Slow your pace in Los Altos

In fast-paced Silicon Valley, downtown Los Altos remains an inviting place to hit the brakes, get out of the car and go for a walk, especially on weekends. While you’ll still see plenty of tech-industry types hunched over laptops in local cafes, you’ll also join an unofficial parade of families with strollers and dogs, seniors, and others on the broad sidewalks of the triangle formed by Foothill Expressway, Edith Avenue and San Antonio Road. At its leafy heart are a number of independent shops and restaurants worth exploring, bracketed by fascinating reminders of the town’s rural and railroad days. The sale took place near the modern crossroads of Main Street and Foothill Expressway, which replaced the rail in the 1960s. [...] standing is the Los Altos Craftsman-style train station built in 1913, now an artisanal bakery-cafe called Voyageur du Temps (“Time Traveler”). Owners Rie Rubin and husband Andy, both formerly of Google, meticulously renovated the handsome building and hired Paris-trained Japanese chefs to create classic French pastries with a few twists, such as green-tea madeleines and “cubes” filled with caramel cream, in a glass-walled kitchen. Once fueled, time-travel even further back into Los Altos history with a short walk across Foothill to explore Redwood Grove Nature Preserve, a 6-acre enclave of towering redwoods with a wide paved trail along Adobe Creek. Linden Tree Books, the beloved children’s bookstore, also stocks books for older readers and hosts events, such as a prerelease party for “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” on July 30. Several independent boutiques cater to women (Gitane, Alys Grace, Yum Yum Tree) and children (Bubble Kids, the Girls @Los Altos Kira Kids ). Among more well-known brands such as Vera Bradley and Baggallini, you’ll spot aromatherapy candles and jars of wild-harvested, hand-pressed coconut oil, to name a few distinctive finds. Speaking of foodie gifts, 30-year-old Gourmet Works offers several dozen varieties of handmade chocolates among its wares. You won’t have to walk far for a quick, fresh bite at casual joints such as Lulu’s on Main Street (Mexican), Tour Eiffel (Vietnamese) or Urfa Bistro (Mediterranean). The year-old establishment has a hearty multicultural menu — grilled shrimp banh mi, ahi poke, grilled eggplant rollatini. Save room for dessert, though, because at the other end of the block is Satura Cakes, Los Altos’ original Japanese-European bakery. A rainbow of macarons, slices of elegantly decorated cakes and plump cream puffs line the glass cases, with a half dozen peach-colored tables outside to enjoy treats on the spot. Enchanté Boutique Hotel resembles a French chateau, with an inviting stone terrace that provides outdoor seating for Campagne One Main Bistro, the hotel’s intimate spot for Sunday brunch and nightly dinner, drinks or dessert (try the crepes). Ahrens also adores her hometown, noting that’s why she decided to fulfill a promise made by founder Paul Shoup: He said if people bought lots here, there would be a bank, a hotel and a mercantile (store) within one year.