Mark Brown plans to roll out new Charlottesville cabs

A local investor is shaking things up on the streets of Charlottesville. Main Street Arena owner Mark Brown recently purchased the city’s Yellow Cab company, and he has big plans to change the industry’s local model. “The company as is doesn’t really interest me,” Brown said. “But bringing in all the new stuff is much more […]

Questions brides ask before committing to vendors

At the start of your planning process, you’re no doubt embarking on a long journey filled with questions. We asked four local vendors—a photographer, caterer, stylist, and florist—to give us the top five questions brides ask before they commit. Jack Looney of Jack Looney Photography (249-6266) 1. How do I go about gaining control of […]

Bright and beautiful: Colorful Charlottesville weddings

A rich, vibrant palette spells one thing to guests: fun. We’re not talking every color in the crayon box, but why choose just two or three colors, especially if you love them all? Instead, put Roy G. Biv (that acronym for the sequence of hues in the rainbow) on the guest list for your big […]

Google, Zagat, and Frommers: Where does Charlottesville come in?

Google announced August 13 that it’s buying travel guide company Frommers, and plans to use the brand to build up its local search results. The search engine giant is already doing just that with content from Zagat, which it bought last year—ratings from the famous review guide will soon be folded into Google listings for […]

T.V.: “Oh Sit,” “Married to Japan,” “The Inbetweeners”

“Oh Sit”  Wednesday 8pm, CW When the fall of Western Civilization comes —and it is coming, I think we all know that —and someone asks you to pinpoint the moment you knew it had all gone wrong, I hope you say: extreme musical chairs. That’s the concept behind this new competition, in which a dozen […]

Film review: Total Recall

And so another Philip K. Dick story gets another shot at being another movie. Funny how hard it is not to go in feeling protective and skeptical, as if Paul Verhoeven’s admittedly singular Schwarzenegger staple from 1990 were some kind of inviolable masterpiece. This version, from director Len Wiseman and a complex web of writers, […]

Summertime thrill-seeking at the demolition derby

Charlottesville has a habit of slowing down during the summer months. Most UVA students and many faculty are on summer break, cutting the population by nearly a third. Some art galleries close, concerts and performances are comparatively sparse, and many local residents take a vacation. It’s true that Charlottesville has a wealth of worthy summertime […]

Not tonight, honey, I have a…baby: Sex and parenthood

When I was asked to write an article about how sex and parenthood mix, here’s what I ended up with as a first draft: What sex life? I’m exhausted and there’s a toddler in my bed. The end. Just kidding! But sometimes it does feel that way. It’s ironic that the shenanigans that caused parenthood […]

Charlottesville Sikhs reflect on Wisconsin massacre

One wall in Charlottesville Mayor Satyendra Huja’s dining room is occupied by floor-to-ceiling built-in shelves packed with teapots of every shape and size. “You have to work for your tea,” he said, chuckling, as he and his friend Dr. Narinder Arora settled at the table. “Pick a pot.” The array and the invitation are evidence […]

Cool beans: The buzz on local iced coffee

When a hot afternoon turns sleepy, iced coffee’s the perfect pick-me-up to get you through the rest of the day. Aficionados seem to be split over which method makes better iced coffee. Some say coffee needs to be cold-brewed to temper its bitterness. Others insist that hot coffee-turned-cold is the only way to maintain its […]