Widmer World is amazing! There is a sign to help direct you where to park (neighborhood street…read moreparking) nearby. This was our second year visiting and the family hosting this is always so friendly. This year, one of the older ladies even offer to help us take photos outside on the driveway. All of the Christmas decorations, displays, and lights are beautiful. It extends from the front yard through the backyard with many Christmas displays and different cartoon / Disney characters / themes throughout the yard. This is defintely a good stop every year.

I visited this free holiday attraction on Friday, and even with the freezing winter temperatures, I…read moreenjoyed my time here. I arrived around opening time (6:00pm), and there was just a short line for entry. With so much to see and admire about this place, the walk thru was much longer than I expected, though that's partly cuz I didn't know you could pass people till I reached the mid-point. It's only one-way through the various pathways and illuminated tunnels that make up this experience, but if people stop and block foot traffic for long periods of time (for instance, families telling their toddler to look at every single doll and figurine in the windows and displays, or having them pose to take pictures like tourists), there's enough space to just pass them. Widmer World presents a range of themes and collections, including Disney (mickey mouse, toy story, disney princesses, etc), Minions, Snoopy, Santa, Abominable Snowman, geese, penguins, and stuffed animals galore. Cardboard cutouts with artwork, inflatables in various characters, moving props and decor, and animated xmas figures. Detailed miniature displays of various scenes including a charming village, a carnival with ferris wheels, roller coasters, and hot air balloons, and a festive model railroad with multiple trains moving along the tracks. It's so much more than a light show lined with impressive displays all around. It's a whimsical wonderland with lots of moving parts and interactive exhibits to delight guests of all ages. There's a scavenger hunt to find 12 gnomes, as well as a Mr. Potato Head coin toss game, and at the end of the walk thru, there's a guest book you can sign. In the front of the house, a giant chair is available for photo ops, along with more holiday lights and decorations. There are also signs directing visitors on where to find street parking (since you can't park in the court where this event is located).

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...

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

I came here last night with a friend cruising around in the car. It was fantastic to see many…read morehouses with Christmas lights! I loved the house with 97.8 FM audio with music matching the lights. This is my third year visiting this area and it never disappoints. I would come yearly as my schedule allows.

In this review I'll be comparing this Christmas Tree Lane (which can be found by simply putting in…read more'Woodland Drive, San Ramon' into Google Maps, and the Christmas Tree Lane in Alameda. While Alameda's Christmas Tree Lane is roughly a single densely packed block with a few blocks around it that sporadically participate, this location is an entire development with the homes more often then not having some type of display up. The streets are wider so it's easier to slowly drive along, and because it's bigger its less busy. Although this location lacks the frosty ice cream truck and the hot chocolate table Alameda's locale boasted, I personally found Woodland Drive to be a bit more enjoyable because it was less stressful to drive through. All in all, the honey and I enjoyed both but would be more likely to return to this Christmas Tree Lane, especially since it had my favorite display of the evening - a blue light river with ducks!

I've been to Porky's many times. For casual meals with the family, for networking events, to watch…read moresports. The food is good, the beer selection as awesome and the atmosphere is super casual and fun. It can get a little noisy at times, but there's plenty of outdoor seating for more quiet. What I like best about it is that it really feels like you're going to a place that treats its employees and its customers like family. I'm not a big reviewer, but I felt compelled to share my last experience with Porky's. After ordering, I stopped by the ladies room before going to get a beer. One of the stalls was out of toilet paper and all I could think about was that Seinfeld episode. Wanting to help someone avoid an embarrassing situation, I went to the counter to let them know. The person I tried to tell was kind of rude and waved me off. It was really weird because every other interaction I've ever had with employees there is best described as hospitality instead of just service. I was going to shrug it off. Everyone has off nights, but it was just so out of character for this place I felt I had to say something. I submitted an online comment via their website and figured that was that. Two days later, I got a phone call from Patsy. She was appreciative that I brought it up, asked for more details and promised a follow up. A few days after that, I got a very nice handwritten card from her letting me know they had worked with the employee, who was sorry and was just having an off day. My own mother doesn't send me handwritten cards anymore. I was never going to write the place off after a single incident, but this kind of care for people means I will always keep this place in rotation when the "what do you want for dinner?" Question comes up.

