When we last left the junker, he'd just visited the condominium of a recently widowed woman. She was divesting the trappings of her culturally active life with her husband (they = the Bohemians of said fable), including hundreds of vinyl records. Most were no longer in vogue, but the junker set aside a number of … Read more
In the last installment of Junker's Blues, a handshake deal for a large collection of records goes bad when the junker receives a mysterious anonymous phone call. He's told there was a misunderstanding and that the LPs had never been for sale in the first place. This leads the junker, prone to fanciful narrative flights … Read more
I was dismayed by some statements published in the Asheville Citizen-Times recently and attributed to Asheville City Council member Jan Davis. An article in the Dec. 15 Citizen-Times titled "Police Hope to Boost Presence Downtown With Substation" said that "Residents and business owners have voiced concerns over nuisance crimes such as public drunkenness and panhandling, … Read more
Bands must love Jack of the Wood: The downtown bar comes with a built-in crowd that often fills the venue to capacity on Friday and Saturday nights. But guaranteed crowd doesn't mean guaranteed supporters, so at a recent Honeycutters show, the relatively new country act made quick work of turning a room full of strangers … Read more
I heard about Catawba Falls as soon as I started hiking in Western North Carolina — how it was so beautiful, but it was such a shame you couldn't hike there anymore. It didn't take me long, though, to realize that the access trail was privately owned, and people shouldn't have been going there in … Read more
Good, affordable organic food can be hard to find in Asheville. A case in point: Roots Café, the extension of a highly successful sauce and dressing wholesaler, is tucked into a back corner of the River Arts District at an off-the-beaten-path address. Photo by Jonathan Welch "Honestly, people finding us has been the hardest part … Read more
• Last week's Small Bites food-news column passed on erroneous information from Amazing Savings Web site (which is now being corrected on that site) about the days and hours of operation at the store's new location in Asheville's Downtown Market. The location is open during the following times: Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, … Read more
Regarding your Dec. 23 cover story, "The Right Profile": As a woman, I have long been frustrated at what ultimately amounts to a lack of freedom for women in our "free" country. It is difficult for me to move about alone and feel completely safe. I am amazed at those women who brave a hike … Read more
As someone who has spent 37 years commuting on a bicycle (ever since I rode 15 miles round-trip [each day of] my senior year of high school), I have to respond to Christopher Craig's recent uninformed, condescending and self-indulgent comments about cars sharing the road with bicyclists [Commentary, "Finding Equlibrium," Dec. 9]. Folks like Mr. … Read more
During the recent snowstorm, my friend and I finally ventured out of the apartment to get some air, see the snow, and find out how everyone around town was fairing. Snowball fights, snow sculptures, warm food and slushy puddles abounded. After a nightcap with some newfound friends, I walked back to my place. Somewhere along … Read more
