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.
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.
Check out the contemporary design of the Walnut Creek Neiman Marcus Cafe opening next Friday. Ever since I noted that the Neiman Marcus Cafe had applied to sell alcoholic beverages a couple of months ago, interest has been growing with people inquiring about reservations and other details. I spoke with the manager of the Walnut Creek Neiman Marcus Cafe and learned that they will not be taking reservations until March 24th. Until then it will be first come, first served. However there will be pagers available so you can walk around the store while waiting for your table. I really want to try one of the famous Neiman Marcus popovers.
Hours of Operation
M-F: 10 – 7
SAT: 10 – 6
SUN: 11 – 5
Phone Number
925-472-6186
So if you’re thinking about checking out the cafe within the next couple of weeks, head straight to the cafe, get signed in, and you’ll get a pager so you can check out the rest of the store while you’re waiting for a table to open up. And let us know how it was if you go!
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
After finding out that the dog wash and grooming sign that was featured on BtCreek a few months ago was stolen recently, I now present to you the store behind the sign, Clean Dog Healthy Dog. Located at 1829 Mt Diablo Blvd in downtown Walnut Creek next to Alborz Persian Cuisine restaurant, they have been in business for about 7 months, and one of the owners is originally from Wales, in the United Kingdom, where his sister owned a dog grooming salon. He met his American wife over there and they decided to settle in Walnut Creek to start their dog wash and grooming business.
Check out the cool portraits below. If I had a dog I would definitely try this place out as the owners are really friendly and knowledgeable and it looks well managed. If anyone has been please let us know how it was.
Finally, if anyone can make it happen, please return the dog head to them; I’m sure they would be thrilled getting it back, as well as the legions of drivers coming to town from Highway 24.
Located at the former Fancy Pants location at 1509 Cypress Street in downtown Walnut Creek (the sign still says “Fancy Pants”), TRB Designer Outlet is a work in progress, but at 70% off, you just may be able to find a great deal on women’s fashion.
From a Walnut Creek police report:
On February 29, 2012 at about 9:30 AM the below suspect entered Bank of the West on California Blvd. and demanded cash from the teller. The suspect was given an undisclosed amount of money from the teller and then fled the bank. He was last seen walking northbound on California Boulevard. No weapons were seen. Officers searched the area, but were unable to locate the subject. Anyone with information is encouraged to call WCPD at 925-943-5844.
Downtown Walnut Creek has quite a few coffee shops to enjoy a cappuchino or iced mocha while catching up with the latest news:
Lafayette offers:
The Wednesday Question of the Day is about coffee shops. I drink tea, not coffee and I’m partial to Pete’s and Caffe La Scala. Note the computer users at Caffe La Scala in the photo at top, has anyone had a hard time getting a seat there when it’s busy?
Of the those listed above, which is your favorite? Is it a chain like Starbucks, Saxbys or Pete’s, or is it something more unique and exclectic like Caffe La Scala, as seen pictured above? If I’ve missed any please comment and I’ll add them in as well.
From the Walnut Creek police:
Due to a recent restructuring of the police department, our participation in the Neighborhood Watch program is going to be suspended until further notice. Our hope is that once the beginning of the fiscal year approaches we’ll have a better idea of staffing levels and can identify programs to be reinstated in the fall. For neighborhood concerns, please contact the on duty watch commander at 943-5844. Once the sector commanders are determined, their information will be listed on the PD’s website;www.walnutcreekpd.com. You will also be able to find police activity via the daily bulletin on our website or through www.spotcrime.com.
Please continue to support each other and the crime prevention efforts of your groups, as well as being the eyes and ears for the police department. Remember to dial 911 for life and death emergencies or in progress crimes, or 935-6400 for all other non-emergency reports to dispatch. Please continue to remove all property from your vehicles and maintain the security features of your homes and businesses.
There is a wealth of information on the internet and at the library in regards to crime prevention programs and Neighborhood Watch. While there may not be a position dedicated to Neighborhood Watch at the Police Department, anybody can answer general questions or give advice. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you just aren’t sure about something.
Thank you for being a part of the program.
Looks like those extra resources going to patrolling downtown have forced cutbacks elsewhere. Does anyone see a connection with this?
In a previous post about the new Neiman Marcus building in downtown Walnut Creek there were some complaints about the (Mt. Diablo view blocking) height of the building, as well as the size of the letters of the sign itself which might encourage over commercialism, so with the help of the Walnut Creek planning department I was able to track down the exact building heights and sign sizes of all three departments stores in downtown Walnut Creek.
It turns out that as far as building heights are concerned, Neiman Marcus comes in at the lowest height of all, at 35 feet, and 47 feet high for the architectural element at the corner of Mt. DIablo Blvd. and N. Main St. Both Nordstrom and the Macy’s building height are 50 feet tall. The old David M. Brian building was 25 feet tall.
As far as sign size goes, the Walnut Creek planning department noted in an email that:
the wall mounted signs for Nordstrom vary in size from 19.5 square feet to 139 square feet. Each of the four wall mounted signs for Macy’s (women’s store) are 130.8 square feet, and the wall mounted signs for Neiman Marcus are 131.81, 172 and 268.9 square feet.
In this case the Neiman Marcus signs indeed are much larger than the other department store signs. Whether Macy’s and Nordstrom will petition to get larger signs installed remains to be seen.
Do these issues concern anyone? Are you happy with how Neiman Marcus turned out? Personally I think it looks cool from a design standpoint and am relieved it’s not a rectangular box like department stores tend to be.
See Nordstrom and Macy’s building photos after the jump
Studio Blue Digital Print and Copy, located at 1323 Locust Street next to LIFT Lounge in downtown Walnut Creek has closed and is available for lease according to a sign recently put up in the window.