The Other Castro Village

Your Boulevardier took BART to San Francisco last night to meet friends and take in Fritz Lang's Human Desire as part of the Noir City festival at the Castro Theatre. He noticed this sign at the corner of Castro and 19th Streets.



To which Your Boulevardier exclaims: Share The Love.

Lengths and Breaths

Your Boulevardier is once again hosting the Subcompact Loaner this weekend, and the sun is shining, so this morning was a good one to get out for a long walk on Castro Valley Boulevard. The first stop on our journey was Valley Java, where Your Boulevardier feels safe tying up the SL for a brief moment. (His unease with doing so at busier, more exposed places is explained here.) Our arrival occurred before the church rush, so the shop was quiet, with only a few customers at the tables and soft jazz audible over the hubbub.

Your Boulevardier was tempted to take a peek at the hospital construction site, but opted instead to head east on the Boulevard. It was noted that the ARCO station at Wisteria Street is closed due to an Alcoholic Beverage Control violation. Interesting to note that they're not selling gas during this shutdown; could it be that the Patrón and Pabst brings in more money than the Petrol?



From there the Post Office was visited. Although the sign announced that dogs were not welcome, Your Boulevardier broke the rules and walked the Subcompact Loaner into the building to check his box. Then the Village was passed through; bowlers were already arriving for their morning observances.

Near Peet's, Your Boulevardier had a chance encounter with Paul, the husband of Soeur de Boulevardier. (If there is a colloquial French phrase for "brother-in-law," Your Boulevardier does not know it.) Paul asked if Your Boulevardier was "walking a mop" -- recall that the Subcompact Loaner is a small, white, hairy dog -- and other family news was shared. From there, Your Boulevardier ambulated through the shopping center behind the Wachovia branch that will become Castro Valley's Wells Fargo Bank this coming April. He confirmed that many of the storefronts in the center are vacant, though there is a dentist, a real estate agent, a title company, a hair salon, and a tutoring company in business.

The Boulevard was crossed at Yeandle Avenue -- Rudy's was passed without ducking in, since Your Boulevardier is trying to limit his intake of sweets -- and the under-construction path from Castro Valley Boulevard to the Castro Valley Library was explored. (The work seems to have been stalled by the recent rains.) A book was returned using the Library's nifty self-service electronic scanner, after which the creek was inspected from the footbridge. The streamflow is far calmer than it was just a few days ago, due to the recent dry spell. (Your Boulevardier finds our town's creeks thrilling when they're raging, but much more pleasant when they're just flowing peacefully.)




The rest of the walk to Chez Boulevardier was without incident or observation worthy of reporting. It was a fine morning for a walk, though; the air is clean and smells fresh, the sidewalks and crosswalks are passable (no major flooding or mud traps were encountered) and the sun shone brightly. A fine close to the month of January.

Twilight Walks

The rains continue to drench Castro Valley, but on two successive late afternoons Your Boulevardier has been able to get out and walk the town. On Monday night he ventured onto Castro Valley Boulevard, first passing through residential neighborhoods as area residents rolled their trash carts to the curb. This evening he braved the post-work grocery store rush at the Lucky supermarket. It's a wonderful time to walk, as the town transitions from the workday world to the home and hearth. Lights glow in windows, but shades are not yet drawn; neighbors are chatting as they haul groceries or check mail; yes, people are eager to get home, but the pace seems gentler, more restful, than at mid-day.

A walker sees that a certain amount of post-storm detritus litters the sidewalks and clogs the gutters. But from what little he saw, Your Boulevardier believes that the town has come through the weeklong-plus deluge in good shape.

There are exceptions, of course. The interchange construction at Redwood Road and I-580 is shut down -- and flooded, on the east side. (A FOB who works for the firm doing the project says that, currently, just 1% of the company’s heavy equipment is in active use statewide.) Just up the road, the demolition of the Center Street offramp from I-580 has paused as well, due perhaps to the creation of a sizeable temporary lakelet next to the freeway.

Your Boulevardier has not checked on how the rains are affecting the other big construction project in town, the building of a new Eden Hospital. However, he was impressed by the seven-phase construction plan recently posted on the hospital’s website by civil engineer Jeff Moore of the Castro Valley-based firm Greenwood & Moore. Reading it is recommended.

And frankly, Your Boulevardier was surprised -- and very pleased -- to read that a local firm is so intimately involved in the hospital project. And he is surprised that Sutter Health has not made a bigger deal out of the fact. Your Boulevardier has walked past the Greenwood & Moore offices on Castro Valley Boulevard hundreds of times and never knew what went on up there. Now the veil is lifted, however slightly. (Not that the firm is mysterious; rather, Your Boulevardier does not have need of civil engineering in his daily life, and has precious little knowledge of what a civil engineer does.)

