Palo Alto is definitely safe. The person may have had East Palo Alto (the neighboring town) in mind, which used to be dangerous at some point. I still wouldn't walk around there alone at night, but I believe it is much safer now than it used to be.
I honestly just love picking up issues of the "Journal of Economic Perspectives" and reading them. Nothing is formal, but the ideas are often very interesting, and a way for me to be introduced to something different.