Concord CA, the new Vacation Destination

California

Recently Concord California was named the 7^th best place to retire by Conde Naste Traveler magazine. As a current resident of Concord, I have to say it’s a bit of a kick to hear your home city named on a list in a positive manner. Here is what the magazine had to say, “Located only 30 miles east of San Francisco, Concord is a big little city, home to farmers markets, excellent health care facilities, and free community activities throughout the year. Other bonuses are its location on the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) system, and a crime rate below that of San Francisco, despite its proximity and connection to the city. Concord is also one of the few U.S. cities to have a working drive-in theater, which is perfect for indulging in an evening of nostalgia.”

Concord is home to quite a few retirement communities, such as Carlton Senior Living, Montecito Oakmont, and several others. Concord also supports the senior community with its public transit system for those who no longer drive with its senior shuttle program provided by the Contra Costa Transit Authority. However Concord is not only for seniors.

Entertainment for the entire family is readily available. Concord is home to Pixieland Amusement Park located at 2740 E Olivera Rd., Pixieland is a park for younger children. They have a variety of rides for those who are not quite ready for the roller coaster at Disneyland or other major amusement parks. They have a train, spinning tea cups, a red baron type airplane, a dragon roller coaster and many others. You can also reserve a party area for birthdays. Pixieland’s rides are on a ticket based system which can be purchased at the entrance gates.

Waterworld is a local summer attraction, and it does tend to get very warm in Concord in the summer months. Waterworld is a large aquatic park with water slides and tubing pools. General admission for adults is $35.99 each, kids under 48 inches tall is $25.99 as are seniors. Keep in mind, while paying in the water will cool you down, bring your sunscreen, hats, flip-flops and towels.

For those you who like walking the links, or sporting around in a cart the Diablo Creek Golf Course is there for you. Diablo Creek also hosts a lighted/covered driving range as well as a large practice putting green.

     

Concord’s nightlife ranges from Movies including an old fashioned drive-in to the Red Hat Sports Bars that host local bands. Personally most of my going out in the evening occurs in the Todos Santos Park area. Its refurbished old Downtown area, and I love it. The Brendan Theater (14 screens)

is a block away from the park area, and it’s a well-kept theater with a friendly staff. There are other theaters in the surrounding area, but the Brendan is my favorite. The old drive-in with (YES) the crackling speakers is across town name the West Wind Solano Drive-In. Talk about time traveling back to the 1950’s!! Check the website for current pricing.

Around the Todos Santos Park Square is every restaurant imaginable. My personal favorite is the Old Spaghetti Factory.

Once you are seated the first thing you receive is a loaf of oven hot bread with plenty of butter. There are too many meals to choose from to list them here, and they do have a kid’s menu. This is a local favorite and usually is about a 20 minute wait for seating. My adult kids enjoy going to “I Love Teriyaki and Sushi, which is located right around the left corner of the Brendan Theater. It’s good food and reasonably priced, but can be crowded on the weekends.

If you need a coffee boost both Peet’s and Starbucks are around the park. It’s just a matter of preference. Other eating establishments in the area are E.J. Phair, Happy Roll, Luang Thai Cuisine, Saigon Bistro, among so many others.

For the voracious readers among you, Half Price Books is conveniently located across the street from Todos Park, and next door to the Spaghetti Factory. If you have never been in a Half Price Books, they have a wide variety of new and used books on all subjects, LP’s for those of us who remember what those are, videos and much more. Whenever we take the granddaughters out for pasta, the nest stop is always the bookstore and they do look forward to it. Half Price Books does have a large children’s and teens’ section.

The Hot Dog Palace, for the sausage lovers. Under the previous owners, the food and service was wonderful, but the new owners seem to be struggling. The hours are inconsistent and more than one yelp review says the quality of the food is suffering. I have not been in there since the ownership changed hands and that is due to the erratic hours. They were closed on a Saturday afternoon.

Alpine Bakery the name says it all. If you want European pastry this is the place. Currently it is located just a few miles down the road from the park, but the owners have just announced this past month (March 2016) they are moving to a larger location to allow for growth. Yay to them, I love their Danishes.

For places to hang your hat Concord has the following hotels, The Crowne Plaza, The Hilton, and The Clarion. I would recommend checking reviews on Yelp and TripAdvisor to aid in your decision of where to stay.

Skipolinis Pizza, this is a family owned establishment with truly good pizza. They are touted as the home of the Prego Pizza, a pie that sets off labor for women at the end of their pregnancy rope, LOL. The stories on their website are very entertaining.

Now that you have read about my favorite places around town, as with every metropolis there are areas that should be avoided. Stay away from Ellis Lake and that entire neighborhood at night. If you decided to dine and shop at the Park N Shop, just be aware of your surroundings and leave nothing in your vehicle.  The Park N Shop has a lot of Bistro type dining, and it is good food, there is also the Chuck E. Cheese’s and a Mimi’s. In the back of the strip mall is a Fry’s electronics, if you should need a new phone cord while you are traveling. Also even though the Red Hat Sports Bar is on Monument Avenue, again be aware of your surroundings, Monument is a major through road and can be problematic now and then. On the plus side, for a city as large as Concord, these small areas to avoid aren’t much to worry about.

The City of Concord promotes the following events at Todos Santos Park.

All Events:

Farmers' Market
Tuesdays: Year-round, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Thursdays: April-October, 4-8 p.m.
(800) 949-FARM

Music and Market Series
May 19-September 8, 2016: Thursday evenings Market 4-8 p.m., Music 6:30-8 p.m.
Music and Market Series.

Tuesday Night Blues
Tuesday Evenings in July. July 2 - Aug. 11. 6:30-8 p.m.
Free all-Blues series.

MomDay in the Park
May 19-September 8, 2016, 2015. 12 noon - 5 p.m.
Mom and Music! This year we combined MomDay in Plaza with the All Area Music Festival.
Celebrate the day by dining at Todos Santos restaurants, and enjoy a special concert in the Park.

Cool Concord Cars
July 5, 2016, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Free Car show! No registration fees, with dash plaques, goodie bags and prizes for the winners. 

July 4th Celebration
Pancake Breakfast: 7:30 a.m.
Concord Police Officers Association Run 8:00 a.m.
Parade 10:00 a.m.
Entertainment and Fireworks presented by the Todos Santos Business Arts Foundation at Mt Diablo High School starting at 4:00 p.m.
More information

Concord's official Tree-Lighting, Mayor's Sing-Along and Santa's Grand Arrival
1st Saturday in December. 
Santa's Arrival: 4 p.m.
On-stage entertainment: 5 p.m.
School choirs and community entertainment on stage with traditional tree-lighting and holiday sing-along.

Todos Santos Plaza is a NO SMOKING and NO DOGS Allowed Environment
*Dates and events subject to change.