Light Up The Valley

Your Boulevardier and Mon Petit Chou caught a showing of the High Voltage Christmas last Sunday night. (He intended to write about it sooner, but various delights and pressures of the season have filled the days since.)

The synchronized light-and-music show, first launched in 2004 by teenager Jeff Stevens, is at 18199 Carmel Drive in Castro Valley. Showtimes are 7:00, 7:30, and 8:00 p.m. A new feature this year is projected cartoons, along with family photos and videos, on the garage door.

Your Boulevardier doesn't know how true this story is, so he posts it only as hearsay: A FOB -- a person who lives in the neighborhood of the High Voltage Christmas -- says that Mr. Stevens is away at college this year and was not planning to create a holiday display. Fortunately gentle pressure from friends and neighbors caused him to relent. (It's also interesting to note that Mr. Stevens is studying Civil Engineering, not Electrical.) Readers who can confirm or correct the veracity of this tale are encouraged to do so in the comments.

Whatever the story, the efforts are magnificent and well worth a trip. The synchronization and cleverness of the display are wonderful, the scale is impressive, and the spirit is heartwarming. Mr. Stevens personally supervises each show and is available to answer questions before and after.

A tip of the beret, and a merry Christmas to all.

It Was a Wonderful Night

Your Boulevardier, accompanied by Soeur et Neveu de Boulevardier, took in the 11:30 p.m. showing of It's a Wonderful Life at the Chabot Theater last night, along with about 145 of their closest friends.



In truth, no personal friends were recognized in the crowd, but the atmosphere was friendly and festive. Ages varied, but most persons seemed in to be in the 20s-to-50s range, with a contingent wearing CVHS apparel. Many people, it seemed, had pre-purchased their tickets and walked straight into the auditorium; one young woman in line who had an extra ticket offered it gratis to Your Boulevardier, but he insisted on compensating her. Still, the generosity of her offer was noted and appreciated.

A number of people arrived in barely disguised sleepwear. Some attendees took advantage of the snack bar, though takers of the popcorn-and-cocoa offer were not, by Your Boulevardier's observation, in abundance.

The movie itself was shown without ceremony. Indeed, there were no trailers or previews or advertisements on the screen before the show; only a digital countdown in the corner of the screen. Projection itself was flawless, thanks to a digital "print" of the film and a digital projector. (Your Boulevardier had worried to his companions before the show about the print quality -- worries that were unfounded.) The only semi-comical footnote to this use of technology was the large blue-and-white message that appeared immediately after the show -- something about pressing PLAY. This got a laugh from the audience.

But indeed, the entire show got laughs where appropriate (the dance over the swimming pool, for example); a cringe, where Capra-induced (George Bailey's occasional and irrational tirades over his seemingly hopeless existence); and a tear or two (such as when newlywed Mary Bailey makes the most of her ruined honeymoon by setting a beautiful table in the shabby, leaking Granville house.

The film's message of rapacious bankers, impending foreclosure, and financial desperation took on, perhaps, a more urgent tone this year than in years past. Certainly the current economic downturn is affecting our area. Thanks go to the Chabot for putting together an evening of inexpensive holiday entertainment, and to almost 150 people for partaking of it. Castro Valley may not be Bedford Falls, but it ain't Potterville, either.

Midnight Moon

Last night Your Boulevardier took BART to San Francisco to see the apocalyptic thriller 2012 with friend PF and his son JDF. After dinner and a 7:30 p.m. show -- and a lost phone that required our scouring the sticky floors of a few theater rows -- a Dublin-Pleasanton train was caught for the ride home.

Upon arriving at the Castro Valley station, and being on foot, Your Boulevardier decided to make a detour by the Chabot Cinema. He was curious whether the theater was hosting a midnight show of New Moon, the latest in the Twilight vampire saga. Sure enough, the marquee was lit and people, mostly young women, were assembling. Some were walking to the theater from surrounding parking lots, looking like moths moving toward a bright light or zombies stalking fresh brains.

The theater doors were already open when Your Boulevardier passed at around 11:40 p.m., so there wasn't the stereotypical line of fans that midnight "event" movies sometimes engender; however, there was a good-sized crowd inside, purchasing tickets -- and, perhaps, coffee. Some people were sighted in pajamas and slippers and carrying blankets. It seems that, to some in attendance, the midnight movie event evoked the feel of a teenage sleepover.

