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City in California, United States
Photo: FASTILY, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Pleasanton is a city in the outer East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is one of the wealthiest cities of its type, with many upscale restaurants and historic districts. Due to the area's Mediterranean climate, vineyards can be found in the countryside, along with oak tree-covered hills, hot summer weather, and fairly mild winter weather.
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Before being rerouted to the northwest of downtown Pleasanton, the railroad used to run right through the downtown area. You can still see the railroad crossing signs on West Angela Street, for example, in the Farmer's Market. Some of the railroad tracks are still visible near the Firehouse Theater, and a longer section of abandoned railroad can be seen along Sunol Boulevard to the south of downtown Pleasanton.
Kottinger's Barn, built in 1852, was once a jail that bandits frequently "visited". The building's thick walls and barred windows are an interesting contrast to the small shop and potted plants which now exist at the location.
Pleasanton Museum
This museum features Pleasanton's history with numerous historic items, maps, and more, some of which date to Native American times. There are also exhibits for things around the area, such as Pleasanton's filming history. These change every few months.
The commercial district of downtown Pleasanton is based around Main Street, a slow two-lane road with shops and restaurants. Main Street is better for pedestrians than drivers, since the road gets very busy. Some of the buildings are older than others - new buildings are still being added along Main Street, while others have long histories. The best and most expensive of restaurants are generally in downtown Pleasanton, although there are some other good restaurants in other parts of the City.
Along with the historic buildings in commercial district of downtown Pleasanton, there are several blocks of well-maintained older homes which are accessible along Neal Street to the south of downtown. Particularly around Lighthouse Baptist Church, there are several homes dating back to the 1800s. Many of these buildings have nice gardens, along avenues of tall trees. The area has a lot of steep hills, similar to that of San Francisco, so walking around the area could be strenuous to some.
The sign was installed by the Women's Improvement Club in 1932. In 2005, the sign underwent a complete restoration.
There is a statue in this small park at the northern end of downtown. A path goes to the Arroyo del Valle creek that runs alongside the park.
Opened in 2010, the Firehouse Arts Center is the City of Pleasanton's historic 1929 Fire House One renovated and expanded into an arts center featuring the 230-seat Firehouse Theater, Harrington Gallery of fine arts, two large arts classrooms, and a grand lobby for receptions and events. The transformed facility also offers a pedestrian connection from Main Street to the expanded Lions Wayside Park.
(It faces Peters Avenue.)
This isn't the best place for travelers to visit if they don't have much time on their hands, but it's an interesting place to visit if you do not know what else to do with yourself. Two factors are what make Hacienda Business Park visually interesting: the architecture of the street signs and the business park's history. First, the unusual traffic lights and street signs are gigantic square structures that are built across the roads, and they are accentuated by what immediately surrounds them. Second, the history of the park: Hacienda Business Park was built around the 1980s when Pleasanton began to look like it does today, and Hacienda Business Park replaced ranching and farming country. Within a few years, what is now northern Pleasanton went from being countryside to an important part of the City of Pleasanton. However, the plans of the developers to turn Hacienda Business Park into one of the world's great business parks did not succeed — the wide boulevards in the business park are surprisingly empty, giving the business park a near-abandoned feeling sometimes.
Opened in 2008, this restored community park gives visitors a glimpse of the history of the Amador Valley, including interpretive displays of early Ohlone culture before the Spanish arrival, the years of Ranchos managing herds of cattle on the Rancho Santa Rita Mexican Land Grant, and a replica of an American Meadowlark Dairy in the early to mid-20th century. The star focus of this interpretative park is a rare original American adobe house, constructed in 1854 by Francisco Alviso, that was continuously in use until 1969. The Alviso Adobe is restored and on display furnished as it would have been in the 1920s. Visitor center/dairy has activities for kids; grounds have tables for picnics. Parking at south end.
This is a Pleasanton city park next to #Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park. It is similar in almost every aspect to its neighbor, except that it's smaller.
Bernal Community Park is part of a larger plan to move the civic center from Old Bernal Avenue to Pleasanton Avenue towards the south of the city. Although this new civic center has not been constructed, the local park has been constructed. It includes a small area of newly-planted oak woodlands, along with a sports park.
Brushy Peak Regional Preserve is an EBRPD park northeast of Livermore. The public trails do not lead to the top of the peak, but they go around the general area. There are a few trails in the park, and the main loop is about four or five miles (7 km) in length.
Callippe Golf Course
Callippe Preserve is known to most Pleasantonians as a golf course; however, there is a nearly 4-mile (6-km) trail around the golf course and local ranching areas. The trail can get muddy in winter, though, and is not easy to find. But it does give those from outside of Pleasanton an idea of the local flora and countryside in general.
This park is closer to Livermore than Pleasanton but is still well under an hour's drive from anywhere in either city. At the center of this EBRPD park is Lake Del Valle, but there are several beautiful rock formations in the park as well. There are scores of miles of trails in the park that go through the hills and mountains surrounding Lake Del Valle, and the park works as a gateway to the Ohlone Trail, which leads in the direction of one of the Bay Area's most popular climbs, Mission Peak.
