New members' show; McGuffey Art Center; Through January 31

The new batch of McGuffey Art Center members have put together a solid show to introduce themselves, and the artists honor the building’s roots as an elementary school, with, among others, Peter Krebs’ skyscapes presenting views you might see at recess, and Amber Zavada’s earnest earthwork constructions lining the halls.   “Aquarian Woman” and “Soul […]

Ace Sustained

So Ace, apparently the UVA Medical School has a department devoted to reincarnation studies?—Sam Sarrah   For the record, Ace is skeptical about reincarnation. It’s not that he’s never had mystical experiences of a past life; it’s just that his seem to indicate that, once upon a time, he was either Sam Spade or Chubby […]

City Council considers noise ordinance change

At its first meeting of 2010 on January 4, City Council considered an amendment to the city’s noise ordinance that would decrease the allowable levels in commercial Belmont from 75 decibels to 55 after 11pm. Last summer, Belmont residents voiced concerns about possibly adding more noise, among other things, to an already noisy corridor when […]

Smoking ban a boon for business?

The list of potential cost savings from the smoking ban is long: lower rates of fire, general liability, unemployment and workers’ compensation insurance; better worker retention; and less wear and tear on carpets, paint and HVAC systems. The anecdotal evidence and public conjecture about the relative revenue to be generated from smokers versus nonsmokers is […]

Room with a pee-yew

The smoke goes on in some area restaurants that have separately ventilated smoking areas. That is, if the section meets the three conditions. First, a smoking area can’t represent a portion of the restaurant that is so large as to eclipse “reasonable” nonsmoking areas. Second, smoking rooms are to be separate “to the extent reasonably […]

Pairings we'll miss

Sure, you can still smoke. But can you smoke as the waiter clears your plate, blowing rings over that little dish of creamers that only exists in restaurants? Nope. An era has ended. And along with it, some classic pairings of local menu items with their tobacco-based soulmates. Here are five we’ll miss.   • […]

Quoting the law

Turns out that membership fees to a private club earn you more than a secret handshake or a t-shirt with your nickname on it. Under the new smoking ban, private clubs are exempted, which makes them some of the last unfiltered puffing posts. Want to turn your living room into a cigar bar? Know your […]

Stink balm

Been spending too much time in a smoky private club (not, I repeat, not a restaurant)? When you get home, do you smell like an ash tray? Here are some simple tips to get your garments smelling fresh and clean.   First, simply try washing the clothes. Use your favorite detergent (though a few Internet […]

Bowled over?

Adam Soroka began smoking cigarettes at age 17 and stayed the course for a decade or so. One day, he bought a pipe from Cavalier Pipe & Tobacco and “found that I liked it immensely,” he says.   “The tobacco that is used for rolling cigarettes for machine-rolled cigarettes—with the exception of dip—is the lowest […]