The Color of Autumn

One of the gripes one hears from transplants to California -- and to the state's coastal areas, in particular -- is that they miss the seasons. (The flipside of that argument comes from Mere de Boulevardier, who swore when she left the midwest over half a century ago that she would never gaze upon snow again -- and, it is believed, has made good on that promise.)

It is admitted that there are no websites to announce the peak moment at which fall color will appear in Castro Valley, but appear it does nonetheless. And, on the day before Thanksgiving, the leaves and sidewalks along Castro Valley Boulevard were quite lovely. The trees pictured below, by the way, are Chinese Pistaches (please forgive the "Texas Superstar" link, but Your Boulevardier liked the photos). Other trees that provide splendid autumn displays in the mild-winter Bay Area include liquidambar and ginkgo biloba. (Spelling fixed; a tip of the beret to The Pedant.)



Readers are invited to call out other impressive autumn leaves around town in the comments.

Before and After

Today -- the so-called Black Friday (or Buy Nothing Day, in some circles) -- was a workday for Your Boulevardier. However, he took a post-labor saunter into downtown to run an errand. One would be hard-pressed to describe Castro Valley as "bustling," but folks were out and about on foot and seemed to be of good cheer, generally. Traffic flowed freely. Holiday decorations are up in some shop windows -- a special tip of the beret goes to Deja Blue Salon, whose window looks particularly sparkly and charming after dark. Restaurants had a few patrons as early as 5:30 p.m. Haircutters in the Village Barber Shop sat in their own chairs, looking bored. The reincarnation of Daughtrey's, in the process of closing, was almost empty. The Beneficial Finance storefront by Safeway was closed for good.

By contrast, Your Boulevardier had done almost the same walk at almost the same time on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. As he crossed 580 on the pedestrian overpass, the eastbound lanes were jammed solid as far as could be seen in both directions. Restaurants in Castro Village were absolutely empty, but parking lots throughout town were jammed -- particularly those at the grocery stores, logically enough. The Village Barber Shop was in full swing, with all chairs in operation and all waiting seats taken. Peet's was a veritable mob scene.

It's no great stretch to draw some conclusions from these observations. Perhaps spurred by dropping gas prices, many people were driving out of town for Thanksgiving. Others were meeting friends for coffee after work, and yet others were getting their grooming in order before seeing their extended families. Folks were buying groceries, but were not dining out; perhaps, given the meal that awaited on Thursday, it seemed appropriate to stay home and have a light salad for dinner. The contracting national economy was starting to touch businesses here in town.

As the evenings grow chillier and the days continue to shorten -- and as the economy continues to cool -- it will be interesting to see how our town reacts and copes.

Triple-Take on Redwood Road

Your Boulevardier was driving (yes, alas, in a car) down Redwood Road the other day when the farthest-left window at Kay's Bridal Boutique caught his eye. Kay's is known, of course, for the lavish displays of formal gowns in its windows; it's a splash of elegance in a stretch of road that's desperately in need of same. But on this day, something in the window looked terribly wrong; it appeared that two elegant gowns were accompanied by a third outfit made of burlap and raffia.

Upon closer inspection, to the great relief of Your Boulevardier, the third "gown" was actually a seasonal scarecrow. But his size and position gave the impression, just for a moment, of a fantastic fashion faux pas being foisted upon Castro Valley's society set.

Postscript: Upon relating this mistaken identification to mon petit chou, she laughed and asked if Your Boulevardier had seen the episode of I Love Lucy in which Lucy and Ethel, on vacation in Paris, are duped by Ricky and Fred into wearing awful creations, thinking that they are designer gowns. (Episode 147.) He had not, but he correctly guessed the story twist that would follow: that the comical couture would become the toast of the town.

Caffeine Conundrum

Your Boulevardier popped into Peet's last Friday evening at around 6:30 p.m. He ordered a half-caf/half-decaf coffee, and the counterperson immediately went to work making fresh decaffeinated coffee.

It was inquired as to why there wasn't decaf ready. (Your Boulevardier was not unhappy; just surprised.) Sales of so-called "unleaded" should be greater in the evenings, it was posited, since people wouldn't want the caffeine to interrupt their sleep. The person at the counter responded that, in fact, the opposite is true: Peet's sells a large quantity of decaf in the morning, and very little in the evening. For that reason, it decaffeinated always made fresh after the sun sets.

Your Boulevardier cannot explain this apparent contradiction. Can you, readers?

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.