Is there local hardware and everyday shopping without leaving Alamo?

Greg McDaniel calls it “a one-stop shop”: Starbucks, Extreme Pizza, Ace Hardware, Dance Studio 8, Perchek Properties. Ace “used to be a Yard Birds” and “carries bare-bone basics”; for more he recommends Santa Mon or Concord Home Depot, but “if you need to get a quick something, this will do just fine.” Safeway in Downtown Alamo Plaza he calls a flagship—“literally Disneyland for your taste buds.”

Where can you hike or ride horses from Alamo?

He grew up on Iron Gate Court by the Camille Avenue trailhead—“one of the best trailheads, kind of little secret”—to Lone Tree, “literally a tree by itself, alone, on the top of a hill.” Breonies at “the very end of Green Valley Road, like literally you drive until you dead end into it,” is a trailhead and “staging area if you wanna take some horses” in Eastside Alamo.

What should buyers know about policing and the old firehouse?

“Not a lot of people know this, but the Contra Costa County Sheriff has a substation in the Alamo Plaza.” Danville and Walnut Creek police “aren't responsible.” “In Alamo, CHP is in charge of the roadways, and then sheriffs are in charge of pretty much everything else.” An old structure that “looks like a firehouse” “used to be the Alamo Firehouse” before they “moved up the road to a much newer, nicer facility.”

What is Roundhill Country Club and Round Hill North like?

Roundhill “has been part of my life since I was in 2nd grade”; swim team; parents later “full golf members.” “Multiple tiers of membership: general, tennis, golf”; pickleball, swim, workout facility, event room; “community up there is very strong.” Round Hill North: steep road, roundabout; “most homes are large with great views, but you trade off the sprawling yard for privacy and quiet”—golf course one side, Mount Diablo and valley/horse setups the other.

Any quick coffee or burrito spots Greg actually uses?

Levee Coffee: “not on the beaten path,” older A-frame “log cabin-looking,” “definitely better than Starbucks in my humble opinion.” There’s also “literally a drive-through kiosk” coffee shop—“really good coffee,” “in and out very quickly,” with Taco Bell right there. Hightech Burrito: “surf and turf burrito that I get all the time”; “medium fast food”; “In Alamo, heck, you gotta stop.”

Greg McDaniel's Guide to Alamo

Alamo, CA

By Greg McDaniel

About Alamo

Greg McDaniel notes that Alamo is “a one-stop shop” where you get Starbucks, Extreme Pizza, Ace Hardware, Dance Studio 8, and Perchek Properties, a property management company. He points out that Ace Hardware “used to be a Yard Birds” and “carries bare-bone basics,” so if you really need something he highly recommends heading to a bigger shop—“I'd go to Santa Mon for Home Depot or Concord for Home Depot”—but for a quick something “this will do just fine.” He also flags that “what you're not gonna find on a map anywhere is this little, very small walking path, and I mean two planks of wood,” a connector from Kirkcrest in Alamo “directly into Westside Danville,” so you can “park your cars in Westside Alamo, and then walk into Westside Danville.” Safeway in Downtown Alamo Plaza was his “first job in high school” as a bagger; back in '95, '96, Safeway CEO Mr. Byrd “lived behind Safeway up in the hills,” and McDaniel calls the store “literally Disneyland for your taste buds” and a flagship with “premium resources.”

On food, Greg McDaniel says the Mexican taco truck at 2949 Stone Valley Road “is awesome” with “fantastic” price points—street tacos or a variety pack—and on brokers' tour “we always stopped there,” with him usually getting four tacos. He calls Levee Coffee a place “if you wanna niche away and get some quiet time by yourself and hang out with pure locals,” an older A-frame “kind of log cabin-looking thing,” “definitely better than Starbucks in my humble opinion.” Hightech Burrito has a surf and turf burrito he gets “all the time”; Brass Bear is a “deli-caisson” for people who “really appreciate a good sandwich”; and the Alamo “Greasy Spoon breakfast” is “Contractor Central,” “one of those well kept little secrets,” with eggs, hash browns, sausage, omelet, and coffee “that just never stops flowing.” He is less pleased with EJ Fair: “I'm not a hundred percent pleased with their service,” recalling his sister’s server cut their hand and they “wouldn't refund the sandwich.”

