The architectural heart of Stanford: an inner and outer quadrangle of sandstone arcades laid out by Frederick Law Olmsted and Charles Allerton Coolidge, finished in time for the university to open in 1891. The mix is part Mission, part Romanesque — long buff-coloured arches, red-tile roofs, and the original twelve academic buildings around a tidy lawn.
This is where commencement is held, where students cut through between classes, and where almost every campus visit starts. Cross the quad to the Memorial Church at the head of the inner square, then loop back along the outer arcade to find one of the more pleasant courtyard cafés tucked into a corner.