This is a fairly large park with many miles of hiking trails that is north of Livermore. Morgan Territory, as it is usually called, consists of some oak woodlands, streams, canyons, and grass-covered plateaus.
This regional park features the mountainous ranching country of the Diablo Range in California. The park has miles of rugged country, including oak forests and grasslands. The highest ridges are about 2,100 feet (640 m); most of the ridges are at least 1,000 feet (300 m).
The park was once part of the quarry, but the excavated land is now Shadow Cliffs Lake. It includes a couple miles of trails around the lake and a popular lakeside beach. However, be prepared for the strong barbecue odors encountered around the grills near the lake.
This large wilderness area is a popular, fairly easy-to-reach park south of Pleasanton. Several trails lead from the park's trailheads into the mountain ranges around the park. There is a Sunol Regional Wilderness visitor center near Geary Road. Sunol Wilderness is connected to Del Valle Regional Park and Mission Peak via the Ohlone Regional Wilderness Trail.
The 3rd Thursdays MerchantArts Walk is a collaborative event bringing together local downtown merchants, arts groups and area artists in an effort to continue adding interesting and lively events to Downtown Pleasanton. It's a nice walk, on a nice evening, and an opportunity to join the community, support local artists and help this community thrive.
Alameda County Fairgrounds
The fair has been at Alameda County Fairgrounds every summer since 1912. You can also plan a morning & go behind the scenes to experience the exciting world of thoroughbred racing at the Eddie Rich Racing Stable. There are car shows and horse races at the fairgrounds annually.
Pleasanton Jazz Society
In the Events Room (Common Room) behind Inklings Coffee & Tea, jazz concerts are held, generally once a month. Various musicians, from around the Bay Area and occasionally from other parts of the country, perform.
The concerts are held weekly on Friday nights in the summer. They feature a wide range of musical genres and are open to the public at Delucchi Park. People often come several hours early to get a spot in the park.
This is a more than half-mile-long city park dedicated completely to sports activities. A few summer camps operate here.
A golf course, restaurant, and hiking destination in the south of Pleasanton. In the Happy Valley region, the countryside is beautiful. You can also hike in the region.
A first-class country club located in the Foothills community in western Pleasanton. For those who have money to spend and to want to have the finest experience possible in Pleasanton, this is the place to go. It is situated on the side of Pleasanton Ridge, not very far from the regional park, although it is not along the road to the park.
Another first-class country club, this time in the wine country in eastern Pleasanton. It is in a gated community.
Due to the cantina's low prices compared to other Pleasanton restaurants, Alberto's Cantina is a popular Mexican restaurant in downtown Pleasanton.
Frontier Spice serves Punjab Indian cuisine and they take reservations. When you first arrive at the restaurant, you are served Indian bread that is hard and is somewhat similar to crackers. Their main courses are divided into vegetarian and non-vegetarian curries, with the rice and bread separate orders.
Mexican restaurant.
Ice cream shop that has been in Pleasanton for decades. Vegan options.
The name quite accurately defines the restaurant: it's Chinese-American, with Chinese food but a Western atmosphere.
Burmese restaurant that is just off Main Street.
This is a rather interesting restaurant because it probably is the most aroma-producing eatery in Pleasanton.
This American restaurant is in the same shopping mall as the Raley's grocery store, which is a fairly short distance south of downtown Pleasanton on Sunol Boulevard.
Serves Mediterranean food and drink in downtown Pleasanton. Oasis has been in Pleasanton for many years and has a good location in downtown, although very limited parking in its main parking lot. There is a lot of seating for the indoor section of the restaurant and also some seating in a garden setting outside the restaurant. However, the downside with sitting outside is you get the sound of all the traffic that goes along Ray Street into downtown Pleasanton, then turns left onto Main Street for a short section (right in front of the Oasis Restaurant), and then turns right onto St. John Street toward Peters Avenue.
Italian restaurant in downtown Pleasanton.
This is a Hawaiian fish restaurant.
A Japanese restaurant that's towards the outskirts of Pleasanton, rather than in the center of town.
This restaurant is on a street corner in Pleasanton downtown's Main Street; it is one of several Pleasanton restaurants that has outdoor seating along the sidewalk. There are also a few interesting structures outside their restaurant that have fires burning inside them to keep outdoor restaurant customers warm during the late evening.
They serve upscale Mexican food in downtown Pleasanton in the building next to Museum on Main. Blue Agave is easily recognized by its large seating area in front of the restaurant and the restaurant building's bright colors.
Hap's has an old-school cocktail sign visible from Main Street. From there you might think it's an old watering hole until you walk up to the restaurant, and the upscale nature of the establishment becomes evident. This is an American Steak House, with fantastic steaks and somewhat pricey side dishes. Meals are ala carte. Stop in the bar for a Manhattan before dinner.
