Tulane Ave, East Palo Alto

I have a hard time giving any area fewer than three stars, unless it is a crowded, unpleasant interstate, but by many peoples' standards, anything in East Palo Alto is worthy of one or two stars. However, Tulane Avenue has several things going for it, compared to other streets in town.

It is the northernmost street, and is located in the northeast quadrant, which has better houses and a slightly better reputation than some of the other neighborhoods further south. While still run-down, half of the backyards face north out onto the Dumbarton Bridge, completely removed from anything resembling the rest of EPA. This does, of course, mean more highway noise and other unpleasantries.

In addition to this, being further north means being further from all of Palo Alto's attractions, which is one of the main purposes of living here in the first place.