There were a lot of vacancies in Palo Alto. I was surprised by the large number of for rent signs. Some businesses just were not open, including the theaters. Most of the dining was outdoors. Several restaurants were permanently closed.
There was activity with people in the squares and dining at the outdoor dining shelters. The street traffic was diminished from what I am used to when visiting the town. A couple of redevelopment projects were underway, unlike Mountain View, which had only planned redevelopment but had not broken ground.
My daughter lived in Palo Alto after going to school there, and I have visited a number of times. Some of the larger stores that I had liked to visit on my trips to Palo Alto were closed. My favorite Restaurant, La Strada, has closed permanently. The bookstore on the corner was gone completely. It was interesting to see Palo Alto impacted so much by the virus.
I am not sure what happened with the school and if they had on-campus residents.