A sweet looking Dodge, spotted in downtown Walnut Creek.
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown:
Town Hall Theatre
3535 School St, Lafayette
Thursday, May 30th – Saturday, June 22nd, 2019A sizzling, exhilarating musical farce! Newly revised for the London West End, the musical whisks us off to sexy 1980s Madrid, and to the unravelling world of Pepa, Pepa’s wandering lover, the lover’s nutty ex-wife, their son and his fiancée, Pepa’s ditzy friend and that friend’s suspicious boyfriend, plus a lawyer, and a talkative taxi driver. All this comedic chaos is served up with a very specially laced gazpacho, and an irresistible Spanish beat.
1552 Locust St, Walnut Creek
The Japanese restaurant Kurumi that opened a few years ago in downtown Walnut Creek and switched ownership late last year was papered over when I walked by a few days ago. Phone is disconnected. Not looking good…
Plaza Escuela, Walnut Creek
Last summer we learned that the fitness studio TruFusion would be coming to Plaza Escuela in downtown Walnut Creek and their Coming Soon signage is now up. According to their Walnut Creek studio page, they offer 65 class styles and 240 unlimited group classes per week and to kick off the opening they have a special, “$30 FOR 30 DAYS” offer with no initiation fees that goes to $119/month thereafter. Check out their “Your First Time” page for further details.
Sustainable Enterprise Conference:
Cal State East Bay Concord Campus
4700 Ygnacio Valley Rd, Concord
Wednesday, May 22nd, 2019
9:00am – 5:30pm | $25 ($35 at door) [includes lunch]Sustainability is no longer simply a topic of conversation or political debate, it’s an imperative … and the path to Sustainability offers tremendous opportunities for creativity and innovation.
The Sustainable Enterprise Conference is Contra Costa’s annual gathering of business owners, entrepreneurs, civic leaders, educators and activists who are dedicated to the principles of Sustainability and One Planet Living.
Speakers and panelists address critical issues, showcase successful business models and present opportunities for creating a vibrant and truly sustainable economy.
The Veranda, Concord
For several years people have been lamenting the closure of the Walnut Creek Barnes & Noble but good things come to those who wait with the long awaited opening tomorrow, May 22nd, of a new Barnes & Noble store at the Veranda shopping center in Concord. Although the 12,000 square foot one story store is smaller than the Walnut Creek location, thanks to a new contemporary design featuring low profile bookcases, tall ceilings and spacious aisles it feels much larger and airy. In addition to a Starbucks cafe to the side there is outdoor seating, a communal table, comfortable chairs and counter top seating by the window which includes both outlets and even USB ports for charging. So as long as you can grab a parking spot this will be a great place to hang out.
The children’s section at the back left includes a large DUPLO LEGO activity table with plenty of reading selections for kids. There are also record, Nook, stationery, gift and other sections as well as a wide selection of non fiction and fiction books including regional recommendations targeted to local interests. Interestingly, in addition to publicly available kiosks where you can search for in stock books employees will also be roaming around with tablets where you can get help and best of all, pay for your books right there with no need to wait in line which is great!
Watch for book signings and community events at this space with Claire Booth, author of The Branson Beauty and other books appearing this Sunday, May 26th. Don’t forget to check plenty of photos of the inside including the children’s area and more after the jump.
More photos of the inside after the jump…
Lafayette Clocktower
Luck, a “high-end clothing and lifestyle” boutique, has relocated from their tucked away Lafayette Forge location to a prime spot at Lafayette Clocktower on Mt. Diablo Blvd. This new spot is a lot more spacious and feels bright and airy with its tall ceilings and light interior. Check out their online selection here.
Orinda Books
276 Village Square, Orinda
Sunday, May 26th, 2019
1:00 – 3:00pm | FreeFeaturing Maw Shein Win and Rebecca Foust
Maw Shein Win‘s poetry chapbook Score and Bone is on Nomadic Press (2016). A full-length collection Invisible Gifts: Poems was published by Manic D Press in 2018. Maw is the first poet laureate of El Cerrito (2016 – 2018), and her forthcoming second full-length collection of poetry will be published by Omnidawn in Fall 2020. She is currently a Visiting Scholar in the English Department at UC Berkeley.
Rebecca Foust’s books include Paradise Drive (Press 53 Award), reviewed in the Times Literary Supplement. Recognitions include the Cavafy Poetry Prize, the James Hearst Poetry Prize, the Lascaux Flash Fiction Prize, the American Literary Review Fiction Prize, and fellowships from Hedgebrook, MacDowell, and Sewanee. Foust is passionate about literature being for everyone, not just the elite, and is happy to be able to promote this goal as Marin County Poet Laureate, an Assistant Editor for Narrative Magazine, and the Poetry Editor for Women’s Voices for Change, https://womensvoicesforchange.org/category/arts-culture/poetry.
Broadway Pointe, Walnut Creek
A couple of years ago the boba cafe iTea opened in downtown Walnut Creek in the Broadway Pointe plaza across from Nordstrom but they have closed/rebranded with another boba cafe opening in its place called Teapot. As you can see from the menu below they also offer snacks and meals in addition to boba drinks.
Willows Shopping Center, Concord
In February we learned that Half Price Books would be closing across from Todos Santos Plaza in Concord and I noted back then that Half Price Books would be a great addition to the Willows shopping center especially in terms of competing with the soon-to-open Barnes & Noble next door at The Veranda. It looks like I’m not the only one who thought that because according to the City of Concord Facebook page they plan on reopening late November or early December at the Willows shopping center where Aaron Brothers used to be.
This seems like a smaller spot than before but I’m glad to see them returning to Concord and to have two bookstores within walking distance is going to be great!