Author: David McNair
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“It’s like the biblical essence of grace, but without psychotropic drugs.”
“I suffer from dyslectic paranoia. I’ve discovered that people are secretly plotting for my happiness behind my back without my permission. It’s like the biblical essence of grace, but without psychotropic drugs. I’m a born again agnostic. People live in times and cultures. Our reporting of our events is translated into art forms such as…
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“It makes you very aware of how fragile life is.”
Q: “What are the best and worst parts of your job? “The worst part of my job is having to give death notifications, and the first death case I had on the job was the death of a three-month old who died of SIDS. It makes you very aware of how fragile life is. You…
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“I went a week without eating…”
“I live out of my bags. I’m homeless and jobless right now. It’s very hard to find a job. I just found out about the soup kitchens, but before that, I went a week without eating. There’s a lot of nice people here in Charlottesville. One couple actually bought me lunch.” Text and photo by…
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Humans of the DTM: meeting Johnny Cash
Left: “Do you know if anyone can spare my brother, Albert Wayne, a kidney? He needs a $2800 kidney transplant. He won’t live to see another year if he can’t get one. If someone could help out, maybe he could get what he needs. Have them call (434) 981-1869 or (434) 295-5003. Thank you!” Right:…
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Vintage DTM: pre-Ice Park view of the West End
This view of the west entrance to the Downtown Mall was taken in the 1980s from the top of what historically is known as “Vinegar Hill”. This is after the Omni Hotel was constructed (1984) but well before the ice park. The paved street seen here is Water Street but Main Street once ran down…
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Hot bites: New Neapolitan pizza place opening
Looks like some authentic Neapolitan Pizza is coming to (well, near the DTM) in the form of a place called Lampo, the brainchild of a couple of MAS and Tavola chefs, who’ll be taking over The Farm Cville space (they’re moving to a larger location) next to Spudnuts. This is good news for pizzaphiles, as…
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Richmond restaurateur buys El Puerto’s
Looks like El Puerto on the DTM got an offer they couldn’t refuse. According to the TimesDispatch, Richmond restaurateur Hamooda Shami, owner of New York Deli, Don’t Look Back and Portrait House restaurants in Carytown, just purchased El Puerto’s at 223 West Main Street, next to the Whiskey Jar and Brookville: “Shami said he came…
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Full Circle: Blue Mountain to take over South Street
Back in the late 1990s, a young graduate of Hampden-Sydney College became my office-mate at a doomed Internet-start-up called Value America. It was his first real job out of college, and he hated it. We shared an office the size of a broom closet with no windows, and created and cranked out stupid ads for…
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Vintage DTM: pre-DTM view of 5th Street
This view of downtown Charlottesville is looking north on 5th Street East from Water Street. The photograph was taken in 1972 before the construction of the Downtown Mall. Main Street at that time had a major furniture store (M.C.Thomas) and also a full-service grocery store (Reid’s) that faced East Main Street in the 500 block…
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Vintage DTM: Roseberry on Main, 1963
Main Street, 1963. This photograph by Ed Roseberry shows the 200 and 300 blocks of East Main Street (looking west from about Fourth St.) A full decade before the Downtown Mall would be built, automobile traffic flowed one-way (west) at the time. Note the businesses along Main Street: the tall building to the right was…
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