From the Walnut Creek Library:
Local author Steve Burton will share his recently published book Staying Afloat – Three Years in Abu Dhabi.
Steve will answer questions and discuss his book with the audience.
From the Walnut Creek Library:
Local author Steve Burton will share his recently published book Staying Afloat – Three Years in Abu Dhabi.
Steve will answer questions and discuss his book with the audience.
Back last September I noted that Davidson & Licht’s The Watch Shoppe was closing on N. Main St. in downtown Walnut Creek while keeping opening their Broadway Plaza store. Well, it turns out that according to preliminary plans Davidson & Licht will be jumping ship from Broadway Plaza once their new store is built at the N. Main downtown Walnut Creek location. This is made easier since they own the building where The Watch Shoppe (now a gift store) and the Vietnamese tapas-style restaurant Vanessa’s Bistro are located. Take a look at the renderings below to get a an idea of how it might turn out but keep in mind that these are only preliminary and have not yet been approved by the city.
One thing you may notice is that Vanessa’s is gone. They will have to move elsewhere although I hope they can stick around somewhere downtown. The new building will contain two floors plus a roof area for a total of over 8,000 square feet. There will be a watch section, jewelry sections, a bridal section, goldsmith and watch repair area so this is going to be huge.
Check out the proposed front design:
Check out renderings of the roof and back side after the jump…
The opening of ice cream parlor Lottie’s Creamery in downtown Walnut Creek has been long anticipated and the moment has finally arrived. Lottie’s Creamery is having a soft opening (with limited hours) this Thursday, February 21st. According to their website the following flavors will be available during the opening:
I’m going to try my usual chocolate followed by Peanut Butter Chocolate-Peanut when I go. What flavor do you want to try?
According to the owner most if not all of the above flavors should be available on Thursday, with the complete list available shortly. The dairy is organic and eggs are cage free. However, what really sets Lottie’s apart from other ice cream shops is the in-house pasteurizer that will be used to make the ice cream. I was able to get some preview photos of the inside so take a look:
Check out more photos of the inside including the pasteurizer after the jump…
Photo courtesy of Lindsay Wildlife Museum
Lindsay Wildlife Museum
1931 First Avenue, Walnut Creek
Sunday, February 17th, 2013
3:30 – 5:30pm | FREE with $7 admission
Discover Kenya’s Maasai culture and wildlife with Salaton Ole Ntutu, a Maasai community chief, shaman, warrior and eco-tourism leader, on Sunday, February 17 at Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek. From 3:30-5:30 PM, all ages will enjoy Salaton’s stories of growing up from young cow herder to brave warrior, healer and community leader.
Last month I noted that the sushi restaurant opening up on N. Main St. in downtown Walnut Creek where The Pizza Place used to be would be Chinese owned with locations in the South Bay or Peninsula. Well it turns out that the sushi restaurant will be Lafayette’s very own Oyama Sushi located next to Trader Joe’s. They will be opening a second location taking over The Pizza Place as well as next door which used to be a furniture showroom. Word on the street is that there will be a significant upgrade to the entire building facade so I look forward to seeing how this will come out.
UPDATE: According to the developer’s comments below there will be a Mt. Diablo view from the rooftop dining area!
Last February I posted a preview of the N. Main / Mt. Diablo corner lot project diagonally across from Neiman Marcus and now there are new renderings of what the proposed project will look like. According to Brian Hirahara from B.H. Development who is developing the property, the plan is for one retail tenant in the corner taking up two stories and a restaurant on the Mt. Diablo side taking up two stories plus a roof deck.
I look forward to finding out which retailer and restaurant open up here. The developer was also responsible for the project across the street anchored by Tiffany and brought the upscale restaurants Sasa and Va de Vi to Walnut Creek so I imagine similarly upscale tenants will open up here as well. What kind of restaurant would you most like to see here? What retailer would work well?
Check out the retractable windows on the 2nd floor:
The current location has an older rendering displayed:
Last November I pointed out that the baby store The Right Start was closing in Walnut Creek and now the colorful baby store Giggle, located in the heart of downtown Walnut Creek, will be closing by the end the month. In addition to the Walnut Creek closure, the Corte Madera store will also close. Apparently the opening of the baby store Buy Buy Baby, owned by Bed Bath & Beyond in Pleasant Hill a couple of years ago siphoned a lot of business from baby stores.
There’s not much stock remaining but strollers and car seats are 30% off and everything else is 50% off so check out Giggle while you can. Thanks to a reader for the tip!
Giggle’s colorful awning and window displays made downtown Walnut Creek a brighter place so this is disappointing news that they will shut their doors.
Photo by Ashraf
The Web Ballet
Twitter hashtag #DiabloWebBallet
Deadline: February 14th, 2013
From a press release:
Diablo Ballet of California will become the first professional dance company to create an entirely new dance work from ideas suggested by internet users.
The Web Ballet will be based on choreography suggestions submitted by individuals all around the world to Diablo Ballet’s Twitter page @DiabloBallet and performed March 1st & 2nd in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Now through Thursday February 14th, people may use the Twitter hash tag #DiabloWebBallet to suggest:
– Emotion of the dancers (happy, sad, etc)
– The mood of the entire work (intense, lighthearted)
– Specific dance moves ( turning, jumping, specific steps)
These two red Ferraris were spotted, as usual, in front of Nordstrom in Broadway Plaza, Walnut Creek.
Photo courtesy Lindsay Wildlife Museum
From the Lindsay Wildlife Museum:
Wild Valentines
Lindsay Wildlife Museum
Thursday, February 14th – Monday, February 18th, 2013
12-5 PM (Feb. 14 -15, 10am – 5pm Feb. 16 – 18 | $7 adults, $5 childrenCreek—Which wildlife mom knows her young by their scent? Which shares her
nest with other moms, while the “teenagers” help raise the babies? Find out how our
wild neighbors raise families and find mates during Lindsay Wildlife Museum’s WILD
VALENTINES, Thursday, February 14 to Monday, February 18.From 12-5 PM on February 14 and 15, and 10 AM-5 PM on February 16, 17 and 18:
• meet and learn about wildlife family members
• make a valentine craft, and/or purchase a valentine to hang in our exhibit hall
• watch a bald or golden eagle presentation
• pet a live rat, hamster, guinea pig or rabbit
• see an animal ambassador being fed
• greet an owl up close and personal.Throughout the day, visit our exhibits to get closer than you’ve ever been to a real,
working beehive and its queen bee at Hive Alive! Glimpse how 5,000 wild animals a
year are cared for at Wildlife Hospital Behind the Scenes. Spread your wings and soar—
virtually—like a hawk over Mount Diablo at Raptors, Hunters in the Sky.