Your Boulevardier did not join the fun. He is not current on the Twilight phenomenon, and one supernatural movie was enough for the evening. He walked down Baker Road (past another place haunted by denizens of the night, Spanky's Lounge) and across the pedestrian overpass over I-580 and home.

As Autumn Arrives

Your Boulevardier made an after-dinner circuit of downtown Castro Valley this evening, walking first to the Chabot Cinema to view a truly bizarre movie, All About Steve, and then completing a few errands.

The warm evening air and the fingernail moon were, it seems, enticing to others as well. For a weeknight, the town was buzzing with people. Starbucks, Yogofina, and the Ice Creamery all had crowds; packs of teenagers wandered the streets (clumps of boys in their big shirts and cockeyed hats, trying to look hard, trailed by equally sized clumps of girls in tanks and flipflops, texting as they walked). Bicyclists practiced tricks in the parking lot by Blockbuster, while car buffs admired each others' vehicles near Safeway.

Among his errands: Your Boulevardier took a few cuttings (for rooting, even though this is the wrong time of year to do so) from the lantana in front of Chateau Fiebig. The building itself may be an architectural monstrosity, but the colors of the flowers in front of it are wonderful.

Friday Night Sipping

Mon Petit Chou has alerted Your Boulevardier to an item in the San Jose Mercury News about summer cocktails - and, in particular, a drink called Boulevardier. Coincidentally, Your Boulevardier just bought a new cocktail shaker, so we will be making them this evening. The recipe is straightforward:

Ice
1 1/2 ounces bourbon
1 ounce sweet vermouth
1 ounce Campari
Twist of lemon peel, for garnish

Fill a mixing glass halfway with ice. Add the bourbon, sweet vermouth and Campari. Stir vigorously for 30 seconds, then strain into a cocktail (martini) glass. Garnish with the twist of lemon peel.

Adapted by Jason Wilson from "Barflies and Cocktails," by Harry McElhone (1927; reissued 2008, Mud Puddle Books)

Look Up! It's the Space Station!

Your Boulevardier slipped his copy of Close Encounters of the Third Kind into the DVD player last night and enjoyed a reunion with an old favorite movie. Those who have seen it know: it's a langorously paced film, completely happy to present long, almost static images of people staring at something they've never seen before.

And the fact is, few of us have ever seen a spaceship. But, for the next few days, you have an opportunity. The International Space Station's orbit is causing it to appear quite readily to those of us on Earth. The NASA website has a database application you can use to check for particular times, but here's a link to the results.

Tonight, for example, the ISS will be visible a little after nine and a little before eleven.

This post, admittedly, has almost nothing to do with Castro Valley. However, Your Boulevardier knows that one of the readers is a space scientist, so that's the justification he is using.

"Dive In Movie" Coming to Castro Valley

Your Boulevardier has learned that HARD will sponsor a "Dive In Movie" at the Castro Valley Swim Center on Friday, July 10 at 8:30 p.m. Viewers can float in the pool while the movie "Madagascar" is screened outdoors. No registration is required. Never have wrinkly fingertips been so much fun.

Sundry Sunday

Your Boulevardier attended the Sunday evening showing of X-Men Origins Wolverine at the Chabot Cinema this evening. Some fifty or more people were in attendance and the movie was exciting and enjoyable. On the walk home, a few bits of information were collected.

First, Your Boulevardier must correct an earlier misstatement regarding next weekend's Rodeo Parade: the pre-parade Pancake Breakfast will be held from 7-10 a.m. at the fire station on San Miguel Avenue. (And Wudas: Your Boulevardier plays the baritone saxophone.)

Second, it was inexplicable but wonderful to see that the Ice Creamery was packed with patrons on Sunday evening at 9:00 p.m.

Third, the new McDonald's at Strobridge Avenue and Castro Valley Boulevard is now open. It is quite a fancy, even stylish, building from the outside -- with one small exception that will be pointed out later. When Your Boulevardier ventures inside, he will give a report on the interior.

