Poking along

By Geremia Di Maro With the one-year anniversary of COVID-related shutdowns just a few weeks away, many people in the area and around the country have a pressing question on their minds: When will we be vaccinated? Though distribution in the commonwealth began slowly, Virginia now ranks seventh out of 50 states in percent of […]

PICK: Creative Mornings

Mind merger: February’s Creative Mornings challenges us to think broadly about solving complex problems by contrasting our differences, under the statement: “Moments of divergence can create beautiful futures when we are willing to leave space for change.” Elgin Cleckley, UVA assistant professor of architecture and design thinking, will discuss the intersections of identity, culture, history, […]

PICK: Cocoa & Spice

Spirited move: Vitae Spirits sweetens its tasting experience with a Valentine’s Day cocktail and chocolate pairing at the distillery’s new downtown location. In a collaboration with the chocolatiers at Cocoa & Spice, the event includes three specially made drinks, served with truffles that incorporate some of Vitae’s modern-flavored liquors. Sunday 2/14, $20, 4-9pm. Seating is […]

PICK: Casablanca

Movie date: If you think dating during a global pandemic is difficult, consider the plight of Casablanca’s main characters, Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) and Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman), the ill-fated lovers attempting to escape German-occupied Morocco in the midst of World War II. Yet for all their obstacles, can you think of a more swoon-worthy […]

Stitching together

By Erika Howsare Lisa Woolfork had been sewing for years when she came to a realization—or, rather, a resolution. “I would never again trade my humanity in exchange for doing something I love,” she says. As a Black sewist, she had too often found herself in a compromising position: trying to participate in white-dominated sewing […]

Baking connections

By Julia Stumbaugh In 2018, Charlottesville residents Jessica Niblo and Samuel Kane met for a first date at The Pie Chest. But they were both too nervous to eat the shop’s signature dish. Instead, they sipped coffee. Three years later, in January 2021, Kane proposed to Niblo at the same spot where they’d first met. […]

In brief

Joint resolution Let’s start by putting it bluntly: On Friday, Virginia’s legislature voted to legalize marijuana, becoming the first state in the South to do so.  Some details of the bill still need to be hashed out, however. Retail sales of legal marijuana to Virginians 21 and up won’t begin until 2024, and the new […]

PICK: Astronomy on Tap

Looking up: Do you need some pandemic-free space? Astronomy on Tap Charlottesville takes a break from life on Planet Earth with a star-studded discussion led by UVA astronomy experts Dr. Michael Küffmeier, Abby Waggoner, and Dr. Jeffrey Bennett. The “suds and space” virtual talk reaches for the sky by examining the formation of stars, the […]

PICK: Lap dance lessons

Shake it up: Spice things up for yourself and/or someone special with a few lap dance lessons in preparation for Valentine’s Day—or simply because you’re bored silly at home during a pandemic. Phoenix Dance Studio offers Playful Girl beginner classes to get things going, and for those more experienced with the bump ‘n’ grind, the […]

PICK: Beyond the Screen

Big screen: One of the many gems of our arts community is the Virginia Film Festival’s year-round series Beyond the Screen: A Virtual Conversation Series, which offers more of what we love about VAFF’s programming: special access to film industry bigwigs who discuss their work. Writer-director John Lee Hancock and producer Mark Johnson log in […]