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The sights, the sounds of the Great East Bay of California: Where to stay, the things to do in Walnut Creek and Concord, CA. Events in Napa and Sonoma Valleys - where to shop and dine in downtown Walnut Creek. The best Walnut Creek Hotel and Contra Costa area deals. Discover the real California.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
East Bay New Year's Eve Guide 2014
Looking Ahead: Your East Bay New Year's Eve Guide
Check out our guide to ringing in 2014, which includes the best East Bay New Year's Eve bashes, festive party wear, and a rundown of local sparkling wines.
BY ANA PREZA
New Year’s Eve planning can involve a lot of questions: What to do? Where to go? What to wear? Don’t get overwhelmed—there’s still time to choose how you’ll ring in 2014. Check out our picks for the best soirees, festive party wear, and local bubbly for celebrating the new year.
PARTIES
First, lets decide what to do and where to go. If you don’t want to stay home and are looking for a party, grab some friends or your special someone and head to one of many New Year’s Eve celebrations throughout the Bay Area. Here are a few to get you started. Keep in mind some of these events sell out quickly, so make sure to get your tickets early.
New Year’s Eve Onboard the USS Hornet
Swing, Rhumba, Cha-Cha, and the Waltz is what you’ll dance to at this party inside the USS Hornet aircraft carrier. With three dance floors, free dance lessons and a silent auction. Proceeds benefit the USS Hornet Museum. Tickets start at $45. 707 W. Hornet Ave., Pier 3, Alameda, event website.
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Walnut Creek/Concord/Pleasant Hill
New Year's Eve – Cypress
This event will have three special seatings. The first two seating’s will have a 4-course menu, while the third seating will have a 5-course menu. There will also be music and a champagne toast. 1388 Locust St., Walnut Creek, event website.
This event will have three special seatings. The first two seating’s will have a 4-course menu, while the third seating will have a 5-course menu. There will also be music and a champagne toast. 1388 Locust St., Walnut Creek, event website.
New Year’s Eve Celebration – Back Forty Texas BBQ Roadhouse and Saloon
Join in the fun with live music by Cover 2 Cover. Tickets include valet parking, party favors, balloon drop, and a complimentary midnight champagne toast. . 100 Coggins Dr., Pleasant Hill, event website.
Join in the fun with live music by Cover 2 Cover. Tickets include valet parking, party favors, balloon drop, and a complimentary midnight champagne toast. . 100 Coggins Dr., Pleasant Hill, event website.
Danville
New Year’s Eve Celebration – Martini Sky
Indulge in a four-course dinner that includes a complimentary glass of sparkling wine before dancing the night away with live entertainment. There will be two seatings, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. 416 Sycamore Valley Rd. W., Danville, (925) 838-7611, event website.
Indulge in a four-course dinner that includes a complimentary glass of sparkling wine before dancing the night away with live entertainment. There will be two seatings, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. 416 Sycamore Valley Rd. W., Danville, (925) 838-7611, event website.
NYE 2013: The Black Label Party – The VINE at Bridges
This fourth annual bash will have DJ Nick Varela spinning the night away. You’ll also get double the champagne toasts, once on arrival and the other at midnight from their massive nine liter bottle of Lanson Black Label. $50, 480 Hartz Ave., Danville, event website.
This fourth annual bash will have DJ Nick Varela spinning the night away. You’ll also get double the champagne toasts, once on arrival and the other at midnight from their massive nine liter bottle of Lanson Black Label. $50, 480 Hartz Ave., Danville, event website.
from embassysuites.com:
Embassy Suites Walnut Creek-
Walnut Creek, Concord, Pleasant Hill Overnight Hotel Packages
All packages include:- Two Room Suite
- Free cooked to order breakfast
- Evening Reception with complimentary drinks and snacks
- Fitness Center and Indoor Pool
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Counter Culture: Day-tripping in Walnut Creek
Published: Friday, Dec. 7, 2012 - 12:00 am | Page 36TICKET
Somebody noticed the advertising insert in The Bee, the one that read, "Enjoy the holidays in Walnut Creek."
Somebody else said, "There's a street near the downtown shopping area there that's lined on both sides with restaurants."
A third somebody suggested we day-trip to the upscale East Bay town of 65,000 and grab some bites.
That's how we found ourselves on Highway 680, driving by a few not-so-grand vistas of oil refineries, their tall stacks gushing steam.
Soon we were parked at a meter at Broadway Plaza, a strikingly well-maintained shopping and strolling mecca with an impossible number of stores and boutiques. It's home to such high-end players as Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Sur la Table, the not-so-high-end As Seen On TV (Slimming Sauna Shorts for $25), and chain restaurants that include California Pizza Kitchen and P.F. Chang's.
