What's Coming to Downtown Walnut Creek, CA This Month

The Broadway Plaza

I moved from Fair Oaks, Ca to The Heritage Downtown (THD), Walnut Creek, Ca ( 9 months ago). THD is an Independent living Senior Community a few blocks from the heart of Downtown Walnut Creek.  For those of you who are not familiar with Downtown Walnut Creek:     Here's from their website: 

"Experience the thrill of living in a city that moves to a beat that is uniquely its own-both suburban and urban. Want to spend the afternoon at a local tap room?  You can. Want to enjoy a mid-afternoon coffee?  Go for it. Want to stroll through an art museum?  Bedford Gallery awaits. Grab a quick bite or enjoy a live theatre performance?  You can do all of that too. With over 120 restaurants, a host of outdoor festivals, a downtown library and a 16.7 acre park, Walnut Creek Downtown has a unique vibe all its own."

The website features three places: The Broadway Plaza (1), the Civic Park and Library (2) and the Lesher Center for the Arts (3).   

1. Broadway Plaza’s open-air shopping center boasts 80 specialty shops and restaurants including Nordstrom, Macy's, Apple, and lululemon plus True Food Kitchen, Boudin, and P.F. Chang's. It’s also home to co-working space Industrious.

2. Civic Park- 1375 Civic Dr. This 16.7 acre park in the middle of downtown is open dawn to dusk and includes two playgrounds, picnic area, a Community Center with seniors’ programs, a library, ice rink (seasonal), Civic Arts Studios and connection to the Iron Horse Trail.

Library-1644 N. Broadway/Lincoln Avenue- The two-story facility, which opened in July 2010, has a large children’s wing and garden, a Teen Zone, a Business and Career Center, a Technology Center, a 16-seat conference room, and four group study rooms. This 42,000 square-foot building includes 600 visitor seats and 94 public computers.

3. The Lesher Center for the Arts is the premier destination for an exceptional arts and entertainment experience in downtown Walnut Creek. First opened in October 1990, the Center now presents more than 900 productions and events each year. More than 350,000 patrons walk through the Center's front doors each year. The Center is owned and operated by the City of Walnut Creek.  The mission of the Lesher Center for the Arts is to drive excellence, innovation, and diversity in the arts through performances, exhibitions and educational programming that establish the Lesher Center as the artistic destination for everyone in Walnut Creek and the region.

For Details visit:

https://walnutcreekdowntown.com/about-the-downtown/

So what's coming to Downtown Walnut Creek?  The Taste and Toast Wednesday, March 20, 2024

5:30pm - 8:30pm

Experience the vibrant atmosphere of downtown Walnut Creek as you sample mouthwatering treats from local eateries, sip on refreshing beverages, and explore the charming shops lining the streets.

SPRING FLING FEATURES: 

• Spring Fling Celebration
• 30+ Food & Beverage Tastings
• Live Music & Entertainment
• Starting Location Booths
• Fun Activities for Students
• Support for Local Schools 
• Here's a map of THD near the downtown shops and restaurants:

Note: The Downtown neighborhood had about numerous ethnic restaurants, but no FILIPINO restaurant. My daughter Dinah has to drive me to Concord ( Seafood City) for Filipino Food and Delicacies. 

Lastly, here's the Walnut Creek Demographics Summary as of 2022.

Population

With 69,809 people, Walnut Creek is the 130th most populated city in the state of California out of 1,573 cities. But watch out, Walnut Creek, because Eastvale with 69,594 people and Yuba City with 69,535 people are right behind you.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest Walnut Creek racial/ethnic groups are White (64.1%) followed by Asian (16.3%),  Hispanic (10.4%) and Black( 2.5%).

Median Income

In 2022, the median household income of Walnut Creek households was $129,971. Walnut Creek households made slightly more than Alameda households ($129,917), Knightsen households ($128,750), Somis households ($128,750), and Guinda households ($128,750) . However, 3.9% of Walnut Creek families live in poverty.

Median Age

The median age for Walnut Creek residents is 47.2 years young.

