Finally! Google street view has expanded to include all (well most of) Alameda!

A 10-day project (May 27 - June 6) to create the world’s largest chalk drawing is underway at Alameda Point.

The Kid’s Chalk Art Project is a community event that celebrates and supports the creative spirit of our children. The Project’s goal is to collaboratively create the World’s Largest Chalk Drawing with the kids of Alameda (K-12), their families, friends, and neighbors, as well as the greater community of the San Francisco Bay Area.

We are attempting to break the Guinness World Record and plan on obtaining a satellite photograph of the artwork to promote our mission. The chalk drawing will be created over a two-week period, culminating on June 7, 2008. The event is open to the public, on the decommissioned Naval Air Base of Alameda Point.

A blog and photo gallery track the daily progress.

The reviews are in (here, and here, for starters) and the Alameda theater restoration is getting rave reviews. I was there for the free grand opening on Saturday and watching Ingrid Bergman on the big screen brought back memories from many years ago! Perhaps the theater might want to consider the regular screening of classics, in addition to the first run movies.

The website could do with some sprucing up. For starters, it is incomplete as Indiana Jones is playing on two screens, while the website lists the timings for only the main screen. As always, Google to the rescue. btw, Google has listings for all 8 screens, but the theater’s website lists only 5! What gives?

As the restored main screen is perhaps the main draw, it would be helpful if the movie playing there was clearly identified.

The online booking interface is broken! It takes you to a screen that has links to the individual websites for the movies, but good luck trying to book a ticket through any of these links.

Hopefully, these are just the initial glitches and will be sorted out in due course.

While we’re on the topic of the theater, check out the June 1933 program for the Alameda Theater.

Part A

Part B

Part C

Part D

This blog (has for the most part) stayed away from local politics, preferring to let other folks who are more conversant in this area to discuss such matters. Still, I couldn’t help but notice this comment from Don Roberts, a vocal critic of the Alameda Theater:

Yesterday morning, hundreds of people stood in line to take a free tour of the beautifully refurbished Alameda Theater and the new 7 screen megaplex. They also got to see free classic movies, i.e., Casablanca, Singing in the Rain, and the Wizard of Oz.

Perhaps a sign that he has now changed his mind?

Despite my initial reservations about the size of the parking garage, I’m eagerly looking forward to the grand opening of the theater. I walked by today and it still looks very much like a construction zone.

Inquiring mind wants to know: will they get rid of the gaudy colored bulbs at the theater entrance (underneath the awning)?

As reported in the Alameda Sun:

What are the chances that cancer would hit 50 percent of everyone in one family? Three members of one Alameda family of six: baby Porter (now age 4), Jim Pixton (the dad) and Jen Pixton (the mom) have all been diagnosed with cancer. Jen Pixton has just finished her chemotherapy treatments and now it is time to help raise some much needed money for this self-employed family to help them pay for ever-escalating medical expenses.

A Benefit Concert featuring the Music of Bluegrass Bands Dark Hollow, The Backyard Party Boys, The Kentucky Twisters and The Bay Island Ramblers will be held at Michaan’s Auctions by the Bay Theatre on Saturday 17th May.

In the Sunday NYT Magazine:

Last summer, a trio of Seattle software developers started walkscore.com, which calculates the number of potential destinations within walking distance of any given address and then produces a rating. If your neighborhood scores 90 or above, you can easily live there without a car; if it scores under 25, you’ll be driving to the backyard.

I entered a couple of random addresses in Alameda. As expected, neighborhoods in the vicinity of Webster and Park St have high walkscores (85 and 94, respectively), while it was significantly lower (40-50s) for Bay Farm.

Go ahead, lookup your Walk Scores!

Or is that Alameda Theatre? (not sure I understand the fascination for the British versions; first Alameda Towne Centre and now Alameda Theatre!)

But I digress and snark aside … after years of back and forth, the theatre is finally nearing completion. A black tie event (tickets are $100) is scheduled for the 21st May to mark the opening.

Join us Wednesday, May 21, 2008 for the grand reopening of the historic Alameda Theatre. The City and its partner, Alameda Entertainment Associates, will host a Grand Opening Black Tie Gala event to raise funds to restore the original Art Deco mural in the mezzanine lobby of the Theatre and completely refurbish the original hand-painted curtain.

There is also a free “grand opening” event scheduled for the 24th May.

Looks like AP&T could soon be shedding (pun unintended) the “T” aspect of the business!

As reported in the Chronicle:

In a presentation to the city’s public utilities board, officials from the city-owned Alameda Power & Telecom last week laid out the options for the public - none of which is likely to recover the $85 million the city has spent to launch and operate the service.

If that weren’t enough, Alameda, which has a general fund budget of $80 million this year, is due to make a $33 million balloon payment next year on the original construction bond.

Atleast it’s not all gloom and doom

Alameda is a place that’s always taken great pride in its ability to fend for itself, and it’s evident in city ownership of its hospital and power plant and school system - and it’s something other municipalities can strive for.

Now that we are (were?) on the verge of having a Borders in town at the Alameda Towne Center, comes this report that they might be sold to Barnes and Noble (among other options).

Struggling against both online and big-box retailers, the Borders Group, the bookseller, said Thursday that it had hired two investment banks to advise it on a potential sale and had turned to its largest shareholder for additional money.

Borders said it earned $84.7 million for its fourth quarter, down slightly from $87.7 million in the period a year ago. It is also pursuing “strategic alternatives,” a phrase that often includes a potential sale of parts or all of a company. Borders has hired JPMorgan Chase and Merrill Lynch as its advisers.

Wall Street has speculated for more than a year that Borders might sell itself to its larger rival, Barnes & Noble.