Pizza is fire Pasta is not…read more Absolutely love their pizza, the service, multiple TVs, inside and outside seating. I hate to dock it one star, but tried their pasta and ravioli tonight and it was meh. The sauce is no bueno.

Brava has been on my list for some time and my only regret is that I hadn't come sooner. We had an…read moreoutstanding experience here and it has become our favorite place to eat in Pleasanton. The outdoor seating is very aesthetic and you may not tell from the unassuming front. Our service was exceptional and everything on the menu looked so good we had to intentionally order too much food so we could try everything and just take home leftovers!

1 star…read more "Unfortunately, our experience at Brava Garden Eatery for my wife's birthday was disappointing from start to finish. When making the reservation, I specifically noted that this was a birthday celebration and selected covered outdoor patio seating through the reservation system. When we arrived on time, we were told there were no tables available in the area your reservation platform had offered us. To make matters worse, after a staff member asked us which available table we preferred, we pointed one out, only for another waiter to immediately give that exact table away to a smaller party while we stood there as a party of six. That set the tone for the evening. Service throughout the night lacked professionalism and hospitality. One male waiter, approximately in his 40s with slicked-back hair, was consistently rude, dismissive, sharp in tone, and visibly uninterested in helping our table. His behavior affected our entire party and made us feel unwelcome. Management should seriously address his service etiquette and overall conduct toward guests. The most disappointing part was the complete lack of acknowledgment of my wife's birthday. Throughout dinner, we watched several other tables celebrating birthdays receive desserts and recognition from staff, while our table received absolutely nothing despite the restaurant being informed ahead of time. At the end of dinner, we were simply handed the bill with no acknowledgment whatsoever. My wife even turned to me and asked, 'What about my birthday?' and honestly I had no answer for her. The evening felt careless, disorganized, and poorly managed. We did not receive the seating we reserved, experienced rude service, and the special occasion we communicated in advance was completely ignored. Overall, it was a poor dining experience and not somewhere I would currently recommend."

Drumroll...... For…read moremy widely anticipated 500th review, I present to you the upside-down airplane!!! Now I had a hard time agonizing over whether or not I wanted to put this little known local curiosity up into the spotlight, but I figured that it would be worth it for you yelpers! So, what exactly is the upside-down airplane? Well, it's exactly what it sounds like. You gather a bunch of friends with a heady sense of adventure and get in the car. Start out in Fremont on Morrison Canyon Road and go past the residential area and then go up into the mountains and wind around for a bit and choose the right forks in the road, and you'll reach a dead end. At this dead end, you can see some gates barring you from entering any further into private property. If it's a sunny day or you just happen to have good eyes, you can spot this little airplane that is built upside down on top of this tower. How curious... If you're out at night or if you're unlucky, an old man with a big light will come out of his trailer and chase you away. That means RUN FOOLS!!!!! With your heartbeat thudding wildly in your ears, you drive down the windy mountain road, your demise only an arms width away, until it somehow dumps you off in Sunol. Don't worry...680 is nearby, so you can hop back on the freeway and mosey on home. If you're here for other reasons, there are lots of private little spots to pull off on the side of the road, and you'll often see cars parked off to the side with the windows fogged up. I wonder what they could be doing in there? Hm. There you have it Yelpers! You have torn from me the one spot that no one has ever heard of. Don't abuse it too much! So what's the story about this place? I guess since I'm writing an expose, I should go all the way... Apparently the upside down airplane is the location of a test antenna site for a company called TRW. The wire mesh model of the upside down airplane is supposed to act like an antenna. There are lots of antennas set up around here for whatever purposes, who knows? Supposedly they are still in use. They've been up here for many many years, and been the source of entertainment for many high school and college kids. This spot is passed down through word of mouth and car rides at night...until now. Watch out, they have security here year round and will chase you away. Why? Because you're not supposed to be here. If you would like to pursue this curiosity some more there are many pictures for your entertainment. And if you're lucky, maybe I'll take you up there myself one day ;)

Ride your mountain bike up there ...... You'll need to stop a time or 2 to stuff your heart & lungs…read moredown ..... Have fun on the way down!

