Paragon Outlets comes to Livermore

A week ago, a new outlet mall, Paragon Outlets, opened in Livermore, CA, about half an hour's drive from my house.

I would have been there on opening day had I not had other commitments. Maybe it was a good thing that I didn't get there last week as there were huge traffic jams all the way out onto Highway 580 which goes right past the Outlets. And, despite the huge parking lots all around the mall, the lots were entirely filled to the point that some shoppers had to park on the other side of the highway.

This past Thursday was the first day I could get there.

Before I even left the house, I knew I was going to have a good day of shopping.... My horoscope in the newspaper said, "You'll find bargains if you go shopping. Picking up little things for friends or colleagues will be a nice way to show your appreciation..."  Now, was that a coincidence, or just my astrology staying in tune with me?

My strategy was to get to the mall when it opened at 10 a.m. There were traffic monitors out there directing traffic into the mall.

I found parking near the stores I wanted to visit first



and had a few minutes to get a feel for the mall's layout. It's laid out in a rectangle, with two parallel walkways of shops on each side of the mall.  The shops line the center and the outer edges.



Its Starbucks is the biggest Starbucks I've ever been in. It opens at 6 a.m., so that shoppers who arrive early, and, of course, the people who work here, have a place to get coffee and a bite to eat before the stores open.

The Paragon Outlets in Livermore is relatively small, compared to many outlet malls that stretch so far and wide that it is impossible to even walk past all their shops in a single day of shopping, never mind shop in them. Not so at this mall; I could easily navigate it, sometimes doubling back to revisit shops, in the 5 hours or so that I spent there. I was able to visit every shop that appealed to me.

There are an abundance of restrooms, conveniently located throughout the mall. And, there are plenty of places to sit down throughout.

I think this outlet mall has the biggest concentration of upscale shops of any I've been to.





One end is anchored by Off Fifth (Saks Fifth Avenue) and Bloomingdale's outlets. The anchor at the other end is Last Call (Neiman Marcus).  These outlets were main attractions to me and I found lots of current-season clothing and accessories at very good prices. The Bloomingdale's outlet is one of a very few in this country; this was my first time at one and its mix of merchandise was my favorite of all the anchor outlet stores here.

CAbi, a line of women's clothing that is sold exclusively at home parties, has an outlet here.


I'm something of a CAbi fan and was thrilled to find a top that I love, priced at more than half its original price.

Some of the other upper-end outlets include Armani, Prada, Burberry, Barney's New York, St. John, Tumi, and Kate Spade.



More mainstream outlets like Gap, Banana Republic, True Religion, 7 for All Mankind, Van Heusen, White House Black Market, Ghirardelli Chocolate,Gymboree, Under Armour, and Lucky are all here too. Cosmetics Company Store, the outlet for all the Estee Lauder brands, is one of my favorite places to stock up on Mac, Clinique, and Estee Lauder products...and I did.





The mall is outdoors, with skylighted roofing covering most walkways.



The Food Court is indoors and features six different quick food choices.



For lunch, I had a very tasty made-to-my-order salad from Greenleaf's & Bananas.

 Paragon Outlets in Livermore may well be the nicest outlet mall that I've ever been to.  I will certainly be back soon.

And, if you really feel you must start your holiday shopping this year on Thanksgiving Day, Paragon Outlets in Livermore will be open at 10 p.m.!!!!

Happy Bargain Shopping!

MacManiacs Reunion

For many years I had my own little computer group. We all met at Diablo Valley MacIntosh User Group (DVMUG), a user group of which I am still a member. What happened was that some of us stopped being Apple computer users and were no longer members of the user group. Since we all liked one another enough to want to still get together once a month, I became "president for life" of what we called the MacManiacs.

So, we started meeting at a restaurant once a month. Each month, one of us would choose the restaurant and pay for lunch. Our lunchtime talk ranged from technology to health to family to any subject that caught our fancy. We always had a good time and it kept our friendship alive.

Over time one member died, one left the club, another moved a bit further away. And so, the MacManiacs stopped meeting.

This December, when I got Werner's humorous newsy Christmas letter, I shared it with the other former club members and Mary Ann suggested that we all meet near Werner's home.

The last of the MacManiacs met today for lunch at Terra Mia in Livermore.

Terra Mia is a Southern Italian family-run restaurant in a strip mall about half way between downtown Livermore and Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. It's a bit more elegant than many of the restaurants in the area and was the perfect place for a leisurely lunch.

The pasta and desserts are made in house from scratch. Many of the ingredients are either home grown or from local suppliers. We caught up and enjoyed a delicious lunch.

Jim and Mary Ann both ordered one of the day's specials, spinach pasta pouches filled with ricotta and chicken and garnished with Mortadella and a creamy sauce.



Mary Ann started her meal with a cup of Broccoli Soup. Jim had a Green Salad to start.

Werner ordered his "usual," the Capellini alla Napoletana (angel hair pasta with fresh tomato sauce and basil).



My choice was the Chicken Parmigiana Sandwich (chicken breast with roasted eggplant, melted mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce)



For dessert we shared a made-to-order Chocolate Soufflé.



At lunchtime, Terra Mia is not too busy, most likely because, with each dish prepared to order, it can take a few hours to have lunch here...not the typical quick lunch hour of those who work in nearby businesses. Werner says they are very busy at dinner time; reservations are advised.

At any rate, it was fun to be back together, to gossip, catch up, and even talk about bit about iPads, the cloud, and other techie subjects.

Until the next MacManiacs meeting.

Hosting Jarka; Day Two: Walnut Creek; Frankie Valli at Wente

We planned the second day of Jarka's visit around our evening at the Wente Vineyards in Livermore. Frankie Valli, yes the real Frankie Valli, & The Four Seasons were performing as part of Wente's summer outdoor concert series.

Before heading to Livermore, I showed Jarka around Walnut Creek. We did a bit of shopping at Nordstrom



and at La Lavande, a lovely gift store which is only in Walnut Creek and which features unique gifts, and French soaps.



Wente does not allow any photography of its grounds on concert nights, so the best I could do were a few pictures of some grapevines on the property near the parking lot.




Concert goers can choose to dine in Wente's restaurant, which is open year 'round, at a special buffet that is set up for the concert, or, more casually, by purchasing sandwiches and salads at The Grill. The seating location and price of tickets relate to your dining choice. We opted for the buffet and were seated at round tables of 8. The buffet included salads, appetizers, vegetables, three entrées, desserts, coffee and tea. Wine, served at the table by a server, is optional. Our meal was excellent.

Before dinner, we visited the wine tasting room where Jarka tasted a flight of Wente's premium red wines.

The concert started at 8 p.m. and was wonderful. Frankie Valli looks amazing for his 75 years and his voice remains excellent. The current Four Seasons are a significantly younger group of four, who, while they never saw their original counterparts, totally capture the spirit.