Walnut Creek: The Best-Kept Secret of the Bay

In this blog, I'll write about the places I've been && the cities I've seen. I'll give you the inside scoop of the best places to go in each city & leave a few tips of what to wear there, of course ;)

I figured I should start with the city I know best, my hometown of Walnut Creek, CA.

For those of you non-Bay Area-ins, Walnut Creek is located about 40 min east of San Francisco.

Yes, it is a typical suburb, but a suburb with a booming shopping/restaurant industry, with an expanding nightlife as well.

In fact, my city friends often come to Walnut Creek to shop, get lunch and just to "escape the city noise" for a while.

With stores like Juicy Couture, Betsy Johnson, BCBG, Coach and, of course, Tiffany's, the Walnut Creek shopping scene is getting noticed. And the best part about it- its not a mall, but rather a cute outdoor shopping plaza where one can go to just enjoy the non-city polluted air, people watch and window shop.

Many of the restaurants in Broadway plaza are European-style, with outdoor sitting areas facing the street. One restaurant, Va de Vi, encompasses this European feel with a French cuisine and gorgeous sitting area. In true European style, Va de Vi is small, and its best seating is outdoors.

The owners converted a side alley into a gorgeous oasis, with relaxing fountains and flowers. However, the prime seating is in the back. The back area features a circular garden, with about 15 tables clustered around a gorgeous oak tree. On the outer ring of the circle, separated from the tables by a hedge of flowers, are benches. This is the perfect place to steal a romantic moment with a significant other, or just relax && digest before hitting the shops!

When Va de Vi first opened in 2005, Michael Bauer from the SF Chronicle wrote, “San Francisco restaurants should be very nervous. Restaurants like Va de Vi not only keep customers on the east side of the bay, but when it's cool and foggy, what could be better than taking a 35 minute drive to dine and shop in sunshine?”

His words ring true today—not only about Va de Vi, but about Walnut Creek in general. The city has grown from just a “cute, quaint little suburb” to a city worthy of notification.

One word of advice as far as fashion.. if you plan on spending the day downtown Walnut Creek, step up your style a notch. Walnut Creekers like to look good when we go downtown. Of course, we never look like we’re trying too hard, jeans and cute fashion-forward top, or a light summer dress paired with a nice pair of heels and matching purse will usually suffice.

keep it classy
xo
alissa