Here's a list of the top ten Ethnic Restaurants in Walnut Creek ( 82 Listed)

 https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Ethnic+Restaurants&find_loc=Walnut+Creek%2C+CA

Personal Note: Please return the activity survey to the front desk ASAP. Let THD management know what kind of activities you like.  I suggest the Philippines for our Travel Series in June to celebrate Filipino Heritage Month.   

My Movie of the Week- Poor Things

My Movie of the Week- Poor Things

💥My Short Review:

Poor Things
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Yorgos Lanthimos
Screenplay by	Tony McNamara
Based on	Poor Things by Alasdair Gray
Produced by	Ed Guiney Andrew Lowe Yorgos Lanthimos Emma Stone
Starring	Emma Stone Mark Ruffalo Willem Dafoe Ramy Youssef Christopher Abbott Jerrod Carmichael
Cinematography	Robbie Ryan
Edited by	Yorgos Mavropsaridis
Music by	Jerskin Fendrix
Production companies	Film4 Element Pictures TSG Entertainment
Distributed by	Searchlight Pictures
Release dates	September 1, 2023(Venice) December 8, 2023 (United States) January 12, 2024 (Ireland and United Kingdom)
Running time	142 minutes
Countries	Ireland United Kingdom United States
Language	English
Budget	$35 million
Box office	$104.8 million

From Wikipedia: 

Poor Things is a 2023 film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and written by Tony McNamara, based on the 1992 novel by Alasdair Gray. Starring Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Christopher Abbott, and Jerrod Carmichael, the plot centers on Bella Baxter, a young woman in Victorian London who is resurrected through a brain transplant and embarks on an odyssey of self-discovery. Critics identified multiple genres, with elements of black comedyand steampunk.

Poor Things premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2023, where it won the Golden Lion. It was released theatrically in the United States on December 8, 2023, and in Ireland and the United Kingdom on January 12, 2024, by Searchlight Pictures. The film was named one of the top ten films of 2023 by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute and has grossed over $104 million worldwide. It received five wins at the 77th British Academy Film Awards, and was nominated in 11 categories at the 96th Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Poor Things also won two Golden Globe Awards: Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Stone.

Here are some reviews that I agree 100%.Gorgeous sets and costumes, remarkable performances by Stone, Defoe and a scene-stealing Ruffalo cannot quite save this self-aware oddity of a movie. The story tips it hat to Frankenstein, with the story of a damaged yet brilliant doctor, Godwin Baxter (played by a superb Willem Defoe) performing a radical, life-resurrecting procedure on the body of a girl who had thrown herself from London Bridge. Child-like (hint) and with no memories from her previous life, the girl, now named Bella Baxter (Stone) is carefully tutored until the day comes she wishes to see the outside world for herself and leaves under the dubious ‘care’ of a noted bounder, Duncan, played wonderfully by Mark Ruffalo. The Lisbon scenes are breathtaking and Bella’s naive embrace of new experiences are skillfully juxtaposed against the unexpected obsession for Bella that the cad Duncan is beginning to be tortured by. The second stanza onboard ‘The Ship’ was similarly captivating; Bella’s growing intellect and charm earning new new friends, however these relationships barely have time to develop before Duncan and Bella are unceremoniously dumped in France due to a lack of funds to pay passage. It is here that the story overreaches its ambitions. The Paris story is an uncomfortable mess of fetishized pornography and a thin plot that really detract from the earlier story, leaving me squirming a little in my seat and wondering why this was all necessary to move the story forward. The Paris sojourn inevitably culminates with Bella’s return to London to be reunited with her creator and the man to whom she was betrothed before her adventures began, the charming yet feckless Max (Rammy Yussef). Yet Bella’s past catches up with her for one more twist before she realises the truth of who she is and what her future should be. 

💥I saw the Movie "Poor Things"  the other day at Our Cinema Here at THD. I love it, however a few THD residents got out after 5 minutes at the beginning of the show.  Eric our movie Coordinator warned us that movie is R rated and there are scenes that the Prudes may object  or get offended. I am not a Prude and have seen numerous R rated movies in my life.    So I stayed and enjoyed the movie very much. 

I vote for Emma Stone, for the Best Actress Award in the Oscars. 

