Romance Walnut Creek

There's plenty of romance in the air, whether you're in the mood to escape to a romantic restaurant, a gorgeous outdoor oasis, a private rendezvous, or leap from the sky--Walnut Creek has them all !

from diablomag.com

HIKE TO RIP-ROARING WATERFALLS, KAYAK THE RES, GO TANDEM SKYDIVING—OR JUST CHILL AT A GORGEOUS ART DECO THEATER. WITH SO MANY CHOICES, LOVE-SEEKERS IN CONTRA COSTA ARE SURE TO MAKE SWEET MEMORIES.

10:30 a.m.
Kayak Quiet Waters 
❑ Start the day by surprising your love with a rowboat rental at the Lafayette Reservoir or a two-person kayak at San Pablo Reservoir. It’s an easy way to abandon the rat race and drift away on still waters into scenic seclusion.  ebmud.com.
❑ Sip cappuccinos, and stare into each other’s eyes at Cherubini Coffee House, an adorable café and antiques shop tucked against Alamo Creek.  cherubinicoffeehouse.com.
❑ February is the perfect time of year to take one of Mount Diablo’s most scenic hikes: Falls Trail to Back Creek Trail. You’ll see several raging waterfalls and an abundance of wildflowers and wildlife. Mount Diablo Interpretive Association hosts a guided hike on February 12. mdia.org.

1:15 p.m.
Take a Love Leap 
❑ Feel like taking the ultimate romantic leap? Skydiving offers a killer adrenaline rush for lovers. “It’s a great shared experience,” says Bay Area Skydiving instructor Mark Fosbury. “Going up to 13,000 feet and then jumping out of the plane is the kind of thrill you’ll always talk about.” bayareaskydiving.com.
❑ Don’t forget the little things—like chocolate. My wife never tires of the sweet surprise of dark chocolate honeycomb confections from Concord’s Rachel Dunn Chocolates.  racheldunnchocolates.com.
❑ Finish the afternoon with cocktails at Crockett’s Dead Fish restaurant. Ask for a private heated booth on the patio, which faces west over a steep cliff and offers a Bay view that takes your breath away.   thedeadfish.com.

7:30 p.m.
A Blanket of Stars
❑ Join the Mount Diablo Observatory Society, and you’ll be invited to a series of stargazing events around our favorite mountain. mdia.org.
❑ For dinner and a movie, the art deco glamour of the Orinda Theatre puts multiplexes to shame. Nearby restaurants, such as the cozy Table 24 and the classic Casa Orinda (ask for a table by the copper fireplace) pair perfectly for a nice night out. .theorindatheatre.com; table24orinda.com;casaorinda.net.

❑ For serious romantic ambience, head to the second-floor dining room at Élevé in Walnut Creek. The restaurant’s artisan cocktails and Vietnamese cuisine set a sexy mood, and on some nights, live jazz sweetens the view of the lights on Main Street below.eleverestaurant.com.  —Peter Crooks

from embassysuites.com

8- ?

Embassy Suites Walnut Creek

After your day of Romantic Adventure return to your two room suite at the 

Embassy Suites Walnut Creek and let the romance continue with the

Romance Walnut Creek Package:

• Complimentary Evening Reception
• Two Room Suite
•  Full cooked to order breakfast
• Free parking
• Free shuttle to downtown Walnut Creek restaurants and shopping
• $25 Visa Gift Card and discounts to area shopping
• Late checkout
• Free WiFi

Click Here or call 925-934-2500 and let the Romance Walnut Creek begin.

"100 Ways and More" to Celebrate the City of Walnut Creek

from walnutcreek100.com

Walnut Creek incorporated on October 21, 1914.  This year is the city’s 100th birthday. The Centennial Steering Committee has planned a yearlong celebration of all that is Walnut Creek. Partnering with non-profits, city programs and other community members, there will be “100 Ways and More” to commemorate the 100th. Learn more about this community funded, community led celebration at walnutcreek100.com.