Greg McDaniel grew up on Iron Gate Court and calls the Camille Avenue trailhead “one of the best trailheads, kind of little secret,” leading to Lone Tree—“literally a tree by itself, alone, on the top of a hill.” Breonies at the end of Green Valley Road is a hiking area and horse staging spot in Eastside Alamo. Roundhill Country Club “has been part of my life since I was in 2nd grade”; he was on the swim team, and his parents became full golf members. Round Hill North has large homes with great views but “you trade off the sprawling yard for privacy and quiet.” Alamo Springs was once one guy’s whole gated setup with an “industry-quality horse racing track,” huge stables, and a pond that “would shoot fire in the air” before “he lost all his money.” Because Alamo is unincorporated, “the Contra Costa County Sheriff has a substation in the Alamo Plaza,” CHP handles roadways, and sheriffs pretty much everything else. An old structure that “looks like a firehouse” “used to be the Alamo Firehouse.”

Highlights

“This little, very small walking path, and I mean two planks of wood” connects Kirkcrest in Alamo “directly into Westside Danville”—“park your cars in Westside Alamo, and then walk into Westside Danville.”
Mexican taco truck at 2949 Stone Valley Road: “The price points are fantastic”; on brokers' tour “we always stopped there”; Greg “usually got four tacos,” “didn't leave hungry and I was very satisfied.”
Camille Avenue trailhead—“one of the best trailheads, kind of little secret”—takes you “right up to Lone Tree, which if you haven't been to Lone Tree, it's just literally a tree by itself, alone, on the top of a hill.”
Roundhill Country Club: “part of my life since I was in 2nd grade”; swim team; parents “full golf members”; tiers of membership—general, tennis, golf; pickleball, swim, workout facility, event room.
Contra Costa County Sheriff “has a substation in the Alamo Plaza” because Alamo is “an unincorporated part of Contra Costa County”; “CHP is in charge of the roadways, and then sheriffs are in charge of pretty much everything else.”

