Art Town: Cost Plus globe!

We have a pretty unique art piece for this week’s Art Town. Normally, we discuss paintings on electrical boxes, or statues that everyone has seen. But this time, we’re making you crane your necks to look up!

You’ve all been to Cost Plus World Market, which shares a block with the movie theater. I’d always noticed the big, metal globe on top of the building, but I had never taken a really close look. It may be a tie to their logo, not unlike the circles at the back of the Target building on the corner of Ygnacio and California. For new business construction, the city requires some sort of art work to accompany our streets and I believe this is exactly that, yet ties nicely with the business. I may be wrong and if anybody has some insights, please share as I did not find any notations about this piece.

When you get up on the parking deck on the roof, you can actually see it up close behind the gate they have there. It’s much more intricate and detailed than you realize from the ground, and it really is a beautiful, random piece of art. Take a look at this up-close picture here to see the detail:

It almost looks like a nest, or a cage, or what the Earth might look like if only rivers and faults were mapped on a globe. It is all wound together so randomly, but there’s an order to it, as well. Truly a fascinating piece of artwork that many people might not even notice when they’re walking around downtown or parking on the top lot!

You’ve Gott’s to try the new burger joint in Walnut Creek

See what I did there? Gott’s Roadside officially opened in the old Fresh Choice space on S. Main St., across the street from The Container Store. I tried dinner there recently, and enjoyed it!

Their picture of Mt. Diablo on the wall kind of looks like my logo!

I went to Gott’s around 4:30 and there was a line out the door – the first sign that a place is new, and/or worth eating at in Walnut Creek! When we left after our meal, around 6:30, the line was just as long. The location is excellent – very easy and convenient, especially if you want a quick bite while you’re out shopping or before you go to a movie.

Some highlights of the Gott’s menu includes their milkshakes, salads and, of course, the burgers. I had a bacon cheeseburger with sweet potato and regular fries. Everything was really delicious, including the Mahi Mahi tacos my friends ordered. I also liked that they have roll-up garage doors for the summer, so you can order a wine or beer with your food and hang out in the warm months, too.

With its proximity to downtown and Broadway Plaza, as well as being walking distance to the movie theater, I think Gott’s will have staying power in Walnut Creek. Not to mention they have good food. I did find it to be a bit pricey for a self-serve restaurant, but they have to pay Walnut Creek rents. All in all, it’s a massive improvement over what used to be there, and should be a go-to spot for hungry locals and visitors alike!

Gott’s Roadside gets 4 out of 5 Mt. Diablo’s from me.

More change coming to downtown WC

The ever-evolving landscape of downtown Walnut Creek is about to change again. Soon enough, there will be another new restaurant and Amazon’s new brick-and-mortar location.

Citra Grill, which has held a corner location by the movie theater for a few years now, is already out. In its place goes KoJa, which is a food truck-turned-restaurant that serves up a Korean-Japanese sandwich fusion with crispy garlic rice buns instead of bread.

Additionally, there is a physical Amazon location coming to Walnut Creek. The new bookstore, which will go in Broadway Plaza, will infuse a little literature into a town that lacks it. I find it ironic that Amazon’s business model literally (pun intended) closed most of the brick and mortar stores because it was much cheaper to order books via Prime. How I have missed browsing a book store before a movie, but isn’t that the problem? We as consumers browsed and then bought online and now with Audibles, I just download a book. I am curious to see how and why this fits their warehouse-style business model that ships to your door.

The last update is one recommended to me by a team member. Apparently, there’s a new sushi joint next to Crepes Ooh La La called Kurumi Sushi that gives gigantic portions for fair prices and which he says is above average in taste! I personally don’t think you can have both (great food and large portions), especially with Walnut Creek real estate rents, so you decide and let us know.

Warning, don’t leave valuables in your car!

Walnut Creek has always been a pleasant, mostly crime-free little town. As the population (and popularity) of it grows though, we’ve seen more and more brazen crimes.

For whatever reason, car burglary seems to be the crime that is really rising fast in Walnut Creek. Unfortunately, I was recently a victim of such an attack. That’s my car in the picture above, shown in the first space next to the elevator on Locust in the garage at the movie theater downtown.

I believe whoever broke the window saw my small purple duffel bag that is a tool kit I received as a Christmas gift this year. Another car three stalls down also had their window broke and a back pack stolen out of the car. My son and I went to dinner and then the 10:15 showing of LaLaLand which got out at 12:30. There were very few cars and people at that time of night and the police department said their are no cameras in the garage. I think we were watched, cars scoped out and they waited for a quite time to break the window and steal a specific item.

Based on this experience and the cost to fix everything as it doesn’t exceed my deductible is to not leave anything that looks like a purse or a bag in the car and maybe leave it unlocked or if it can be mistaken for a purse, make sure it isn’t in site.

Check out Walnut Creek in 1991!

You’ll never believe what we found on Walnut Creek TV’s Facebook! Check out this throwback video of Walnut Creek in 1991 – the year I moved here. I found it interesting that the population back then (according to the freeway sign in the video) was about 59,000, meaning Walnut Creek has only added a few thousand people in 25 years, despite so much commercial growth!

This reminds me of what Walnut Creek looked like when I first moved here – when the old movie theater and Simon’s were still the hot spots downtown. What a trip, check out the dueling eggs in red back then!