Having lived two blocks away for three years, I'm well aware that the colloquial term for the corner of West Angela and Main Street in Downtown Pleasanton  is  "Tully's Corner."    

Maybe "Tully's Pl(ah)za"  said with a questionable English accent for people who have in-laws visiting  from out of state. But it's  "Tully's Corner" or just "Tully's"to most locals.

It is so named, obviously, after the coffee establishment on the corner, but when people drop "Tully's" in a conversation, they also could mean the businesses that share the outdoor patio area at the intersection.

For example:

Cold Stone-next to Tully's;  High Tech Burrito-near Tully's; Bibiane's Bakery-a couple doors down from Tully's;  or Fontina Restaurant, the one just down from Tully's.  Even Café Main is described as the cafe across the street from Tully's.

Somehow, and quite organically, not by means of any publicity plan on the part of the retail chain that I know of, Tully's has won the unannounced contest for  conversational landmark—a GPS icon for locals and visitors alike.

It's a combination of things that attract: the prime location, free WiFi,  gourmet coffees, great customer service and a family-friendly outdoor patio.  

If you compare Tully's corner with the three others on this hot spot, you'll find many people visit Café Main, many people visit Studio 7 Fine Arts, and many people visit Berry Patch in its new, expanded location, but nearly everyone has been or eventually passes through Tully's for one reason or another.

 That's where the magic actually lies, not in the landscape or the businesses, but in the amazingly diverse cross-section of people who hang out, visit, work, think, meet, dream, flirt, read, relax, interview, celebrate, break up, create, socialize,  network, fall in love, meditate, plan, escape or just pass through. 

It's also the greatest place in all of Pleasanton to do what most of us love to do: people watch.

Tully's Corner is as much a magnet for the have-a-lots as the have-a-littles; the men as the women, the children as the adults, the busy as the laid-back, the friendly as the aloof, the married as the single, the motorcyclists as the bicyclists.

Did you know it even has its own self-appointed mayor?  I'll be writing about him soon.

I've always found it easy to strike up conversations with strangers in front of Tully's,  another attribute lending to its popularity and charm. 

So, that is what I plan to do: Introduce you to people I encounter and befriend at the most popular intersection in town.  

Recently, I met two fascinating families—the Wolfords and the Carrs, so hop back online for the introductions next week.