Around Livermore: A downtown walk and Veterans Day

From Mercury News: Around Livermore: A downtown walk and Veterans Day

Saturday evening downtown was still warm but there was a cool breeze. Here it is late October and people were enjoying their downtown, outdoors.

My wife and I decided to take in a new Italian restaurant, Milano Joe's, and as we sat enjoying our meal outside we people watched. People strolled by in twos, threes and more. Some were walking with a purpose; others were just enjoying the evening and people watching like us.

Hot rods were abundant as were motorcycles. It reminded me of the days of cruising in high school, but as a friend once put it, this type of cruising is "for the Mondavi crowd." That it was.

It was quiet, except for the occasional loud muffler and traffic was bumper-to-bumper, like cruising, but without the thousands who used to descend on First Street. Still, the number of people was impressive and all seemed to be enjoying themselves.

After our meal we strolled with the crowds a bit and enjoyed the sights. Young couples with babies in strollers, older couples walking hand-in-hand, children watching the colored water spouts at Lizzie Fountain, a man playing a guitar nearby. All of that and much more were happening Saturday night.

Our downtown has certainly become the go-to place in town and the valley. Soon the weather will be cooler and the rains will return. So before that happens, take in a meal at any one of the many restaurants downtown that offer sidewalk dining. The food is good and the show is free.

Afterwards, you can enjoy a coffee at Pete's Coffee or Starbuck's downtown or a dessert at First Treats Yogurts or Nestles' Tollhouse Cafe, or at any of the many other restaurants downtown. From Anita's Mexican Restaurant to Zephyr Grill, downtown Livermore has dining for all tastes and budgets. Talk an evening walk downtown sometime, you won't be disappointed.

VETERANS DAY PLANS: The Las Positas College Veterans First Program, the Student Veterans Organization, the LPC Library History Department and a host of other campus organizations are hosting two remarkable talks for LPC's fourth annual Veterans Day observance. This will be held the day before Veterans Day, on Thursday, Nov. 10.

At 8 a.m., the Student Veterans Organization will present an American flag to the college that flew over a forward operating base in Afghanistan.

At 10:30 am, the first speaker will be Maggie Gee, who was one of the original Women's Air Service Pilots during World War II. She was also only one of two Chinese-American women who flew for the WASPS.

The WASPS were instrumental in getting aircraft from the factories to air bases and ports for shipping them overseas to combat zones. Several of these female pilots were killed in these flights and in working as test pilots for new aircraft being built to fight the Japanese and Germans in the war.

At noon, the speakers will be former Lt. LeRoy Gillead and retired Lt. Col. Harold Hoskins Jr., who served with the famous Tuskegee Airmen, the all-black 332nd Fighter Group and the 447th Bomber Group in World War II. Due to the segregation of the armed forces, blacks were regulated to mainly service duty. The Tuskegee Airmen unit was an Army Air Force experiment that was successful beyond anyone's dream.

At 5 p.m, the day will end with the traditional sounding of "Taps."

The talks are free to the public and will be held in the Mertes Center for the Arts at the college.

For more information, call Todd Steffan at 925-424-1571.