WALNUT CREEK’S HISTORY: A LOOK BACK

As Walnut Creek commemorates its 100th birthday, the community has much to celebrate about its past and much to remember as we set a path for the future.

First Inhabitants

Spanish explorers meeting with local Native Americans

People have been living in the Walnut Creek area for thousands of years. When Spanish explorers first sighted Mt. Diablo in 1772, the area was home to the “Volvons,” a tribe of the Bay Miwok. By the early 1800s, most Native Americans had been driven from their lands by the Spanish settlers and were living at either Mission San Francisco de Asis (Mission Dolores) or Mission San Jose.

Read more…

19th Century: Pioneers at the Crossroads

Looking south from The Corners along today’s South Main Street

In 1849, the first American settler, William Slusher, established what would become Walnut Creek when he built a cabin on the west bank of Arroyo de las Nueces (also called Nuts Creek). The cabin stood near the intersection of present-day Main Street and Mt. Diablo Boulevard and near Liberty Bell Plaza.

Read more…

Early 20th century: Path to Cityhood

By the early 1900s, Walnut Creek was well on its way to becoming a city.

San Ramon Valley Bank

Walnut Creek’s first bank — San Ramon Valley Bank — was built in 1908 at the corner of Main Street and Walker Avenue (now Duncan Avenue), the site today of a Starbucks. The idea of building this institution came from local merchant Joseph Silveira, who offered the first banking services at his Valley Mercantile store at Main and Cypress streets.

The 1950s and 1960s: Boom Years

Aerial view of Walnut Creek, 1946

With the opening of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in 1936 and the Caldecott Tunnel in 1937, Walnut Creek residents could travel by car or bus to San Francisco in less than an hour. This and the return of veterans from World War II ushered in the modern era of tremendous growth in Walnut Creek.

From 1950 to 1960, the City’s population quadrupled from 2,240 to 9,903 and then it again quadrupled from 1960 to 1970, reaching 39,844. During these 20 years, Walnut Creek was the fastest-growing community in California.

Eichler home

The first major residential subdivision project got underway in 1955 when the Eichler Company developed a tract of “mid-century modern homes” in an orchard south of Ygnacio Valley Road. The new Eichler development was called Rancho San Miguel, honoring the original Spanish ranchero. The residential neighborhoods of the Ygnacio Valley continued to develop over the next 20 years.

Rossmoor, built on former Stanley Dollar Ranch

In addition, in 1964, Walnut Creek became a haven for active retirees with the opening of Rossmoor, a gated Leisure World community on a 2,200-acre site of the former Stanley Dollar Ranch in the Tice Valley. Today, Rossmoor encompasses about 6,700 residences and has a population of more than 9,200 residents.

John Muir Memorial Hospital – Under construction

To support the rapidly growing population, Kaiser Foundation Hospital opened at the corner of South Main Street and Newell Avenue in the early 1950s. John Muir Memorial Hospital opened in 1965 on land that had previously been a cattle slaughterhouse.

Prior to the mid-1950s, the City was small enough that the members of the City Council managed the administration of the City’s small staff and operations. However, by 1956, the fast-paced growth of the City dictated a change in City operations, and the Council implemented a Council/Manager form of government and hired its first City Manager, Ira Gunn.

The 1960s saw the addition of many of today’s local cultural institutions. In 1961, a new downtown library was built to replace the much-smaller Carnegie Library. In 1963, the City Council formed a Civic Arts Department and, in 1965, opened the Civic Arts Theatre and Gallery in the abandoned Walnut Growers Association warehouse. Today, Walnut Creek’s Civic Arts Education programs are the largest in northern California. The Alexander Lindsay Junior Museum opened in Larkey Park in 1965.

