Spotted in Orinda near the community center, this sculpture is titled, “Wheely Whirly Peacock”, by Patricia Vader (no relation to Darth).
Spotted in Orinda near the community center, this sculpture is titled, “Wheely Whirly Peacock”, by Patricia Vader (no relation to Darth).
The Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Walnut Creek BART Transit Village was released a couple of days ago, and several renderings of the proposed development were included as well as detailed information on the proposed project. Part I is available here, and part II is available here. The report notes that, “The proposed Project would be predominantly residential, with some ground floor commercial, retail, flex space, and office space. The Project would also involve circulation improvements, landscaping, and construction of new parking facilities.”
As far as controversy is concerned, traffic/transportaion, air quality, and noise are mentioned, as well as aesthetics. This is what they have to say about aesthetics:
Development of the Project has the potential to adversely affect views along two scenic corridors established in General Plan 2025 in order to protect views of Mount Diablo and surrounding open space. Development of the Project would also substantially alter the visual character of the Project site…
They did note that Mt. Diablo could be framed between buildings as seen in the rendering of the view from the BART platform:
Here is a simulated view from Ygnacio Valley Rd. & Oakland Blvd.
This is a bird’s eye view of the village:
Since it’s Friday, I’ll make this the question of the day, do you like how the proposed Walnut Creek BART Transit Village is being presented? As far as residential living is concerned this location would obviously be convenient for BART commuters. What is your greatest worry? What do you look forward to most of all with the project?
From an email:
Long time Walnut Creek Resident Lisa Carlon was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome. This is the same rare disease that Robin Roberts from ABC Good Morning America has. Lisa is in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant and can’t find a proper donor, which is critical for saving her life.
Every 10 minutes someone dies of a blood cancer disease. Lisa and other minorities are at particular risk of not receiving Bone Marrow Transplants, because most bone marrow transplant agencies have extremely low numbers of minority volunteers. This is where YOU can help.
To find out if you are a match is very simple. With a simple swab of the cheek, a bit of your DNA is collected. Be The Match Registry uses this DNA to figure out your HLA typing; your unique markers that can match you with patients in need of a life-saving marrow transplant.
Learn more on how YOU can save lives by
becoming a bone marrow registry member.
3 ways YOU can help!
Join us at our Life for Lisa Be The Match Drive on
Saturday, July 28th from 4:00 – 7:00 pm
at Heather Farms Tennis Center.
(1751 Heather Drive, Walnut Creek)
Where Be The Match Foundation will be on site, registering new potential donors to help support Life for Lisa.
Or join the Be The Match registry
http://marrow.org/Join/Join_Now/Join_Now.aspx
Be The Match will send you a cheek swab kit
Or to help raise funds to support Life4Lisa, please go to:
http://www.bethematchfoundation.org/goto/life4lisaAny questions please contact Zoe at zacarpe@prodigy.net
Shanghai Gourmet is a Chinese restaurant featuring Shanghai style cuisine but other styles are available as well. Their appetizers and soups menu is here, meats menu is here, seafood here, and claypot/vegetables menu here. Has anyone tried this place? What dishes do you recommend?
In case you were wondering about their Chinese store name, “Jia Jia Le”, apparently it means:
We Hope To Convey Our Best Wishes Towards The Happyness of Every Family Through Our Hospitality & The Authentic Shanghai Style Cuisine Many of Us Had Favored Since Childhood.
Check out the Chinese newspaper selection right outside the restaurant:
Shanghai Gourmet is located at 1291 Parkside Drive in Walnut Creek, near the soon-to-be-opened Kinder’s deli.
Sometimes impromptu performances are the best, as demonstrated by this guitar and cello playing duo in downtown Walnut Creek over the weekend. The man at left joined in as well, using the bicycle seat as an instrument!
The Amethyst Trio will be performing tonight, July 18th from 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm with a free concert at the Orinda Library. The Contra Costa County Library notes, “Enjoy classical music from the popular Bay Area group, the Amethyst Trio. This classical group utilizes their rich repertoire of classics and standards to deliver beautiful music.”
I noted last week that Back to the Table Cooking School in Lafayette was opening on July 12th, and now that they have opened I was able to get a couple of photos of the inside. The photo above shows where the cooking instruction takes place, after which everyone will head to a giant dining table nearby to break bread and discuss the cooking class with the entire class and instructor.
Check out the giant dining table:
This looks like a great setup for cooking classes. Has anyone been yet? I’m definitely interested in signing up for a class.
If you’ve been to the downtown Walnut Creek farmers market you’ve probably seen Shelly’s booth offering face and arm painting to children’s delight. She’s been at it for over 6 years now, way back when the market was at the library (and she was starting college). I used to get harassed by my two year old to get painted years ago when Shelly first started, and even now she loves it. As does her younger brother. Her work is really amazing, and at $2 per painting is reasonably priced as well.
Check out her fun artwork below:
Apparently she’ll be offering a kids drawing workshop at the Lafayette Community Center at the end of July. Stay tuned for details…
The free Moraga Summer Concert series takes place at the Moraga Commons Park on Thursdays, starts at 6:30 pm and ends at 8:30 pm.
From the Lady K and the Kings of Swing website:
Deeply entrenched in jazz and swing, immersed in the history of their craft and with years of experience as veteran jazz musicians, Lady K and the Kings of Swing is a 17-piece Frank Sinatra-style big band recreating the sounds of Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, Count Basie, Gershwin, Kenton, Sinatra and beyond.
The Kings of Swing has become known as a fantastic San Francisco Bay Area big band, performing their brand of music for all manner of occasions, from Weddings and Private Parties to Corporate Events.
Back in May I noted on the progress of the Sprouts Market Shopping Center, and it looks like they’re making some serious progress. New signage has appeared, and according to a comment on the previous post, it’s scheduled to be open on Sept. 5th. With Habit Burger, Freebirds World Burrito and Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf opening as well, this is going to be a cool shopping center to grab a bite to eat!