Check out the newish bike lane on Olympic Blvd. in Walnut Creek heading to Highway 680. The bright paint job is definitely an improvement but would you feel concerned riding between two car lanes so close?
Check out the newish bike lane on Olympic Blvd. in Walnut Creek heading to Highway 680. The bright paint job is definitely an improvement but would you feel concerned riding between two car lanes so close?
Container Gardening and Growing in Small Places:
Walnut Creek Library
1644 N. Broadway, Walnut Creek
Saturday, May 7th, 2016
10:30am – 11:30am | FreePresented by UC Master Gardener Terry Lippert.
Please join us as Terry inspires you to grow your own fruits and vegetables even with limited space. Terry’s presentation will cover building and preparing raised beds, conventional to unique containers for container gardening, and espaliered fruit trees. There will be time for questions and answers after the presentation. The talk is free and open to the public. Advance registration is not required, although suggested.
Broadway Plaza, Walnut Creek
Last October we learned that Arhaus Furniture would be opening in Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek, and thanks to a reader for pointing out this Craigslist job post that mentioned, “the store is expected to open on June 22nd of 2016“. The Arhaus Walnut Creek web page indicates a July opening. Since the location will be on the backside of the plaza this means this section will be reopening within the next couple of months after having been closed for over two years.
1385 N. Main St, Walnut Creek
To all sweet tooths: sadly, The Candy Counter, which opened a couple of years ago in downtown Walnut Creek is closing by the end of the month. Unlike other sneaky, lawyer-approved closing sales, the sign outside indicates that everything is 50% off.
Broadway Plaza, Walnut Creek
The coastal lifestyle brand Coast by Coast, in collaboration with Lou & Grey, displayed their swimwear and lifestyle clothing from a 1972 VW bus in Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek over the weekend. Check out their website here. This was a fun and unexpected display to see at a giant shopping plaza such as Broadway Plaza. I hope this happens more often!
Broadway Plaza, Walnut Creek
The backside of Broadway Plaza is getting ready to open soon and we now know that the shopping center has enticed plenty of stores to leave their downtown Walnut Creek locations for the shopping center, also located in downtown:
Is this hurting downtown Walnut Creek (outside Broadway Plaza) or is it helping downtown with all the new stores opening up?
Broadway Plaza, Walnut Creek
A new store called Resveralife will soon be opening in Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek where the Toss Designs popup store and Aveda used to be. Check out their website here.
From the Broadway Plaza directory:
Reservalife sells candles, yoga accessories, aromatherapy oils and creams, tea and other health and lifestyle products.
1348 Broadway Plaza, Walnut Creek
Last October we learned that Los Angeles-based Lemonade would be opening in downtown Walnut Creek where La Boulange Cafe used to be and signage now appears on the windows indicating a summer 2016 opening. According to SFGate they plan on a June 15th opening. The article also notes that the Bay Area menu will include, “tossed leafy greens station to the mix, and given our region’s cooler climate, will also be expanding their selection of hot dishes and rotisserie items.” The design of the Bay Area restaurants will “feature warmer woods and textures to reflect the cool and foggier climate.”
Is this going to be similar to Tender Greens?
1500 Mt. Diablo Blvd, Walnut Creek
One of the most highly anticipated restaurant openings of the year, ROOFTOP, located above Teleferic Barcelona at the corner of Mt. Diablo Blvd. and Main St. in downtown Walnut Creek has finally arrived and will be opening this week. The decor and architecture look amazing, and one of the more intriguing features is the retractable roof. It’s way larger than expected; In the evenings when the roof comes down I can imagine this will be an insanely cool place to hang out at the bar or have a bite to eat while gazing at the stars up above. (Check out photos of the inside including retractable roof, outdoor dining area and more after the jump).
For those not familiar with the chef:
Justine Kelly, former Chef de Cuisine at James Beard award winning restaurant The Slanted Door comes to Rooftop as a Partner/Executive Chef. Her menu is ingredient driven, seasonal new American cuisine that is influenced by foods from around the globe. From brightly flavored raw bar offerings to hearty, soulful entrées. She is bringing with her a little taste of San Francisco through the tunnel.
Chef Kelly, has competed on both the Iron Chef and Williams-Sonoma/Tasting Table’s Sous Chef Series and Cooked for President Clinton and the first lady. She most recently served as Executive Chef at The Battery as well as Consulting Chef at Bull Valley Roadhouse and at the always-packed Chino while running her meal and recipe delivery service, Sun Basket.
Check out the preliminary dinner menu here, and drinks menu here. You can make a reservation on their website here.
More photos of the inside after the jump…
Nick Jaina, Music Performance and Reading:
Walnut Creek Library
1644 N. Broadway, Walnut Creek
Wednesday, April 27th, 2016
6:30pm – 7:30pm | FreeMusician and author Nick Jaina will give a unique performance of storytelling and song at the Walnut Creek Library on Wednesday, April 27, at 6:30 pm. Jaina‘s live performance is an amalgamation of all he has learned from composing for dance and film, all the songs he wrote while touring the country with his band, and all the stories he has compiled in his book, Get It While You Can.
Jaina‘s performance is not like a normal music show or a reading. Jaina loops electric guitar passages, mixing in sounds from distant rocket launches played from his phone into the pickups of his guitar. After creating a bed of sound, he reads short passages from his book, such as unsent love letters, or chronicles of Don Quixote-like figures who tried to sail across oceans. The performance is soulful and engaging. The stories alternate between funny and beautiful. The format is almost like a podcast such as Radiolab or This American Life, reaching the listener on many different emotional and intellectual levels.