Lokanta is a fairly high-end restaurant in downtown Pleasanton. Lokanta serves Mediterranean food, primary Greek and Turkish, and is open at both breakfast and dinner. Their restaurant includes four areas where you can sit down and eat: in front of the restaurant, the main part of the restaurant (location of the kitchen), a room behind the front room with a bar and large windows, and an alley next to the restaurant with several tables.
European food with French, English, and Italian elements.
Serves traditional Italian food. There are other locations in Livermore and Fremont.
American food, mostly non-vegetarian dishes.
Sabio
Michelin recommended and a Wine Spectator Awarded restaurant, Sabio on Main will delight your culinary senses. Chef Francis X. Hogan delivers seasonal California cuisine using ingredients from local farms and ranches.
Inklings Coffee & Tea serves coffee, tea, soft drinks, and some snacks. It's a large coffee shop with many separate sections that are called rooms, including rooms with names like "The Wardrobe" and "The Common Room", where the Jazz at Inklings concerts are hosted, along with other events.
This wine bar serves wine, beer, and some food items, which include flatbreads, chili, and hamburgers. In front of the wine bar is a fairly large patio area, and behind is the wine bar. The wine bar is laid out like a restaurant, and the back part of the wine bar has curtains that can be pulled across to separate the two sections of the business. Sometimes, there is live music, and live music usually takes place behind the front window farthest from the bar.
If you're looking for Pleasanton's cosmopolitan side, this is not the place to go, but if you're looking for a lively atmosphere and live music, the Main Street Brewery is a good place to go. Rock, pop, and blues music groups are often live here, along with performances by a local jazz singer, Karen Marguth, and the Moving Parts band.
Towards the southern end of downtown. In the front is a nice patio area where statues were displayed before the beer garden was established.
This place has all the modern technology and systems you can imagine and being at this wine bar really makes you feel like you're in a first-class establishment. Don't be surprised if it's expensive, though.
Tapas bar and eatery in the Pastime Plaza. It has quite a few tables and chairs, along with a small outdoor patio near Main Street. In the Michelin guide.
Lots of beers on tap, mostly American microbrews but including imports. The food is good, but nothing to write home about (burgers, salads); the beer is worth the trip. Outdoor seating fills up in the warmer months.
In size and grandeur, it has some similarities with Ruby Hill Winery. Rubino Winery has a long entrance driveway that leads away from Vineyard Avenue to the winery.
Beautiful, upscale winery in the east of Pleasanton. The area immediately surrounding the winery is much like that of Napa and Livermore Wine Country, and is backed by vineyards and mansions. Near the winery is the (also upscale) Ruby Hill gated community.
Marriott Pleasanton
Outdoor spa, fitness room, laundry facility and free shuttle within 5-mile (8 km) radius.
Hyatt
The Rose Hotel is one of Pleasanton's most beautiful buildings because of its height and large size, making it the closest thing in Pleasanton to the type of expensive hotels you would find in the downtowns of many popular tourist destinations. There is an entrance to the building along Main Street and there is parking for the hotel on the first floor of the building.
Small shop that sells watches and repairs them.
Farmer's Market operates every Saturday morning on the section of West Angela Street between Main Street and First Street. They close this section of Angela Street so you can walk along it and buy food items, donate to causes, or learn about elections or events in the booths that go along this closed section of the street.
Rosewood Plaza is a neighborhood center with several stores.
Main shopping mall in Pleasanton. It's an enclosed regional mall with Macy's, Nordstrom, J.C. Penney, and Apple stores..
Art gallery store which features paintings of local country scenes, such as views of Mount Diablo, and some city scenes like San Francisco.
It's the main downtown bookstore. The store is divided into two sections, with adult books in the front, and children's books and games in the back.
By car
Driving is, for the most part, the best mode of travel for getting into Pleasanton.
By bicycle
Due to the hilly terrain, most roads into Pleasanton are either too narrow for bike lanes or are freeways, so there are not many good opportunities for biking into Pleasanton.
By BART
The Dublin/Pleasanton and West Dublin/Pleasanton BART stations offer routes to Oakland and onward to San Francisco and San Francisco International Airport.
By train
The Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) is a commuter train service that goes from Pleasanton to places nearby including Stockton and San Jose.
By bus
There are connecting local buses. For example, Bus 10R runs from the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station to downtown Pleasanton (continuing to Livermore) with a 15-minute frequency during the day.
By foot
Pleasanton has a walkable historic downtown district. The center of downtown is Main Street, from Bernal Ave on the south (anchored by City Hall on Old Bernal) to Arroyo del Valle on the north.
By car
Driving is relatively easy in Pleasanton, and generally there is enough parking for everyone (though sometimes, in downtown, that's not the case. For example, during the Alameda County Fair).
By bus
Several transit companies serve the Pleasanton area. The main bus operator is WHEELS, which goes to Dublin and Livermore, as well as the BART stations.
By bicycle
The city has a good cycling network. Several trails, for walkers and cyclists, are found along canals in the northwest of the city.
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