Local Knowledge

[neighborhood] This is a one-stop shop. You get Starbucks, Extreme Pizza, Ace Hardware, Dance Studio 8, Perchek Properties, a property management company. Ace Hardware used to be a Yard Birds. If you know what a Yardbirds is, it was a more localized Ace Hardware. This Ace Hardware carries bare-bone basics. If you really need something, I highly recommend heading to a bigger shop. I'd go to Santa Mon for Home Depot or Concord for Home Depot, but if you need to get a quick something, this will do just fine. (score: 100)
[neighborhood] So what you're not gonna find on a map anywhere is this little, very small walking path, and I mean two planks of wood. And this little connector connects you from Kirkcrest, which is in Alamo, across this tiny little chunk of real estate, and it walks you directly into Westside Danville. So if you wanted to go from Westside Alamo to Westside Danville, park your cars in Westside Alamo, and then walk into Westside Danville. (score: 100)
[parks] This hiking trailhead up on Camille Avenue, I actually grew up on Iron Gate Court, right to the right of that, and that is one of the best trailheads, kind of little secret. It takes you right up to Lone Tree, which if you haven't been to Lone Tree, it's just literally a tree by itself, alone, on the top of a hill. (score: 100)
[dining] This Mexican taco truck parked at 2949 Stone Valley Road in Alamo is awesome. The price points are fantastic. You get little street tacos or a variety pack if you want bigger items. On brokers' tour we always stopped there for food even though we knew we had food at the other houses. I usually got four tacos, my old business partner would get six. Last time I was there I didn't leave hungry and I was very satisfied. (score: 100)
[lifestyle] Roundhill Country Club has been part of my life since I was in 2nd grade. I was on the swim team there. My parents later joined and became full golf members. They love to go up and play golf with friends, clients, family and colleagues. The community up there is very strong. There are multiple tiers of membership: general, tennis, golf. It's a great place to spend time, get to know the local folks, play pickleball, go for a swim. They have a workout facility and an event room. (score: 100)
[parks] This is Breonies, one of their trailheads, and that basically just means Breonies is a hiking area. This is also a staging area if you wanna take some horses, ride some horses up into the foothills. It's at the very end of Green Valley Road, like literally you drive until you dead end into it. If you have some horses or if you have access to someone you wanna go riding, great place to launch here in Eastside Alamo. (score: 100)
[neighborhood] Right around here on the right-hand side if you're driving away from the freeway, left-hand side if you're driving towards the freeway, you'll see an old structure that looks like a firehouse. It's because it used to be the Alamo Firehouse. They have since moved up the road to a much newer, nicer facility, but that was our old Alamo Fire Station. So if it's a new building by the time you read this, then obviously life has progressed, but little piece of Alamo history. (score: 100)
[neighborhood] This is what they call Round Hill North inside Round Hill Country Club. You go up a steep road to the top, hit a roundabout, then left or right. Most homes are large with great views, but you trade off the sprawling yard for privacy and quiet. On the front side you look over the golf course; on the back side you get Mount Diablo and winding streets down into the valley with bigger properties and horse setups. (score: 95)
[other] Not a lot of people know this, but the Contra Costa County Sheriff has a substation in the Alamo Plaza. Since Alamo is an unincorporated part of Contra Costa County, the Danville police and the Walnut Creek police aren't responsible. We do have a substation there in case you need anything. Another fun fact: in Alamo, CHP is in charge of the roadways, and then sheriffs are in charge of pretty much everything else. You'll generally see them doing traffic duty, but officially CHP is supposed to. (score: 92)
[lifestyle] If you're into biking or snowboarding, California Bike and Snowboard is awesome. They got a wide selection of all the greatest and newest equipment. Everybody in there is super knowledgeable. It's conveniently located right on the Iron Horse Trail. There's a little gate just behind the shop that leads to the trail. If it's a hot day, one of my favorite things to do when I was younger was ride my bike down from Camille on Iron Gate, get an ice cold Slurpee and all the candy I could eat. (score: 89)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there local hardware and everyday shopping without leaving Alamo?: Greg McDaniel calls it “a one-stop shop”: Starbucks, Extreme Pizza, Ace Hardware, Dance Studio 8, Perchek Properties. Ace “used to be a Yard Birds” and “carries bare-bone basics”; for more he recommends Santa Mon or Concord Home Depot, but “if you need to get a quick something, this will do just fine.” Safeway in Downtown Alamo Plaza he calls a flagship—“literally Disneyland for your taste buds.”
Where can you hike or ride horses from Alamo?: He grew up on Iron Gate Court by the Camille Avenue trailhead—“one of the best trailheads, kind of little secret”—to Lone Tree, “literally a tree by itself, alone, on the top of a hill.” Breonies at “the very end of Green Valley Road, like literally you drive until you dead end into it,” is a trailhead and “staging area if you wanna take some horses” in Eastside Alamo.
What should buyers know about policing and the old firehouse?: “Not a lot of people know this, but the Contra Costa County Sheriff has a substation in the Alamo Plaza.” Danville and Walnut Creek police “aren't responsible.” “In Alamo, CHP is in charge of the roadways, and then sheriffs are in charge of pretty much everything else.” An old structure that “looks like a firehouse” “used to be the Alamo Firehouse” before they “moved up the road to a much newer, nicer facility.”
What is Roundhill Country Club and Round Hill North like?: Roundhill “has been part of my life since I was in 2nd grade”; swim team; parents later “full golf members.” “Multiple tiers of membership: general, tennis, golf”; pickleball, swim, workout facility, event room; “community up there is very strong.” Round Hill North: steep road, roundabout; “most homes are large with great views, but you trade off the sprawling yard for privacy and quiet”—golf course one side, Mount Diablo and valley/horse setups the other.
Any quick coffee or burrito spots Greg actually uses?: Levee Coffee: “not on the beaten path,” older A-frame “log cabin-looking,” “definitely better than Starbucks in my humble opinion.” There’s also “literally a drive-through kiosk” coffee shop—“really good coffee,” “in and out very quickly,” with Taco Bell right there. Hightech Burrito: “surf and turf burrito that I get all the time”; “medium fast food”; “In Alamo, heck, you gotta stop.”