Environment
Housing
Most fellows live within a 10 mile radius of Stanford in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Mountain View, or Redwood City. Living in San Francisco makes for a long commute, but it has been done. During fellowship, you will end up spending a number of months at the VA and on average, 2 months a year going down to the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC), so this may be something to consider when choosing a place to live. While the Bay Area is arguably one of the nicest places to live, it unfortunately also has some of the most expensive housing in the country. Here are some resources to help you find a place to live.
Local:
The Greater Bay Area:
Craigslist is a great resource!
Stanford Resources:
CalTrain is a commuter rail service that runs from San Francisco to Gilroy and is a common means of transportation for people commuting to and from Stanford
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Agency (VTA) The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Agency (VTA) has bus service to Stanford and light rail service in the South Bay
The Marguerite Shuttle is a free service from Stanford, open to the public, that travels around campus and connects to nearby transit hubs (e.g. Caltrain stations) and the local area
As a hospital employee, you can get a Caltain Go Pass and a VTA EcoPass, which allows for unlimited travel on Caltrain and the VTA, for free if you do not live in the immediate Palo Alto area
Fun Stuff
While fellowship will fill up a lot of hours, you will definitely have some free time. When you’re not sleeping, here are some ideas of things you might want to do.
As fellows, you are eligible to get a Stanford University Courtesy Card (Stanford ID). This give you access to a number of campus facilities including libraries and athletic facilities.
Set against the picturesque peninsula hills, Stanford not only provides housestaff with unmatched clinical and research opportunities – it is also a great place to enjoy personal and family time.
Whether an evening surf session, lounging on a beach, a mountain bike ride, trail running, hiking or rock climbing in the local hills is your outlet of choice, these activities are all possible on a day off or even after work.
Palo Alto is a bastion of social life, with an immense variety of cafes, restaurants, bars, and shopping.
Just forty-five minutes north is the beautiful city of San Francisco, with its diverse, fun, and quirky neighborhoods, museums, theaters, restaurants, and music.
Beautiful areas to enjoy the outdoors also abound, including Big Basin State Park, Pinnacles National Park, Big Sur, and Yosemite National Park
Sports activities range from college and intramural programs on campus to professional sporting events in San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose. Season tickets to Stanford football games are discounted for housestaff.
Elite athletic training facilities are accessible to housestaff. Go for a swim in the aquatic center or hit the links on the world-class Stanford golf course.
Wine tasting is just minutes away in the Santa Cruz Mountains, or, in two hours, you can find yourself in the famous Napa and Sonoma Valleys.