Broadway Plaza around 1951

Retail growth experienced a similar boom in the early 1950s after the Broadway Shopping Center opened in 1951, the first major retail center in Contra Costa County. Between 1950 and 1955, the city’s taxable sales skyrocketed from $9 million to $20 million.

Since the early years, Walnut Creek’s two primary streets — Main Street and Mt. Diablo Boulevard — had doubled both as downtown commercial streets and as major state highways. By the 1950s, the result was daily gridlock on downtown streets as residents from across the region passed through Walnut Creek as part of their daily commute to and from work or shopping.

Construction of the I-680 and Highway 24 interchange, circa 1960

Downtown traffic congestion finally was alleviated in 1960, when the three-year project to construct Interstate 680 and Highway 24 was completed.

Close

The 1970s and 1980s: Parks and Open Space

1960s aerial view of future Heather Farm Park

In addition to cultural needs, city residents clamored for recreational programs and services. In 1970, the City opened Heather Farm Park, which at around 100 acres became the community’s largest park, joining Civic Park, opened in 1949, and Larkey Park, established in 1959. The park included a swim center and ball fields and has subsequently expanded to include an equestrian center, tennis center, dog park, skate park, garden center, community meeting rooms, and two lakes. Today the City has 22 parks and sports field complexes.

Read more…

The 1990s: Enhancing the Quality of Life

Bob Hope, Joel Grey, and Vic Damone

On Oct. 4, 1990, Walnut Creek made the “international map” when renowned entertainers Bob Hope, Joel Grey, Vic Damone, and Diahann Carroll took the stage for the opening of the City’s new Regional Center for the Arts. The Center was subsequently renamed the Lesher Center for the Arts to honor the late Dean S. Lesher, Contra Costa Times publisher and the first major private benefactor of the Center. Today, the Center is a major cultural and economic hub, hosting about 900 events and more than 250,000 patrons each year.

Read more…

The 21st Century: Walnut Creek in a New Era

Shadelands Arts Center, former Contra Costa Assn. of Realtors building

The economic challenges the country experienced beginning in the early 2000s left Walnut Creek faced with diminished budget forecasts. Still, years of prudent planning allowed the completion of important projects in the first decade of the 21st century.

In 2001, the Civic Arts Education programs got a new home — the Shadelands Arts Campus, the former Contra Costa Realtors offices in the Shadelands Business Park.

Veterans Memorial Plaza

On Memorial Day 2004, City leaders dedicated the Veterans Memorial Plaza next to City Hall. The park-like monument to the sacrifices of local veterans includes birch trees, a reflecting pool, and 10-foot tall granite sentinels representing the five branches of the U.S. armed forces.

Also in 2004, the final payment was made on the $6.75 million 30-year bond that financed the majority of Walnut Creek’s open spaces. In 2011, the City was able to add a prime 22-acre hilltop in Acalanes Ridge to the open space lands through a partnership with the City of Lafayette, the East Bay Regional Park District, and the Muir Heritage Land Trust.

Chevron Family Theatre Festival

In 2005 came the debut of the popular seasonal ice rink in Civic Park, Walnut Creek on Ice. The City also opened a skate park in Heather Farm Park, and a dog park in 2007.

In partnership with Chevron, the inaugural Chevron Family Theater Festival was held in July 2007 at the Lesher Center.

Opening of new Walnut Creek Library

And, after almost 50 years, the City opened a new downtown Walnut Creek Library in July 2010. More than 8,500 community members visited the new library on opening day.

Creek Walk in Civic Park

The City opened the new Creek Walk in Civic Park in 2011.

Neiman Marcus at Broadway Plaza

Despite the most recent economic downturn, the City continues to be the economic hub of the region. Following a vote of local residents in 2009, Broadway Plaza added Neiman Marcus to its line up of retail offerings; the new store opened to much fanfare in 2012.

