Hamilton Ave, Crescent Park

Like many of the streets near downtown Palo Alto, Hale Street is a quiet, residential street that would be far more quiet if it weren't bisected by the bustling University Avenue. The street is within walking distance of downtown, making it an extremely desirable location, and the leafy, tree-lined corners only add to the idyllic nature of this classic Northern California street that could belong in a movie.

All of the aforementioned factors turn these modest ranchers and two-story houses into million-dollar homes. Great for people who bought these two decades ago; not so great for Stanford students, service industry employees, and first-time homebuyers who wish to live here. Such is life in the Bay Area...

Seneca Street gets its fair amount of traffic for such a small, residential street for one reason: it is the last street to turn onto to get to University Avenue from Lytton Avenue before the 101. While this does not mean too much to outside visitors, it carries a world of weight for those who know Palo Alto. The name of the game here is Avoid University At All Costs, and Lytton is the easiest bypass street in order to get downtown. However, eventually the game of dodge-traffic has to end if you are heading east toward the 101, and Seneca Street is the last good solution.

Aside from the heavy traffic, it is a great place to live. The street offers more modest homes than western Palo Alto, is close enough to the freeway that you DON'T have to sit in traffic for hours, is close enough to downtown that you don't have to drive, and happens to be in a near-perfect Mediterranean climate that enjoys the California sunshine and the Bay Area action alike. Not a bad combination, if you don't mind a few (hundred) visitors in vehicles a day.