Rodeo Parade is Coming

A week from Saturday (that is, May 9) will be the annual Rowell Ranch Rodeo Parade on Castro Valley Boulevard in Castro Valley. The night-before Chili Cookoff is also in the works, but it appears from the schedule that the morning-of Pancake Breakfast is not being held this year.

Since it is never listed in the promotional materials, Your Boulevardier reminds readers that the Castro Valley Community Band, of which yours truly is a member, will perform in the parking lot of Castro Village starting at 9:15 a.m.

Wonderful Show at PhotoCentral

Mon ami Kate reminded Your Boulevardier that a show of Bill Owens' photography opens this Friday at PhotoCentral in Hayward. Owens is quite a character and a true original; not only did he make a splash as a photojournalist documenting east bay suburban life the 1960s, but by some accounts he also virtually invented the brewpub in the United States. (Buffalo Bill's in Hayward was founded by Owens in 1983.)

Bill Owens: Five Decades of Photography

A look at the fun, eclectic, unexpected photographic work of a Hayward local and internationally known photographer.

Reception: Friday, April 17, 6:30-9:30 pm
Exhibition Dates: April 17 to June 18, 2009
Gallery Hours: Monday, 5:00-10:00 pm
Tuesday and Thursday, 10:00 am-1:00 pm
Saturday 12-3 pm and by appointment



Yes, this is a rather blatant bit of advertising for the Castro Valley Boulevardier. But this will be a terrific, even historic, show -- one not to be missed.

More Movie Madness

Your Boulevardier is a devoted (and, admittedly, repetitious) fan of the Chabot Cinema, but he remembers from his childhood the excitement when the Southland Cinemas in Hayward opened. Two movie theaters in one building -- what a concept!

A blog was stumbled upon today that reminded him of those heady days. Check out these pictures.

When viewing them, Your Boulevardier was certain that they had all been taken at the Southland Cinema I and II. But in fact, they were taken in Texas and Massachusetts. The sheer identicalness (one knows that's not a real word) is uncanny.

By the way, there was a 1:1 staff-to-patron ratio at the Chabot last night for the 6:30 p.m. showing of Watchmen. Your Boulevardier engaged the staffers in a chat and found out that summer midnight movies may not be happening this year, due to lack of advanced planning. Alas.

Chronicle Snubs Chabot

Today's San Francisco Chronicle ran an article about the best movie houses in the Bay Area. Sadly lacking from that list is Castro Valley's own Chabot Cinema. So in response to the Big City Snub, Your Boulevardier would like to provide a baker's dozen of reasons the Chabot is wonderful.

1) It's the only single-screen first-run movie theater in the East Bay.
2) Terrific Tuesdays: all tickets just $4.
3) Summer midnight movies.
4) Because it's a single-screen theater, there aren't a bunch of bored-looking folks loitering in the lobby.
5) Several reasonable dining options in the neighborhood.
6) Neon, glorious neon!
7) Food-scrap recycling bins.
8) Reasonable walking distance from BART.
9) New, comfortable seats.
10) Outrageous legroom in the balcony.
11) Movie club gives you free popcorn.
12) No-service-charge online tickets.
13) In-seat concession service (supposedly; Your Boulevardier has not tried this).

If you haven't been to the Chabot recently, please go soon. We, the citizens of Castro Valley, must keep our hometown movie theater alive!

Neon Delight

The Chabot Theater is one of the true treasures of Castro Valley. In order to support our local movie house, Your Boulevardier endeavors to see all films that show there -- even when they don't exactly pique his interest. The prices are good, and the staff is friendly. Parking is a problem until one learns about the Bank of America lot behind Jack in the Box. (Of course, it's best to walk to the show.)

Inside, the theater is a funky mix of old and new, with plenty of good seating (particularly so for the first row of the balcony), a serviceable but tiny snack bar, and odd-sized bathrooms (one urinal in the men's room seems to run 24 hours a day). The real joy at the Chabot is outside, though, where its refurbished neon marquee beckons. Your Boulevardier shot this brief video of the sign on January 6, 2009.



Your Boulevardier is not alone in loving the Chabot. Yelpers give it 4.5 stars. Interesting historical information and links can be found in the comments at Cinema Treasures. And a photo of the marquee can be found here (part of pbo31's Flikr photostream that includes several other lovely Castro Valley shots).

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.