in Shallow Alto...the only thing is that it's in Shallow Alto and it's not really a great bar...i like it though...still, if you like dark and dank...stop by....they have even gone euro on the weekends opening up into the neighbors' space for a full frontal sprockets explosion....definitey no Nerf(by the way, we just call it 'ball')....let's just say you're forewarned. There are two possible reasons for going north on El Camino to Menlo Park: the Oasis 241 El Camino ...famous for having a litany of athletes living above it but not on the actual lease...except this is now the Kingdom that Sideshow built....this is also the palace that Harris moved in to after his win in N.O....up from under the stairs at the "Stable" and into the washroom at the "Desert"....anyway, great pizza and a very peripatetic manager in bobby...."Ball" a mainstay in the parking lot outside... British Banker's Club somewhere further north on El Camino....sounds as pretentious as it is...and despite pleas from Rubio, we are not going there....it has, though, a very nifty interior...and right next to a pretty good bookstore(keppler's)..."Ball" here will either warrant royalty bestowed upon thee or the recipient of fine-tuned hooliganism from the upper class. I must also include a short drive to the south on El Camino to the Old Pro 2865 El Camino(by the way, be aware that each town has there own street numberings along El Camino)...this is basically at Page Mill...same guys that own Moe's...more tv's...pool table, good food, etc. NOW: food is plentiful and often quite inexpensive in S.A.(oddly enough). tacquerias abound..as do places like Pizza My Heart, Pluto's(great salads further east on Univ), Miake(very loud and lively sushi) etc....in fact, there are soooo many restaurants in a 10 x 2 block area i won't go any further. San Francisco...if you're coming this far and for the first time, get yer ass north. CalTrain is easy and cheap. One very important note: this IS Garry's house. if'n you're nice, he might actually tell you where his local is. Need more guidance? find the aggies and lose all reason to care where you're going. and don't forget to lose your money in the annual aggie grand prix. when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. t.cook, esq. _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx
