My Town Shoot Out - Downtown (Part Two)

So, this is my post on Downtown Pleasanton which at one time had moonshine running under the streets! I chose to concentrate on Main Street between West Angela and St John Streets. This is a four block length and contains many of the older and newer Main Street businesses. Most of the businesses you will see (especially the older ones) have an apartment or two above.

This is C.R. Doodlebug, a very cool toy store, and above is the new location of Gary Patrick Salon. Gary cut my hair for a while, until he snipped the top of my mom's ear.This is Murphy's Paw, a dog toy and accessory store, and the dog bowls outside the door.

This is the post outside of Casa Madrid, a GREAT Spanish restaurant with excellent Paella.

Next up is a long brick building housing several businesses, including The Passionate Athlete, where we all get our swimwear for swim team.

This is the barber pole without a barber, and on the opposite corner is Baci a good restaurant according to my mom.

The view around the corner includes Hap's which used to be a dive diner, and is now an upscale Steak and Chop house with ala carte prices.

The next corner brings a view of Downtown Yoga. I have several freinds who come here for yoga and love it!

Cross the street and we have what was Kolln Hardware for as long as I can remember, and it was so much more. You could buy a yo-yo or a lamp with a stained glass shade.

The next block contains some vacant store fronts and then there's Round Table Pizza. I've eaten here countless times, and it's a popular after game hang out for teens.

This next place really takes me back. This is Dean's Cafe. This is a breakfast restaurant serving three pages of omlets. You can see their menu in the second shot. This place has been around forever, and used to only occupy the area under the first two awnings. The third awning used to be home to a sub sandwich shop. This was before Subway, before Togo's, before Quizno's.

This sushi place used to be my favorite restaurant, Cabana Dave's. Cabana Dave still caters and enters BBQ contests. It's too bad though because he had an AWESOME bread pudding recipe! Before Cabana Dave's, it was called The Outback Pub and Grill, that is until the Outback chain of restaurants opened and sent the owner a letter. Across the street is The Rose Hotel. On this site used to stand a St. Vincent DePaul. Now it is an upscale hotel, and the only one in downtown.

This is a sampling of the traffic at lunch hour downtown. Past the bank and yet another brick building is this cute little gift shop. It's been a gift or card shop since I was small.

Next is this tiny gas station, which has always been here on the corner.

Across this street, is another brick building, housing a pasta restaurant, and what used to be The Roxy Theater, which is now The Wine Steward.

This is next to teh Wine Steward, and is our Tack Room and Western Wear Shop. Yes, this used to be a ranching and farming community.

With the hats on the shelves.

This next place is now Blue Agave, a mexican restaurant and tequila tasting bar. I worked here as a bartender and cocktail waitress when I turned twenty-one, and it was called Hacienda Del Sol. The basement of this house has an entrance to the tunnels under the town. Originally, this was a hotel and brothel and also a moonshine running station.

This is the museum, and used to be the police station when I was a kid.

Towne Center Books is independently owned, and a great place to browse and buy books. The owner is very nice, and they love people coming in to shop!

This is a day spa, and relatively new.

And the bicycle shop, that has been a bike shop for a very long time.

Another vacant business, and this one specialized in some very cool and tropical home decor.

Pleasanton Jewlers is where I got my class ring in High School, and it still is selling them, along with other fine jewelry.

Pastime Pool is the dive bar. When I was younger, you could find the jockeys from the nearby racetrack hanging out.

In this building is Victoria's Salon, where I used to get my hair done. They are very nice, but my hair guy moved, so I did too.This is a new restaurant I want to try. The menu looks good, and I like Mediterranean food.

Mahalo Grille has Hawaiian cuisine and excellent cocktails. Main Sushi has very good food, and the main entrance is fancier, but I like this door better!