Continuing our survey of storm effects, Your Boulevardier has not traveled to Lake Chabot to see the precipitation’s impact on the town’s main waterway. If readers have reports, please consider adding them to the comments. (One can do so anonymously.)

But back to the rain’s effects on local business establishments. The enterprises Your Boulevardier visited did not have telltale buckets catching roof leaks. Restaurants seemed fairly busy; bowlers and barflies were practicing their arts; hot coffee was being dispensed with caffeinated vigor; young people danced and kicked and chopped while their parents waited, sometimes impatiently, for after-school classes to finish. Pete’s Hardware seemed to do a brisk business in tarps, galoshes, and other rain-related retail items. Perhaps the hair-and-nail salons were a bit slow, but they always seem to have empty chairs when Your Boulevardier peeks through their windows.

Skies are forecast to be cloudy but dry for a couple of days, with a chance of rain returning on Friday. (Your Boulevardier will again be hosting the Subcompact Loaner this coming weekend, so walking weather is hoped for.) One should not put away the slicker just yet, but we should all attempt to enjoy the respite from the damp while we can. Perhaps another evening walk is called for.

Good Architectural News

Your Boulevardier received a letter today from his bank, Wells Fargo. The company has decided to consolidate its Castro Valley options into the lovely building at the corner of Castro Valley Boulevard and Redwood Road -- the building that was once World Savings, and which now is Wachovia. (Wells Fargo owns Wachovia.)

This was the very outcome Your Boulevardier hoped for back in October of 2008 when Wells Fargo acquired the collapsing Wachovia. One does not harbor any illusions that the banking powers paid any heed to, or even would deign to acknowledge, this blog. But satisfaction in the resolution is nonetheless derived.

This may not be the best of news for the other merchants in the strip mall (on Castro Valley Boulevard between Anita and San Miguel Streets) where Wells Fargo currently makes its home. The Vella's Locker Room has decamped for San Leandro (taking with it half of its sign), and many Blockbuster Video stores in the Bay Area have already closed. The Asian restaurants, dollar stores, and cleaners have had a tough go of things in that shopping center. Your Boulevardier does not patronize the other shops, so he cannot attest to their health. But certainly losing the walk-in traffic of a busy bank branch cannot be good news.

One can only hope that the converse is true -- that the center surrounding the new location will perk up. Although Your Boulevardier has not inspected it carefully in some time, he believes it to be mostly empty. Time will tell.

Building a Better Ramp

Since Your Boulevardier has been griping about the new curb cuts and ramps being installed around Castro Valley, he thought it only fair to point out where one such ramp is a considerable improvement.



This ramp was installed at the corner of Stanton Avenue and Castro Valley Boulevard, just in front of the Jiffy Lube. Among its positive attributes is an improved retaining wall for holding back the shop's planter (the old one was made of crumbling wood), and a gentle curve at its west end that gives plenty of clearance around the light pole for wheeled vehicles of many sorts -- wheelchairs and double-wide strollers come to mind.

This latter feature is noted because it is an exception. Indeed, several spots have been noted where short stretches of sidewalk on Castro Valley Boulevard are cluttered with signal boxes, poles, bus shelters, benches, and other objects that make smooth passage a challenge. These will be documented in the coming weeks.

But for now, a tip of the beret is offered to this much-improved ramp.

The Dog-Walking Experience

It was a year ago today that the Trusty BoulevarDog left us. She has been much on Your Boulevardier’s mind on this anniversary weekend, in part because the Subcompact Loaner is spending a few days Chez Boulevardier. To re-enter the rhythms of dog ownership -- the joys and the complications thereof -- has been an eye-opening reminder of the Trusty BoulevarDog’s absence.

The now-absent dog-owning experience comes into particular focus in the twice- or thrice-daily walks that the Subcompact Loaner requires. She has been an enthusiastic walker these last couple of days, particularly for an animal of her tiny size. Walks of three miles have been undertaken without complaint or signs of exhaustion. The walks require the packing of poop bags (and a flashlight in the evening); the constant scanning of fellow pedestrians to determine those who do desire, or who do not wish, canine contact; the instant camaraderie that a dog-walker shares with other dog-walkers; and more. These factors, and others, make walking with a dog more complicated, but also more joyful and mindful, than walking on one’s own.

(On these walks, both on Stanton and Anita Avenues, our town’s patchwork of sidewalks, and the complications therefrom, have also become painfully apparent. But Your Boulevardier has complained enough about that subject of late.)

