Original Mel’s
1394 N Main St, Walnut Creek
Wednesday, November 19th, 2014
6:00pm – 8:00pm | freeCotton Candy Bar – $5 & up
Free Kids Ornament Workshop – make one for home & one for the Nov. 29 Civic Park Tree Lighting – Mel’s Dinner – 1394 N. Main St.
Hot Cocoa/Cider – Mancini’s Sleepworld – 1359 N. Main St.
Live Music – Steinway Piano Gallery – 1605 Bonanza St.
Harpist – Café Leonidas – 1397 N. Main St.
1575 Botelho Dr, Walnut Creek
Last month we learned that the women’s fashion boutique jinny would be opening next to Atlas in downtown Walnut Creek and they are now open. The floor-to-ceiling windows provide abundant natural light and as you can see from the photos below the interior design makes for a great experience. Check out their website here. There will be a grand opening celebration this Saturday; for more details check out their Facebook event here.
From a press release:
Providing a highly edited seasonal collection of emerging and established upper crust designers of apparel, accessories and footwear, as well as one-off limited edition and vintage treasures to satiate the growing appetite of local fashionistas for style-grounded merchandise, jinny caters to fashion curious women aged 25-75,” says Fillinger. “Opening the second chapter of my shop is my dream come true,” she says. “Columbus was a young and growing city and provided me the wings to propel my brand to jinny 2.0 on the active West Coast.”
The vibrant 1,360 sq. ft. shop, located at 1575 Botelho Dr., will house close to 50 lines from such established global designers as Jason Wu, Rick Owens, Givenchy, Proenza Schouler, Alexander Wang, and Acne, to up-and-coming names such as Common Projects, Nili Lotan, 6397 denim, Time’s Arrow, Adam Lippes, Veronica Beard, Avant Toi, Aquazzura, Roseanna, Ancient Greek Sandals, and many more.
More photos of the inside after the jump…
Holiday Marketplace at the Elks Lodge:
Elks Lodge
1475 Creekside Dr, Walnut Creek
Saturday, November 15th, 2014
9:00am – 5:00pm | FreePlease join us for The Holiday Marketplace Show. We are a group of crafters who create handmade, unique items. The show is a great place to come and shop for holidays or teacher gifts. We have a garden section with toparies and succulents, a kitchen with jams and jellies, breads and nuts. Our crafters created fuzed class, hand painted cards, wooden treasures and a lot more!
It is Friday, Nov. 14 & Saturday, Nov. 15th. Show time are Fri., from 11-7pm & Sat. from 9-5pm.
We invite you to sop by, say hello and shop!
Boradway Plaza, Walnut Creek
Diablo Dish reports that True Food Kitchen is opening a giant 6,000 square foot restaurant next to Macy’s in May, 2016 in Broadway Plaza in downtown Walnut Creek. The True Food Kitchen concept is based on Dr. Andrew Weil’s anti-inflammatory diet (see the food pyramid). I’ve followed Dr. Weil’s advice many times so this looks very promising! Check out their San Diego lunch menu here and dinner menu here.
From their website:
You don’t have to be a die-hard Yogi to dine at True Food Kitchen. You need only a desire to give your body nutrients, and your palate something memorable. The basis for the anti-inflammatory diet isn’t meant to deprive a healthy body of great flavors, it’s meant to take popular trends in cuisine and pair them with healthy living.
With a wide, healthy selection of vegan, vegetarian, or gluten free options we offer something for everyone. Try the kale and quinoa, you’ll live longer. Drink the seabuckthorn and acai, you’ll feel better. At True Food Kitchen, we want you to feel better, live longer, and make your mouth happy in the process. It’s honest food that tastes really good.
Yesterday I posted about the amazing new all abilities playground at Heather Farm Park in Walnut Creek which is one of the most versatile playgrounds I’ve seen. I’ve been to plenty of playgrounds around the world and have cringed at some elements, but they pale in comparison to one particular element of this new playground. Specifically the “climbing” hills.
From the Walnut Creek Civic Pride Foundation website:
Free-Play Climbing Hill: Also centrally located, this area has concrete ball elements, facilitating free, unstructured play for all ages.
As you can see in these photos the giant concrete spheres are placed right at the bottom of the hills, and since the hills are used less for climbing and more for sliding down using cardboard sheets there is a huge potential for someone to crash hard into these spheres. I witnessed numerous near-misses in the few minutes I spent watching my kid sliding down.
