AROUND PLEASANTON
SHOP, DINE AND EXPERIENCE WHY THESE MERCHANTS WERE VOTED #1 2011
BY JEB BING
View a complete list of winners and their websites at PleasantonWeekly.com
Bella Luna Studios
Helping those who can’t see
Berry Patch
Best Place to Buy a Gift
350 Main St. Ste. A, Pleasanton, 846-0155 625 Main St., Pleasanton, 417-1224
Best Outdoor Dining, Best Main Street Restaurant, Best Margarita
Borg Fence
Best Home Contractor
Blue Agave Club
I
t happened in a split second but when Morgan Watkins’ younger brother ran smack into a tree during a family camping trip, life changed for both teenagers. Their parents, who had been off hiking at the time, wondered why their son hadn’t seen the tree and decided to take him to a Stanford eye clinic. After the exam, the ophthalmologist asked to check Morgan’s eyes, too, confirming his diagnosis that both boys were suffering from retinal sytosis, a genetic disorder passed down to males with no known medical procedure to prevent its progression toward eventual blindness. Watkins, in town to promote Guide Dogs for the Blind, where he’s both a board member and acting president, said that true to the doctor’s prediction, his eyesight slowly started fading. Thanks to Bob Wright, who reported on Watkin’s comments in his newsletter commentary for the Rotary Club of Pleasanton, where Watkins spoke, we learned that Watkins was able to drive into his early 20s, but night blindness came first, limiting driving to daytime hours. When he was in college, he usually was accompanied by friends so getting around at night wasn’t much of a problem. But sneaking out on his own, especially to visit a girlfriend in the nearby women’ dorm, became more difficult so he did what many sight-handicapped folks do and acquired a white cane. Tapping his way along familiar sidewalks, he was able to make the dorm trip frequently without help from “friends” who seemed always too eager to join him on these particular excursions. Still, while Watkins found the wellknown white cane helpful in taping his way around, he also said that using a cane is “vision by collision.” Watkins, who retired in 2008 from a 30-year career with the University of Texas at Austin, said that his “epiphany” came during a business trip to San Francisco. After a meeting, he started crossing Market Street to return to his hotel on a busy afternoon. He found the curb with his cane, waited for the traffic sounds to indicate when he could cross safely and started walking. Unfortunately, a woman crossing from the other direction came too close and ran her legs and shoe into his cane. He pulled the cane free of the shoe, she kept walking and the cane went flying. There he was, no “visual” (the white cane) to show he couldn’t see while standing in the middle of Market Street with cars and streetcars passing in both directions. Fortunately, someone retrieved his cane and he
Best Photographer
P.O. Box 1824, Pleasanton, 998-1171
575 Boulder Ct., Pleasanton, 426-9620
Callippe Preserve
Best Golf Course
8500 Clubhouse Dr., Pleasanton, 426-6666
Cardinal Jewelers
Best Jewelry Store
3003 Hopyard Rd. Ste. B, Pleasanton, 416-1111
Casa Orozco Mexican Restaurant JEB BING
Morgan Watkins — board member and acting president of Guide Dogs for the Blind — and his assistant, Susi Cherry.
