Very cool vibe on Downtown Main Street!!…read more This street is historic, and you can tell they push to keep it that way. It's walker and driver friendly. It seems to be a place, at least when I was there on a Saturday late afternoon, evening, for people to take out there classic cars and cruise the strip. And if you want to walk, there are plenty of places to eat with indoor and outdoor seating, all different types of small shops and stores, just a lively, popular area. Seems like the place to be in Pleasanton on the weekends!!

Downtown Pleasanton, basically, Main Street. 4-6 small blocks filled with restaurants and cute…read moreshops with a small town feel. Most all of the restaurants are built into the street, at least on weekends. According to the website, https://www.pleasantondowntown.net, from April 30, 2021 to September 6, 2021, Friday 5pm to Sunday 8pm. The dates will likely be extended due to the variant. Things to do: 3/5 Safety: 4/5 Cleanliness: 4/5 GEOGRAPHY/FACTS *: ==================== Pleasanton is a city in Alameda County, California, Adjacent to Hayward, Livermore, and Dublin. The city has a total area of 24.3 square miles. Located in the Amador Valley, it is a suburb in the East Bay region of the Bay Area. The population was 70,285 at the 2010 census. In 2005 and 2007, Pleasanton was ranked the wealthiest middle-sized city in the United States by the Census Bureau. Pleasanton was ranked number 4 in USA Today's list of "America's 50 best cities to live in" in 2014, number 63 in Money's list of "The Best Places to Live" in 2010, and was named one of "Americans' Top Hometown Spots" in the United States in 2009 by Forbes. Pleasanton was named the third wealthiest city in terms of earnings in the United States by NerdWallet in 2013 and 2016. * Source: Wiki TOP 5 EMPLOYERS **: ================== 1 Workday 5,017 2 Kaiser Permanente 3,730 3 Oracle Corporation 1,493 4 Stanford Healthcare - ValleyCare 1,020 5 Roche Molecular Diagnostics* 1,004 ** according to the city, as of June 2021

Have you ever seen a frog with wings? Well now you can. Located in front of the Pleasanton Library,…read morethis bronze sculpture, by artist Yoshio Taylor, depicts a winged frog flying out of a book creatively stacked on top of a tower of more books (classic children's literature). The artwork, memorializing former councilman Walt Wood, symbolizes the concept of possibility. The unique piece is bordered by greenery and a concrete ledge visitors can sit along, bumblebees pollinating the beautiful flowers surrounding the sculpture when I stopped by to check it out recently. The library parking lot can be used for event parking when Main Street is closed for street festivals and the like, which is what brought me here this past weekend.

Named mural is on S. J St. side. The composition of ceramic tiles celebrates the culture & heritage…read moreof the Livermore community. Specially it honors the wine country born 1849. Long time residents & visitors can easily point out the buildings & scenics depicted. Bricks at the bottom have sponsor names engraved upon them. Mural dedicated to city of Livermore in memory of Diane Taasevigen. Creators: Diane Taasevigen, Renee March, Simone Archer

This mural is one of many on the front of an existing furniture biz. Many scenes are depicted:…read morePolice assembled for policing, people sitting around talking, people/children working in the fields, protests.... Signs at protest: Abolish Ice, Free the Children, Housing is a Human Right, Rehabilitation not Incarceration, Isang Bagsak Isang Bagsak (Tagalog) means in context "One Struggle Down, Many More to go..". Term introduced by larry Itilong, Filipino labor activist, to Cesar Chavez when Filipino & Mexican farm workers united to form United Farm Workers (UFW). UFW later went on strike for more pay to pick grapes... Creators: Francisco Sanchez..assisted by James Pop Delgado, '67 Youth Artists, '67 Mural Staff leaders...community artists...

the figures depicted on a garbage bin, located next to Wilma Chan Park (aka Madison Park) features…read morea taiko drummer and a dancer at an Obon Festival. it's also across from a Buddhist church which is a reminder that a Japantown once flourished in Oakland, Ca. Japanese residents arrived in Oakland, Ca. in the 1880's. after the 1906 earthquake, there were 1500, a mix of lst and 2d generation persons. when World War II occurred , there were 1800+ Japanese residents. they were all removed to internment camps during the war. this happened despite the majority of them being U.S. citizens. the Buddhist church relocated to this location in 1950 when the Nimitz freeway (880) was built, dislocating many Chinatown and Japantown residents, businesses, and homes.

Our second Christmas stop was Candy Cane Lane. It's a dead end street in which cars slowly come in…read moreand drive to the circle and come back out. We chose to park outside and walk it to take in all the beautiful Christmas displays. What an amazing and relaxing time. I thank the neighborhood for all coming together and providing joy to all for Christmas.

This is my holiday tradition to view Candy Cane Lane; I usually drive but decided to walk since…read moreit's near my home. The neighbors go all out to make their lane festive and jolly. I saw one home that wasn't all decked out, but the homes that participated were festive and full of holiday spirit. It was a much better view, as I took my time walking and taking in the sights and sounds of Christmas. One home had a holiday movie projecting from their front porch, the house at the end of the lane had their usually holiday figure cut outs, not my favorite but I'm sure the kids loved. This town tradition may be small but it's full of cheer each year. The tradition has been going strong since "1955". Till next year...

Named mural is on the outside wall of P.G. & E's substation L. Reference is to De Fremery skatepark…read more@ Poplar St. & 18th St. in West Oakland, California. Mural is also an homage to Angus Cloud, the late actor whose final film, Freaky Tales, was playing in theatres when mural was painted. Angus Cloud is beloved by his hometown, Oakland, where memorials are constantly being exhibited. Angus Cloud was an avid skateboarder. A skate park in Oakland named for Angus is in the works. Creators: Kalani Cecaci, Akil Francisco, 50 self-taught aerosol artists, ABG Art Group

Still We Rise: Black & Brown Unity mural is a 67 Suenos project commissioned by the American…read moreFriends Service Committee. It's a Quaker organization that is fighting for social justice. the Quakers were the most prominent and earliest Christian organization that fought against slavery. many mini scenes depicted in mural: slave auction block, ice raids, family separation centers, modern working conditions, resistance of Black, Native, and Brown leaders and communities to injustice. creator: 67 Suenos, Allen Temple Youth.