GIFTS OF MEMBERSHIP . . . Give a whole museum; give a wooded country estate; give knowledge and research. Many local organizations offer reasonably priced yearlong memberships that would be great gifts for friends and for families. Check this list . . . twice! The Museum of American Heritage, 3401 El Camino Real in Palo Alto, offers individual memberships for $35 and family memberships for $50. Membership privileges include a one-year subscription to the museum newsletter, invitations to special receptions held before the opening of new exhibits, free admission to museum-sponsored lectures and special discounts in the museum gift shop and on student workshops. The museum office is usually open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. during the week. Call 321-1004. The museum accepts cash and checks, no credit cards. Filoli, a grand estate complete with beautiful gardens, nature trails and a gift shop, on Canada Road in Woodside, offers membership in Friends of Filoli. Annual individual memberships are $25. Annual family memberships are $50. Benefits of membership include unlimited tours of the house, gardens and trails, a newsletter subscription, special lectures and events for members only, and advance notice of events open to the public. Filoli will send the gift recipient a membership packet and gift card from you. Filoli accepts credit cards and gift membership orders by telephone. Call 366-4640. When you become a member of The Health Library at Stanford Shopping Center during December, you'll receive a Health Library tote bag, as well as borrowing privileges in the library. (The general public can use the library but cannot take materials home.) Annual membership fees are $25 for individuals. A two-year membership is only $40. The Health Library provides a vast amount of health-related information, from hot lines to Internet access, collections of medical journals, reference books and videos and, most importantly, library research associates who can get you started on your information quest. All that and "we're very close to Bloomingdale's!" says Health Library research associate Carol Davies. The Health Library is open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursdays until 9 p.m., and closed on Sundays. Memberships are available with cash or checks, no credit cards. A family membership to Friends of Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo is $35 a year. The museum is located at 1451 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto. Privileges include an annual exhibit preview, a special Zoo Night party, quarterly newsletters and advance notice of other special events. Rachel Meyer, director of the museum and zoo, adds, "You also know you are contributing to a 60-plus-year-old community organization." Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Memberships can be purchased during museum hours with cash or checks, no credit cards.
SPECIAL GOODS AND SERVICES . . . The Palo Alto Area Chapter of the American Red Cross has some great gift ideas. Gift certificates and emergency supply kits are available at the office at 400 Mitchell Ave. in Palo Alto. Disaster packs designed to help two adults survive for 72 hours start at $45. (Santa could leave one in the trunk of your car.) Disaster training is free from the American Red Cross. Gift certificates can be used for CPR and first aid classes for adults as well as Super Sitter classes and Basic Aid Training classes for kids age 11 and up. First aid kits start at $12. For more information, call 688-0415.
TEEN TIME . . . LaBelle Day Spas offer unique packages for teens. A 45-minute teen makeup session with a LaBelle makeup artist will teach a teen makeup application techniques for a tasteful, natural young look for $45. A makeup chart is included. Also of note is a 90-minute Spa Sampler for Men which includes a Fitness Facial and a stress relieving neck and shoulder massage for $86. A great way to pamper Pop. LaBelle Day Spas are located at Town & Country Village and Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto.
RUMOR CENTRAL . . . It's been rumored around, by reliable sources, that Crate & Barrel at Stanford Shopping Center, will open a furniture store in part of the former Sak's building next to Nordstrom. The current home accessories store will be incorporated into the new location. Nothing is signed, nothing is sealed. Andronico's Market, still in the process of remodeling a portion of the former Sak's building, is now planning to open in August of 1997. Andronico's will use part of the first floor facing the Stanford Barn, and part of the second floor.
--Dona van Bronkhorst
Send tips about store openings and closings, great deals and places to buy interesting things to Dona van Bronkhorst, Shop Talk, Palo Alto Weekly, P.O. Box 1610, Palo Alto, CA 94302. You can also leave a message for Shop Talk 24 hours a day at 326-8291, ext. 357, or send e-mail to shopping@paweekly.com
Back up to the Table of Contents Page