Stanford Hospital

I first heard of Stanford University Hospital when I was a young, wide-eyed nursing student at Johns Hopkins in the 1950s. What if Jim had picked up on his acceptance at Stanford instead of coming East to Hopkins? We would never have met and my life would certainly have had a different story.

But we did meet - an east meets west romance - and I wasa forever linked to California. And then Stanford re-entered the picture. Our daughter moved to California where she married a Stanford man - a second generation Cardinal - and they are raising possible third generation Cardinals.

But I had never been to Palo Alto - until ast night.

After my 3:45 PM story set yesterday Jim and I drove across Pacheco Pass, through Gilroy to Palo Alto and this moring we are sitting in the surgery waiting room. We came to lend moral support to Jim's brother's family while he has some serious surgery.
So after all these years we are finally seeing the workings of Stanford Hospital.

It is an impressive place. Great public facilities.

Beautiful light filled spaces with soaring ceilings and glass walls in public areas - but the most incredible surprise so far as I am concerned - terrific art along all the hallways and on the walls in public rooms. This is a wide-ranging diverse collection of museum quality art well hung and carefully placed. The colors in digital prints (from the 1980s) are surprising and beautiful.

All that window dressing is a big plus but the best is the medical care and concern for the patient and his family. They really excel at that.