A Visit to the New Cinema in Hayward

Heaven knows Your Boulevardier is loyal to Castro Valley, but he also enjoys visiting downtown Hayward. He is a fan of The Book Shop; he enjoys visiting Le Paradis and Buffalo Bill's; he is a regular patron of CopyMat. One of his professional clients is a downtown not-for-profit. So he spends a good bit of time walking B Street.

Last Tuesday, a visit was made to the new Century Cinema at the intersection of B Street and Foothill Boulevard. ("The Other Boulevard," as it is known to some. Or maybe just one.) The building is clean and bright, and the employees were friendly and enthusiastic. The young woman who sold the popcorn gladly filled Your Boulevardier's reusable water bottle, perhaps in defiance of company policy but in an exceptionally well-received gesture of goodwill. The bathroom was tidy. The seats were comfortable.

But show taken in, a late-afternoon showing of the new James Bond thriller, was not well attended; perhaps a dozen people sat in the 200-seat auditorium. Your Boulevardier spoke with the young man tasked with cleaning the salon after the show -- he didn't have much to do -- and was assured that the patronage was much higher on the weekends. In fact, Tuesday night is the best night to attend if one does not like crowds.

Mixed feelings are held regarding the new cinema. Your Boulevardier is among the Chabot Theater's biggest fans, but lately the local single-screen has not programmed selections suited to his taste. (High School Musical, Madagascar, and now Bolt.) He looks forward to the arrival of a film with a more adult appeal, at which time he will eagerly return to the Chabot. But it must be admitted, it is most pleasant to have a dozen screens within minutes of home. Your Boulevardier encourages all to visit the new cinema and inspect it for themselves.

By the way, all links above are to reviews at Yelp.com.

MAC Swings For The Fences

The Castro Valley Forum reports that the town's Municipal Advisory Council is looking into the tall fences that surround Castro Valley's public schools. Your Boulevardier finds himself ahead of the curve on this issue, having examined the issue last May. The post generated a bit of back-and-forth among both of the readers of this blog, which provided some diversion.

It remains the opinion of Your Boulevardier that these fences are unsightly and forbidding, which is not a positive image to portray at a school.

Remodeling McDonald's

Your Boulevardier notes that the McDonald's on Castro Valley's Fast Food Island is closed for remodeling. This event has been in the planning stages for years, it seems. This morning a cold steel fence kept all but the birds from visiting the Golden Arches. And because the restaurant was not being patronized, and the fries and burger buns on which the pigeons and seagulls had, in the past, feasted were not forthcoming, so the avian scavengers had precious little to do. One telling note as to the abruptness of the property's fencing: copies of USA Today remain in the newsrack by the restaurant's door.

Deep in the recesses of Your Boulevardier's memory, he can recall eating at this restaurant when it was brand new. The building was covered with white tile, and sported several red concrete outdoor tables in lieu of indoor dining then. The structure was spanned by the trademark aureate arcs. The hamburgers cost, if memory serves, twenty-nine cents.

Over the years, the building expanded as its real estate morphed. The playplace was added, and a section of the dining area was segregated as a party room. (Neveau de Boulevardier celebrated at least one birthday there.) The establishment's parking lot grew dramatically, even as the freeway and its offramps encroached.

Automobiles have always been the preferred mode of access to McDonald's, it seems, and pedestrians such as Your Boulevardier took some risks in attempting to walk to the place -- what with motorists juggling too-hot coffee, filing their change, shushing the youngsters, and, oh yes, driving their cars from the drive-through.

But one can say what one will about McDonald's -- Your Boulevardier has concerns about its business practices and the health value of its products -- but the company has maintained its Castro Valley property well through all the changes. On a survey mission this morning, Your Boulevardier noted the lush green lawns, carefully trimmed shrubbery, and crimson Pistache trees along the property's perimeter. Let us hope that the new structure adds some architectural interest and other thoughtful touches, since this site is, for better or worse, one of the gateways to our town.




Postscript, unrelated: On a walk to Valley Java this morning, Your Boulevardier noted that gasoline at the Shop 'N' Save on Stanton Avenue has dipped one tenth of a cent below $2 per gallon.

