Doing Locust Street in Walnut Creek

Doing Locust Street in Walnut Creek

PHOTO BY LORI EANES

Sun hats at Diane’s Beachwear
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Broadway Plaza may be posh, but it’s not the only place for shopping, playing, and eating in Walnut Creek.

Walnut Creek is certainly posh, with the new and improved Broadway Plaza, starring tony tenants like Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Macy’s. But there’s more to Walnut Creek than the plaza. Hop on BART and then take The Free Ride to Locust Street, a more off-the-beaten path avenue. It’s full of shops, things to do, restaurants and watering holes to keep visitors entertained on their next trip into Diablo Country. Put Wine Walk 2016, Off the Grid, and First Wednesdays on your calendar for an extra reason to revisit Walnut Creek.

 

Shop

One of the best parts of wine tasting is picking up new favs to take home to enjoy later, but what’s a wine lover to do when that just-purchased collection of Cabs, Zins, Pinots, Chardonnays, and Sauvignon Blancs crowds out the current kitchen wine rack and under-counter wine fridge? Wine Hardware of Walnut Creek can solve any wine storage issue with rack kits, refrigerators, built-in coolers, furniture-grade cabinetry, and more. Eye-popping accessories, from wine decanters, corkscrews, and bottle coolers to glasses, traveling cases, and books give this wine cellar retailer a boutique edge. 1617 Locust St., 925-944-1084, www.WineHardware.com.

Need the latest in stylish swimsuits, thirsty towels, sun hats, sandals, and beach bags big enough for the whole family’s essentials? Diane’s Beachwear carries all that and then some: accessories, casual shorts, flowing dresses, sunscreen, designer water bottles, cute trucker hats, even an inflatable pink flamingo. They’re all perfect additions for poolside leisure. 1347 Locust St., 925-933-670, www.DianesBeachwear.com.

For anyone who likes muted, natural fibers or pops of bright color in their summer togs, Anthropologie is worth exploring. Frilly skirts, gauzy shirts, chic pantsuits, pretty garden party dresses, and comfy capris can turn anyone into a fashion plate. The store also offers delightful housewares, gifts, baubles, and bangles you may not want to live without. 1556 Mount Diablo Road (at the corner of Locust Street), 925-934-1170, www.Anthropologie.com.

And for bargain hunters, the American Cancer Society Discovery Shop is a nice but jumbled find, with racks of new and secondhand clothes organized by color or size amid displays of framed artwork, furniture, and trinkets for home. For a thrift shop, the prices are great, and the proceeds go for a good cause. 1538 Locust St., 925-944-1991.

 

Play

Pop into the Bedford Gallery at the Lesher Center for the Arts for visual art stimulation. Gallery-goers can see Safe at Home: A Short Survey of Baseball Art, an exhibition celebrating America’s national pastime, through June 12. The gallery is free on first Tuesdays. 1601 Civic Drive (at Locust Street), 925-295-1417, www.Bedfordgallery.org.

If looking at art inspires you to want to do art, sign up for a sip-and-paint event at Canvas and Cabernet. Yep, you imbibe while a friendly art instructor offers encouraging words and tips in a group setting as the painting of the masterpieces occurs. 1421 Locust St., 925-287-1614, www.CanvasCabernet.com.

For guys and gals who want to get gussied up at the same time, Marsha Tobias Salon for Men and Women can handle you both, from manis and pedis to facial scrubs and waxes. Customers will feel much improved after a pampering session here. 1605 Locust St., 925-939-6633, www.MarshaTobiasSalon.com.

Get centered with a yoga session at The Yoga Movement Center, which presents a roster of classes covering beginner to advance levels with gentle, restorative, and slow-flow classes among the options. A new student special offers three classes for $30. 1379 Locust St., 925-938-9642, www.Yoga-Movement.com.

 

Eat

Start your morning off right, or get a bold afternoon pick-me-up, at the Coffee Shop, a hip, exposed-duct space boasting global roasts from Four Barrel and Sight Glass to Stumptown and Bard Coffee. Relax with your device in one of the wingback chairs as the steamy cup of pour-over cools or your icy brew sweats. 1321 Locust St., 925-938-3855, www.CoffeeShop411.com.

Small plates represent some of the best eating around, so drop into Izakaya Jun, a Japanese tapas pub, for a memorable experience. It’s little but with a broad menu spanning sushi, hand rolls, and sashimi as well as rice balls, tempura udon, and other interesting dishes for sharing. Handy alcohol pairings, too. 1552 Locust St., 925-942-0100, www.IzakayaJun.com.

For a pleasant wind down, relax at Residual Sugar Wine Bar, where oenophiles can order European and California wines by the glass, bottle, or the tap and sip and swirl in a stylish space with subdued pendent lighting. Snack on charcuterie, cheese flights, conservas, octopus, mussels, or mackerel, and you’ll swear you’re in a Spanish bodega, not the wilds of Walnut Creek. 1684 Locust St., www.ResidualSugarWine.com.

2016-06-17 11:00 AM

Faces of the East Bay