#pancake circus

[williammarksommer]

Pancake Circus 

Sacramento, California

Hasselblad 500c/m

Kodak Ektar 100iso

[sacstreetview]

Broadway, Sacramento, California

2007, 2008, 2015, 2018

[pupofnoodles]

The Exterminator

If you have never been able to experience the nostalgic dissociation that comes with eating at a diner, I highly suggest you try it. Nothing triggers my fight or flight response more than being asked if I'd like to go eat at diner.

Pancake Circus is a relic of a diner in my city. Its drab beige exterior, striped like a carnival tent, reeks of chaos. It isn't that this place has faded over time; it was designed this way. The dull, flickering lights. The soft, repetitive carnival music being played out of something similar to an old tin shoebox. The vinyl seats that are always sticky. The hundreds of eyes, always staring, from the faces of the clowns on almost every wall. Everything is the same colour of horrible, horrible beige, and it was designed to be this. It is truly the most liminal of spaces, and it beats out every other horrible diner I have been to. I would gladly live in a Waffle House for one year than to have to enter Pancake Circus ever again.

It isn't just the interior that makes me instinctively reach for anything I might use as a weapon. The staff seem as though they are in a 'Groundhog's Day' scenario, living the same day over and again, potentially for thousands of years. I think Pancake Circus has existed since the beginning of time; a god older than any of us. The staff don't speak, or at least not aloud. Their voices speak amongst your thoughts, but you won't notice until you leave. They write down your order before you even begin to write it. I am positive that after a certain number of times eating at Pancake Circus, instead of a check after your meal, you'll be given a uniform from the server who crumbles away to dust when you take it.

I was seated at a booth by myself and wordlessly handed a plate of biscuits and gravy, which I had yet to order. The waitress stared at me with a calculating expression on her face and sat down across from me. Leaning close across the table, she spoke in a grave tone, "Are you the Exterminator?"

My outfits are usually fairly flamboyant, and in a black trenchcoat, penis bone necklace, cream collared shirt, black jeans, platform gladiators, and cat paw socks, I was actually pretty subdued from my usual levels of Gay. I absolutely did not present as anyone who might have a normal job like an exterminator, so I was confused as to why she might think that, out of the five total patron's of the diner, I might be an exterminator, being that I looked the least professional out of any of them.

"Are you expecting an exterminator to come?" I ventured. Perhaps she had asked everyone that had come in so far.

"No," she replied, looking noticably disappointed. She stood up hastily, but not before handing me a buisness card in the same beige and white stripes as the building with nothing written on it but a phone number.

"Call it when you find an exterminator," she choked out hoarsley, before rushing into the kitchen. She didn't come back, and after an hour, when no one brought me a check, I left some money on the table and headed home.

Some how, I don't feel like the diner has left me, though.

[rabid-catboy]

Went to clown restaurant 10/10 the food was delicious, the seating was comfortable, there were paintings and figures of clowns everywhere...... Also our server was emo and trans which makes sense considering it's a clown dinner but like still YAY

Also free drink refills and really really yummy sausages

[numberonejazzyboi]

Katie

[highway62]

That type tho.

Sacramento CA 2015

[highway62]

Pancake Circus Unity

Sacramento CA 2015

[celiesthinkingspot]

Day 3

Woke up in Sacramento. Mom an I took everyone(Jeramy, Gaby, Natalie, Sara) out to breakfast at Pancake Circus. It’s one of the oldest breakfast diners in the city. So tasty.

After breakfast we stopped by Grandma Rose’s place. She’s 87 years old and has a mental illness but she is the funniest sweetest old lady I’ve ever met. It was so cute the way she just kinda latched on to Jeramy as soon as she met him. She wouldn’t let go of his hand. He and I are both miracles for surprising her with a visit. She went off on some of her stories. I’m glad she liked Jeramy and vice versa. It’s always a little nerve wracking introducing your crazy family to someone you care about. I knew inside that Jeramy would like Rose. I knew he’d find her in many ways similar to his grandpa. I also knew that he would be totally amused by her humor and wit. It went just as well as I had hoped and better then expected.

We managed to get grandma out of her house. Took her and everyone downtown to Old Sacramento. I love it there. Get to pretend in my head about cowboys and miners as I walk around. I love the sound of the wooden boards that you walk on and the smell of the river. We walked through Evangeline’s and up through the costume mansion. By then grandma was done and ready to go home so mom gave her a ride while we stayed to walk around.

After we drove around downtown on our way back so I could check out the houses. I love looking at houses.

We hung around moms for a bit then headed out to see Jeramy’s Aunt in Woodland. She has a huge gorgeous 6 bedroom house there. She gave us a tour of the place. It was amazing. It’s in one of those brand new housing developments. His aunt wanted to know when we’d move out to Cali. I had to set them all straight because I never want to move back here. I have a long list of reasons against that idea and even longer list of ones explaining why I do want to move to Oregon instead.

After the house tour we drove to Cow Town aka Vacaville(lol insert inside joke here) to pick up some other family members on our way to Six Flags in Vallejo. Our drive out there was hilarious. It is so awesome that I can be my goofy smart ass self and Jeramy gets it. He catches on to my sarcasm and just laughs. We laugh and laugh all of the time. :) His aunt and family members had some trouble with their passes so after nearly an hour of waiting to get it all straightened out(it didn’t) Jeramy and I were allowed to venture off on our own for the last hour of the park. We rode Superman first. That was so awesome. It was so cute watching Jeramy's face while he watched the coaster zoom by.  His eyes would get all wide. There were just enough pauses during the ride for the anxiety to build. Then we went on Roar the wooden coaster. I picked front seats for us. You have to ride in front on the wooden ones. We barely made it on the second one before the park closed and then it was time to go. I had so much fun! The park the ride out there omg Jeramy and I laugh together so much about everything. We decided to go back to my moms for the night. We got there after midnight.