I have never been a fan of theme parks. What I really loved as a kid was to go to Pat Reidy's house. Pat is my parents' friend and co-worker. She hails from Janesville, Wisconsin, and she's been living in Xalapa, Mexico Veracruz's capital since the early 70s.
Her house looked unlike any other that I had ever been to. It was filled with VHS, Halloween memorabilia, a waterbed, and millions of small useless objects. But the best part was her Coca-Cola collection, which I thought truly fascinating.
She called it her "Coca-Cola shrine," and back then it was just a personal collection. But this collection kept growing until it became Pat's Coca-Cola Museum, as you can now read in a huge sign at her house's entrance. After many years of not seeing her, I meet up with her to visit her museum and chat for a little bit. The first thing that I see when I come into her house is a crucifix made out of Coke cans hanging on the wall.
A quote from Fangoria comes to my mind: "Bizarre is always brighter than normal. I see that your love for Coca-Cola is still alive and well. Why do you love it so much? Pat Reidy: Well, firstly, I really like the flavor, but I also think that it represents one of the best publicity campaigns that there's ever been in the world. It's international, it's intelligent, and uses everything to promote its brand.
People see a T-shirt, a toy, a poster or whatever, and want to drink a Coke. Coca-Cola invented Santa Claus, and that says everything. What a beautiful T-shirt! Yes, I have tons of Coca-Cola clothes. I'm wearing this because it's really hot, but I also have sweatshirts, other T-shirts, and a robe. My favorite clothing item is a sweatshirt with a hoodie that has a polar bear on it and says "Coca-Cola.
