Arnavaz Fatemi / Roundup
If I hear someone say “stretching the dollar” one more time I might throw up.
Picture a night out with friends. What should be considered a bargain? Is it the least money spent? Should how much fun had also be put into consideration?
Don’t worry, readers, I did the research for you. I decided to compare a night going to a movie, the after-movie dinner and everything in between versus going to a play at Pierce College and everything that comes with that.
To give Pierce a slight advantage, my friends and I went to the Arclight Theater in Hollywood. Before the night had begun, $2.89 was spent on a gallon of gas to get to the movie.
It’s no secret the golden days are over. A movie no longer costs $6 and a movie at the Arclight costs $15. Seeing a play at Pierce also costs $15.
Although a play at Pierce costs $15, what about intermission? Even if you didn’t want to get a snack before the play started, it’s hard to resist the $2 Snickers bar waiting for you in the lobby.
Now that the movie and the play are over, it’s common to go grab a bite to eat.
The upsetting part about the San Fernando Valley is that everything seems to be closed after 10 p.m. The only options that seem to be in front of someone are Jerry’s Famous Deli or Denny’s.
Jerry’s is repulsively expensive. Denny’s is not inexpensive, but compared to the other choice, it’s a steal.
All together, at Denny’s, a stack of pancakes and a side order of hashbrowns came out to around $14, including coffee and tip.
Already being in Hollywood, after the movie the natural choice for my friends and I is to go to Swinger’s Diner.
At Swinger’s, toward which I’m a bit biased because they are very vegetarian and vegan friendly, I got the veggie chilli-cheese fries, and with coffee and tip I paid $10.
Which is more cost effective?
An entire night at a Pierce College play is $31.00.
Hollywood would seem to cost more, right? Taking into consideration the price of gas and how expensive it is to see a movie at the Arclight.
A night in Hollywood is $27.89.
Surprisingly, a night in Hollywood is actually less expensive.
Which is more fun, and therefore less of a waste, is up to the patron.
In a nut-shell, here’s a graph of the night.
A night in Hollywood:
Movie: $15
Dinner: $10
Gas: $2.89
Total: $27.89
Going to a Pierce College play:
Play: $15
Intermission: $2
Dinner: $14
Total: $31
—
afatemi.roundupnews@gmail.com
