Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek currently has one Starbucks near California Pizza Kitchen, and a new Starbucks will be opening this October inside Macy’s according to signs plastered all over the construction area. Considering that most of the cafes are on the other side this makes sense, although I personally would have preferred a different chain like Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, but I can’t say I”m surprised. Starbucks is everywhere.
Although some of you may never have dined at the French restaurant Le Virage in Walnut Creek, if you have ever driven down N. Main St. to get onto 680N you probably saw the exterior of the now closed restaurant because of the incredible murals painted around the entire building. Unfortunately, they have recently been completely painted over as pointed out by the editor of Diablo Magazine. When I stopped by to check it out, I noticed that one of the windows wasn’t completely boarded up, so of course I crept up and took an ominous look inside the broken glass window frame:
And this is what I saw (picture intact):
Here’s another view:
This would make for a great horror movie:
Scene 1: Group of teens smoking in the parking lot behind Le Virage at night
Teen 1: I can’t believe they painted it over!
Teen 2: Hey, check out the window, it’s not boarded up.Scene 2: Teens go closer to window and look inside
Teen 1: Cool!
Teen 2: I think we can squeeze in there, let’s go in!
Teen 3: I don’t know, looks a little spooky.
Teen 4: Oh, come on! What are you chicken?
Teen 3: No way, let’s do this.Scene 3: Teens squeeze through opening
Teen 1: Whoa, this is incredible!Scene 4: [?]
So how should scene 4 go? Any suggestions?
It’s really too bad that the murals are gone, although I guess the owners wanted to make it easier to sell. I’ll be making another post next week with before photos of the murals.
Diablo Ballet and the Lafayette Library Foundation will be presenting An American in Paris on August 15th at 6:30pm at the Lafayette Library. Admission is $5, proceeds to benefit the Lafayette Library Foundation. From a press release:
Diablo Ballet & The Lafayette Library Foundation continue the popular Dance on Film series with a screening of the legendary movie An American in Paris on Wednesday, August 15th 6:30 PM at the Lafayette Library. For information, visit www.DiabloBallet.org or call the library at 925-283-6513.
From the era of MGM’s classic film musicals comes An American in Paris, starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron. A love story set amid the lights of Paris, the film features a glorious score by George & Ira Gershwin. In 1951, the film won numerous Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
Before the screening, Lauren Jonas, Diablo Ballet Artistic Director and noted local film critic Beau Behan will share fascinating facts about the making of the film.
Dance on Film celebrates some of the finest examples of dance captured in popular movies. The series debuted last June with a sold-out screening of The Red Shoes, and will conclude September 12th with the Academy Award winning film West Side Story.
The Dance on Film Series presents An American in Paris Wednesday August 15th 6:30 PM in the Community Hall at the Lafayette Library – 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Admission is $5 for all. Proceeds benefit the Lafayette Library Foundation. For information, visit www.DiabloBallet.org or call the library at 925-283-6513.
I hope some of you can make it over to Corners Tavern (next to Macy’s in Walnut Creek) tonight at 7pm where I’ll be parked at the bar in a red shirt. Or mention Beyond the Creek to the host and they’ll point me out. Corners Tavern has a great drink selection and the food is delicious as well so come on over and hang out a bit while getting to know your BtCreek neighbors.
Photo from Flickr user oxcnpxo
Have you ever noticed a rotten egg-like sulphur smell in the San Miguel neighborhood of Walnut Creek, which includes John Muir hospital as well as Lime Ridge? It turns out that smell existed long before people even lived there due to sulphur springs and minerals in the area. KQED has an interesting article here explaining the details. This quote comes from a 1915 US Geological Survey:
“A group of sulphur springs lies near the northeastern base of a low ridge about 2 miles northeast of the town of Walnut Creek. The largest spring is on the ridge about 100 yards from its eastern base and 25 yards north of the county road [Ygnacio Valley Road]. When the place was visited, the water rose in a board-curbed pool protected by a latticed house and was piped to a cattle trough a few yards away. It yielded about 3 gallons a minute of mildly sulphureted water, 81° in temperature. . . . Five other smaller springs issue in a belt extending 350 yards along the base of the ridge, in and near the barnyard of Sulphur Springs farm. Two of them have been piped to watering troughs near by. The other three are of seeping flow and form only small marshy places.”
