BGW

You can thank one of its former landlords (*cough*Fralin*cough*Waldron*cough) for much of the deterioration.

From what I can gather, it seems to be an equal partnership between Theatre IV/Barksdale and Steward, rather than Theatre IV simply seeking out an alternate venue for their productions. All of this reminds me that I was going to track down some more interior photos of the Cramer theatre. Perhaps later this week I can get on that. Grease runs July 21-30, Beehive runs August 11-Sept 3. Ipanema Grill and Ichiban- you can't go wrong with either of those two.

As of last week, Grease was most definitely still on @ Steward, or at least the Cramer Theatre manager seems to think so. Theatre IV & Barksdale are co-producing a production there of "Beehive" in August, but that's an additional event, not a replacement.

This isn't the proper thread to get into this, but... With all due respect, Burt, I highly suggest you go read the posts on his website, www.saverichmond.com. I think you'll find there's only one subject he views negatively/suspiciously, and that's the incredibly shady dealings and sweetheart deals the local Powers That Be have afforded the VAPAF. I suspect if you were still a city resident and it was your tax dollars being funneled to the Armstrong/Ukrop cabal, you might feel differently. {end thread hijack}

Just because Don views the VAPAF and the political breaks its been offered with utmost suspicion (as do I) doesn't mean he has tunnel vision. Fielden's is right up the street, and there's another reasonably new gay club at Broad & Boulevard, yet somehow traditional marriage and heterosexuality doesn't seem to be on the decline. I'd much rather see a place I'll never patronize in this space than an empty shell or a parking lot.

Don is neither tunnel-visioned, nor the originator of that claim. The Times-Dispatch article announcing the restaurant's closing said "the West Broad Street location filed for bankruptcy protection in December 2004 because of mounting debt stemming from a city meals-tax payment dispute. " Their horrible food no doubt contributed to their issues, but there are lots of thriving places which have horrible food...

A drunk customer at the HITW bar? Sounds like a typical night! That's the only place in town I've ever seen a band (The Makers, from Seattle) start a fight (which turned into a brawl, complete with pepper spray) with club staff. Ah, memories.

There will probably be something in the next CHA newsletter. The meetings aren't convenient for my schedule, so I don't know what exactly might have been said. One of the CHA bigwigs lives a few houses down from me- if I bump into him I'll ask him what he knows. Personally, I'd have to have more information to really form an opinion. While I'm not on ScottB's level of "don't build anything over 25 feet near the river" I do believe that there are certain natural views which are almost sacred. The river view from Libby Hill is one of them- it's one of the first things I show to out-of-town friends when they visit and almost always garners a great reaction. I can appreciate the continuity that a development there might provide between Rockett's and Tobacco Row; on the other hand, plopping a Monroe Tower-looking monstrosity down there would be blasphemous on many levels.

I haven't been in CSC in YEARS, but I can't imagine the stage being any smaller than Hole's was. And don't even bring up HITW's alleged PA system. Still, I really miss that place.

Did you and ScottB switch bodies?

William Byrd II, not Christopher Newport. A recently-erected plaque in the park retells this story.

I hope it actually happens. They've been saying May 29 for a month, now it's June 5. Interesting that Mike Ripp apparently doesn't own the restaurant anymore, even though he's still running the show. I wonder if he had to sell in order to raise the renovation funds (not that his family is short on $$$).

Probably - it's almost 9 miles exactly from Broad & Lauderdale to the city line on Broad near Staples Mill. Census Bureau 2005 estimate is 280,581 for Henrico and 288,876 for Chesterfield.

Around here, that's what we call "character."

I'm sad to report that the coffee shop Good Stuff, on Westover Hills Blvd near Forest Hill, has shuttered. Nice people with good coffee, but their odd choice of hours (closed on Sundays, closed by 4PM every day) might well have been their undoing. Or perhaps the area isn't ready for 2 coffee shops just yet, even though Crossroads continues to do a booming business.

Dick Ripp is the father- used to own O'Brienstein's at Regency, Crab Louie's, etc; now owns a ton of Arby's & Vie de France franchises. Mike is one of his sons- Besides Havana 59, he also opened City Bar and re-opened O'Brienstein's on 17th (now under new ownership as Rosie Connelly's Pub). He is indeed married to Angela Whitley. Chris Ripp, the youngest son, opened the Balthazar ripoff in Carytown.

Monday 29th is the reopen date and I'm fairly certain Mike Ripp is still involved. In fact, if not for his deep pockets, I don't think it would have ever reopened.

They're hardly just "another blog type site" though. Among other things, they spearheaded the expos

I agree- closing those streets seems like yet another step in dismantling what Henry Street once was.

Yes. 'Course I also work more than is healthy, so I can justify the goofing off.

The one dude was an MP and a NYC cop, yet he lost his life in Utopia County, VA. Sad stuff.

The bigger point is that talking trash about somone on another forum is the kind of childish behavior I see every day from middle schoolers. Certain posters over there drive me batty as well, but I'm not spouting off over here about them. I suggest leaving RCW drama on RCW, else I'll invite Hudd over and we'll debate Public Schools here too. I don't think any of us want that.

Thank you for your wonderful and insightful post on this subject. Perhaps you should privately ask Scott to restrict his comments to "Build them tall!" from now on.

Per-game attendance for the Roanoke team is in the low hundreds. I'm not predicting much better here.

That pretty much sums up SE Roanoke...