Emerson St, Midtown

Emerson Street is one of THE side streets of downtown Palo Alto, and offers a whole slew of restaurant and eating options. China Delight, Rose & Crown English Food, and Palo Alto Creamery are just a few of the many food choices on this busy street. Like all of downtown Palo Alto, the traffic can be somewhat nightmarish and crowded, although there is one great parking lot just off of University that always seems to have a spot available.

Several local businesses exist on this street further south, and the neighborhood eventually becomes more residential - or at least Palo Alto residential, which really means wealthy families living in very expensive, reasonably-sized homes that are way too close together for what they are paying. The road is very bike-friendly, which could well be the preferred method of transportation given how congested the traffic can get.

I grew up on this street, and have always loved it, but it's definitely changed. The environment is fairly beautiful and it feels safe. But more and more of the neighbors keep to themselves and are turning into gentrified yuppies, which is a shame. This street used to have a very neighborly feel to it.