A North Charleston Business Decision...
North Charleston has NOT banned smoking in public places.
*Cough* *Cough*The City decided it would leave that up to the business owners. It would either attract customers or make them go somewhere else. Hopefully still in N. Charleston.
After my first visit to this really nice Sports Bar I chose not to go back.
It was too smoke-filled for me. Later I read that it had closed. Too bad.
I was driving past today and saw a beer truck unloading out front.
Hmm. Must have reopened?
Owner
Mark Hamilton said he opened it about six months ago.
"I don't like smoking when I'm eating so I banned it here," he added with a smile.
I asked if he still served
Boddingtons?
He said they do so I'll be visiting there again.
That was a "clean air" business decision I made.
(Click on the photos for more details on this place across from Tanger Outlets. Another example of why I carry my
Canon S90 most of the time. Say hi to Mark and thank him.)
Labels: Boddingtons, Centre Pointe Bar and Grill, Mark Hamilton, non-smoking sports bar, North Charleston
Cinema Cuisine....
Having movies downtown again will be great!
I grew up on the peninsula and my brothers and I had a wide selection of movie houses in and around Ansonborough in the '50s.
The
American, the
Gloria, the
Riveria and, further up King, the
Palace.
Since I came back to Charleston 15 years ago, the
Roxy became a retail store on East Bay, the revamped
American closed again and, last year,
IMAX shut down as the
last picture show downtown.
Michael runs a great operation at the
Terrace Theater and I'm sure he'll do a great job with the Harbor-view-Hippodrome.
He's already addressed the parking fee - a discount on the ticket price - and he plans to downsize the screen so it's "slightly smaller than a basketball court."
Others have commented on the lack of blockbuster movies at the old IMAX, but I did go to all of the Discovery channel-type 45 minute shows.
I bought the annual season ticket and felt it was a bargain.
Here's the key question for the new operation:
Unlike the Terrace, will Michael have a Sunday license to sell beer?
Labels: Boddingtons, Gloria, harbor view, Hippodrome, Palace. American, popcorn, Riveria, Roxy, Terrace Theater
Just off Hollywood Blvd......
Well, no trip to Los Angeles would be complete without spending at least a day walking along Hollywood Boulevard.
They've cleaned it up a LOT so it doesn't look shabby the way that Times Square in New York used to!
Here's a stretch near the intersection of Highland, about 5-10 blocks from the corner of Hollywood and Vine.
This is the street with the
Kodak Theater where they present the Academy Awards each year. Next door is the famous
Graumann's Theater and across the street is the Roosevelt Hotel with the well known Cinegrill.
Oh, did you notice the pink colored stars embedded in the sidewalk? They are part of the
Walk Of Fame. And, here is where it started to get strange.
We had good instructions from the internet and had parked the shiny black rented Mustang convertible (hope it has a top, we never put it up to check!) and took a great narrated walking tour in this area, including a stop at
Kodak, Graumann's, the
El Capitan where "Pirates" just opened, the
Pig 'N Whistle for a beer( surprise: they had Boddingtons) and the
Egyptian Theater next door.
Now we were on our own again and must have made a wrong turn because we were walking AWAY from all the noise and traffic and hustle and bustle of the crowds and street performers and people selling
$5 Maps To The Star's Homes.
It was a quiet residential side street and up ahead I could see a seedy-looking bowling alley and a couple of neighborhood taverns .... and what looked like another pink star in the sidewalk.
But it was all by itself on the cracked and dirty pavement.
But I went ahead and snapped a picture. This was a vacation trip after all so you take pictures of EVERYTHING.
( Click on photos to enlarge for details)
Labels: Academy Award, Boddingtons, Graumann's, Highland Boulevard, Hollywood, Hollywood and Vine, Los Angeles, Mustang Convertible, Walk of Fame
Lectures are nice but...
Peter Applebome. an editor and reporter for the
New York Times, was in town to address a Communications class at the College of Charleston and a few local bloggers showed up.
Hey, the title of his talk was
"All The News That's Fit To Blog"so how could we not?
The real lesson in communications happened AFTERWARDS upstairs at the Mellow Mushroom when Jared Smith introduced his sister whom he had not seen in 14 years. They appear happy spending a week visiting each other.
Tom, one of Jared's pals from college, and "Walk This Way" Joan and I enjoyed pizza and Boddingtons then squeezed together for another photo
as Joan talked about growing up in NE India - "The Rainest Spot In The World."
Jared's sister lives in Portland, Oregon, which is not exactly the driest spot in America.
The thrust of the Times man's talk was, despite the transition in journalism tools such as typewriters and glue pots to computers and the internet, over the years, the goal is still getting it fast and getting it right. Present all the facts, both sides of the story and let the reader make an informed decision.
We now have more places to find out what's happening but each has its own bias.
He stated that the huge growth in blogging tends to splinter readers into seeking what they want to hear but - Peter hoped - in a time of national emergency or concern, the public will look for the most consistant and reliable source and he feels the NY Times will be there.
Labels: Boddingtons, NY Times, pizza, raining, sister
I was driving past today and saw a beer truck unloading out front. 