Community Service Day volunteers, Howe Homestead bridge rebuilding

Recognizing the strong role of volunteerism in the community, the City sponsored the first Community Service Day in 2011. The day of service drew more than 1,000 volunteers to help 42 different community projects. The 2012 and 2013 Community Service Days have featured more projects and even more volunteers.

Robert Stanley Dollar House

In 2013, the Robert Stanley Dollar House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

A New Year's Plan from Walnut Creek Patch

The 2-0-1-4 Plan

Posted by Dina Colman , December 30, 2013 at 02:54 PM

Comment  Recommend  

My "1" word for 2014

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The end of year is a great time to reflect on the year behind and look forward to the year ahead. A great way to do this is with The 2-0-1-4 Plan. Last year, I created The 2-0-1-3 Plan and it resonated with so many of you! It was fun to share our plans for the New Year, so it's time to do it again. Be sure to comment below with your plan. For those of you who did it last year, you can see your plans here at the bottom of the blog. 

The 2-0-1-4 Plan is about starting off the New Year with intention, motivation, and accountability for health and happiness. It's okay if some of your items from last year are still on the list this year. I didn't quite master one of my "2" items from last year as you can see in the comments below, so I'm putting it on my Plan again this year.

Forward this on to your friends and family and let's see how many people we can get on board to join in. Here's how it works.

2  Come up with TWO actionable and doable healthy living ideas. Be specific. Make them very customized for you. Think about your weakness areas. How do you do in the areas of stress management, having fun, sleeping well, eating healthy, exercising, having nurturing relationships, and living in a nontoxic environment (this can be related to your emotional or physical environment)? Are you pretty good about working out, but don't take any time for stress management? If so, don't put exercise on your list, but rather, put something that will reduce your stress. Commit to work on the areas that receive less of your focus. You will see in the examples below that the ideas are both manageable and quantifiable. Try to be as specific as you can, and don't over-commit. You can always over-deliver.

Here are a few ideas:

• Meditate for five minutes three days a week first thing in the morning to start the day grounded.
• Spend less time with those people in your life who make you feel worse about yourself (you can be specific with names, if you want).
• Do not drink alcohol during the week, only on Friday and Saturday nights.
• Get 7,500 to 10,000 steps at least four days a week (wear a pedometer to track it).
• Go to bed by 11pm every night so that you get at least 7 hours of sleep.
• Make one fun plan a week that makes you happy.

0  Commit to doing the ZERO "do it now" item. What is the one thing that has been on your list to do for years that you know would benefit you in some way—career, health, relationships, personal—but you just have never done it? Commit to it to do it this year.

This one is really important! So many of you reported in that you did your "0" from last year. Way to go! Mine was to join Toastmasters which I have wanted to do for TWENTY YEARS! I finally did it this past August and it has been one of the best things I've done. Setting the intention of doing it at the beginning of the year and stating it publicly helped to finally make it happen! Trust yourself. You know your "0". Let's make it happen this year.

Here are a few ideas:

• Get out of a toxic relationship that has been bringing you down.
• Make a change in your job if you feel miserable every day. (Sometimes this may not be possible due to financial constraints, but oftentimes even if we believe this to be the case, we do have choices that we have not allowed ourselves to believe in. Now's the time to believe in them and explore them.)
• Go on the trip you've been talking about taking for years. If your spouse doesn't want to join you, go with a friend, by yourself, or an organized group.
• Hire a health coach and lose the weight for good.
• Find a workout regime you like so that you look forward to exercise rather than see it as a chore. For some ideas, readMovement by Gypsy.
• Join a support group (e.g. AA, Al-Anon, loss, cancer). If you need help, there are groups out there for you. Sharing your pain with others does help.
• Write your memoir.
• Volunteer.
• Take classes.

