Not Coke, Just Pepsi
Riding up Central this morning, feeling guilty about not having gotten up early enough to write a post on the Drought, or Measure H or the terrible bike parking situation at the new theater, I was thinking of, I wondered if something short would pop into my brain. It was if the gods of bad luck were listening!
Approaching the Alameda Theater, a delivery truck was blocking the bike lane…I thought “where was the intense enforcement I keep hearing about?” as I passed the truck, people were milling about. I stopped (I’m a sucker for rubbernecking), saw theater operator Kyle Connor walking across the street looking hurried but also measured as he took in the sight, obviously trying to figure out what it all meant.
A good 8-10′ gash has been ripped into the revamped theater awning by the Pepsi Truck, demolishing the corner of the awning. I’m pretty sure that not even Alameda’s most accomplished conspiracy theorists could say this was anything other than terrible driving.
Popularity: 31% [?]
Mark Irons
May 29th, 2008 at 9:57 am
I was going to get “smogged” just now and saw the gash at 10:45 and ran back to home to a computer to see if the news had hit the air waves.
Funny you should post it. When I first saw it I laughed thinking about the satisfaction people like Ani will get out of it and then I thought of the secondary irony of the long discussion about the long runway from the alley to the corner.
Looks like the truck is beyond the yellow zone.
Michael Krueger
May 29th, 2008 at 11:08 am
Oh, this is sad…after all that work they did on the canopy and marquee, including the new lighting and neon! Well, at least the Pepsi distributor should have deep enough pockets to pay for the damage, which I imagine will run into many thousands of dollars.
Jack B.
May 29th, 2008 at 11:14 am
>>> I laughed thinking about the satisfaction people like Ani will get out of it….
Who’s laughing? Talk about demonizing.
notadave
May 29th, 2008 at 11:33 am
You need to check your manual on proper posting of items, John. This really should have been headlined as Exclusive Scoop, and you should have referred to yourself in the 3rd person (” as the editor was riding up central…”)
Sue T.
May 29th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
At the theater last night, my husband contemplated buying a soda and then remembered that it was a PEPSI only venue (he’s a Coke guy). This just goes to show that Pepsi is even worse than we thought…!
Linda
May 29th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Jack B–I don’t think one could ever truly “demonize” Ani D. Her own writings are enough to leave one gasping.
Harry
May 29th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Mark Irons, You continue to live up to your reputation as being mean and twisted. Of course, there are those who gravitate to your style (Linda), but that’s a reflection on them.
Mark, you were the only person who wrote a letter to the editor in the Alameda Journal advocating demolishing the historic theater. It seems that you would be the only one laughing.
Bill
May 29th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
I’ve been waiting for someone to take on Mark Irons. He and “Roberto” ought to go hang out on ANOTHER island together. They’d make for great company.
Mark Irons
May 29th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
what’s the big deal?
I enjoy the perverse ironies in life and this is definitely one of those occasions. I’ve put forth plenty of other constructive and thoughtful comments that Roberto would never even approach thank you, but I can’t worry about him or any of you anonymous brave hearts. Maybe I’m an asshole but I’m not alone in this town and I try to save putting the screws to people who more or less deserve it. Sorry if they aren’t your picks, Harry and Bill.
Harry, good memory. You are right that I was the only one who advocated tearing the thing down. I was in the theater during renovation and was feeling contrite about that recommendation, but who cares? Nobody was ever going to listen to that option. It was as close as I’ve come to channeling Jeff Smith in terms of saying something I didn’t really believe just to have it said. I am glad to be wrong in terms of the aesthetics of the place, but what a burned out mess it was and who knows about the big picture economic investment etc. I don’t.
Jack B.
May 29th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
>>> Maybe I’m an asshole…
May be.
Mark Irons
May 29th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Oh, and if you want some real civic high mindedness check this out: http://www.boegerweb.com/the-bearer
Like I said, plenty of company.
Jack B.
May 29th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Heh heh. Like brothers.
Bill
May 29th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Mark, You are so juvenile. “Yeah, I’m an asshole for picking fights where no exists, but do other people.”
Bill
May 29th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Oops. Hit the wrong key. Let’s try it again.
“What’s the big deal that I’m an asshole and pick fights where none exist. Other people are the same way.”
john piziali
May 29th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
was Ani really driving that truck. …
So we’re all a bunch of jerks. If I was Ani I would be laughing because its just kinda funny . Let’s all argue over Pepsi—Coke I know we could probably fill a thread or two just on that issue.
Michael Krueger
May 29th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Couldn’t we try to find a reasonable middle ground between Pepsi and Coke? Why do all of you people on the blogs have to be so darned divisive and polarizing?
Jack B.
May 29th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
I’m more of a root beer guy.
Google’s ‘Street View’ comes to Alameda
June 13th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
[...] theatre (the pictures were obviously taken before construction was complete—and, too, before the Pepsi truck hit the theater sign). It’s pretty cool, actually, in an-oh-my-gosh-my-front-door-is-open kind of way (ours was ajar [...]
Christine
June 29th, 2008 at 9:28 am
[quote] the terrible bike parking situation at the new theater, [/quote]
hahahah considering they were about to close Central Cinema over his lack of bike parking and they had years since then to add that to their list. how ironic.
Mark Irons
July 7th, 2008 at 7:56 am
“Bill”,
Where did you get my quote? It is not from any post by me on this thread. It does not sound right for me to defend picking fights where none exist and to justify it by saying other people do the same thing. I may have said something that dumb on a really bad day, but I’m inclined to think you’ve put words in my mouth.
As for juvenile, that I may be. You may be very adult by contrast, but we can’t give credit where it’s supposedly due if you don’t have the courage of conviction to post as yourself, or at least in full name.
Ryan Bince
August 3rd, 2008 at 12:18 am
I work at the alameda theater, and i was inside that day, working when it happened.
i think we should abandon pepsi and switch to coke, just because of that.
Pepsi man
November 14th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
I see No one has figured out that the installers of the awning not only violated codes by having an awning in the street side of the curb but it also is too low for for codes. There is a minimum height requirement should anyone ever care. I can assure you that trailer does not even come close to the height requirements. Check your codes people.
Jayne Smythe
November 16th, 2009 at 11:14 am
Well, guess what, Pepsi Man? That marquee is original! When it was installed in 1931, delivery trucks weren’t as big and bold as they are now! Modern codes crash into History!