There’s an outing-related complication with walking the Subcompact Loaner that did not exist with the Trusty BoulevarDog: the Subcompact Loaner is tiny and, frankly, snatchable. The Trusty BoulevarDog was a good companion for a walk to the grocery store or the barbershop because she could be tied up outside without issue or complaint. She was mellow, but because she was medium-to-large in size and bore markings similar to those of a German Shepherd, she was not messed with by strangers. The Subcompact Loaner, by contrast, is less than 10 pounds in weight, light-colored, fluffy, and just plain cute. Sadly, a dog with those characteristics cannot be left outside a shop for 20 minutes without tempting fate. Sadly, not all people who claim to be dog-lovers are upstanding citizens. Look at all the abandoned dogs at the pound if you disagree.

This is a roundabout way of saying that walks with the Subcompact Loaner tend to be single-purpose outings: to walk the dog. They can’t be combined with dining out, or shopping, or other errands. That is a shortcoming of the Subcompact Loaner -- not a shortcoming of her own making or fault, but a shortcoming nonetheless that must be considered.

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Rereading this post from the top, two things strike Your Boulevardier. One, the post is more about the Subcompact Loaner than about the Trusty BoulevarDog. That’s as it should be. The Trusty BoulevarDog is remembered with love, but she is no longer here; the Subcompact Loaner is, and therefore deserves the attention. This does not, in Your Boulevardier’s opinion, take anything away from the Trusty BoulevarDog or her memory; it simply acknowledges the real world in which some of us are fortunate to live. Memory is a lovely thing, but life is more lovely.

Second, this post might be interpreted as complaining a bit about the Subcompact Loaner. That is not Your Boulevardier’s intention. She’s a fine dog and an entertaining companion. She has many positive attributes, including a skill for lap-sitting that Your Boulevardier finds comforting. She has a joie de vivre that's hard to match.

People frequently ask Your Boulevardier if he plans to get another dog. The stock answer -- which is true -- is “Not for now. It’s nice to be able to simply turn down the thermostat and lock the door when leaving the house. And it’s nice to not have tumbleweeds of dog fur rolling around the floor.”

But it also must be said that having another heartbeat in the house is life-affirming, and by re-experiencing it this weekend its absence is more clear. And there’s nothing that compares with the welcome a dog gives one when one returns home, even if one has ony been gone for a few minutes. There were countless delights in living with the Trusty BoulevarDog, and it’s a delight to host the Subcompact Loaner.

So, the next-dog question remains open. This post will close with a favorite photo of the two dogs. The contentment of them -- and, frankly, the humor of one large dog pouring out of its bed while a tiny dog disappears into its bed -- gives Your Boulevardier a happy feeling on a rainy, melancholy day.

Why we love the Village Barber Shop

Your Boulevardier had a tough day today. He hit his desk early in the morning, without bathing or shaving. (Such are the privileges of working at home.) Lunch was eaten at the desk. Such days can be fun and exciting, but they can also be exhausting.

Around 3:00 p.m. a window of time opened up. If exercise was to be gotten, this was the opportunity. So a jacket and walking shoes were pulled on, and course was set for The Boulevard. The bank and post office were visited, after which Your Boulevardier cut through Castro Village on his way to Redwood Road.

He found his barber, Terence "Limbo" Lim, sitting on a bench outside the Village Barber Shop. Cordial conversation ensued, and soon Limbo invited Your Boulevardier in for a free trim.

Now remember: the desk had been hit this morning before bathing. To say Your Boulevard was a bit unkept is an understatement. "C'mon in, buddy. I'm not doing anything anyway," Limbo insisted. The offer was accepted. Jokes were made by other barbers that Limbo would be fired for giving away free trims.

It was a perfect treat for an otherwise-tiring day. A major tip of the Beret goes to the Village Barbershop and to Limbo. Thank you!

More Window Vandalism

Your Boulevardier notes that a large window at Eden Bicycles in Castro Village was boarded up yesterday afternoon. Asking in the shop about the circumstances, he learned that nothing was taken from the store; the vandals simply broke the window and ran. So the spree continues, but has now moved off the Boulevard.

Sidewalks Are Optional

Your Boulevardier mentioned a few days ago that curb cuts and ramps were being constructed around town and that he was certain he had seen ramps in locations where there were no sidewalks.

Turns out one such ramp is among those recently built: this one at Redwood Road and Jamison Way. There are uneven dirt paths on either side of the new concrete ramp, and on the Jamison Way side there are multiple obstacles -- a signpost and a telephone pole guy wire -- that would prevent a wheelchair or double-wide stroller from approaching. The photo does not do the situation justice.



