800 High Street @ Homer Avenue - Public Slice - [Downtown South] 2003
This pie-shaped POPOS is actually a public/private shared space. The Public “didn’t get the memo”. It’s a slice of land for a slice of time. Is the Public eating its “portion”? It’s only “open” when the restaurant isn’t…
St. Michael’s Alley has furnished this POPOS very nicely. Let’s use it and help take care of this tiny oasis.
Public Slice
At the corner of Homer Avenue and High Street, this Privately Owned Public Open Space forms a sharp triangle—a geometric “slice.” When the building was constructed in 2004, a long-established Palo Alto restaurant, St. Michael’s Alley (founded in 1959) relocated here and gradually absorbed the site. What remains for the public is partial: a slice of land, and a slice of time, essentially available only when the restaurant is closed. In reality, very few people know it is for the Public. this slice of Palo Alto is in the thick of it, awaiting you, the Public to discover and enjoy it. It’s been waiting for more than 20 years!
HOURS: This POPOS is technically open 24/7, but is functionally open from 9:00 am to 9:30 pm, and from 4:30 pm to 5:00 pm, Tuesday through Sunday. That’s because St. Michael’s Alley, estabished 1959 is open 5:00-9:00 pm Tuesday-Sunday, and they also host periodic private events.We have a golden opportunity here to figure out what sharing looks like in action.
WHAT’S THERE: This triangle packs a punch. It is overflowing with square metal tables, most with four chairs, under a canvas canopy. An exhuberant planter box, accessible ramp to the side door of the restaurant and multiple heating lamps (reserved for use by the restaurant only) populate this POPOS.
WHAT’S AROUND: This POPOS is part of the 800 High Street Condominium Complex with XXX units. The immediate area is buzzing with commercial activity ranging from Whole Foods diagonally across the street on Homer, women’s clothing store Cassis, and down the block on Channing near High Street you’ll find one-of-a-kind legacy Palo Alto businesses including Watercourse Way, The Peninsula Creamery and Dairy Store (the original dairy store!) and Hassett Hardware. At any given time, people are moving around. It’s lively!
WHAT YOU CAN DO THERE: You can sit, you can savor your coffee, eat your lunch (that you’ve purchased or brought with you), take a nap, or work there all day. Or all of the above. Keep the restaurant hours in mind our of courtesy, but otherwise, just stay within the Ordinance stipulations. You can certainly use it during restaurant hours either by making an Open Table Reservation and then bringing your own food and drink or just enjoying the table, but I recommend doing so in a cheerful, collaborative spirit. Work it out with kindness.
WHAT I HAVE DONE HERE: I have sipped my chai tea with my husband after yoga class, held multiiple business meetings, read a book, met a friend for coffee, chatted with strangers I wouldn’t likely get to know otherwise. I have sketched, watched the world go by with curiosity. I have celebrated many a special occasion here at St. Michael’s too.
WHAT YOU CAN’T DO THERE: See WHAT YOU CAN DO THERE above and the Ordinance. (Really, try reading it. It’s an armchair civics lesson.) Don’t make a bunch of noise—people live in the condos above. Don’t smoke, be rude, use the heaters or leave a mess—common courtesy.
WHAT YOU COULD DO HERE: You could have a heck of a plein aire bridge tournament at all those square tables in the shade. You could have your own party. You could hold a class there, a political event, have a first date with a home cooked meal. Let your imagination run wild. And then actually do something. Your presence alone serves as an invitation to others who “didn’t know.”