Since this blog will eventually cover more of Lafayette, and possibly Orinda since some interesting shops are opening up in theatre square, is there any good term to use that encompasses Walnut Creek, Lafayette and Orinda? Lamorinda is often used for Lafayette/Orinda/Moraga, so on that note how about:
Any suggestions?
Zebra Tattoo & Body Piercing, located at 1419 Broadway in downtown Walnut Creek near the Performance Bicycle store has been open since 2008 although they also have a shop in Berkeley for over 20 years. From their website:
Zebra Tattoo and Body Piercing art attracts interest like magic, lasts a lifetime, and stays young forever. With deep experience, insight and creativity our artists create magic especially for you. Zebra opened twenty years ago in the Bay Area and quickly became known for its high art of tattoo and body piercing backed with strict adherence to sterilization guidelines and its use of non-allergenic dyes. Zebra is committed to give you the safest, most artistic experience anywhere. We invite you to explore your creative vision with us.
How hip does this make downtown Walnut Creek now that it has a tattoo and body piercing parlor? Does anyone recommend this place?
Don’t you just love the window decorations at David M. Brian in downtown Walnut Creek?
The 2012 National Citizen Survey results are out for Walnut Creek which shows how satisfied people are based on various quality indicators like safety, crime, shopping, parks and more. You can check out the complete report here. The report sorted by zipcode is available here, and sorted by demographics is here. The benchmark comparison report is here.
From the Walnut Creek website:
Residents are overwhelmingly satisfied with the quality of life in Walnut Creek and give high marks to nearly all City services, according to the 2012 National Citizen Survey.
The survey was sent to 2,000 households in early January and 717 surveys were returned. That’s a 37 percent participation rate (after making adjustments for those surveys marked undeliverable by the post office).
Some 96 percent rated the quality of life in Walnut Creek as excellent or good, and 97 percent said they would recommend living in Walnut Creek to someone who asked.
Overall, it looks like people are quite happy with how things are going in Walnut Creek. The main negative thing I found was, “Traffic flow on major streets” which was rather low. What do you like most about Walnut Creek? What’s the one thing that could be improved that would make life in Walnut Creek even better?
Tender Greens opened in mid-2011 at the former Forward Motion shoe store at 1352 Locust St in downtown Walnut Creek. They are originally from Southern California and this is their first restaurant in Northern California I believe. You can see their menu here.
When I go I tend to favor the Fritto Misto and when the dressing is done right it’s great. Any other must order items?
Grand Couture, the women’s fashion store located at the back side of Broadway Plaza, has closed judging by the empty storefront. This section of Broadway Plaza is turning into the kiss of death for small retailers as two other retailers right next to this have closed as well, U-Threads, and Super Silver Jewelry. The other side isn’t doing so well either, with Down Family Lane and PureBeauty also closing within the past few months.
A 2br 1.5 ba is available beginning April 1st, with a year’s lease in the Almond-Shuey part of Walnut Creek which is located within walking distance to downtown Walnut Creek for $2375/month.
From the Craiglist ad:
This house is in the well known Shuey Avenue residential neighborhood in downtown Walnut Creek. Walk to BART and all that downtown Walnut Creek offers.
The house is a Hollywood-style bungalow with a Spanish feel, and it has a front porch. Gorgeous oak floors throughout. Dramatic living room has a high ceiling, fireplace with buck stove, and a beautiful round-top window that extends nearly to the ceiling. There is a full size dining room with casement windows. Kitchen has a dishwasher, gas stove, microwave and refrigerator. There is a breakfast room off the kitchen that also makes a perfect home office. Laundry room with washer and dryer. Both bedrooms have wood sliding doors going out to a huge “Trex” deck for great outdoor living and entertaining, with wide steps down into a large garden, fenced and gated. Front lawn gardener provided.
Shuey Avenue is just steps from shopping and restaurants. Enjoy all that pedestrian-friendly Walnut Creek has to offer: Walk to BART, downtown, Regional Center for the Arts, library, Broadway Plaza, movie theaters, library, restaurants, and nightlife. No need for a car, but you can’t beat the easy on, easy off convenience of this neighborhood, just a couple of blocks from Hwy 24 and 680. This is a neighborhood and a house to love.
This is a nice looking house. I was walking around the Almond-Shuey area and it’s really pleasant over there, plus having downtown and Bart so close by is great. I guess one would need to see the inside to determine whether $2375 is a fair price.
Peet’s Coffee recently remodeled their store in downtown Walnut Creek, and moved the bathroom outside. Check out the inside:
The note says:
STOP
Do not turn the handle to lock
Turning the handle indicates that restroom is not in use and available
1. Insert token
2. Enter restroom and let door close
3. After usage, turn handle and exit
If you have to have a note explaining how to use a door lock, you have failed. This is so counter intuitive I don’t know where to begin. Who is more at fault here, the company that makes these locks, or Peet’s for buying and installing them?
Last week I noted that Peet’s Coffee in downtown Walnut Creek was undergoing a remodel. Judging by the photo above, it’s somewhat similar, with more tables and lighting and an updated vibe which I like.
One thing they did do was move the bathroom outside. You now need to exit out the back and insert a token to enter:
More on the bathroom in a future post. Stay tuned…
The Broadway Pointe parking garage, located at N. Main St & Duncan St, right next to Starbucks, and a stone’s throw from Neiman Marcus in downtown walnut creek recently put up signs that are very clear and decisive. One says, “NO NEIMAN MARCUS PARKING”, while the other states, “PARKING FOR BROADWAY POINT SHOPPING ONLY $25.00 CHARGE”.
What I would like to know is, what are the Broadway Pointe stores? I don’t believe I see a list so how would one know? Secondly, how could they possibly enforce this? Could you imagine this scenario?
(Woman walks into garage with Neiman Marcus shopping bag)
Parking Attendant: Exsume me Ma’am, where did you shop today?
Woman: Neiman Marcus.
Parking Attendant: I’m sorry, this garage is for Broadway Pointe shoppers only, see the sign?
Woman: Oh, I didn’t know that.
Parking Attendant: It clearly says, “NO NEIMAN MARCUS PARKING”, so I’m going to have to give you a ticket.(Parking Attendant follows woman back to her car)
Surely this could never happen, right? My guess is that they want Neiman Marcus to pay them a yearly fee to not display the “NO NEIMAN MARCUS” parking sign. Any other thoughts on this?