Your Boulevardier is not opposed to public works or government spending, but he does not like waste. Can readers convince Yours Truly that this ramp serves any purpose, and was therefore a good use of public funds?

Chabot Continues to Please

It must be said: we in Castro Valley are very fortunate to have the Chabot Theater here. Last night, at the very last minute, Your Boulevardier decided to catch Sherlock Holmes at the movie house. (Today it has been replaced with -- sigh -- Alvin and the Chipmunks, the Squeakquel.) He left home at 7:25, found street parking in front of Direct Sales (the broken window has not yet been repaired), and walked right in. No lines, no hassles -- and the staff actually seems to care about customers and about movies. (This, in Your Boulevardier's opinion, is not the experience at the big multiplex in Hayward.)

Happily, the theater had a pretty good turnout for a Thursday evening. (The movie itself was strange but compelling.) Still, the Chabot always needs our patronage -- particularly when it presents interesting fare. Your Boulevardier encourages Castro Valleyans to support our local movie theater.

Castro Valley Resident Has Letter Published In NY Times

A letter from Castro Valley was published in the New York Times a couple of days ago. The letter's author is one Wesley J. Smith; a scan of his Wikipedia biography shows that he is an attorney and an expert in bioethics, with a broad publishing and research background. (Not to mention the husband of San Francisco Chronicle columnist Debra Saunders.)

Which leads to a question or three: is Mr. Smith a Castro Valley resident? Is Ms. Saunders? Returning to Wikipedia, they are not listed among our town's notable residents, but such lists are typically made up of athletes, entertainers, and rock musicians, rather than intellectuals and journalists. Your Boulevardier will leave it to the reader to decide if that's a statement on Wikipedia, on American values, or on something else.

Your Boulevardier's Foolproof Plan for Balancing California's Budget

Step 1: Post a CHP officer at the Redwood Road onramp to westbound I-580.

Step 2: Ticket all motorists who don't yield to pedestrians in in the crosswalk, don't stop for a red light, and/or talk on their phones without using a hands-free device.

Problem solved!

Curbing Your Enthusiasm

Some government money must have broken loose somewhere, because there's a rash of sidewalk ramp installations going on around Castro Valley.

Your Boulevardier noticed the pylons and diggers on Redwood Road north of Castro Valley Boulevard last week. Today, he found several demolitions on The Boulevard. The two photos below were taken at Stanton and Strobridge respectively.

Certainly when the projects are complete the sidewalks and curb cuts will be better for pedestrians -- particularly those in wheelchairs or parents pushing strollers. But for the time being, the work makes getting around quite difficult. The construction at Stanton is particularly disruptive to pedestrians because there is a) no warning that the work is coming; and b) no way around it except to walk in traffic. This at an intersection where motorists rarely bother to look for pedestrians in the first place.


The demolition at Strobridge is curious because the crews have removed only the middle part of an already-existing ramp. Your Boulevardier assumes this is to put down the sort of bumpy rubber surface that many such ramps have.

The strangest ramp installations in Castro Valley occur where there are no sidewalks. (Longtime readers may recall postings in which Your Boulevardier griped about the mysterious pride some Castro Valleyans have in their lack of sidewalks; to some, it's a contributor to our "rural feel." To Yours Truly, lack of sidewalks only contributes to muddy shoes in the winter and impolite, pedestrian-hostile parking year-round.) Your Boulevardier knows he has seen some of these unattached ramps, but has not cataloged them for publication here. Perhaps he will do so in the near future.

The Nesting Instinct

With New Year's Eve falling on a Thursday, it's likely that many Castro Valleyans -- at least those with means -- have blown the burg and are settled in elsewhere for what amounts to a four-day weekend. Others are staying close to home, of course. Some of us -- Your Boulevardier falls into this third category -- find ourselves flitting about like overwintering birds between leafless trees, rather than settling into one spot for an extended period. While cozying into a nest may be appealing, circumstances prevent it.



The inviting small bird nest seen here is in one of the Chinese Pistache trees on the Castro Valley Boulevard side of the Safeway parking lot. For now it is vacant, but one can imagine that with the return of warmer weather -- and some leaf cover -- it will be reoccupied by some LBB. (Confused? See the third definition.) The aerie is much smaller than the photo seems to indicate; nothing is in the picture to provide viewers with a sense of scale. For the record, it's no more than 2 inches wide. That's the Sunflower restaurant in the background.

Sighting this nest the other day served as a reminder that now is a good time for bird aficionados to check trees for nests. Big nests high in deciduous trees are easy to spot in winter, and smaller nests near eye level can be mentally tagged for future checking when spring returns.

However readers are spending the first few days of 2010 -- whether nesting or flying about -- Your Boulevardier wishes you a happy new year.