"Livermore - Wine and Technology" Livermore by AlbuqRay

Livermore Travel Guide: 41 reviews and 152 photos

Grape Vines in Town and on the Hills

Livermore is one of California's older wine regions. Robert Livermore planted the first commercial vines in the 1840s. Pioneer winemakers C. H. Wente, James Concannon, and Charles Wetmore recognized the area's winegrowing potential and founded their wineries in the early 1880s. International recognition followed when Livermore Valley captured America's first international gold medal for wine in 1889 at the Paris Exposition, putting California on the world wine map.

Although the Napa valley is more famous now, there are many (>25) good quality wineries in Livermore and the hills nearby. Nestled in the Livermore Valley between the first and second rows of hills from the coast, the area has an interesting history starting with the Costonoan Indians. Now Livermore is a small city of 80,000 that mixes agriculture with high technology. It is the home of Lawrence Livermore National Lab and enormous wind generator fields.

Wind Energy

View from Patterson Pass

The hills east of Livermore have one of the largest wind farms in the world. You can visit it by using either Altamont or Patterson Pass. The picture shows only a small portion of what you can actually see. The Altamont Pass portion is seen by more people since I-580 runs through it but I think the views are actually better from Patterson Pass.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Quiet; convenient to Bay area; good jobs; good wine
Cons:Real estate values have skyrocketed and I-580 traffic is bad
In a nutshell:Small city where agriculture and high tech meet

Last visit to Livermore: Sep 2007
Intro Updated Mar 2, 2008
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Reviews (20)

Main Dining Room and Side Rooms - Livermore

Cozy Downtown Japanese Restaurant Restaurants (12)

Kawa Sushi has been in downtown Livermore for a while (since 1998). It may be taken for granted a little now but it is a... more travel advice

Classy Chinese Restaurant Restaurants (12)

Uncle Yu's is a small chain of three very upscale Chinese restaurants. The Livermore site is called Uncle Yu's at the... more travel advice

Eat Middle East Food in North Livermore Restaurants (12)

Alekos is a new restaurant in the Springtown area of Livermore. In Sep 07 it had been open for ~5 weeks. They have Greek... more travel advice

If You Are Hungry on a Small Budget Restaurants (12)

The Waikiki Hawaiian BBQ restaurant just opened in downtown Livermore. It has a good location next to the Lemon Grass... more travel advice

Things to Do (4)
See All Livermore Wine Tasting
Hotels (3)
See All Current Favorite Hotel in Livermore

Transportation (1)
Avoid I-580 Morning and Evening Rush...
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Comments (4)

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karprr Apr 29, 2009 at 6:23 AM

Great hotel. I was very impressed with the staff at this hotel. They were very friendly and made my stay here much better than previous visits to other hotels in the area. I will definately return here on my next visit.
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gilabrand Sep 28, 2008 at 12:59 PM

Now I'm going to the fridge...I got hungry reading your tipsLOL
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Vulindlela Mar 26, 2007 at 7:42 PM

Great page! Yeah, 360 Burrito! I ate there a lot when I was based at OAK airport.
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margaretvn Jan 28, 2007 at 2:56 AM

enjoyed your page and its many restaurant tips. Thanks