C U Sushi in downtown Walnut Creek at the corner of Locust St. and Giamonna Dr. will be closing according to a public notice in the window. The new restaurant will be called Hiro. Stay tuned…
C U Sushi in downtown Walnut Creek at the corner of Locust St. and Giamonna Dr. will be closing according to a public notice in the window. The new restaurant will be called Hiro. Stay tuned…
Check out the mulch which recently replaced sand at the Civic Park playground in downtown Walnut Creek. According to the City of Walnut Creek web page, the sand was replace with mulch to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other Walnut Creek playgrounds will be replaced as well:
To comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), sand is being replaced with mulch at several City park playgrounds. The playgrounds will be closed during the replacement project for about 3 days each. Civic Park playground will be closed beginning May 6, followed by the playgrounds at Tice Valley park on May 10 and Rudgear park beginning May 10 or 13. Signs will be posted several days in advance of the work.
The area where there is a water component still has sand though. My kid loved playing in the sand so this was disappointing to him although I appreciate not getting sand stuck in my shoes. I think it would still be difficult to maneuver in a wheelchair though.
Lesher Center for the Arts
1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek
Friday, May 17th – Saturday, June 22nd, 2013It started with Fellini, was made world famous by Fosse, and now this multi-Tony Award winner bursts onto the Lesher stage with all the singing and dancing you could hope for! Meet Charity Hope Valentine, the girl who wants to be loved so much that she sings, dances, laughs and cries her way through romances with the “animal magnetism” hero, the “ultra-chic continental” hero and the “impossible-to-believe but he’s better-than-nothing” type hero. This delightful musical features fabulous dancing and great tunes such as “Hey Big Spender” and “If My Friends Could See Me Now!”
Back in April I noted that Sherman Clay Pianos would be closing in Walnut Creek and it turns out that Steinway & Sons has purchased Sherman Clay Bay Area locations and will transition the Walnut Creek and San Francisco stores to Steinway & Sons stores according to this press release. According to a Steinway & Sons employee I contacted plans are for the store to reopen under Steinway & Sons in June. Great news for piano lovers!
Back in September I noted that a new cafe would be opening and now Fraedo’s Cafe has finally opened in downtown Walnut Creek at Growers Square, across the street from the Lesher Center.
Walnut Creek City Council
The Contra Costa Times recently reported that five former Walnut Creek mayors criticized, “council members’ handling of an investigation into employee knowledge of alleged child sex abuse at the Lesher Center.”
From the article:
In a letter sent to the City Council, city manager, city attorney and the Contra Costa Times, former mayors Gwen Regalia, Sue Rainey, Kathy Hicks, Charlie Abrams and Gary Skrel say they are “dismayed” that information has leaked to the press from City Hall. They question why the council hasn’t investigated the leaks and say they were “astonished” to read in this newspaper negative comments about the city manager following a closed session council meeting.
The article goes on to mention that the Contra Costa Times obtained a police memo detailing the “alleged failure of employees to report suspicions of child abuse.” and the former mayors are “shocked” that an investigation has not been called to find out who leaked it.
Having followed national news I know there are leaks all the time by Congressional staff, Presidential staff and other governmental entities to national newspapers such as the New York Times and Washington Post. I remember that when leaks affect national security the President and others start taking things more seriously but I didn’t realize people care about leaks at the city level.
While other cities publish police reports publicly for all to see, both Walnut Creek and Lafayette keep reports private while at the same time allowing certain entities such as the Contra Costa Times access to information. Given this insider access and relationships between police staff and reporters, is it any wonder that a police memo would also be be passed to them as well? Not surprising at all.
What do you make of this standoff between former Walnut Creek mayors and the city council? Should Walnut Creek and Lafayette follow the lead of cities like Seattle by making most police reports publicly available?
San Francisco Bay Area
Thursday, May 9th, 2013For 2013’s Bike to Work Day on May 9th, over 200 Energizer Stations will be located along local bike commute routes in all nine Bay Area counties to provide free beverages, snacks, and good cheer to bicyclists. Use the links (below) for maps of Energizer Stations to plan your Bike to Work Day commute.
East Bay Energizer Stations map here.
The bakery The Baker’s Box has recently opened up shop at Liberty Bell Plaza in downtown Walnut Creek. This is a one woman operation who does everything. Originally based out of Richmond owner Sherri Nichelman plans on relocating the kitchen to Back to the Table Cooking School & production kitchen in Lafayette. One thing I immediately noticed was her square cookies. Square cookies! How cool is that?I also learned that she only uses organic flour as well as fruit from her own backyard to use in her baked goods. I tried a backyard meyer lemon macaroon “cocomo” that was excellent. Sherri plans on trying out this Walnut Creek location for the next month and depending how it goes she’d like to stay year-round so check it out ASAP. She’s always looking for new ideas on what to bake so feel free to make suggestions and you may just see your idea baked the following day.
From her Facebook page:
With the idea that there’s nothing better than freshly made baked goods from your home, The Baker’s Box brings you updated versions of traditional recipes that are skillfully made with quality ingredients. While utilizing local sources, the menu items are seasonally driven, made especially for you, one batch at a time.
Check out her website here. You can even order online. The Baker’s Box is located at the Liberty Bell Plaza in downtown Walnut Creek where Il Fornaio and H&M are located.
Back in March of last year I noted the Broadway Plaza demolition possibilities in Walnut Creek to make way for larger stores with possible mixed development i.e. apartments and it looks like plans are moving full steam ahead. Word on the street is that the backside of Broadway Plaza where the smaller shops are located such as See’s Candies and Boudin Bakery will be closing sometime in 2014 so construction can begin.
Apparently no leases are being offered past December and judging by the number of empty storefronts it’s making more sense now. There was already one open spot, and now AZM Jewelers is gone, as is As Seen on TV. Flares Bridal has closed their 2nd addition but still retains another presence a few stores down.
In addition I’m also hearing that Macerich, the owner of Broadway Plaza is actively working with retail stores to place them elsewhere in Broadway Plaza. So you may see a few of these stores moving nearby eventually.
2015 is right around the corner though so new stores will eventually open back up, possibly where the parking lot is currently located. Keep in mind this is only scuttlebutt, nothing has been confirmed yet.