The surrounding area – block after block, street after street – is jammed with hundreds of other retail outlets, including Tiffany. On walkabout, sculptures and other artworks unexpectedly delight the eye.
For context, Walnut Creek is a banking, business, medical and dining hub for Contra Costa County, with a $2 billion retail economy, said a spokesman at the Better Business Bureau. Not surprising, then, that the per-capita annual income hovers around $55,000.
Another thing Walnut Creek is known for is its open spaces. Next time we're ready to hike, we'll head to Diablo Foothills Regional Park. Its 1,060 acres are "an imposing gateway to the beautiful parklands of Mount Diablo State Park and Walnut Creek Open Space," says the East Bay Regional Park District website (www.ebparks.org).
We wondered if there is an actual Walnut Creek that flows through or near the town. Yes, there is – sort of.
"Walnut Creek is created by the confluence of two other creeks," explained Andrew Smith, a senior planner for the city. "Where that occurs is now underground (because of past construction), but it's marked by a fountain in Liberty Bell Plaza. Then (the creek) flows through an above-ground stretch of Civic Park, enters a concrete channel that follows the creek's original path and eventually dumps into San Francisco Bay."
Good to know, but we reminded ourselves we were in town to eat. It didn't take long to find the right place: North Main Street.
As we explored the autumn-leaf-strewn byway, a Ferrari Testarossa rumbled past, followed by a couple of whispering Mercedes-Benzes. Bringing up the rear was a pack of Harley-Davidsons. Their roar startled the dog-walkers and the new parents pushing baby strollers along the lovely tree-lined sidewalks.
Restaurant-wise, we found a United Nations of cuisines – Indian, Italian, Thai, Mexican, Greek, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, European, American.
We sat at a tiny sidewalk table in front of Vanessa's Bistro, offering "Vietnamese tapas with a French twist."
We were tempted by the ahi carpaccio, honey-marinated quail and duck confit lettuce wraps, but settled for two other small plates (choose from 12, each $8). Crisp-tender salt 'n' pepper fried prawns found zing with spicy lime dipping sauce. For a change-up, the chicken-vegetable pot stickers were "oven roasted," not deep-fried, and served with ginger and ponzu, the Japanese citrus sauce.
"I was a regular customer before I started working here, so I have to try everything," our server remarked. Lucky her.
Vanessa's Bistro, 1329 N. Main St.; (925) 891-4790, www.vanessasbistro2.com.
After a long walk to burn off the appetizers (as if), we found a table next to an open door inside Prima Ristorante. Its dinner specialties include game hen roasted in a wood-fired oven and braised lamb shank with saffron and tomato.
As we cruised the lunch menu, we asked ourselves, Does rustic bread dipped in buttery olive oil get any better? Answer: No.
A bean-filled minestrone soup arrived, the silken broth made better with freshly ground black pepper and shaves of Parmesan cheese ($7).
It was followed by one of the best pizzettas we've found. The delectable super-thin crust ("I can see my fingers through it when I hold it up to the light," said one lunch pal) was weighty with sweet chiodini mushrooms, perfectly caramelized onion and fresh mozzarella ($13.50).
Next was a platter crowded with slices of salty-sweet prosciutto, salami, speck and pistachio-studded mortadella, complemented by pieces of luscious Parmigiano-Reggiano ("assetati assortiti," $14).
Afterward, we took a casual look at the hundreds of wines in Prima's adjoining wine shop, and left feeling somewhat dizzy.
Prima Ristorante, 1522 N. Main St.; (925) 935-7780, www.primawine.com.
For dessert, we resisted the imported chocolates at Cafe Leonidas in favor of handfuls of sweet fruit jellies (cherry, fig, pear, tangerine, pineapple, peach and apple). They're hand-crafted at Leonidas in Belgium, a company that will turn 100 next year. Cost: $40 a pound, but each piece averages about $2.30.
Cafe Leonidas, 1397 N. Main St.; (925) 932-6666, www.leonidas.com.
Leaving Walnut Creek, our only regret was not having had the time for a beer (14 on tap) at the fish-out-of-water Dan's Irish Sports Bar. It opened in the early 1970s and "hasn't changed in 30 years," said bartender Connie Christiansen on the phone later.
A jukebox plays by day, bands play at night, she said. The scene: pool tables, big-screen TVs, a "social gathering with a lot of regulars."
"It's a fun, funky place, the last of the small, homey bars in Walnut Creek," Christiansen said.
How long has she been on site?
"Twenty years," she said. "I'm part of the furniture, hon."
Our kind of place.
Dan's Irish Sports Bar, 1524 Civic Drive; (925) 932-1331, www.dansbar.com.
Speaking of "fun and Funky" Embassy Suites Walnut Creek offers Special Overnight Packages for all Day or Night "Trippers" to Walnut Creek.
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