Farewell Walnut Towne

I’m really sad to be leaving a place that I’ve learned to appreciate so much! We move out of our condo in less than two weeks and I’m starting to feel nostalgic already… the thought that we’re really leaving is starting to set in, now that the house is piling high in boxes. I know it’s the right decision to move and invest in a home, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that there’s so much to miss about Walnut Creek!


One of the things that I absolutely love about Walnut Creek is that it is all-inclusive. Everything that I need can be found right here- Trader Joe’s, Target, the Apple Store, Barnes & Noble, Boudin- plus a few unique places that I enjoy, like Main Street Rags and the Olde San Francisco Creamery. There are very few things that we have to venture outside of town for. I really do appreciate that, since not every location has that to offer. When we lived in San Ramon, Eric and I loved the city itself, but we found ourselves driving to and from Dublin and Walnut Creek for all of our basic needs. When we leave here, I wouldn’t be surprised if we return to visit Walnut Creek regularly!


Plus, Walnut Creek hosts a number of great community events. Once or twice a year, there are lovely art and wine shows in Downtown, perfect for walking and browsing. Plus, every year around this time, the Downtown association hosts its annual “Walnut Festival” in which many of the local marching bands, dance groups, and community organizations march together down Main Street. And then there is Heather Farms Park right around the corner from us- where we were married! The park is always busy with activities, festivals, and shows. I think we’ll miss the chances we should have taken to walk right over and reminisce.

The most obvious downfall of Walnut Creek (and really the only downfall in my opinion) is simply the cost- it’s really quite unfortunate that the most we can afford here is a small condo on a busy road, which is more than adequate for a single professional or modest couple. Sadly for us, we’re just growing out of it too quickly… I really do hope that one day we will be able to move back!

White Screen of Death!!!

Note to Self: DO NOT drop your iPhone onto tile floor!! Result: white screen of death :(

I'm sending it off for repair (the Apple store is way overpriced). I'm hoping for the best...

How did I ever live without my iPhone?

Introducing Our New Murano!

We finally gave in and replaced Eric’s old Nissan! For the past few months, we have had one heck of a time trying to fix the stupid thing- we spent a fortune on various things that didn’t solve the problem (it would surge in all gears and get progressively worse as the car warmed up). We replaced the throttle, the distributor, the radiator… nothing did the trick. In fact, it kept getting worse, so we pretty much stopped driving it altogether. Finally we decided to get a good diagnostic, and they found that some random belt inside the engine was on its last leg. Of course we did our research and got some good quotes- we learned that it would ultimately be cheaper to replace the whole engine than to pay someone to spend all day taking it apart just to replace the stupid belt. So that sucked.

We thought about it for a couple weeks and eventually decided that the investment wasn’t going to be worth it, so we went out car shopping. After I had done some research, I narrowed down our search to a couple of models that would be roomy enough (we envisioned a smaller SUV) yet had good fuel economy. On Saturday, we went out to test drive a few cars to see if they would be a good fit for us.


First up, a 2006 Nissan Murano SL that I had found online. We walked onto the car lot and were quickly greeted by a lovely saleslady named Miley. We were truly shocked how pleasant and helpful she was- she would answer our questions without being pushy and never pressured us at all. Eric drove it first, taking it on the highway to test its power, then we pulled over to switch drivers. We both were impressed how comfortable the leather seats were and had fun taking note of all the fancy features, like the moonroof, dual temperature controls, and intelligent key system. After the test drive, we took Miley’s business card and said that we would be in touch. We left without the typical cheesy salesperson trying to lure us into a sale- we were shocked! And impressed!

We then walked across the street to the Honda dealership, where I wanted to look at two models in particular- the Insight and the CR-V. For about 20 minutes, Eric and I roamed the lot, sitting in various cars and toying with the various controls. Finally, I tracked down a salesperson and said that we were interested in test driving a few models.


First we drove the Insight. I had researched this car on the internet and was impressed with the fuel economy- over 40mpg- but reluctant because I wasn’t convinced that their hybrid technology was truly reliable (since we are the type of people to keep our vehicles for 10 years or longer, we would probably have to replace the battery cell eventually, which is an enormous cost to consider). However, it started at just over 20K- a bargain for a hybrid. The insight was okay for around town driving, but once Eric turned onto the freeway onramp, he attempted to accelerate and we immediately looked at each other with question- would the thing even be able to make it onto the highway and up to speed?!? Luckily there was no one behind us and the freeway was not busy. Had it been, I honestly would have been a little scared. Plus, the instrument panel would glow blue or green while we were driving (a feature aimed to improve battery and fuel economy). Honestly, we found it a little distracting. Plus, the ergonomics of the console and instrument panel made no sense- we had to reach at least a foot forward while seated to reach the cup holders and the navigation screen was placed to the right of the console, which was just annoying. I also noticed the car’s assembly quality- many of the parts and textures looked and felt rather cheap. After I drove it around, we took it back to the lot and immediately decided that the hybrid was not for us. I really wanted to like it and was expecting to be impressed, but I just was not.


We then moved on to the CR-V. I had test driven a used one the weekend before with my sister and had already made my mind up that I didn’t like it, but I wanted to know Eric’s opinion. So the salesperson then brought us a used 2008 CR-V LX to take out. Eric drove it and came to the same conclusion that I had: It lacked power, was a bore to drive, the build quality seemed questionable, and it lacked a lot of features that we’ve come to appreciate in our Acura (like programmable seating positions- which are not available on any CR-V model apparently). Plus, it was expensive. I know that Hondas have great resale value, but we couldn’t justify buying a used sub-par vehicle with over 50K for well over 20K! After driving this one, we decided to head back home and think about what we should do.

A couple days went by (during which we had our home appraisal) and we continued to think seriously about the Murano. But, we did not want to make any financial decision that could potentially jeopardize our home loan. So we made a few calls. After we were relieved to learn that an auto loan would not change our loan status, we decided to go back to the Nissan dealership. If the Murano that we had test driven was still there, we would see if they would come down on their price. Since I had done my research (I research everything- from books to cars), I knew how much the car was worth. I was happy to see that the car was still sitting on the lot when we arrived that day. After test driving it again and chatting with Miley the saleslady once more, we sat down to discuss the price. After a few negotiations, they lowered their price to a figure that we were happy with. Plus, it came certified with the remaining 7 year/100K mile warranty and the dealer had just performed the 30K major service. Since Eric is a member of a credit union through the fire department, we were able to get a low interest loan. As we worked on finalizing the paperwork, the dealer detailed the car and filled up the gas tank for us. As Eric said, this car buying experience was “night and day” compared to buying our Acura earlier this year. Then I got to drive it home. :)

We are just thrilled!

(insert Murano slideshow)

Now we have to figure out what to do with Eric’s Sentra. I think our first plan will be to post the car for sale online to see if anyone would be interested in buying a cheap car that needs a little work (maybe a mechanic would want it?). If that doesn’t work out, we’ll probably part out the value (the stereo, rims, etc.) and donate the rest of the car to a deserving charity…