Danville Patch’s David Mills asks a very intriguing question of people who live in Alamo: where do they do their serious shopping? Do these Alamo-ites, many with nice disposable incomes, head south to Danville or north to Walnut Creek?

I mean, let’s face it: Alamo is a bit limited. It has the basics: a CVS, a Safeway and a hardware store. But beyond that?

Walnut Creek is a major shopping destination–for people throughout the Bay Area. It has Broadway Plaza and a variety of favorite chain stores: Nordstrom, Macy’s, Tiffany & Co., Ross and Target. It also has smaller specialty stores, including locally owned clothing boutiques. 

I can see, though, the pleasures of shopping in Danville. Parking wouldn’t be such a chore, and the downtown also has its share of specialty stores, including the venerable Rakestraw Books. 

Oh, and Danville does have Blackhawk Plaza. But does anyone really shop at Blackhawk Plaza? Even Draeger’s, the Andronico’s-esque high-end grocery store, usually seems pretty dead, the few times I’ve stopped in there in the middle of the day.

A bigger question, beyond that dealing with shopping, is which town, Walnut Creek or Danville, serves as a cultural beacon to people from Alamo. If they want to get out of the tranquil environment of their wooded, upscale hometown, and get some big city action, do they look to Walnut Creek or Danville? Do they eat at Prima Ristorante and Va de Vi or Bridges and Amber? Are they patrons of shows at the Lesher Center for the Arts or the Village Theatre? Whose holiday tree lighting do they attend?