I agree. Berkeley beats hands down all other clown towns in the Peninsula. It actually feels like a real town (more similiar to Cambridge, MA, or Someriville than anything else). It has great food (i mean really good, cheap), and it is walkable to a certain extent. There is mass transportation to SF. SF would be my first choice, then Berkeley second. The rest of the Bay area is a big soul drenching Strip Mall Wasteland.

Palo Alto is not that bad, except the smug attitude of the people there, and it is so expensive. It doesn't really feel like a town. More like a suburb, with one main avenue (university ave.). Nothing too exiting.