Good morning, RVA! It's 55 °F and rainy. By the time you read this, the rain should have cleared up, the clouds should be on their way out, and the temperatures on their way up to the mid 60s.
Water cooler
Ned Oliver has the report from yesterday's community meeting with SmithGroupJJR, the folks behind the Lumpkin's Jail project. The community input continues to suggest that whatever is done in the Bottom needs to take into account the larger history of Shockoe, including both the site of the jail and the nearby African burial ground. I can also get behind the feedback to find another name for the project that's not so focused on the White owner of the jail. Words are important!
Lots of great stuff in Style Weekly this week, but start with this piece by Paul Spencer on the plan for art in City Hall. If I were a local visual artist, you bet I'd be hitting up Ellyn Parker and Tom Byrnes about getting some of my art into 900 E. Broad Street.
Also, this week is Style's State of the Plate issue, which includes a (mouthwatering) look at their pick for 2017 Restaurant of the Year.
I am very excited about the opening of Boogaloos Bar & Grill on Brookland Park Boulevard later this spring. Tammie Smith at the RTD has all the details including this bit which speaks directly to my heart: "We are going to play soft music. I don't want the music so loud that people can't hear each other to talk." Yes! I feel like every week there's an additional story about something new happening in that neighborhood.
Speaking of restaurant openings, the folks behind The Rogue Gentlemen will open a new space in the revolving door that is 506 W. Broad Street says BizSense's J. Elias O'Neal. That spot is just a three-block walk from a Pulse station—which is how I think about everything these days.
GRTC's Richmond Transit Network Plan meetings start today at the Southside Community Service Center! Here's a full list of meeting dates and locations—come on out and meet your new Transit Network!
Last week, local business owner Lucas Fritz gave a public comment at City Council about the state of the alley behind The Broadberry, this week he's got the mayor and his City Council rep out there looking at the situation firsthand. I love this! It's the perfect picture of getting involved and getting things done in Richmond.
For International Women's Day, the NYT pointed me towards this ranking of countries by "percentage of women in the lower or single House." You gotta scroll for a while to find the United States.
Sports!
- #7 Hokies face #10 Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament tonight at 7:00 PM on ESPN2.
- #6 Hoos return to action against #14 Pitt at 9:00 PM on ESPN2.
This morning's patron longread!
Welcome to Dog World!
From Patron Haley, this longread it largely dogsledding but also about survival.
For a while, at least, the ride was lovely—maybe the best I’d had all summer. It wasn’t raining, Rebekah was laughing, and the tourists’ voices sounded from the other trails, where other people were responsible for them. But within 15 minutes another rumbling echoed over the glacier, and a tiny figure in an orange vest zoomed toward the dogsled trails on a snowmobile. This was Malcolm, our manager. We’d been warned about orange vests: They were used to signal urgency. Malcolm waved to the tourists as he passed them—“Stunning, isn’t it?”—and then came to a stop next to Rebekah and me. “We’re in trouble,” he said. “The pilots can’t get back.” His voice was higher than I’d ever heard it. “Nobody’s hurt, but the tourists are trapped here now. They’re trapped here.”
If you’d like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol’ Patreon.
This morning's longread
The Story of Heady Topper, America’s Most Loved Craft Beer
My cousin is one of those dudes who travels for beers, and he recently brought me back a can of Heady Topper. It...is pretty great, you guys.
They were all distinct, unusually compelling beers, but soon word began to spread about Heady: It was a hit. The problem, if there was one, was that it was only available in the pub. Enterprising customers solved it by sneaking pints into the bathroom, where they would pour them into bottles, screw on caps, and then shuffle out of the bar, pockets bulging. The business and the Alchemist name were growing with rapid, radical speed, beyond anything the Kimmiches had anticipated—and then the storm came.