Shish Kabab Show, a mediterranean restaurant which opened last year in the Rheem Shopping Center in Moraga, near Lamorinda Pizza, offers typical mediterranean dishes like falafels, Greek salads, and, not surprisingly, shish kababs. Check out their menu here. In addition to food, they also have a belly dancer entertaining on Saturdays beginning at 6:30pm. So has anyone tried this place? What dishes do you recommend? Is it fun seeing the belly dancing?
Diablo Magazine recently came out with a slick free book (more like a square magazine) about things to do in Walnut Creek, the first in a series on different East Bay cities.
From an email:
The book is divided into sections—such as food and drink, city life, business, shopping, etc.—and features the Diablo editors’ collective knowledge of the city. There’s a global food tour, top 10 fitness picks, interview with a John Muir surgeon, annual events calendar, and more.
It’s chock full of information, nicely put together, and is FREE, so drop by the Broadway Plaza Concierge or Lesher Center and pick up a copy.
On a side note, the publisher, Barney Fonzi (no relation to Henry Winkler), writes in the introduction:
When I was a kid growing up in Pittsburg, I always looked forward to heading “over the hill” to Walnut Creek.
I always find references to more well-known cities around the world humorous for some reason. The East Bay has quite a few of them besides Pittsburg including Dublin, Albany, and Kensington. Sometimes I wish I lived in Kensington so when people ask me where I’m from I could say in my best Queen’s English, “I’m from Kensington, and you?”
Photo by Flickr user cavalaxis
From the Walnut Creek Civic Arts Education website:
Weaving is a legacy in the Teller family. For over five generations, grandmothers, mother, sisters, sons, aunts, and cousins have produced award-winning rugs in the traditional Two Grey Hills pattern. The Navajo design is identified primarily by a double-diamond layout and intricate geometric imagery that uses natural colored, hand-carded and hand-spun wool.
Now, two members of the Teller family – Lynda Teller Pete and her sister Barbara Teller Ornelas– will share their legacy with Civic Arts students in a Navajo Rug Weaving Workshop on August 27 – 31.
The August workshop takes place, Monday – Friday, from 10 am – 4 pm at Studio H in Heather Farm Park. Upright, pre-warped looms will be provided. For a complete materials list and to register, go to www.arts-ed.org.
From a press release:
ALMOST SOLD OUT!
DIABLO BALLET 2012 GOURMET GALLOP FOOD & WINE WALK THIS THURSDAY
For one night only, you can have a culinary adventure and taste some of the best food and wine in Walnut Creek. This Thursday (August 9th) 6 – 9 PM, Diablo Ballet’s Gourmet Gallop returns to downtown Walnut Creek.This benefit for the Company’s youth outreach program is almost sold-out. For information, visit www.DiabloBallet.org or call 925-943-1775.
You’ll sample and sip your way through 13 downtown Walnut creek locations, who are ready to give your taste buds a treat:
Walnut Creek Yacht Club
Massimo
Sasa
Cypress
Boshporous
Babalous
Silk Road
Peet’s
Pomegranate
Tender Greens
Lettuce
Olde SF Creamery CompanyPlus an exclusive Damian Rae Wine tasting at We Olive
Diablo Ballet’s Gourmet Gallop is a fundraising event for the Company’s acclaimed PEEK Youth Outreach, which brings in-school arts education to over 5,000 students in under-served Contra Costa County elementary schools. See this report from KGO TV on the PEEK program by clicking here.
Diablo Ballet’s Gourmet Gallop takes place Thursday August 9th 6 – 9 PM in downtown Walnut Creek. If there are tickets available the night of the event, you may stop by Massimo Ristorante (1604 Locust Street at Civic Drive) starting at 6 PM.
Mid-Century Eichler houses exude coolness don’t they? I love the style, and when I came across an Eichler on the market recently in the Rancho San Miguel section of Walnut Creek, (home to hundreds of Eichlers) I kind of regret living in my current boring ranch with zero personality.
This 3br/2ba Eichler is priced at $670K and is located at 196 Los Cerros Ave in Walnut Creek:
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Check out the outdoor patio with built-in bbq:
From the listing site:
Energy-saving upgrades include: state-of-the-art climate control Unico HVAC system connected to a tankless water heater for superb energy efficiency, thermopane standard-sized windows, insulated interior walls, a gas-log fireplace insert, and a newer foam roof.
To see more photos, check out the listing here. The listing agent, Ken Fox, from East Bay Modern Real Estate, has more information here as well. There will be an open house on August 12, from 12noon-3pm.
Is this priced well? It’s been a while since I’ve checked house prices but given the improvements that have been made to this Eichler I imagine this could go way over the asking price.