Posted by David B Katague at 7:53 AM  

Pork Sinigang- Best Tasting Soup in the World

Pork Sinigang -a soup from the Philippines was recently rated by TasteAtlas💥as the best soup in the world. But it is not even listed in the CNN top 20 list of popular soups in the world nor in the Eatingwell.com top 10 popular soups. 

The Philippine Tinola, on the other hand also one of my most favorite soup is in the list of Eatingwell.com. Tinola is Filipino Ginger-Garlic Chicken Soup with Vegetables. I grew up savoring Chicken or Fish Tinola in the Philippines.  

    https://www.eatingwell.com/our-most-popular-soup-recipes-8403581. 

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/worlds-best-wellness-soups/index.html

If you remember I posted an article last October featuring  Pork Sinigang during the Filipino-American History Month Dinner Celebration here at THD. Here's a photo of the menu.

Pork Sinigang is a delicious Filipino sour soup dish. The soup is made from any cut of pork along tomato, string beans, spinach, and tamarind and other vegetables ( bok choy and cabbage). For details read:

https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2023/10/filipino-dinner-will-be-in-menu.html

For additional details, why Sinigang was chosen as the best soup in the world read: 

https://freshoptions.ph/blogs/freshcipes/sinigang-is-the-worlds-best-soup#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20Taste%20Atlas,best%20soup%20in%20the%20world.

💥TasteAtlas is an experiential travel online guide for traditional food that collates authentic recipes, food critic reviews, and research articles about popular ingredients and dishes. Describing itself as "a world atlas of traditional dishes, local ingredients, and authentic restaurants", it features an interactive global food map with dish icons shown in their respective regions and purportedly contains nearly 10,000 dishes, drinks, and ingredients, as well as 9,000 restaurants. Lastly, my quote of the day:

Meanwhile, besides pork sinigang and chicken tinola,  three other soups that are popular in the Philippines are Batangas Bulalo, Lapaz Batchoy and Pancit Molo. 

Bulalô (Tagalog) is a beef dish from the Philippines. It is a light colored soup that is made by cooking beef shanks and bone marrow until the collagen and fat has been melted into the clear broth. It is mixed with corn and vegetable greens.

Batchoy, alternatively spelled batsoy, is a Filipino noodle soup of pork offal, crushed pork cracklings, chicken stock, beef loin, and round noodles. The original and most popular variant, the La Paz batchoy, traces its roots to the Iloilo City district of La Paz, in the Philippines.

Pancit Molo or Filipino pork dumpling soup, is a type of soup using wonton wrappers which originated from Molo district in Iloilo City, Philippines. It consists of a mixture of ground pork wrapped in molo or wonton wrapper, shredded chicken meat, and also shrimp.

Lastly,  For Chinese Dim Sum, I recommend CreekHouse In Walnut Creek, 1291 Parkside Dr.  

https://www.creekhousedimsum.com/_files/ugd/055480_e3ddc7c53974467ea6a740ac8e937638.pdf

Recent Comments/Reactions to My Blogging Activities

The Most Beautiful Sunset Picture I Have Taken- It Parallels my Life Here at THD-My Gilded Cage💘

Here are a few reactions/comments regarding the deletion of some e-mails that I believe are inactive in my THD Distribution list.   Persons in my old Distribution list that have not commented either verbally or written, positive, neutral or negative comments in my blogs for the last 6 months will no longer be in my current revised distribution list as of today. I also have general comments and specific reactions to a specific article on my blogs. It's all anonymous for privacy reasons. 

These comments inspire me to continue blogging and makes my life here at THD a very pleasant and joyful experience since this is the last Chapter in my on-going and published Autobiography. It will be Chapter 20 in my Autobiography.  I appreciate comments that exudes positive vibes and feeling.  Here are 21 recent comments of my postings/e-mails. It is not arrange chronologically but written at random for your reading pleasure.     

1. Count me in! David, your communications are truly inspiring. Reaching out to people, attempting to bring Joy, is what we wish the whole world would do. Thanks David.

2. Hey David…please keep me on your list…you are an inspiration !

3. I enjoy reading your blogs on Suggestions for Improvement of the Quality of Life here at THD. It was positive, well-written and not demanding. 

