June 25, 2004

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Palo Alto Online

Midtown

by Jocelyn Dong

Midtown's the kind of neighborhood where residents can become as involved as they want to in community affairs -- or stick to the peace and quiet of their homes.

Bounded by Alma Street, Oregon Expressway, Highway 101 and Loma Verde Avenue, the large Midtown neighborhood encompasses two shopping centers, two public schools, three parks, a neighborhood association, an ice-skating rink, a Quaker meeting house and a whole lot of diversity.

Strolling along Midtown's residential streets -- and people do, with dog-walkers and joggers a frequent sight -- pedestrians wander past an eclectic mix of housing: new Mediterranean-style villas, California ranch homes and half-century-old Eichlers.

Cul-de-sacs abound in this post-war development, making it distinct from the earlier grid-patterned streets found north of Oregon Expressway.

It's the shopping centers, though, that give the neighborhood its distinctive stamp. Residents frequently walk to Midtown Shopping Center at Colorado Avenue and Middlefield Road to grab a bite to eat, meet over coffee, or buy groceries. Here, chain outfits such as Longs Drugs, Safeway, Starbucks and Walgreens rub shoulders with more home-grown businesses: the well-established Palo Alto Cafe and Peninsula Hardware, for example. The center has also become a haven for new entrepreneurs, with franchisees and restaurateurs alike plying their trades.

The center also boasts a "first": Nestled into Walgreens is a locally run taqueria, the first eatery in the nation to be accommodated in a Walgreens building. It's a project for which the neighborhood association, led by chairperson Annette Ashton, lobbied.

The shopping center's not all business, however. It features two of Palo Alto's public art projects -- a mural and a poetry wall, the latter a display of five poems written by residents themselves.

A few blocks south lies a smaller retail strip at Loma Verde and Middlefield, offering laundry services, a delicatessen and more caffeine. It's a popular spot for morning coffee klatches.

Naturally, along with development have come modern-day issues. The Midtown Residents' Association formed in the early '90s to revitalize what was then a struggling Midtown Shopping Center. Today, the center is bustling once again, and association members have turned their attention to other vital issues, from traffic congestion and creek improvements to welcoming new neighbors.

The association also counts among its accomplishments pushing for a change in city regulations that had previously permitted so-called "monster" homes. Comprised of residents with a variety of opinions, however, the organization tries to let both -- or all -- sides have their say on issues, Ashton said.

Most recently, residents went to city government for help with traffic. One area received a traffic circle and speed bumps to discourage cars using their roads as a shortcut. Likewise, a new stoplight on Middlefield was installed after the prompting of neighbors.

Another vital part of Midtown's identity is its diverse population and history of racial progress. From the beginning, Midtown has welcomed people of all ethnicities and economic groups.

The neighborhood is home to one of the first desegregated streets in Palo Alto, Lawrence Lane, according to resident Debbie Mytels. There, the first interracial housing development was created in the 1950s. Elsewhere, Mytels said, there was an informal, but strongly enforced segregation.

A number of long-time residents remember buying in Midtown, after being denied elsewhere. The Quakers, who still run a Friends Meeting House on Colorado, were among those who promoted diversity in the 1950s during a time when desegregation was still contentious.

Today, African-American, Indian, Scottish, Chinese and Russian families consider Midtown home, sweet home. At local elementary schools, kids of all backgrounds share ethnic traditions and foods with classmates throughout the year.

Also adding color to the neighborhood, the Palo Alto Buddhist Temple, founded in 1914 on Louis Road, hosts a popular Obon Festival every August. The event draws people from around the Bay Area with its Japanese food, bonsai displays, traditional dancing and other activities.

Besides ethnic diversity, the area has welcomed economic diversity. Apartment complexes and rental homes share the neighborhood with million-dollar mansions.

"I'd call Midtown eclectic, not upscale" Ashton said. "We have a good mix of the old and young and good ethnic diversity."

Rinaldo Angelini has lived in Midtown since the 1960s on a cul-de-sac near Oregon Expressway. In spite of a flood in the 1990s that took him and his wife by surprise -- their home was the unfortunate recipient of one foot of water, which had flowed in from north of the expressway -- he said he enjoys living on his quiet street.

"This neighborhood is great. Neighbors are friendly. Nobody bothers anybody else," Angelini said. "We like it."

Angelini lives not far from John Lucas Greer Park. At 22 acres, it is the city's largest park aside from the nature preserves. Once a drive-in theater, Greer today includes numerous soccer fields, softball fields, basketball courts, a picnic area with barbecues, par course, small dog run, skateboard bowl and playground.

Two smaller parks in Midtown, Herbert Hoover and Henry W. Seale, serve as relaxing open spaces where neighbors gather for social functions and kids expend their energy on play equipment.

Another of Midtown's recreational claims to fame is the Winter Lodge ice rink. Established in 1956, it was the first permanent outdoor rink west of the Sierras. Generations of Midtown residents and their friends have learned to do their crossovers and glides at the Winter Lodge.

As a neighborhood of considerable size and activity, Midtown may seem like a place where it's hard to feel a sense of community. Not so, say representatives of the neighborhood association. If there's anything going on in the neighborhood, they hope their e-newsletter, which goes out every two weeks, and periodic meetings will help inform people and get them involved.

And every year, the group surveys residents on their concerns, the results of which set the association's agenda for the coming year.

But the choice is up to each resident. In an area as dynamic and diverse as Midtown, life can be almost anything the neighbors want to make of it.
Midtown facts Fire station: 3600 Middlefield Road Library: Mitchell Park branch, 3700 Middlefield Road Neighborhood Association: Annette Ashton, (650) 321-1280, www.midtownresidents.org Parks: Greer Park, 1098 Amarillo Ave.; Hoover Park, 2901 Cowper St.; Seale Park, 3100 Stockton Place Post office: Cambridge Station, 265 Cambridge Ave.; Main Post Office, 2085 E. Bayshore Road Pre-schools: Grace Lutheran Preschool, 3149 Waverley St.; Love'n'Care Christian Preschool, 2490 Middlefield Road; Midtown Preschool, 855 Bruce Drive; Mini Infant Center of Palo Alto, 3149 Waverley St.; Palo Alto Friends Nursery School, 957 Colorado Ave. Private schools: Keys School Public schools: El Carmelo Elementary School, Fairmeadow Elementary School, Hoover Elementary School, Ohlone Elementary School, Palo Verde Elementary School, J.L. Stanford Middle School, Gunn High School, Palo Alto High School Shopping centers: Midtown Shopping Center, Middlefield Road and Colorado Ave.; also Middlefield Road at Loma Verde Ave.

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