1  Choose ONE word for the year. Come up with one word that you want to represent you in 2014. Give it some thought because you want it to really encompass what you want for the year. When you have decided on your word, write it out in big letters and put it somewhere you will see it everyday. Put it on your bathroom mirror, by your computer, on your vision board, at work, in your wallet. Last year my word was "confidence". I still have my word staring at me on my vision board right next to my computer that I have seen for the past 365 days. (It was also pretty cool that my friend, Tracy, gave me a necklace for my birthday with my word on it, so I had it as an empowering reminder that I wore daily!). Now I've replaced last year's word with this year's word, "Openness".

Here are a few ideas: faith, love, forgiveness, dream, health, peace, strength, hope, play, truth, trust, imagine, and share.

4  Take FOUR minutes every day to ground yourself in the day. This one is a little different from last year. Last year it was to write 3 things you are grateful for every day. This year, I'm changing it because I've heard from so many of my clients about the importance of starting or ending your day with purpose. One of my clients said they feel that every day runs into the next, so we talked about creating a closing day ritual. Another one of my client starts every morning lighting a candle and setting an intention for the day. Whether you want to take the four minutes in the morning, afternoon, or evening, be sure to take them. Ground yourself in the day. You can do this by taking a few deep breaths allowing your mind to free itself from the mental chatter. Set an intention for the day (such as being mindful, grateful, open, strong, playful). Do a ritual if you choose (light a candle, share with your spouse one highlight from the day, write in your journal). I talk more about this in chapter 9, "Losing My Mind(fulness)," of my new book, Four Quadrant Living: Making Healthy Living Your New Way of Life.

2-0-1-4  Take some time this week and think about your 2-0-1-4 plan. Be sure to comment below and let us know. It is helpful to share it with others to make it more real and to help hold you accountable. I've shared my 2-0-1-4 plan in the comments below. If you want to share some of your plan, but not all of it, that's perfectly fine. This year, I chose not to share my "0". Share what you feel comfortable with and keep private what you want.

I look forward to hearing from you. Let's make 2014 a year filled with health, happiness, and ... (insert your word here!).

And, of course, if you need help with making any part of your 2-0-1-4 plan happen, 4QL can help you!

_________

Dina Colman, MA, MBA is an author, healthy living coach, and founder of Four Quadrant Living. Dina has a private practicehelping clients live healthier and happier lives. Her Amazon Top 100 book, Four Quadrant Living: Making Healthy Living Your New Way of Life, guides readers to make healthy living a part of their daily lives, leading to greater health, vitality, and happiness. Contact Dina at dina@fourquadrantliving.com

Walnut Creek Holiday Recipes

"Wait...One of our stops is Embassy Suites Walnut Creek and their California Christmas Martini. Right?"

Embassy Suites Walnut Creek recipe for one of its most requested Holiday Cocktails --the California Christmas Martini

Christmas Martini (on the rocks) the “rocks” are coffee ice cubes!

In a martini shaker combine

2oz of Irish Cream

1oz of Whipped Cream flavored Vodka

1oz of half and half (or milk if preferred)

Shake vigorously over ice in the martini shaker,

strain into a cocktail glass, over the coffee Ice cubes…ENJOY!

Have a favorite Holiday Recipe. CLICK HERE  to share it on our facebook page !

Happy Holidays from all of us at Embassy Suites Walnut Creek 

Holiday Travel Tips from aarp.org

Holiday Travel Tips

5 HOLIDAY TRAVEL TIPS

These simple steps can save you time and headaches with air travel, baggage and crowds
by: Alexis Flippin, Frommer’s Travel, from: AARP.org


'Tis the season to be traveling, whether you're jetting off to far-flung places or taking a road trip to see family. Crowded airports and gridlocked roads — not to mention free-floating anxiety — can make holiday travel a headache. With our holiday travel tips, though, it doesn't have to be.

These holiday travel tips will make your journey a breeze.

1. Avoid Flying at Peak Times
If your travel schedule is flexible, avoid flying on the busiest days of the season: the day before Thanksgiving and the two days immediately preceding and following Christmas and New Year's. Also, book flights at off-peak times, such as early morning. If at all possible, fly on the holiday itself, when airports have an almost empty, tumbleweed-blowing-in-the-desert feel.


