Palo Alto’s Byxbee Park—a picturesque waterfront park with winding paths in the Baylands Nature Preserve—is more than meets the eye. It actually covers a 30-acre landfill, which is capped under one foot of impenetrable clay and two feet of dirt. Treating the earth as their canvas, designers formed teardrop-shaped hillocks (a tribute to the Ohlone people) and added conceptual art to the landscape, including artist Peter Richards’ grid of 72 telephone poles with shifting shadows. Palo Alto photographer Robert Quinn snapped this Perfect Shot while walking with his wife. “It occurred to me that if you can judge the livability of a locale by the beauty of its landfills,” he remarks, “we are not faring too poorly!”
Calling all Shutterbugs: If you’ve captured a unique perspective of the Peninsula, we’d love to see your Perfect Shot. Email us at hello@punchmonthly.com to be considered for publication.