4. I agree with your “evaluation” of last nights video concert( Great Performances-France).

5. Wow wow wow!  Come talk to me.- reaction to my suggestion to feature the Philippines in our Travel Series for June.

6. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful array of our neighbors' art: a wonderful gift for all of us. 

7. I want to second (and third) David's expression of gratitude for the work the maintenance crew and management performed to reconstitute our water system yesterday: I was awed and delighted by how quickly and effectively the work was performed.  Many many thanks!  

8. Thanks for the presentation, David: I appreciate your window into the world of the Philippines. . . and I'm so glad to have you as a neighbor!-Reaction to my Talk about the Philippines last October.

9. Beautiful, David, and wonderful windows into our world here in THD, and your worlds before and during your residency here!  Many many thanks.-Reaction to my Christmas Posting and Pictures of THD Residents. 

10. My wife and I would be excited to celebrate Filipino Heritage Month here at THD with food.  As we have shared with you, we have in-laws from the Philippines and love Filipino food and hospitality!

11. Thanks, David.  Words well spoken…..particularly adding a positive attitude!

Had a really good sleep last night….finally!  -Reaction to my article on the benefits of massage therapy.

12.  David, sounds like really good news!  …….my sense is that with your background & experience, you’re optimistic as well!  In spite of a degree in science….it’s so over my head!  My forte is cheerleading!-Reaction to my article on Antibiotic Resistance.

13. Great jobs as always , thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement it means a lot.

14. Thank you for your continuing 🎄spirit… we now have a poinsettia in front of our elevator🤗.

15. David - Your comments on addiction today are really good and I plan to briefly refer to them as I begin my Opioid Addiction presentation on Saturday.  I have to ask if it was entirely a coincidence that your blog today focused on addiction - or in some way did my talk being scheduled this week have anything to do with it.  Again, thanks for your continued blog effort.

16. I took a liberty of sending a picture with me in it to my son in Japan to show him I am in the very good place.-Reaction to my blog-Taste of Japan.

17.  I appreciate your blog! I hear you are a pretty good dancer. As someone who is totally uncoordinated I would enjoy reading about dance on your blog. Maybe THD should have a dancing with our star blogger contest. Just an idea thrown in with.  I like your blog and please keep me on the mailing list.

18. Thank you for taking such interest and good care of Jay, and you certainly come from handsome ancestry! Thanks, also, for letting us know we moved to #3.- Response to my blog on Jay Pollack and THD Internet Presence

 

19. Yes, I’d love to stay on your list!   I enjoy reading your blog and seeing your photos!  You put your heart and soul into sharing your stories.  I also appreciate your positive and special stories about THD.  

20. Thank you David. Great way for us to celebrate this time of our lives- Response to my posting on Another Week of Fun Activity Here at THD.

21. I read your blogs. Just too busy to comment 😔. I do give it a thumbs up or the heart emoticon. I hope that counts 🙂-Response to my e-mail on my THD Inactive DL.

Meanwhile, Here are some of my favorite photos of THD activities and its Residents,Staff and Guests,

  My Mahjong Buddies-Susie Bramson and Hisako Tanaka

Me with colorful shirt and pin stripe Jacket with Martha Rodriquez- Halloween Party 

Me and Dean Elias-Octoberfest Party

Me during our Hawaiin Luau Party with Susie and Hisako

Brochure for my Talk Celebrating Philippine-American History month last October

Jane Mowry with Tall and Handsome Grandson, Adrian ( visiting her) 

New Year's Eve Main Lobster Dinner with Cosette Mitchell, Mary Reiser and Jane Williams

My Chair Volley Ball Buddies- Me standing in the Background

My Zumba Buddies with Vivacious Sabrina Monahan- our Zumba Guru 

My Corn Hole Buddies after a competitive Game -that I won, and my Ugly Sweater with Susie Bramson during Ugly Sweater Day here at THD. 

💘If you have been reading my blogs, you probably know why I called THD-my Gilded Cage. Here's some interesting/inspiring comments to my blogs before my move here at THD. 

https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2016/06/inspiring-and-interesting-comments-on.html