This is a commisioned scrupture at the entrance of the Dublin Library. There are many in and about…read morethe buildings here. Know Way is 2 curvy pillars bending away from the center. Atop the right one is an open book. The left one shows a spiral form with a computer mouse on top. Pillars are made from steel and fibreglass, painted in pastel colours. Creator: Robert Ellison

We visited the town of Niles on a Sunday morning/afternoon to check out Charlie Chaplin Days at…read moreNiles Essanay Silent Film Museum. We were so excited just to attend this museum and event that we had no idea that the entire neighborhood would set us up for such a fitting suprise. As we approached our venue, we noticed how charming this quaint little town was. It isn't your typical shops and eateries, rather a couple sweet shops and bars along Niles Blvd, a salon, an art gallery, and other miscellaneous businesses here and there... Then the vast majority of shops are antique stores and unique gift shops with quirky and delightful items for sale, many nostalgic pieces, just endless vintage treasures, store after store after store! They each had their own identity and character too, it wasn't a repetition of cheap, knockoff goods.  Some cool finds were signs/home decor for sale with clever and unique quotes, vintage sports apparel and memorabilia, lots of animal-themed items, a really old Ken and Barbie set, plenty of classic toys, an old typewriter, knives, and so much more. That was more for entertainment, not for buying this time around. However, we did pick up an old chess set with beautifully designed Inca and Conquistadors chess pieces from Keith's Collectibles and Books.  Other antique and specialty shops along Niles include Diamond in the Rust Maker's Market, Mantiques, Lost In The Attic, American Trading Post, Les Belles Antiques, Paula's Grandtiques, A Moment In Time, Devils Workshop & Mercantile, and My Friends and I. And most of these businesses were open on a Sunday, till 5pm, the eateries and bars open later of course. There were even a few classic and antique cars parked along the boulevard, and Niles Flying A (social club for car enthusiasts). Even if you're not into shopping (or window shopping), they hold a good number of events here annually and throughout the year, including antique faires, flea markets, farmers markets, car shows, dog shows, concerts, garden tours, holiday lightings, and of course special events at the Essanay Silent Film Museum, which is what we attended this day. Such a cool town, beyond just Niles Blvd.. several beautiful parks nearby too. It's hard to believe it's part of the city of Fremont, since it seems and feels like its own little world. I will definitely be back.

It's a town! Why would I be expected to Write a review?…read more This is impossible for me to delete!

De La Torre is one of those places you would probably drive past without realizing what you are…read moremissing. It is tucked into an unassuming shopping center, but absolutely worth seeking out. Once inside, it feels less like a restaurant and more like you have been invited over to a friend's dining room. It is warm, relaxed, and genuinely welcoming. The service hits that perfect balance. It is friendly, attentive, and never overbearing. You feel taken care of without it being a production. The food really delivers. The special, chicken thighs stuffed with smoked ham, was standout and memorable. The margarita pizza is exactly what you want it to be. It is simple, well executed, and perfect for sharing. Do not let the "small" size fool you. It is easily enough for two, maybe even three if you are catching up over drinks. Portions across the board are generous. The fish entrees are especially impressive. The salmon alone felt like it had to be close to half a pound. All of this comes at prices that feel more than fair for the quality and quantity you are getting. This is definitely a spot worth returning to. I am already looking forward to coming back to try the paninis for lunch.

I wouldn't rave about this restaurant but it's not bad either. It's just your plain Italian food…read more More like Olive Garden but more expensive. I would recommend the hostess that greets you to have a smile or be more pleasant. The food like I said was average. We each had appetizer and main course. Bread is free for first serving but $4.50 for more. Steep for cold bread. Salad was delicious but the bruschetta was horrible. Capellini was bland. We skipped desert. If you have nowhere else to go, okay to come here but I most likely won't return.