Best mammal

On December 10, four days before the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus was scheduled to arrive at the John Paul Jones Arena, a lone tiger stood, confidently, at Central Place on the Downtown Mall. Slowly, she tread toward the pen. The moist air hugged her spotted coat. She took a few more steps […]

Six exclusive Best of 2009 videos

Dan Epstein, whose restaurant, Eppie’s, has been runner-up for "Best meal under $10" for the past three years, wants you to vote for the Downtown Mall restaurant next year. Here, his PSA.                 Pen Park is a perennial winner in the "Best park for kids" category. So we […]

July 2009: Instant Decorator

Shape shade Remember when you were little and you’d make shadow puppets on the wall with your hands?…This project isn’t really like that. But, we’re betting that if the light were bright enough, the silhouettes you create would be like a new piece of art every time you turned on the light. In that way, […]

June 2009: Instant Decorator

  Your name here This clay pot project might look simple (and it is!), but it’s so much more than that. Think kitschy organizational tool (Crayons? Fruit? Pens?). Think thoughtful gift made more special with a personalized note written directly on it. In fact, think about it a little longer, and you can probably come […]

Downtown Mall finally gets its new lease on life

Disappointingly, there were no “oohs” or “aahs” at the May 4 City Council meeting when Jim Tolbert made a final slideshow presentation on the rebricking project, but its unofficial slogan—“on time and under budget”—was uttered at least twice. “When all the bills are paid,” Tolbert, director of Neighborhood Development Services, said, “we should be 10 […]

May 2009: Instant Decorator

We’ve been instantly decorating together for a while now. And while some of you may be right on target in terms of your crafting skills, others of you might still be completely confused. This month’s project is the one for you. You can invent your own process as you go (we did!), and the worse […]