<p>San Francisco is not the only worthwhile place in the Bay Area. There are tons of places to go all over the peninsula, south bay, east bay, etc. The natural landscape is truly amazing as well - from the Bay 10 mins away, to the ocean 30 mins away, to the Santa Cruz Mountains to the myriad nature reserves just off campus.</p>
<p>Most students are too busy during the week to go to SF (or even go off campus), but on the weekend you have time to spend much of the day there. The Caltrain also has bullet service to SF on the weekend, cutting down the transit time.</p>
<p>Downtown Palo Alto may not be San Francisco, but it’s pretty decent, with lots of people around (busier than most of the SF streets, actually), bars, ethnic restaurants (so under-appreciated by the student body), etc. It’s also not as expensive as many people make it seem. There are also a ton of cheaper restaurants/stores in downtown - they just aren’t on University Ave generally.</p>