Ari Final Project Preview

2

The Tea Bazaar

This is one of my favorite places in all of Charlottesville. I first learned about this tea shop because my mom's bakery sold cakes here, but I did not visit myself until I was exploring town on my own. The warm atmosphere, great tea, good food, and quiet are a few of the many reasons this has been one of my refuges throughout my adolescence.

3

Blue Ridge Country Store

This store has been here for as long as I can remember and is one of my go to places to get some simple, local food or just a drink on a hot day, or a candy when I was younger.

4

Free Speech Wall

Every Pride, march, or protest I have been to in Charlottesville happend or ended up here. While the Free Speech Wall does not always have inspiring or enlightening words it always has someone's thoughts to share. Everytime I walk by I like to take a look at what has been written and sometimes I even find something really good.

5

Virginia Discovery Museum

This is a great place to go with young kids. Being homeschooled, my siblings and I were taken on many trips here over our childhoods. I honestly do not remember if we learned much, but I know we had fun and got out of the house.

6

Central Bus Station

A bus station may not be very exciting, but it was a big part of my life for the three years that I went to PVCC. I could not drive and had to spend almost the whole day in town, regardless of my class schedule, so the CAT (Charlottesville area transit) buses were my only way to get around. I have some less than found memories of taking the bus, as any femme presenting person does, but without it I would not have had access to much in the way of food or variety for thoughs three years, so the bus station holds a special place in my regards if not heart.

7

Pavilion

I have run 5Ks though here and gone to my first Pride here. Previously known as the Sprint Pavilion, now the Ting Pavilion, it has gone through several names over the years, but it is extremely valuable as a covered, public space.

8

The Drugstore

One place that everyone needs to visit is the Timberlake Drugstore. More of a museum than anything else at this point, the drugstore has been around since 1890. I have only been in here a few times and honestly the food is not that good. Just check it out for the history.

9

Rapture

These days, Rapture is the closest Charlottesville has to a queer bar. There is sometimes live music in the evenings, but I would recommend it most for the brunch. I have been here with a large group of new queer friends after a march, but I do not recomend trying to get in during Pride as it is always packed then.

10

Chaps Ice Cream

Chaps has been around since 1985 but it has a fun 1950s vibe. Before going vegan, this was one of my favorite places to get a scoop or burger on a hot day. I really do not think their menu has changed almost at all since they opened.

11

Paramount Theater

Opened in 1931, the Paramount is a Charlottesville classic. I have seen shows here including rock music on tesla coils, stand-up, the Nutcracker, classic movies, and more. I have even performed here once, though the audience was mostly empty given there was a snowstorm raging. The performance was an Irish step-dance recital.

12

Revolutionary Soup

Rev Soup is one of myfavorite lunch spots in town. They have a great variety of food and a chill atmosphere that is cozy and relaxing. They also source from a lot of local farms and have a map to show where your food came from.

13

Violet Crown Cinema

Violet Crown opened relatively recently but I still have many good memories here. I have seen more movies than I can remember with friends and family here. They have a great range of films, not just blockbusters, and a great kitchen.

14

Telegraph Art and Comics

I cannot say I am a huge comics fan, but when I am looking for a comic or manga, Telegraph is my first choice. This is more somewhere that I sometimes hangout, waiting to meet up with friends or browse just to waste time.

15

The Omni Hotel

This has become my family's go-to brunch location to meet with my grandfather on the rare occasion we see each other. We used to go to the DoubleTree up 29, but after my grandmother died and my grandfather remarried, we switched to the Omni for Sunday brunch.

16

McGuffey Art Center

This art center used to be an elementary school where someone or many someones I am related to probably went. Now it is a nice, free art center that has AC in the summer and public bathrooms. Also probably some good art.

17

McGuffey Park

This is the best park in Charlottesville because it has a great playground, is safe being set back from the roads, and has plenty of shade trees. It is also normally quiet. I most recommend it for kids who would enjoy the playground equipment. I used to go here as a younger teen on Library School days with other homeschoolers.

18

Market Street Park

Formerly Lee Park and Emancipation Park. This is a badly designed park as it is meant to be looked at, not used. It is also the inciting site of the August 12th protests, which were, franckly, traumatic, so for that reason too I do not like this park, but it is an important part of Charlottesville history.

19

Central Library

This is where I did the aforementioned Library School and where I have done many play rehearsals. This building used to be a post office and courthouse and jail where someone I am related to somehow used to work as a jailer. Turns out the stage I used to play on used to be a judges bench. The old cells are still in the building but are boarded up. I found out about them when my dad was working here.

20

Old Courthouse

Finally, in the historic sites realm, this is the court house I went to to change my name, once I figured out how to get in. The court house has been around since 1761, approximately.