1935 Mt. Diablo St, Concord
With the sale of The Shops at Todos Santos in Concord a couple of years ago, shops are closing left and right to make room for national restaurants such as Chipotle. It turns out that Half Price Books is unsure whether they will continue to be able to lease at their current location and are considering other options including Willows shopping center, also in Concord. Stay tuned…
Town Hall Theatre
3535 School St, Lafayette
Thursday, February 28th – Saturday, March 23rd, 2019Melissa James Gibson’s charming, witty and thoughtful story centers on 10-year-old Sasha, a latchkey kid with a big homework assignment, a report on the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s due tomorrow, and the problem is… she can’t find a pen! One little girl’s procrastination helps her meet her extraordinary brownstone neighbors, and connect with quirky and caring community all around her.
Willows Shopping Center, Concord
MidiCi, the Italian restaurant featuring Neapolitan Pizzas that we learned would be opening last spring, is finally opening in the Willows shopping center in Concord on February 15th. Check out their pizza menu here and appetizer menu here. Interestingly, they changed their signage from Neapolitan Pizza to Italian Kitchen as seen in the above photo, I imagine to show that they offer more than just pizza. For those who held on to the free pizza coupon cards they were handing out months ago, one employee there said they’ll honor them.
From their website:
Our certified pizzaiolos (pizza makers) invite you to select fresh, natural, high quality, mostly non-GMO ingredients to create your ideal Neapolitan Pizza in the open, center-staged bustling kitchen, also known as “the heart”. We meet rigorous gastronomic rules to serve authentic Neapolitan Pizza famously known for its chewy, crisp dough and topped with all-natural ingredients. All baked to perfection in 90 seconds. Staying true to Neapolitan heritage, our dough is made with only four fine ingredients – non-GMO double zero flour imported from Naples, pure water, sea salt and live yeast. The authentic and pure garnishes include – crushed non-GMO Italian peeled tomatoes, fresh whole mozzarella and non-GMO, Italian extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil.
Danville Square
The kickboxing gym iLoveKickboxing is opening a new studio at Danville Square this spring. They opened last summer in the Avalon apartment complex near the Pleasant Hill BART station in Walnut Creek (same franchise owner). Find out more about their program here and check out the new Danville job openings here.
Lesher Center for the Arts
1601 Civic Dr, Walnut Creek
Friday, January 25th – Saturday, February 23rd, 2019A London sex specialist from the future stumbles into a murder plot that sends her, compliments of a unique set of hotel doors, traveling back in time. A hilarious mash-up of Psycho and Doctor Who. Alan Ayckbourn is “the greatest living English-language playwright.” – Time
Running Time: approx. 2 hours 30 minutes, with one intermission
145 E. Prospect Ave, Danville
Excited to see Lottie’s Creamery opening their third location in Danville where Danville Soup and Salad Shack used to be! Check for their latest flavors on their Facebook page here. Someone mentioned they have new owners which may explain the expansion. This is one of my favorites, made right in downtown Walnut Creek “pasteurizing local and seasonal ingredients”.
The Veranda, Concord
The restaurant and a video arcade Dave & Buster’s is coming to The Veranda shopping center in Concord where Toys “R” Us used to be. I wonder how this will compare to Round 1 in nearby Sunvalley shopping center? What’s going to happen with the already scarce parking situation?
Photo by Flickr user backpackphotography
Chinese New Year Flower Market Fair:
Grant Avenue from Clay to Broadway; Washington, Jackson & Pacific between Stockton & Kearny
Saturday, February 2nd – Sunday, February 3rd, 2019
FreeThe Chinese New Year Flower Market Fair is held on the weekend before Chinese New Year Day. The Flower Fair is the place to come to purchase fresh flowers, fruits, candies and brand new supplies for the home to begin the new lunar year. Delight in performances of traditional Chinese magicians, acrobats, folk dancers and opera as you take in the beautiful fragrances of spring. You will find over 120 booths and concessions making this a shopper’s paradise.
3525 Mt. Diablo Blvd, Lafayette
A new popup art gallery from the owner of the Jennifer Perlmutter Gallery in Lafayette, called JPG@The Bank, is planning to open at the corner of Mt. Diablo Blvd. and Moraga Rd. where Wells Fargo used to be. The first exhibit, For The Love of Art, will open the night of Valentine’s Day, February 14th and feature, “Bay Area artists Charmaine Koh, Jane Burton, Carl Heyward, Akiko, Nicholas Coley, sculpture by Michael Rizza, and a presentation by Lamorinda based, Art Moves Project, (AMP)”.
From their website:
JPG @ The Bank will serve to amplify our cultural and artistic voice. It will be a hub where artists, fans, and collectors will come together for culture, community, and commerce.
There will be exhibits, talks, music, and literature events. We are turning this vacant 1970s style bank into a gallery this city has never seen!
Photo by Flickr user thebetterday4u
This week we learned that a new tech repair shop would be opening in downtown Walnut Creek. Considering how expensive Apple devices have become in recent years I’m not surprised. In the not so distant past, phone companies subsidized cell purchases in return for multi year contracts which made it more palatable and consistent to upgrade one’s phone every two years. Now, with phone prices passing $1,000 it’s becoming harder to justify upgrading.
How long do you plan on keeping your cell phone?
