Why do you think they call it work?

Since its birth on September 5, 1882, Labor Day has provided every workingman and woman at least three crucial with things: an excuse for a picnic; a chance to sit in shore-related traffic; and an occasion to complain about work. For the al frescolunching and OBX traveling this Labor Day, you’re on your own. But […]

Hazy Days

Once upon a time, Virginia had clear air. From the northern end of Shenandoah National Park, people often say, you could look east and see the Washington Monument, more than 65 miles away. Today that almost never happens. Average visibility from Shenandoah has decreased from 115 miles to just 25. Shenandoah perennially appears on lists […]

The Art of Noise

The urban symphony  Asleep like the dead in a womblike curl of blankets, the silence is perfect. Snoring is the only sound, like a tree falling in the woods over and over, except no one is awake to hear it. Then at 6am my alarm clock honks, honks, honks, prying my eyes open. I go […]

We’re with the bands…

Fall. The leaves change colors. The sleeves get longer. And enduring sad girls with guitars replaces tubing on the James as the recreational activity of choice. The new cultural season is almost here, and C-VILLE has selected the best bets in music, art, stage, film and more to keep you busy from now until December. […]

Is it good? No. Is it better? No. Is it best? YES!

Happily, a couple of months ago, hundreds of you answered our call to fill out ballots (that Vespa giveaway sure helped, huh?). Then, our crack team of accountants from Price Waterhouse (O.K., our intern) tabulated the ballots. Now the results are in. Some winners are predictable (Christian’s, Chaps, C-VILLE) and some are more surprising (McDonald’s, […]

Saturated Fat

Hazardous waist Super-sizes and not-so-super exercises have born one nation under lard It’s a fat, fat world. More than 60 percent of all American adults are categorized as overweight or obese. And Virginia is expanding right in line with the trend. According to the Virginia Department of Health, 36.7 percent of adult Virginians are overweight […]

Is Rob Schilling Charlottesville’s Best Politician?

On May 9, 2002, Rob Schilling sat at his home computer and created a pair of posters lettered with the words "Thank You." With his wife—and constant companion—Joan, he then spent the sunny Thursday afternoon standing on the corner of McIntire and Preston, waving the signs and smiling at rush hour traffic. Two days earlier, […]

Global Crossings

For a small Southern town, Charlottesville’s looking mighty international these days. Locals can taste chicken souvlaki, examine a Panamanian carving, sip Indian tea, and watch a weaver repair a Persian rug—all within a couple of blocks of the east end of the Downtown Mall. In fact, the area is growing into an enclave of internationally […]

Dirty Secret

All that separates Tina Awkard’s front lawn from a chemical graveyard is a few hundred feet and a chain link fence. Yet Awkard, who moved here with her children three months ago, wasn’t aware that the “waste and lagoon treatment center” next door is a toxic dump with a file at the Environmental Protection Agency […]