An adventure on the way to the Firehouse!

I rely on my Droid smart phone for everything from keeping my contacts to email to even imaginary post-it lists. However, there is one thing I will never blindly trust again . . . the G.P.S. map feature.

Last year my daughter and her friends were meeting up at the Firehouse Theater in Pleasanton for a school improv contest. When they asked me for a ride to the Firehouse Theater, I was confused, what? A Firehouse Theater? This, I had to see, so of course I'll give you all a ride.

I plugged in the address for the theater and off we went like a herd of turtles. Listening to the giggles and laughter from the backseat, I blindly followed the directions, which all seemed good, until the exit for Sunol loomed in front of me.

Um, no, the directions I plugged in clearly stated Pleasanton. This can't be right. So, being ever the good driver, I pulled over to fiddle with my phone (Highway Patrol would not be happy if they saw me trying to find the Firehouse while going 65 mph).

The kids started groaning . . . and instantly several smart phones were booted into map mode. We ended up having to get the map of Pleasanton and zoom into the street level to find the street, right off of Main Street. I had the kids delivered lickety split, but I sat and stared at the cutest firehouse I have ever seen.

It seems this used to be a real firehouse, but was recently converted into an adorable theater called appropriately, The Firehouse Theater. My daughter tells me the inside still has some features of the old firehouse, like the poles the firefighters slid down.

I did some hunting on the website: http://www.firehousearts.org/ and discovered the theater was originally a working firehouse constructed in 1888, housing a volunteer fire department of twenty men. The site did not mention the remodel from firehouse into the theater, but it seems very new to me.

I've been browsing the upcoming events and plays and I have to say, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing looks the best to me. Tickets start at just $6 each, so it's in my budget, and there is even a matinee. Perfect.

Just so you won't rely on your smart phone to get you there, the address is 4444 Railroad Avenue, Pleasanton, California. From Main Street, it's located to the east off of Neal Avenue. Enjoy the show!