Walk along First Street in this northern California city and it’s impossible to believe the historic downtown was practically dead a few decades ago. Restaurants, bars and specialty shops now line the main thoroughfare, and residents fill outdoor cafes sampling new menus and drinking local wine and beer. Families play around a series of splashing fountains or stroll sidewalks brimming with flowers and heavily planted with double lines of trees. The neighborhood is authentic, dynamic and flourishing. Downtown is the place to go thanks to the efforts of Livermore Downtown, Inc.