Pleasanton, CA Road Trips

Pleasanton has changed greatly in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, but it has managed to maintain a cowboy-town appearance. Busy town streets, which are often tree-lined, are well-designed and, especially in the north of the town, take up a total of six lanes; yet there are other, nearby, yet smaller streets, which have remained surprisingly quiet despite expanding population and progress. However, the truly unusual, though rather quaint, aspect of Pleasanton is that, despite the buildings that look like they came straight out of a Western, Pleasanton's location near the Silicon Valley gives it a cosmopolitan feeling: restaurants with Mexican, Italian, Turkish, Asian, and American-cuisines are all within a mile of each other. Pleasanton was founded as "Alisal". The town was to be incorporated as Pleasonton, after the name of a military figure in the Union. However, as various towns made clear that they wanted to be called Pleasonton (such as Pleasanton in Texas), the U.S. government made a spelling error and named them all "Pleasanton", a name which remains today. Many locals assume it is a portmanteau of the words "pleasant" and "town". Pleasanton has changed dramatically over the years; it used to be a rough town that was frequented by bandits, yet now Pleasanton is one of the wealthiest cities in the country. The area began to be developed in the 1840s, and was established in 1850. Some of the town streets, like Kottinger, are named after the early landowners in the town.

Pleasanton has numerous historic sights in the downtown area. These are generally in two sections: the commercial section along Main Street and the residential section along First and Second Streets. The commercial district on Main Street is about a half-mile (one kilometer) long. This district of downtown is centered at the intersection of Angela and Main Streets, near the Farmer's Market. However, it extends to the north from this intersection as well, including a major junction where Ray Street, Saint John Street, and Main Street meet (Oasis Restaurant and the Rose Hotel are at this intersection). Pedestrians are often seen strolling through this district of downtown, often before or after having a meal at a restaurant. The residential district, southeast of Main Street, is not as long as Main Street but has some historic houses. If you go southeast from Main Street, First Street marks the transition from commercial to residential, which continues to be historic into Second Street and on to Third Street. After this point, the houses are more recent constructions, although some of them are quite attractive, even in this part of town. Other attractions are notable, such as Kottinger's Barn and Museum on Main. These are historic buildings which have since been converted into something they hadn't been. The Firehouse Arts Center, for example, was a fire department building before it was transformed into a theater and art gallery in the 2000s. Until the civic center project is completed, there will be few (nice) parks and gardens around downtown Pleasanton.

Every summer Pleasanton hosts the Alameda County Fair, the main repeated event in Pleasanton. However, Pleasanton has numerous other events, musically and otherwise. Pleasanton, like neighbor Livermore, has a surprisingly strong jazz scene. Major jazz events include the monthly Inklings concerts, which are free and open to the public. Pleasanton hosts many activities along Main Street. Such activities include the Third Thursdays Art Walk: these are important, even for those who are not attending the events, because they often result in Main Street or Angela Street road closures. Although some of the local parks are owned by the city government, most of the larger parks are owned by the EBRPD, which stands for the "East Bay Regional Parks District". The EBRPD owns a couple parks in Pleasanton, including Pleasanton Ridge and Shadow Cliffs, but also owns several other parks in the greater Tri-Valley, including Del Valle, Brushy Peak Regional Preserve, and Morgan Territory. Although Pleasanton isn't a beach town, there are still places to take time relaxing. Pleasanton's historic residential district is nearly always peaceful — especially along Second Street and onwards, you could almost think that no-one was living there. Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park and Shadow Cliffs Regional Park are not the best places to relax. For relaxation in parklands, the best place to go is Livermore. In Livermore, 2 Sycamore Grove has beautiful trails featuring woodlands, historic buildings, and hills in the south.

Pleasanton has a wide range of restaurants, particularly along Main Street. What is mid-range for Pleasanton would probably be considered expensive in many places, due to Pleasanton's high cost of living. Pleasanton's restaurant styles include some cuisines that are rare in much of the country, such as Mediterranean and Arabian food. There are also some Indian restaurants in Pleasanton. 1 Albertos Cantina, 435 Main St. Due to the cantina's low prices compared to other Pleasanton restaurants, Alberto's Cantina is a popular Mexican restaurant in downtown Pleasanton. Inexpensive. (updated May 2018) 2 Cocina, 55 West Angela Street (near the old railroad), ☏ +1 925-485-3010. Meals are available for less than $10. (updated Apr 2018) 3 Frontier Spice Indian Cuisine, 411 Main St (near Nonni's Bistro; there is a parking lot behind the restaurant and pedestrian access between the parking lot and the Frontier Spice Restaurant). 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. Most meals in the $10s; then you pay a few more dollars for rice, Indian-style bread, etc. (updated May 2018) 4 Rancho Grande Taqueria, 2707 Hopyard Rd. Mexican restaurant. Less than $10 for a main course. (updated Dec 2017) 5 Sultans Kebab, 6654 Koll Center Pkwy #205. Around $10 for an entree.

Pleasanton is at the edge of Livermore wine country. Eastern Pleasanton, in particular, is somewhat similar to Napa Valley Wine Country. 1 Inklings Coffee & Tea, 530 Main Street. 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. Prices are what you would expect at chain coffee shops. (updated Dec 2017) 2 Cellar Door, 4469 Railroad Avenue (on Railroad Avenue behind Inklings Coffee and close to the Firehouse Arts Center). 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. (updated Jun 2018) 3 Main Street Brewery, 830 Main Street, ☏ +1 925-462-8218. 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.

