The Art of Walnut Creek Neiman Marcus

March 6, 2012 4:34 pm

I spotted this window display a couple of weeks ago and it turns out this is actually part of the Neiman Marcus Walnut Creek art collection. Titled, “Second Nature”, it was designed by Esther Traugot in 2012 using hand-dyed cotton thread and wood sticks. The Neiman Marcus post notes that it’s located in the Men’s Furnishings section, which, judging from the outside, we know is at the corner of Mt. Diablo Blvd. and N. Main St. Walnut Creek Patch also has a post on the Neiman Marcus art at Walnut Creek.

More information from the Neiman Marcus post:

The Walnut Creek store has 85,000 sq. ft of retail space on two floors plus a third level for administrative offices. There are approximately 160 artworks comprised of paintings, sculpture, works on paper and limited edition prints from 30 Bay Area artists, in addition to the site-specific, kinetic sculpture by Ned Kahn commissioned for the exterior of the building. Half of the interior works are commissions and half were existing pieces. Some artists are represented by more than one work.

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Sign of the Day – Grammar Edition

March 6, 2012 11:30 am

Can you spot the error? When a reader mentioned a sign at a downtown Walnut Creek restaurant last week I thought it was going to be a small hand-written sign, but this sign is HUGE. The apostrophe in “it’s” indicates a contraction of “it is” or “it has”, so in this case it should be, “SOUL FOOD AT ITS BEST”.

I don’t get it because I thought this was a chain restaurant, so maybe there is some history to this usage?

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Judging Stores – Little Tibet Gift Shop

March 6, 2012 8:35 am

The Little Tibet Gift Shop is located in the same passageway that the new drawing studio A Colorful Mind and Norf London is located, at 1341 N. Main St. in downtown Walnut Creek. As you’re walking down N. Main St. towards Neiman Marcus, turn right right before the Rochester Big & Tall clothing store in the covered passageway and it will be on your right, a few stores down.

They have been in this location for over 5 years, and also have a shop in Berkeley, one of the oldest Tibetan stores in the Bay Area. They offer handcrafted Tibetan-Himalayan goods including clothing jewelry, bags scarves, home decor and more. Check out the inside below.

When I was there I picked up a flier that mentioned 15% off everything in the store so keep that in mind if you decide to check it out.

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Sign of the Day – The Original Hot Dog Place

March 5, 2012 4:30 pm

Spotted on the side of The Stadium Pub at 1420 Lincoln Ave in downtown Walnut Creek, the sign says:

THE ORIGINAL HOT DOG PLACE
Est. 1976
Dedicated to Hot Dog
Lovers Everywhere By The
California Hot Dog Historical Society

Does anyone know the story behind this? I understand this used to be a restaurant called “The Original Hot Dog Place”, but surely the California Hot Dog Historical Society is a joke?

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Walnut Creek Library Cafe Opening this Summer

March 5, 2012 11:30 am

The new downtown Walnut Creek library will finally be getting its own cafe serving sandwiches and Peet’s Coffee among other things, to be run by Cafe Pica Deli in Concord. They have operated cafes and restaurants for over 30 years according to a Walnut Creek city agenda report. The agenda goes into quite a bit of detail. For instance, rent will start at $1,250 per month, and the lease will generate $15,000 per year for the city. You can see the entrance to the cafe behind the Walnut Creek Library sign below, located at the corner of N. Broadway and Lincoln Ave. across the street from Maria Maria restaurant.

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Update: Broadway Plaza Lights Going Up to Celebrate Neiman Marcus Opening

March 5, 2012 8:30 am

Update: Earlier I noted that these Christmas lights were coming down, but it turns out they are going up to celebrate the grand opening of Neiman Marcus this week. They will also be displayed on the trees in front of California Pizza Kitchen all year.

~~The Christmas lights at the Broadway Plaza fountain were taken down last Friday.~~ Note the new Neiman Marcus popup in the background.

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New Header Image for BtCreek – Neiman Marcus, Before & After

March 3, 2012 10:26 pm

Since the Neiman Marcus building in downtown Walnut Creek has finally been completed, I decided to update the header of this blog to show off the new building. See the before and after photos below.

I also added a tagline, “Walnut Creek’s Neighborhood Blog” below, although I also plan to focus on downtown Lafayette as well. And if I can figure out how to combine photos together I’d like to switch over to a panoramic view of the Four Corners (Mt. Diablo/N. Main) to include Tiffany’s and Pottery Barn otherwise people may think it’s only about Neiman Marcus.

New BtCreek Header, Neiman Marcus Building, Walnut Creek, [Completed]

Old BtCreek Header, Neiman Marcus Building, Walnut Creek, [Work in Progress]

Feedback on the new header is welcome, is it clear enough? Does the tagline make sense? Thanks!

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The 5:30pm Post: New Exhibit at Bedford Gallery – Outfitters: Contemporary Art of Clothing

March 2, 2012 5:37 pm

The Bedford Gallery in Lesher Center in downtown Walnut Creek is hosting a new exhibit starting this Sunday, March 4 through May 13 titled, Outfitters: The Contemporary Art of Clothing.

This outfit will be on display outside the Lesher Center beginning around 1:30 with the opening reception running from 3pm – 5pm. You can actually walk into the the dress and view a video screen with more information. Yes, a real person will actually be at top.

From the exhibit web page:

Each day, every one of us adorns our bodies in some way. We can all relate to wearing clothing, and we all instinctively know that clothing has meaning and the power to communicate who we are and where we are going. Outfitters features 20 artists who create surreal narratives about clothing, or use clothes or their armature, to explore concepts of memory, identity and human nature. Artists in Outfitters hail from around the world and work on the conceptual edge of craft, creating artworks that address our deep-seated attachment to what we – and others – wear.

“Many of the artworks reference the nature and value of clothing, transforming it into a sculpture with a historic or political reference, or a narrative story,” says Bedford Gallery Curator Carrie Lederer. “Since the Middle Ages, the ways in which people cover or adorn our bodies provide ample clues about their lives – from social status and profession to ethnicity. There is an inherent political statement in our outerwear, and many of the artworks beg the questions: ‘What is beauty?’ ‘How is it defined?’ And, ‘who defines it?'”

I was able to get a sneak peek of this exhibit and it looks amazing. If you have a chance definitely drop by to check it out. I really want to see that dress with a woman at top on Sunday, this is going to be a fun one!

Check out a photo of dresses made out of maps from the exhibit after the jump

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Walnut Creek Downtown Wine Walk – March 21

March 2, 2012 11:30 am

From the Walnut Creek Downtown Association website:

Enjoy a unique wine tasting event while strolling through beautiful Downtown Walnut Creek, featuring boutique wineries.

Date: Wednesday, March 21 – 6pm – 9pm
Location: Starts at Broadway Plaza
Price: $30 in advance, $35 at the door

Has anyone done this before? I know about the street fairs they have downtown, never been to this though. Worth it?

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Statue of the Day

March 2, 2012 8:30 am

Spotted in front of Forever 21, across the street from the Cheesecake Factory, I imagine she’s holding a book as this was the site of Walnut Creek Grammar School from 1871 – 1956.

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Beyond the Creek