reached his hotel, but only after realizing there must be a better way. Watkins had heard of Guide Dogs for the Blind and quickly made arrangements to seek a four-legged companion. Accepted into the program, he underwent training and returned home to Austin with his first dog, Phantom. His son, picking him up at the airport, remarked that his father looked safe and unafraid. And that was true. “With a cane you advertise you are blind and vulnerable, but with a large dog you are perceived as protected,” he told the Rotary club. He said Guide Dogs for the Blind was started in 1942 by Lois Maryhugh in Los Gatos as a service to returning blind War War II veterans on the West Coast. The program moved to San Rafael in 1947 and has placed 13,000 dogs to date. Even lacking government backing, the organization provides the best trained dogs at no cost to the blind recipient. The service includes providing the harness, personal training and replacement of a dog for life. The dogs are trained on site in San Rafael or Bering, Ore., from birth. They learn such commands as “elevator, escalator, stairs, doorways,” to name a few. On average, 300 guide dogs are trained each year. Accompanying Morgan at the Rotary meeting was a beautiful 83pound Golden Retriever named Will, his second dog since Phantom. With him and driving was his assistant, Susi Cherry, a retired breeding volunteer at Guide Dogs for the Blind. While there are many great causes worthy of charitable donations, few can immediately change a life or continue to have an impact throughout a lifetime as Guide Dogs for the Blind. Besides supporting the school, contributions also enable the organization to keep its promise to each of the more than 2,000 blind men and women who are alumni. Donations are tax deductible and can be sent to Guide Dogs for the Blind, P.O. Box 3950, San Rafael, CA 94912-3950. N
About the Cover Brandon Crawford, a Foothill High graduate who now plays for the Giants, looks out at AT&T park before a recent home game. Photo by Glenn Wohltmann. Design by Lili Cao. Vol. XII, Number 30
Best Mexican Restaurant
7995 Amador Valley Blvd., Dublin, 828-5464
Clover Creek
Best Home Furnishings
670 Main St., Pleasanton, 462-0814
Diablo Flooring
Best Carpet / Flooring Store
5600 Sunol Blvd. Ste. D, Pleasanton, 426-7847
Eastern Medical Center
Best Acupuncture
3510 Old Santa Rita Rd. Ste. D, Pleasanton, 847-8889
Eddie Papa’s American Hangout 4889 Hopyard Rd, Pleasanton, 469-6266
Fusion 3 Salon
Best American Food Restaurant, Best Meal Under $20 Best Hair Salon for Women
722 Main St., Pleasanton, 600-0080
Gay Nineties Pizza & Pasta
Best Pizza
288 Main St., Pleasanton, 846-2520
Glover’s Deep Steam
Best Carpet Cleaners
2843 Hopyard Rd., Pleasanton, 462-4262
Heavenly Day Spa
Best Massage
357 Ray St., Pleasanton, 462-4200
Hop Yard Alehouse & Grill 3015 Hopyard Rd. Ste. H, Pleasanton, 426-9600
Jazz-N-Taps
Best Place for an After Work Drink Best Place for Dance Lessons
1270 Quarry Lane, Pleasanton, 484-0678
Jue’s Taekwon-Do
Best Martial Arts Studio
5460 Sunol Blvd. Ste. 8, Pleasanton, 484-0308
Landmark Mortgage Group
Best Mortgage Company
5075 Hopyard Rd. Ste. 130, Pleasanton, 600-2000
Mary Lou Edwards
Best Mortgage Professional
from Diversified Mortgage Group 5199 Johnson Dr. Ste. 110, Pleasanton, 285-5333
Meadowlark Dairy
Best Ice Cream / Yogurt Shop
57 W. Neal St., Pleasanton, 846-2261
Precision Auto Repair
Best Foreign Car Repair
164 Wyoming St. Ste. A, Pleasanton, 462-7440
Red Smoke Grill 4501 Hopyard Road, Pleasanton, 734-0307
Scott’s Automotive & Light Truck Repair Inc.
Best Barbecue, Best Take-out Restaurant Best Domestic Car Repair
32 California Ave. Ste. C, Pleasanton, 417-0222
Studio Seven Arts
Best Art Gallery
400 Main St., Pleasanton, 846-4322
Sylvan Learning
Best Tutoring School
6654 Koll Center Pkwy. Ste. 185, Pleasanton, 485-1000
VIP Cleaners
Best Dry Cleaners
1809 Santa Rita Rd. Ste. F, Pleasanton, 846-4335 3120 Santa Rita Rd. Ste. E, Pleasanton, 462-8838
Wealth Management Associates
Best Financial Planner
400 Main St. Ste. 200, Pleasanton, 462-6007
Wente Vineyards
Best Winery
5565 Tesla Rd., Livermore, 456-2305 5050 Arroyo Rd., Livermore, 456-2405
Workbench True Value
Best Hardware Store
1807 Santa Rita Rd. Ste. N, Pleasanton, 846-0660
Zen Pilates & Fitness
Best Personal Trainer
3059 Valley Ave. Ste. C, Pleasanton, 600-7800 Pleasanton WeeklyÊUÊAugust 5, 2011ÊU Page 3