Pleasanton's hotels are mostly in the north of the town, although the Rose Hotel is in the downtown. 1 Motel 6, 5102 Hopyard Rd, ☏ +1 925-463-2626, fax: +1 925-225-0128. (updated Dec 2017) 2 Courtyard Pleasanton (Marriott Pleasanton), 5059 Hopyard Rd, ☏ +1 925-463-1414, fax: +1 925-463-0113. (updated Dec 2017) 3 Four Points by Sheraton Pleasanton, 5115 Hopyard Rd, ☏ +1 925-460-8800. (updated Nov 2019) 4 Larkspur Landing Pleasanton, 5535 Johnson Dr, ☏ +1 925-463-1212, toll-free: +1-877-527-5778, fax: +1 925-463-6080, [email protected]. Outdoor spa, fitness room, laundry facility and free shuttle within 5-mile (8 km) radius. (updated Jul 2015) 5 Pleasanton Marriott, 11950 Dublin Canyon Blvd. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. (updated Dec 2017) 6 Residence Inn Pleasanton, 11920 Dublin Canyon Rd, ☏ +1 925-227-0500, toll-free: +1-800-331-3131, fax: +1 925-828-1199. (updated Dec 2017) 7 AC Hotel by Marriott Pleasanton, 5990 Stoneridge Mall Rd, ☏ +1 925-475-4828. 8 Hyatt House Pleasanton Pleasanton Hotel (Hyatt), 4545 Chabot Dr, ☏ +1 925-730-0070, fax: +1 925-730-0075. 9 Rose Hotel, 807 Main Street (at the intersection of Saint John Street and Main Street and across from the US Bank and Oasis Restaurant). 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.

Although there's a regional airport in Livermore, the best airports within range of Pleasanton are in San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose. These airports should be less than two hours' driving distance from Pleasanton when traffic is good. San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is the largest of these airports. However, from San Francisco one must get to Pleasanton — doing this by car involves taking several busy freeways with numerous complex intersections, which can be challenging for those who have not been to the area before. Alternatively, SFO has a BART station. Oakland Airport (OAK IATA) is a smaller airport in Oakland, California, significantly closer to Pleasanton. The airport is connected to BART by a people mover, and it has an expressway that connects it to the rest of the area. The loop road at the airport also makes getting in and out by car relatively easy. Once you're on I-580 east, getting to Pleasanton is fairly simple, as long as you're familiar with freeways in the U.S. San Jose Airport (SJC IATA) is now a major airport. However, if you're driving north from San Jose to the Tri-Valley, during afternoons, the I-680 (the freeway that connects San Jose to Pleasanton and Concord) can take hours driving northbound. The worst part begins around Scott Creek Road in the Fremont area and ends with the CA-84 freeway offramp south of Pleasanton. Driving is, for the most part, the best mode of travel for getting into Pleasanton.

The city is fairly easy to navigate; roads are laid out in logical patterns with very straightforward intersections, unlike Livermore. 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. The Pleasanton Downtown Association provides directions on how to get to downtown from various points. The historic residential district also has very walkable streets, although there steep hills in this section of town. Northern Pleasanton was once a swamp, so when the area was developed, canals were dug. Along the canals are 4 trails for cyclists and walkers. However, many of the canal banks collapsed during the 2016-2017 rainy season, and maintenance and closures continue through 2017. It is rumored that some of the land in this region is sinking; development has continued, however. When traveling on foot, trails to avoid are those near I-680, for they are certainly not peaceful. Except for the 5 Iron Horse Trail and other trails mentioned above, navigating by foot outside of downtown is difficult. Pleasanton is miles wide and miles from north to south, so it can take hours to get from Hacienda Business Park to downtown alone. Although sidewalks are found along roads around Pleasanton, few people walk on them except schoolkids. 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).

On the whole, Pleasanton is a safe city. The most dangerous locations in Pleasanton are toward the edges of the city — Vineyard Avenue, on the east of the city, has a high speed limit and turns without good curbs, and accidents have occurred around certain corners. When driving in country areas, deer will often jump over a high fence onto the road, and that can be problematic when someone is driving along that piece of road. The same is true with raccoons and other smaller animals, but of course this does not pose so much danger to drivers. Cyclists should be careful about going on the wide, country roads, for sure; commuters from the Central Valley drive far above speed limits and often crash into fences or anything along the sides of the road. Avoid cycling in downtown; the roads are busy, cycling lanes (if they exist!) are narrow, and pedestrians often walk along the sidewalks. Cycling is best done on the numerous bike trails around town. Pleasanton seems, unless you know the Pleasonton story, to have reason behind its name — it is one of America's safer towns. Even at night, you could walk in almost any part of the town with no worry whatsoever about crime. One problem in Pleasanton and Livermore is drunk driving. With numerous wineries in the area, people will often drive from one to another and drink at each one, and their condition rapidly deteriorates, sometimes leading to serious accidents when they drive home. Generally, although the city is very safe, the safest parts of town are in the downtown area.