India comes to Castro Valley

Your Boulevardier, accompanied by mon petit chou, visited the new restaurant in Castro Village, Aroma Cuisine of India, last Friday night. The food was enjoyed and a good time was had. Your Boulevardier is not a restaurant reviewer, but will attempt to describe the visit.

The restaurant was full of patrons upon our arrival at 7:00 p.m.. We had no reservation, so the host escorted us to the adjacent patio and offered hot, spicy chai tea. Eventually a small table was made available toward the rear of the restaurant. The crowd appeared to be a fairly typical cross-section of Castro Valley restaurant diners: mostly Caucasian, mostly older, not without means. (We noted with pleasure that among our fellow diners were a few same-sex couples.)

The table was small and clean (as was the entire restaurant) and the chairs and lighting were comfortable. Indian art and live plants decorated the room. The piped-in music was the only atmospheric element that seemed a bit off-theme. Dishes ordered included Chicken Tikka Masala (chicken in tomato-curry-yogurt sauce), Dal Tarka (lentil puree), Raita (yogurt condiment), and warm Nan (puffy flatbread). A large Taj Mahal beer (brewed in India) and a small Maharaja beer (brewed in New York, promised as the best beer in the world, and proffered with a money-back guarantee) also were consumed.

The dishes were beautifully prepared, simply presented (on stainless steel platters) and delicious. The service was attentive and friendly. While the meal was not inexpensive ($38.33 including tax but not tip) it was well worth it.

After the meal, mukhwas -- candied seeds, eaten as a digestif -- were offered. These are found in a rack near the cash register. Simply scoop a small bit into your hand with the provided spoon and pop it into your mouth for a pleasant breath-freshener.

Mon petit chou knew much better than Your Boulevardier how to navigate an Indian dining experience, and gratitude is offered for her kind assistance. A tip of the beret goes to Aroma Cuisine of India.

Banking Crisis hits Castro Valley

Your Boulevardier is concerned about banks in Castro Valley. Specifically, he is concerned about his favorite building in town.




The former World Savings, now a branch of Wachovia, is a lovely, interesting building. Note how the roof floats lightly above the nearly-all-glass structure. Admire the gentle curve of the roof -- it evokes Ancient Greece, in Your Boulevardier's eye. Pop inside sometime and admire the spidery sculpture hanging from the ceiling. (For security reasons, bank employees generally frown on people photographing the insides of their offices; thus, no interior image is supplied here.)

Wachovia, of course, is in financial trouble. Citibank and Wells Fargo are gunning for it. Whichever bank wins, it is doubtful that they will take over this lovely building. It's a prime location but doubtless commands a commensurate price. The building itself has a few problems -- inability to expand, few spots for ATMs, and (if one remembers correctly) some structural problems with the roof that were addressed a few years ago.

Meanwhile, neither Citi nor Wells Fargo are known, at least in Castro Valley, for their interest in real estate. Citi exists in what may be the worst building in town, at the corner of Santa Maria and the Boulevard; it is unattractive, dirty, windowless, somewhat hostile and bunker-like, and has entirely inadequate parking and auto access. Compare that with Wachovia.




In Castro Valley, Wells Fargo is located in a strip mall. Perhaps that's enough said.




Castro Valley will have to wait to see how the chips fall. Fingers are crossed that the lovely building anchoring the corner of Redwood Road and Castro Valley Boulevard will keep its intended use -- as a financial institution -- or will find a new and suitable purpose.

(Note: photos of Citibank and Wells Fargo have been added and text has been tweaked.)

Castro Valley Camouflage

Remodeling has been underway for some time on a house on San Miguel Avenue, not far from Castro Valley Boulevard. Normally a long, complicated construction project such as this would include an unwelcome feature: an unsightly honeypot parked in the front yard. The people doing this project have, kindly, chosen to disguise the portable facility, and have done so quite cleverly. Indeed, Your Boulevardier didn't realize what was going on until he had a closer look. 

Wudas Is Right

There are fewer things online that are more pathetic than an abandoned blog. One of those things is a blog with a long hiatus followed by a post reading "Sorry it's been so long since there has been a post."

