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Politics & Government

Mayor Leads Inaugural Stroll Around Downtown

Twenty people join new Mayor Bob Simmons for a tour with an inside look off the beaten track.

New Mayor Bob Simmons led a group of about 20 walkers on a beautiful, crisp December morning in an inside tour of Walnut Creek to take the first stride of his Walk Walnut Creek program.

The walk covered about 1.2 miles in about 45 minutes and featured some of Walnut Creek’s least know alleys and monuments.

The group met in front of the Lesher Center for the Arts and wended its way through the back streets of downtown, ending at the Broadway Plaza Christmas tree — where Simmons invited people to either walk back or take the free downtown trolley.

Simmons gave some advice at the beginning. “If you see a store that you really want to shop in, that's OK,” said Simmons. “This walk will show you some things that most of us probably haven’t walked before.”

“To be able to do the walk that we did today, to walk in all alleyways and byways of Walnut Creek, was a really fascinating way to walk from the Lesher to Broadway Plaza,” explained Simmons.

The walking enthusiasts of Walnut Creek are Simmons' natural constituency.

”I’m a walker to start with, and I’ve always be curious about all these little pathways and alleys here in Walnut Creek,” said Rob Laaback, who plans to attend more group walks. “I’ve learned a lot this morning. In fact, I’m going to try and retrace it going back. I’ve discovered things here that I didn’t know were here.”

The conversations encouraged Simmons.

“As I looked back periodically, I saw people talking within themselves, which is really what you want,” said Simmons. “You want what I call a strolling conversation. People have the chance to talk to people that they haven’t talked to before.”

The next walk, titled “2x2x2,” is scheduled for Jan. 14 and will feature a longer walk on the Iron Horse Trail.

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