Thanks to a reader for sending word that construction on the long delayed Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in the Sprouts Shopping Center in Walnut Creek has finally begun. I can’t wait to try this out!
Thanks to a reader for sending word that construction on the long delayed Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in the Sprouts Shopping Center in Walnut Creek has finally begun. I can’t wait to try this out!
A large protest by the anti-circumcision group Bay Area Intactivists turned heads last Saturday as all four corners at Mt. Diablo Blvd. and N. Main St. in downtown Walnut Creek were manned by both male and female protesters with colorful signs and outfits protesting circumcision.
From their website:
Founded in 2001, Bay Area Intactivists is a human rights organization with members working to eradicate all forms of genital mutilation including routine infant circumcision. Members participate in various community events to educate and raise awareness of the right of all individuals—male, female, and intersex—to genital autonomy.
As I was snapping photos a woman from one car driving by yelled, “Yes to circumcision!” to which one of the protesters replied to me that they get that kind of response all too often. I couldn’t help but smile as I never realized women had such strong opinions about this.
The French clothing store Lacoste is closing their Broadway Plaza location this Friday and in its place Tesla will be opening a temporary showroom. I’ve been noticing more and more Teslas on the road lately so it makes sense they would open a location in Walnut Creek. According to the Walnut Creek Tesla web page a new service center is on the way as well:
Our Walnut Creek service center will open soon. In the meantime, Tesla Rangers are available to visit you at your home or office.
Lesher Center for the Arts
1601 Civic Dr, Walnut Creek
Friday, January 24th – Sunday, January 26th, 2014Johann Strauss’s bubbly tale of temptation and revenge. Spend a riotous evening in the company of Gabriel von Eisenstein, his beautiful wife Rosalinde, her besotted lover Alfred, the pert and saucy parlor-maid Adele, and the wily Doctor Falke, as they confuse and amuse themselves and us in a sophisticated hide-and-seek game of mistaken identity that will spin you from the fabulously licentious ball of the eccentric Russian Prince Orlofsky to a night in jail on charges of disorderly conduct. A night of Viennese love, laughter and levity, where Champagne is King!
Way back in October I noted that Burberry was closing in Broadway Plaza in downtown Walnut Creek and they are now gone as you can see. I wonder if the more accessible Burberry Brit will take its place when the Broadway Plaza redevelopment is completed…
Last month I noted that Banana Republic was moving across the street to where Victoria’s Secret used to be in Broadway Plaza, and the remodel has now begun. Check out the rendering below to get an idea of how the outside will look. More information about the project plan is here.
1633 Bonanza St, Walnut Creek
Back in October I noted that a new cafe focusing on South American cuisine called Cafecitos Cafe opened in downtown Walnut Creek, but that didn’t last long as their doors were locked shortly after. However a public notice to sell alcoholic beverages indicates that it will reopen with the same name. I wonder what else will change.
Last month I noted that the women’s boutique White House | Black Market was moving from their old location in Broadway Plaza and they are now open in a new Broadway Plaza spot next to Juicy Couture, right across from the fountain.
The Broadway Plaza website has a coupon:
To celebrate White House Black Market’s relocation, enjoy $20 off your full-priced purchase of $80 or more, now through Sunday, February 2, 2014.
Offer Code: 12043
See the BP page for the conditions.
All Aboard the Diablo Valley Lines:
Celebrating its 65th anniversary, The Walnut Creek Model Railroad Society started in 1948 with a group of men with an interest in the hobby, meeting at each other’s homes. They also displayed a 4×8 foot portable model railroad layout at special events such as the annual Walnut Festival held each Fall in a city park. The first permanent railroad came alive in an old Southern Pacific Railroad freight shed moved onto a leased site near the Walnut Creek Southern Pacific Depot in 1950. This location served to house an impressive model railroad layout of 20×40 feet until 1970 when city construction forced the Society to relocate twice in as many years. The Society solved the clubhouse problem by reaching an agreement with the City of Walnut Creek for the present site in Larkey Park. This structure became the first in California (and one of a very few in the world!) to be designed and built specifically to house a model railroad. The actual construction work was finished in two years by members of the Society at no cost to the City. Upon completion in 1974 the building was donated to the City and the building of the railroad commenced.
Commemorate: Families can ‘ride’ the Diablo Valley Lines during their whistle stop show, featuring hundreds of model trains representing the mid-20th century through today, traveling over 4,300 feet of track on one of the world’s most mountainous model railroad layouts. Dispatched by two Walnut Creek Model Railroad Society members, the show includes a dramatic sunset and night scenes with a rainy thunderstorm, a street railway with trolley cars, big freight yards and a large passenger terminal. The elaborate 34×56 foot layout includes a composite of the mountainous area of the Western United States, bridges, tunnels, terrain from desert to snow covered mountains, towns, train yards, electric street cars, wind turbine, ski lift gondola and more. More than 200 train cars and 50 steam and diesel engines are in operation during the show.
Lesher Center for the Arts
1601 Civic Dr, Walnut Creek
January 31st – March 1st, 2014Winner: 2012 Tony Award for Best Play. Winner: 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Home is where the heart – and history – is. Jokes fly and hidden agendas unfold as two vastly different generations of characters tip-toe the delicate dance of social politics. Two seminal events – 50 years apart – are at the crux of the conflict in the same North Chicago house. This rich and and lightning-quick comedy is every bit as provocative as it is entertaining – as it cleverly spins the events of A Raisin in the Sun into an unforgettable new story about race and real estate in America.