When I was in sixth grade the fam would try to get together at least once a week and have "Family Day." For the most part, the day came like clockwork every week. One particular week we were off to the movies. As it turned out, the movie I wanted to see, Camp Nowhere, wasn't in the cards-we headed into what the family picked. Being the stubborn little bastard I was, I decided I'd sit on the complete opposite side of the movie theatre by myself if I couldn't get my way. Little did I know, the family movie turned out to be probably the best movie I'd ever seen to date (as for Camp Nowhere, I eventually saw it ... it sucked). It taught me a little something about life with this line: "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get." That Forrest Gump sure had a way with words.
That simple quote can cover so many realms of life. For this story, it's going to cover my trip to San Francisco. Although I've lived in California for nearly 15 years, I had never been up to the Bay Area until a few weeks ago. Sure, I knew about all the key San Fran attractions like the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, cable cars, and Alcatraz. But there was still a sense of eagerness to discover what was to come.
My first dip into the candy box was just as we, my friend Ned and I, dropped into Santa Barbara driving up the 101. Out in the bay we noticed an aircraft carrier surrounded by a dozen or so other boats, which looked more like blow up rafts by comparison. While eating lunch two hours up the road and overhearing some ladies talk we learned it wasn't just any aircraft carrier, it was the USS Reagan, America's newest, biggest, baddest, and all-around modern marvel of an aircraft carrier. For years I have read and seen things on the Reagan, but never did I think I'd actually see it! As it turned out, that glimpse into the bay foreshadowed what was to come.
While in San Fran we headed to lunch one day with my family, because we "had" to go eat at Tommy's Joynt (www.tommysjoynt.com), a landmark hofbrau. Not only did Tommy's turn out to be one of the best places I've ever eaten at in my life, and it was only $10, but across the street was something on par with any of San Fran's trademark attractions: a movie theatre. This theatre was a Cadillac dealership built in 1921 that has since been retrofitted into a movie house. Instead of turning things into a typical theatre, the owners kept everything intact and restored the building to its original glory. When you step through the grand front doors and columns into the lobby it's like taking a step back to '21. The best part is that the lobby is free to the public. Even the outside of the building still looks like a Cad dealership, as opposed to a movie theatre, with the Cad crest resting above the front door.
One thing is for sure, in life and in this column, you really don't know what you're gonna get. After all, who would have ever thought this story would start and end with a movie theatre. -Dakota Wentz