Thanks to reader obiwan, who spotted this at the Artform Frame Shop next to the Sunrise Bistro in downtown Walnut Creek. The sign say:
UNATTENDED CHILDREN
will be given candy and a free puppy.
The Management
Thanks to reader obiwan, who spotted this at the Artform Frame Shop next to the Sunrise Bistro in downtown Walnut Creek. The sign say:
UNATTENDED CHILDREN
will be given candy and a free puppy.
The Management
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?
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.
Strolling around downtown Walnut Creek while window shopping, hanging out at a fountain, or getting a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant, you might never realize that hiding within steps of this great shopping district is a koi pond so magnificent, yet so serene, it’s as if you stepped into a different world. These koi are HUGE by the way. You have to see it in person to see what I mean.
To get to the koi pond, go to the corner of N. Main St. and Mt. Diablo Blvd, where Tiffany’s is, and walk over to Va de Vi, the tapas style restaurant, and turn left as if you were going to go to the resturant. You’ll see a giant oak tree. Keep walking past the oak tree, and the koi pond will be a few steps beyond.
I had always wondered what the story was behind the koi pond, and finally found out that it was built by the developer of that block, called “The Corners”, Brian Hirahara, of BH Development (the company that was recently awarded the parking lot across the street), who turns out grew up in Walnut Creek. He emailed me a detailed explanation:
The origin of the koi started with the fact that I grew up
near the creek that runs by Oak Grove & Valley Vista, down the hill from Boundary Oak. My brother and I and our friends used to spend countless hours exploring the creek, and there were even orange carp (less fancy versions of koi, which are fancy carp) that were trapped under the aqua-duct and we would try to catch them. So this fascination with water / creeks / fish evolved into a tropical fish hobby growing up and much later the ponds / water features that have become a signature element of our projects.The pond has been there since we developed the project, which was completed in 2003. My office is right above Va de Vi, so the koi pond is my pet project and I feed them every day. We also have 4 resident turtles in the pond, 3 of which are transplants. Turtles apparently don’t make the best pets for kids at home, so people drop their unwanted turtles in our pond where they are pretty happy. One is quite large in fact, and they are quite tame and will basically eat out of my had as will the koi.
Yes, the pond is absolutely open to the public, although we don’t encourage feeding since we feed them koi food and their digestive system basically shut down during the winter so it can be harmful or fatal for the koi if they are fed the wrong food.
Unfortunately, we’ve had to replace the koi 1.5 x, the first time due to a prank (some kids stole several of the koi and put them into the fountain across the street from the Chevron and killed them) and the 2nd time due to an equipment malfunction. We’ve had to install security cameras to help with the vandalism.
As far as why we built the pond and added the koi, both of which are very expensive, it was to add unexpected life, charm, character, and authenticity to our project. Nothing gives me more pleasure than watching kids run up to the pond to marvel at the huge koi, parents from around the area bring their kids to see the pond. It provide a surprise peaceful break from the bustling downtown, an oasis in the middle of suburbia.
So please do yourself a favor and the next time you find yourself in downtown Walnut Creek, drop by the koi pond behind Va de Vi and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere while gazing at these beautiful creatures. Thanks to Brian for taking the time to explain the origins of this koi pond, as well as for installing and maintaining it for the public to enjoy.
Check out more photos of the koi pond after the jump
*Update* According to a reader, “Supervisor Uilkema has been too ill to attend the hearings.”
Last week there was a Sufism Reoriented sanctuary appeal to try to stop the 66,000 square foot sanctuary from being built in residential Saranap, located between Walnut Creek and Lafayette. According to the Contra Costa Times, the sanctuary has been approved. One point in the article stuck out to me:
Supervisor Gayle Uilkema listened to the meeting by phone Wednesday but did not vote. The sanctuary will be in her district.
Why on earth would the supervisor in whose district this will be built not even be present during this important vote? Is there some kind of conflict of interest? Or is it simply that she wasn’t available at the time? I wonder what this will do to nearby property values, lower, higher or make no difference? Enter your vote in the poll below:
Over the past few months Walnut Creek has experienced a fair amount of alcohol-related incidents late at night and in response, the Walnut Creek city council has taken steps to address the issue like cutting hours that bars can serve alcohol and beefing up weekend patrols. Meanwhile local bar owners say they are committed to safety and and security improvements.
Take a look at this recent notice put up at Redux Lounge in downtown Walnut Creek on Locust St. It says:
Redux Lounge
RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REFUSE SERVICE TO ANYONE
Dress code strictly enforced
No flat brim hats
No bandanas
No oversized clothes
No baggy clothes
No jerseys
No sports gear
Do you feel the bar owners have taken heed and will be stricter in enforcing drinking rule limits? Or is not enough being done about this problem?
Diabo Magazine, host of the Best of the East Bay voting competition, now has the 2012 ballot up and running. There are a ton of choices but you don’t need to fill everything out, just what you can to make it as complete as possible. If you’re so inclined, help this up and coming blog by spreading the word and voting for Beyond the Creek as best “local blog”, thanks!
http://www.diablomag.com/Diablo-Magazine/Best-of-the-East-Bay-2012/
Whether Sufism Reoriented will be able to build a new sanctuary in residential Saranap, an unincorporated part of Contra Costa County located between Walnut Creek and Lafayette, is coming down to the wire. As the Saranap Community Association reports:
The board of supervisors’ hearing on appeals of the county planning commission’s approval of the Sufism Reoriented sanctuary will be held Tuesday, Feb. 21, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lesher Center for the Arts in downtown Walnut Creek.
The county planning commission on Nov. 8 approved Sufism Reoriented’s application to build a sanctuary on Boulevard Way. The 4-2 vote came after three nights of public comments during which more than 200 people spoke. In addition to approving the church’s land use permit, the commission approved the environmental impact report on the project and the merging the seven parcels that make up the site.
Subsequent to the commission’s decision, eleven appeals were filed, including one by Sufism Reoriented.
While Sufism Reoriented wants to build the 66,000 square foot building, many in the Saranap community, like those part of Save Our Saranap, are against the project. The county Environmental Impact Report can be viewed here. Crazy in Suburbia has an informative post as to why it should not be approved.
Although the image of the spaceship-like aerial view of the sanctuary gets a lot of attention, here is a simulated view taken from the county environmental report. Doesn’t seem that out of the ordinary at street level. Other simulated views in the report have the sanctuary completely hidden from view. I had thought it would be more visible at street level. That being said I’m not sure I’d like it next to where I live. If this were built within a few blocks of where you live would you be ok with it or not?
