February ABODE: Keen on beans

Cold winter weather and hunger can both be answered with a hunk or two of hardwood and an iron pot bubbling with beans and bone. Dried beans are an economical source of vegetable protein in all corners of the world; including a few marrow bones or some scraps of smoked meat would increase the rich […]

February ABODE: Making multigenerational housing work

Sky-high student loans, a sluggish job market, inflated health care costs, and diminished retirement savings —it’s no wonder multiple generations of families are deciding to cut costs by moving under one roof. More than 51.4 million Americans—roughly one in six—have moved in with family, representing a 10 percent increase in this type of living arrangement […]

February ABODE: Snooze-a-thon

You’ve got your bed. Now you need the other pieces to let your bedroom hit a certain middle C between dull (so that you’re not kept awake by overly flamboyant furnishings) and interesting (so that, well, they’re not too dull). Find the blend that’s right for you, starting with these pieces from local stores. TOP Good knight. […]

February ABODE: Green Scene

GREEN EYE Home sweet foam Leaky house? Limited funds? As usual, LEAP jumps to your rescue. The area’s go-to organization for energy efficiency is once again offering a GreenMatters workshop to help you tighten up your house. The twist: This time, you can actually practice some of the D.I.Y. skills—like caulking—under the watchful eyes of […]

Commonwealth's for the good of all

“Are we in Charlottesville or New York?” my friend asked as she joined us at one of the throne-like circular booths in Commonwealth’s dining room. She and I, both six-year denizens of New York restaurants, were reminded of some of our old haunts, which managed to make large and soaring feel warm and welcoming. The […]

Small Bites: This week's restaurant news

Calling all chocolate and history lovers It seems Thomas Jefferson was a chocoholic too, and on Saturday, February 4, from noon-4pm, Monticello will serve up history enrobed in chocolate. From 1-1:30pm, get a lesson on its history in colonial times and see an 18th century method of grinding roasted cacao beans with sugar and spices. You’ll […]

Zap McConnell ties it all together in "The Unearthing"

"The Unearthing” started with some digging. Last spring, while local activist and artistic educator extraordinaire Zap McConnell was in California for a dance production, she happened to be doing some research on mountain top removal. On the website Ilovemountains.org, she typed in her zip code and uncovered the fact that much of Charlottesville’s power comes […]

Local indie rockers expand their reach

Adam Smith might be best known as front man of local rock group Invisible Hand, but he’s never short on other musical outlets, from the unpredictable sonic explorations of side projects like Great Dads and Articulate Chewbacca and his frequent DJ gigs, to his time as The Bridge/PAI’s first music coordinator and a member of […]