The Castro Valley Boulevardier falls into the second category.

The usual excuse applies: real life has been busy. Several things have been noted by Your Boulevardier, but he has not taken time to post on them. For example:

• A couple of weekends ago, several of the concrete trash bins on Castro Valley Boulevard were knocked over. They were righted within a day or so.
• Other vandalism seemed to spike as summer drew to a close. The pedestrian overcrossing over Highway 580, frequented by Your Boulevardier, was tagged again, and promptly cleaned up again. Your Boulevardier is pleased that the appropriate authorities are staying vigilant to it.
• Restaurants have come and restaurants have gone. The Indian restaurant in the Village, the Vietnamese place across from Pete's Hardware, and the "Theme Unknown" place by Kragen Auto Parts are among the openings. (Your Boulevardier has not tried any of them.) Closed are Fongs, Peking Village, and Pancho's. Meanwhile, Bangkok 580 fell victim to a takeover robbery.
• The cloudy creek question (the post on which prompted Wudas to remind Your Boulevardier to update the blog) was resolved, and it appears the problem was simply construction erosion upstream. If Your Boulevardier appeared alarmist, he apologizes.
• Your Boulevardier participated in Barefoot Boot Camp at Castro Valley Yoga in the third week of August. The upper body is still complaining, though proud to have made it. It's amazing and heartening to think that a dozen people would be up and exercising at 6:00 a.m. for six consecutive days!
  
• School has opened, and it is pleasing to Your Boulevardier to see children walking to their classes. Still, school zones continue to be dangerous places for pedestrians, what with distracted parents driving their offspring while engaging in telephone conversations, eating breakfast, or attending to their grooming.
  
• For Sale signs, and vacant properties, seem to be appearing more frequently around town, at least in Your Boulevardier's home district of Baywood.
• Your Boulevardier saw a poster for a Green training class co-sponsored by the Castro Valley Sanitary District and the Castro Valley Adult School, upcoming on September 27. More information can be found at the Adult School website (appropriately enough, on Mr. Green's welcome page.)
• A production of Carousel is coming to the Center For The Arts later in September. One can't go wrong with Rogers and Hammerstein.
• Castro Valley product Rachel Maddow is getting a regular MSNBC show. Your Boulevardier does not partake of intense political coverage from any portion of the spectrum, so he has not seen the show; but he knows friends of Maddow's parents, and hears that they are rightfully proud of their daughter.
  

For now, this list of tidbits will have to suffice. Again, Your Boulevardier apologizes for the long drought of new material.

Chabot Creek Contamination?

Castro Valley residents who live along Chabot Creek in the Baywood District noticed today that the creek is cloudy. Your Boulevardier can confirm this at the spot where the creek emerges on the south side of Highway 580 near the Strobridge Avenue pedestrian overpass. (On the north side of the freeway the creek is in a concrete ditch and water clarity is more difficult to discern.)

Authorities fromthe East Bay Municipal Utility District and the Alameda County Public Works Agency have been contacted. When or if a source or cause is determined, Your Boulevardier will report it here.

Digging Castro Valley

Two holes in the ground were noted on today's walk.

Behind JD's, the parking lot is full of earth and a deep trench can be seen next to the Chabot Cinema. Your Boulevardier suspects that the retaining wall is being rebuilt to a higher standard, but can anyone confirm? The parking lot is closed and so parking at JD's is even tougher than usual.

By the Post Office, work continues on the sewer replacement behind Castro Village. Where the new line attaches to the main, in the middle of Santa Maria Street, workers have been digging and working for a week or so, with flag persons attempting to keep traffic flowing. The crew is fortunate that school is not in session at Castro Valley High.

Your Boulevardier noted both of these earthmoving escapades while pursuing his pastime, walking in Castro Valley. He notes (though his evidence is anecdotal) that more people are joining him on foot in the City of Lite, and suspects that the move is related to gasoline prices. Castro Valley is a surprisingly walkable town for many of us who live in or near downtown -- all manner of services, from a top-notch hardware store to a handful of fine coffee shops to a yoga studio to a few ice cream parlors all await within a few-block area.