The Stanford Theater
(http://www.stanfordtheatr...) an old theater showing classics from the 1930s through the 1950s not open year round. sometimes features an organist playing live before screenings.
Biking
Is a very popular palo alto activity. road and off-road trails are plentiful.
Walking
Trails abound in the hills to the west of palo alto. check out the arastradero preserve (http://www.acterra.org/ar...) and the four-mile walking trail at the 150-foot diameter stanford university radio telescope, which locals call "the dish". the trailhead is at the intersection of junipero serra and stanford avenue. the public hiking trails are only accessible during daylight hours. sorry, dogs are prohibited. check out a beautiful hike on skyline called crazy pete's hike. great view of palo alto city. maybe the best part of this hike is the history. "crazy" pete was a miner who lived in coal creek preserve and built a road -- named crazy pete's road -- in the 1800s. most people don't know how crazy pete got his moniker.
Stanford University Free Lectures and Events
For info visit events.stanford.edu. unless you are a student at stanford, you won't get into classes for free at this acclaimed university, but there are some events and lectures open to the public each month. parking can be hard to come by close to the venues of events, but the university runs a free shuttle bus, called the marguerite, that picks up passengers at several locations including the palo alto california avenue caltrain station and deposits them within easy walking distance of most event sites. the online schedule of lectures and events is updated frequently and usually lists at least five to seven upcoming free happenings.
The Dish Walk
Stanford foothills, junipero serra boulevard and stanford avenue. a great way to start the day, a 4 mile walk around stanford's nature preserve that is complete with gorgeous views of the bay and the city. called the dish walk because of a radio telescope dish crowning the mountain, this network of paths and trails around the stanford foothills west of junipero serra blvd. offers numerous hillside trail runs and hikes.