| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Fluffy |
Posted - 05/23/2007 : 11:49:10 AM
Jefferson slept here
POSTED: 12:37 p.m. EDT, May 22, 2007
By Carrie N. Culpepper
Budget Travel
The official mascot of the University of Virginia is the musketeer-like Cavalier, but unofficially it's the wahoo, a fish that, according to student legend, can drink twice its weight in a day. That's probably not what Thomas Jefferson had in mind when he designed U.Va.'s elegant neoclassical brick buildings and colonnades.
Having all but completed work on Monticello, his home five miles south of the campus, he spent the last years of his life building the university, which includes the Rotunda, a half-scale version of the Pantheon in Rome. Jefferson died less than 18 months after the first classes were held in March 1825.
But he'd be pleased that nearly 200 years later, the university is still the heart of Charlottesville. In a town of 45,000, the 20,000-strong student population is a visible presence, especially along the historic brick-paved pedestrian mall a mile and a half east of campus. Most of the restaurants have outdoor tables, which fill up quickly on Saturday afternoons. A number of the mall's storefronts are filled with books (New Dominion Bookshop is the best of the bunch).
Thanks to Charlottesville's most famous musical export, The Dave Matthews Band, the town also has big-city-quality nightlife. While some band members still have homes in the area -- as do Sissy Spacek and John Grisham -- it's DMB's manager, Coran Capshaw, who has made the biggest impact in recent years. He has opened eight restaurants -- and counting. "You can definitely feel his presence," says Che Stratos, a Charlottesville native. "Eric Clapton played here. That never would have happened before."
Capshaw's popular Blue Light Grill & Raw Bar is where the young and beautiful go to sip martinis, sitting in leather banquettes in the window that faces the mall. The warm, red-and-orange interior befits the Asian-influenced menu. Grilled Hawaiian wahoo is, of course, a favorite.
In the Belmont neighborhood, Capshaw turned what was once a gas station into the industrial-modern Mas, a tapas bar open till 2 a.m. that serves mostly organic small plates, such as wild mushrooms sautéed with garlic, herbs, Mahon cheese and butter.
At Starr Hill, you can try the ale-infused dishes ("beeramisu" and stout-marinated steak) in the dining room and then head upstairs to listen to live music. Bigger acts like Wilco, James Brown and Willie Nelson have played at the outdoor Charlottesville Pavilion, which Capshaw helped build at the east end of the mall. On Friday evenings in summer, there are free concerts under the tent.
Long before he made the big time, Dave Matthews used to bartend at Miller's Restaurant, a converted 90-year-old drugstore that still has the original pharmacy drawers and tin ceiling. Many fans have made a pilgrimage there, but few realize (or perhaps even care) that Matthews never actually played on the small stage. "Matthews hasn't been back for years," says one of the bartenders, "because this is where people come to look for him."
Students tend to congregate at The Corner, an area on University Avenue right across from the campus. At the Buddhist Biker Bar & Grill, in a Federal-style brick building nearby, they spill out onto the wraparound patio and lawn with glasses of beer in hand. Thomas Jefferson surely wouldn't mind: He used to brew his own over at Monticello.
Note:This story was accurate when it was published. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
© 2006. Newsweek Budget Travel, Inc.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/DESTINATIONS/05/22/charlottesville/
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| 8 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Fluffy |
Posted - 08/11/2007 : 2:17:04 PM
Coran Capshaw, DMB Manager - Named Geek of the Week
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July 30, 2007 - Bender Magazine, August Issue - GEEK OF THE WEEK. Virginia's Coran Capshaw was named among the "Powergeek 25: The most influential people in online music" by Blender magazine in its August issue. Capshaw, the long-time manager of Dave Matthews Band, was picked for the work of his company Musictoday, which sells merchandise and concert tickets online for more than 500 bands. He also owns ATO Records, which has released discs by My Morning Jacket and Patty Griffin.
http://www.dailypress.com/features/dp-life_mqsam_0730jul30,0,2262743.column
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| Ranting Thespian |
Posted - 05/26/2007 : 01:50:00 AM
No I don't. |
| rubylith |
Posted - 05/25/2007 : 1:41:55 PM
I don't know the full story but I'll see if I can find out. Do you know Dana Muprhy? |
| Ranting Thespian |
Posted - 05/24/2007 : 9:11:54 PM
Truthfully, I never got why DMB or Coran Capsaw (who used to own Trax) didn't save it from being torn down. I love DMB and all, but that's there roots, more so than Millers (which is too popular to be torn down). Why didn't they save it? |
| rubylith |
Posted - 05/24/2007 : 2:56:45 PM
I loved Trax...
Check out www.andywaldeck.com he's from C-Ville, he's amazing. |
| Ranting Thespian |
Posted - 05/24/2007 : 02:20:44 AM
quote:
Originally posted by PJK
. . . Sean Lennon played at Star Hill the Sat . . .
I used to have a picture of Sean at Trax, before the place was (sadly) gone.
quote:
Originally posted by PJK
. . . He also told me that as far as musicians go, TR is more highly regarded in C'ville's musical community than DMB. Pretty cool! . . .
And I think DMB love that as well. |
| PJK |
Posted - 05/23/2007 : 8:37:09 PM
My favorite musicians played on the small stage at Millers, ie: our own TR and Mike Sokolowski!
Sean Lennon played at Star Hill the Sat. after TR played there last April. I really wanted to hang around for that, but I had to go home.
C'ville is a great town to kick back in, especially in the summer when the college is less active. Monticello is awesome. I have toured that place many times and just can't get enough of it. My favorite used bookstore, Blue Whale Books, is right next to Millers and the owner is an amazing man to talk with. I think I spent an hour just shooting the breeze with him the last time I was there. Great books and great prices!
The mall is so relaxing. I have really lucked out with the weather on my trips to C'ville so the mall was especially fun. There is an awesome pizza place on the mall, also an old time soda fountain. The town has an ambiance that is hard to ignore.
I like DMB, but I am not a huge fan of theirs so I can honestly say, even minus the DMB factor, C'ville is an awesome town. Speaking of DMB, while it is true that Coran Capshaw has done a lot in that town, the members of DMB have also put a lot into C'ville, especially for underprivileged children. I can't list all they have done, but once Soko and I went on a long walk through C'ville and he pointed out a lot of things that the band did. He also told me that as far as musicians go, TR is more highly regarded in C'ville's musical community than DMB. Pretty cool!
I have such great memories of that town.
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| rubylith |
Posted - 05/23/2007 : 2:34:04 PM
Cool article...I am playing the Gravity lounge June 1st with a full band! |
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