Goodbye old friend....

Years ago, when Peter and I first started dating and later when we lived together in Oakland we used to go to The Parkway Speakeasy Theater.
It was just a few blocks away from our apartment.
There was pizza, beer and couches to sit on while watching movies that had just come off the major screens as well as indie and cult flicks. Cheap prices, good food and comfortable seating, what more could you ask for?
One of my favorite nights to go was the nights when they showed some crazy Tiki movie. There was always a raffle (which I one 3 times in a row), hula dancers and a band whose instruments usually included the beloved Theremin.
Peter and I always split a pizza and either beer or a bottle of wine.
I always said that when we had a baby I was going to be first in line for Baby Brigade.

When I think back to the beginning of our relationship The Parkway is one of my fondest memories. But of course as with anything so readily available to you, we took it for granted. We moved out of the area for a few years, always talking about how much we loved that place and wondered why no one else had thought to do it in other places. When we moved back to the area, I think we went there twice before Sadie was born and not once since she's been here.

I remember while living in LA how we would talk about The Parkway. The closest thing we could find there was the Arclight on Sunset. They offered a 21+ seating with assigned seating in all shows so you could pick where you wanted to sit. It was expensive and luxurious. Not at all like our Parkway. In NJ, we didn't find anything like it at all.

In an increasingly declining economy a place like The Parkway becomes more and more dependent on it's patrons. If they don't have money or time to spend there, the doors can't stay open.

When Peter told me the news this morning that The Parkway had closed. I actually had to wipe tears away from my eyes.

Even thought the El Cerrito location remains open there will always be only one Parkway Theater for us. I feel bad that we didn't' support it more.

It's almost like the signal of an end of an era for us. We will always have our memories.

Goodbye dear friend, you will be missed.

xoxo