For those that have been to this playground, am I making a mountain out of a molehill?
Heather Farm Park, Walnut Creek
Last month the all abilities playground opened in Heather Farm Park in Walnut Creek and it is HUGE! There are so many interesting things to do here that it’s rather overwhelming when first visiting. Make sure you have a meetup spot with your kids because it is very easy to lose sight of them. There is plenty of seating on the side as well as some shaded seated areas. Check out details and features of the playground here. My favorite parts are the shakable ship that can be shaken on the outside, the climbing wall, the long slides and the periscope. Other play structures are also cool so check out the photos below to see what I mean.
One thing to beware of however, which I’ll make another post about, are the popular “climbing” hills. They should be called “sliding” hills because kids use torn-up cardboard boxes to slide down the hills. Beware of the giant concrete spheres located at the bottom of the hill. This is a potential disaster waiting to happen.
Plenty more photos after the jump…
Downtown Walnut Creek
Wednesday, November 12th, 2014
6:00pm – 8:00pm | FreeHot Cocoa/Cider – Mancini’s Sleepworld – 1359 N. Main St.
LIVE MUSIC
The Revivals – WC Florist – 1668 Locust St.
Silverwood Jazz – Peets Coffee – 1343 Locust St.
Harpist at Rivendale Book & Hatchet – 1601 N. Main St.
Jared & Matt – Tillys – 1179 Locust St.
VISITS WITH FROSTY FROM WALNUT CREEK ON ICE
6-7pm – Orange Theory Fitness – 1531 Locust St.
7-8pm – Mel’s Diner – 1394 n. Main St.
Photo by Aris Bernales
Diablo Ballet’s A Swingin’ Holiday and More:
Del Valle Theatre
1963 Tice Valley Boulevard, Walnut Creek
Friday, November 14th & Saturday, November 15th, 2014
2:00 & 8:00pmDiablo Ballet’s 21st Season begins November 14th at the newly renovated Del Valle Theatre in Walnut Creek with the Diablo Ballet premiere of Tolstoy’s Waltz by former principal dancer of San Francisco Ballet and Artistic Director of Oregon Ballet Theatre, Christopher Stowell. This romantic work premiered at OregonBallet Theatre on June 6, 2008 at Portland’s Keller Auditorium and is set to the music of such composers as author Leo Tolstoy, and choreographer George Balanchine and Julian Scriabin. Oregon press noted, “It stands out as an instant hit.” Diablo Ballet’s performances will feature beloved Bay Area concert pianist, Roy Bogas. Also on the program is the 2014 Edition of A Swingin’ Holiday, created in 2012 by Sean Kelly, former resident choreographer for the national tour of the musical Billy Elliot and former principal of HoustonBallet. In 2012, the SF Chronicle raved, “The Company has a hit on its hands!” Diablo Ballet’s 2014 Edition features favorite holiday tunes and songs from the 30’s and 40’s by such legends as Duke Ellington, Nat “King” Cole, Wynton Marsalis, and Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Suite performed live by the Diablo BalletSwing Orchestra, under the direction of Greg Sudmeier.
Walnut Creek farmers market
The drinking chocolate company from Grass Valley (near Lake Tahoe) CaCoCo is now available at the Walnut Creek farmers market in downtown Walnut Creek on Sundays. Check them out on Facebook here.
From their website:
CaCoCo is an all organic, superfood drinking chocolate, as good nutritionally for the body as it is good tasting. We use whole, raw cacao beans, low-glycemic, mineral-rich sweeteners like coconut nectar crystals and carob, and fresh warming spices like true cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground vanilla bean.
CaCoCo is dairy-free, gluten free, and contains no major allergens like soy, corn, and cane sugar.
Civic Park, Walnut Creek
The temporary ice skating rink Walnut Creek on Ice has opened for their tenth season in downtown Walnut Creek in Civic Park this past weekend. Check out the schedule and pricing here. The class schedule is here. Inside, Snowflake Cafe offers your typical food and drink menu such as pizza, hot dogs, coffee, and hot chocolate. Gliders made from PVC pipe are available for $5 for 30 minutes or $10 for an hour. 🙂 Lockers are available for $2 ($5 deposit is returned when key is returned.) Since there is no longer free street parking on Sundays finding a free spot is a harder than previous years.
Check out photos of the “cafe”, gliders, lockers and zamboni after the jump…