2. Hit the Road With Technology by Your Side
Portable GPS navigators are wondrous things, providing the fastest and most direct routes to your destination — and voice auto-commands help keep your eyes on the road. Upgraded models offer real-time traffic information, but unless your car has built-in GPS capability, these can be pricey. A much more economical alternative — as infree — is Google Maps, available on most smartphones. It not only provides driving directions but also has color-coded lines indicating the severity of traffic ahead: green lines indicate good conditions, yellow means fair, and red or red/black signal poor conditions.

3. Travel Light
Don't be weighed down with packages. Order gifts online, and have them sent directly to the recipient, or mail your packages ahead of time. If you're a procrastinator, you can take advantage of the annual Free Shipping Day on December 17, when some 1,500 merchants guarantee free delivery by Christmas Eve. And, if you're flying, don't wrap the gifts you bring — airlines have the right to open any wrapped package.

4. Don't Check Your Bags
The Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are traditionally the busiest times to fly, which means the odds of losing your luggage rise exponentially with the increased air traffic. Not to mention the expense of paying $25 or more per bag. (Consider shipping your luggage ahead of time with these tips from AARP money expert Sid Kirchheimer.) Be on the safe side: carry on your luggage.

5. Take the Back Roads
Driving the interstates can be dull at any time, but holiday travel often adds big-time gridlock to the mix. If you have some time on your hands, why not leave the major highways behind, and hit the back roads for serendipitous pleasures? (These 7 iconic drives are some of the best in the U.S. any time of year.) Of all the holiday travel tips, this one will help you to focus on the joys of the season most of all.

10 Reasons Why Traveling Makes You A Better Person

OCT. 24, 2013 

By SCOTT PERCELAY

If you have the opportunity to pack your bags and go, do it. Go alone if you have to.

Don’t do it for vacation. Don’t do it for luxury. Don’t do it to take pictures for your Instagram account. Do it because it will make you a better person.

And here’s why:

1. Learning to be alone.

Have lunch with yourself. Sit with your thoughts and be okay with them, whatever they are. Love yourself whole-heartedly, especially in times of solitude. And when you think you can’t sit alone any longer, order coffee and a dessert.

Want a new way to browse Thought Catalog? Check out the Thought Reel.

2. Relying on the kindness of strangers.

Foreignness does not prevent random acts of kindness. Accept them. Give them. Appreciate them.

3. Learning to live with less.

This does not mean claiming hardship. Let this manifest in small ways. Recognize your fortunes. Be humbled.

4. Learning that plans change and you will have to adapt.

Itineraries are guidelines, not rigid measurements of experience. The best experiences are often not scheduled or anticipated. Expect the unexpected and learn to love it.

5. Enjoying the moment.

Forget the missed bus and enjoy the culture that can be experienced in one hour waiting at a bus stop. Stay in the present.

6. Forces you out of your comfort zone.

Practice speaking that language you learned. Try the cow tongue. Make new friends.

7. Learning to be patient.

Don’t rush through the museum. Don’t rush through your meal. Don’t bounce your leg up and down or roll your eyes. Don’t yell at anyone for reading the map wrong and getting lost. Don’t worry, you’ll get there.

8. Learning you can’t assume. 

Try looking at things a different way. Ask questions. Let this open up a new realm of thought and possibility.

9. Missing home.

Appreciate family, friends, and loved ones. Appreciate the comfort of mundane routines. Find a new found respect for the life you often wish to escape.

10. Goodbye is not forever, life has endless possibilities. 

Family becomes more than just blood. Never say goodbye to the people you meet and the places you see. Cherish the new families and homes you’ve gained. Keep in touch and look back with fond memories from time to time.

If you don't travel you would never see this 

Tagged Better Person, Exploration, Exploring, Self-Improvement, Traveling