Spotted at the now closed McCovey’s Restaurant in downtown Walnut Creek, this door handle may be replaced soon to make way for the burger and beer joint Slater’s 50/50 which will be opening in its place.
Spotted at the now closed McCovey’s Restaurant in downtown Walnut Creek, this door handle may be replaced soon to make way for the burger and beer joint Slater’s 50/50 which will be opening in its place.
489 Moraga Road, Moraga
Plenty of residential development going on in Moraga these days. Last year we saw the story poles, and now we see that a new 18 single family home development called Via Moraga is coming to downtown Moraga, directly across from the Rheem Shopping Center. Lot sizes will range from 2,610 – 4,123 square feet with house sizes varying 2,066 to 2,568 square feet. The 2-story houses will reach a bit less than 28 feet high. Check out the developer website here.
Of all the places in Moraga, being located across from a shopping center and next to commercial buildings seems to be an ideal spot for condos. Why are single family houses being built instead?
Via Moraga rendering
Photo from roybookbinder.com
Mighty Fine Guitars
85 Lafayette Cir, Lafayette
Friday, June 12th, 2015
8:00pm | $15 – $20Roy Book Binder. The man’s a legend, and he’s coming to Mighty Fine Guitars this Friday night, June 12.
“Musically, Roy Book Binder is equally difficult to fence in or categorize. His eclectic repertoire includes blues, country tunes, bluegrass, folk, and popular songs that originated on Tin Pan Alley,” says his promo material. “The real deal,” says pal and recent MFG crowd-pleaser Ray Bonneville.
[VIDEO]Show starts at 8:00pm. Doors at 7:15. This will be a pass-the-hat party with a Suggested Donation of $15 – $20 per person.
Last month the Lafayette Juniors held their annual kitchen tour of six incredible Lafayette homes to help out several non-profit organizations, (see the first kitchen of the day from the tour here). Find out more about the beneficiaries here.
This kitchen and home is located in the Happy Valley neighborhood in Lafayette and hosted the luncheon in a magnificent backyard featuring a pool, hot tub with numerous patio and entertaining areas throughout. The highlight for me was the spacious outdoor entertaining areas adjacent to the kitchen through a glass door. At first glance the photo above looks like it could be an indoor dining room, but notice the heat lamps on the ceiling; it’s inside-outside living at its finest! Backyard barbecues taken to a whole new level. Another highlight was seeing beehives in front of the house! Sure, plenty of houses have chicken coops (including this home), but bee hive boxes in the front yard? Amazing.
From the Lafayette Juniors description:
The classic kitchen has a bohemian twist. This newly-built home was constructed with classic, elegant finishes. What makes this kitchen unique is that the homeowner’s personal, bohemian style shines through to create a warm, welcoming family kitchen. Stainless steel countertops surround the room and two expansive calacatta marble islands encourage guests to linger in the kitchen while allowing plenty of prep space. Plus, an adjacent butler’s pantry with a playful tile backsplash makes this kitchen party-ready. The kitchen and great room flow easily into an outdoor living room and kitchen to extend the entertaining outdoors.
More photos including the pool, beehives and more after the jump…
Earlier this month I placed a small order for Beyond the Creek t-shirts and they look great! Although the text looks fuzzy in the picture above it looks fine in-person. For now, whoever sends in the most tips every month (that are used on the site) will get a free t-shirt, starting this month. These are Hanes Beefy-T 100% cotton, tagless, with sizes available in S-M-L-XL.
tips [at] beyondthecreek.com
Broadway Plaza, Walnut Creek
Thanks to a reader for pointing out that according to Macerich’s (the owner of Broadway Plaza) 2015 first quarter earnings report, the clothing store Zara, and Kit and Ace (active wear from the founder of Lululemon) are coming to Broadway Plaza in downtown Walnut Creek.
From the Kit and Ace Facebook page:
Kit and Ace designs contemporary luxury apparel, accessories and lifestyle products for men and women. Founded in Vancouver, BC, we have stores across North America and are opening locations internationally in 2015.
We believe in improving the perfect. Our speciality is luxury fabrics with technical properties that allow for easier care, greater comfort and increased functionality. We began with Technical Cashmere™ – machine washable cashmere designed to move with you throughout your day – and we will continue to innovate in both fabric and fashion design.
Check out the Kit and Ace website here. Check out Zara here.
Free Movie Showing the Karate Kid:
Orinda Theatre
4 Orinda Theatre Square, Orinda
Thursday, June 11th, 2015
7:00pm | FreeThe next free classic movie of the month is “Karate Kid” on Thursday June 11 at 7pm at Orinda Theatre. Come early as we expect this to be very full!
A new cycling gym, Flywheel Sports, is coming to downtown Walnut Creek and will be located in the same building as CoreYoga Power, which opened in February on North Main St.
From their Facebook page:
It began with a simple idea. Make indoor cycling epic. An immersive experience for riders who want something more. Flywheel delivers the best 45 minutes of your day.
Flywheel was founded by a passionate team of fitness experts, dedicated to re-inventing the indoor cycling experience through camaraderie, technology, music and, most importantly, fun.
Led by a NY-based management team with extensive experience in branded sports and fitness ventures, Flywheel was developed by the best in the business, including creative director and legendary indoor cycling instructor Ruth Zukerman.
350 Park St, Moraga
At a packed and occasionally boisterous informational meeting on the impending closure of the Rheem Theatre in Moraga on Saturday, the operator of the theater, Derek Zemrak, provided the lowdown on the lack of support from Moraga throughout the years culminating in the approval of a controversial historic preservation law in February that, “helps enable preservation of buildings or other specific objects “linked” to Moraga’s past that are at least 50 years old, in most cases” and doesn’t require approval from the property owner.
Some examples of the lack of support from the town that the operator mentioned:
You may be wondering, as I did, why the Rheem Theatre operator is opposed to a law that mandates the preservation of Rheem Theatre. Apparently, the owner of the property, Mahesh Puri, who rented the theater at below market rates, in this case, $5,000 per month for several years, is not pleased about the new law which will lower the value of the property and decided to no longer subsidize the rent for the Rheem Theatre. Had the historical preservation ordinance not been passed it would be likely that the $5,000 rent (or a reasonable 10-15% increase) would have been maintained, thus allowing the Rheem Theatre to continue operations.
Imagine that the historical preservation ordinance is revoked at the June 10th town council meeting. In response, the property owner lowers the monthly rent back down to $5,000. What is the likelihood that 5 or 10 years down the road the property gets sold and the theater is demolished to make room for condos or new stores like what happened to the Pleasant Hill Dome theater?
Can Moraga buy the property and run it as a non-profit? What do you think should be done?
Round the Mountain Hike:
Mitchell Canyon Visitor Center
96 Mitchell Canyon Rd, Clayton
Sunday, June 7th, 2015
10:30am – 5:00pm | $6 (parking)This classic loop features views in all directions as the trail circles the park’s namesake peak (elev. 3849’) via Deer Flat, Murchio Gap, Prospector’s Gap and Oak Knoll. Between Prospector’s Gap and Oak Knoll, this eight-mile hike passes through sections that burned in the September 2013 Morgan Fire. Late season wildflowers should be abundant. Steady relaxed pace with lunch break. Wear good hiking shoes; bring liquids and snacks; dress in layers, apply sunscreen and be prepared for poison oak.
Meet: Diablo Valley Overlook at Juniper Campground
Parking: $10 per vehicle
For more information: jvanakkeren@comcast.net