The historic, eponymous main street of Columbia, South Carolina offers an abundance of smartly preserved three-story buildings, some of which no doubt reflect an effort to preserve the character and details from their post-Civil War time of construction. Most of them look great, and vacancy rates, while far from perfect, are certainly better than a
In a move that was probably a huge shock to about four dozen people, World of Beer (WoB), the craft beer aficionado’s dream chain, closed its Indianapolis location shortly after New Year’s Day 2024. Due in no small part to the devastating effect of COVID-19 lockdowns on the restaurant industry, World of Beer is one
Despite some glum predictions on the long-term economic health of college towns, most of the ones that harbor flagship universities still look pretty vibrant, at least if Bozeman, home of Montana State University (largest university in the state), is any example. As recently as 1970, Bozeman was a fairly obscure town that hosted the state’s
Midway through The Year of our Lord 2025, conventional retail continues its unrelenting retreat from the array of preferred American leisure activities. Simply put, fewer and fewer Americans “go shopping” for fun, at least when it comes to the time-tested paradigm of bricks-and-mortar malls and big boxes. The proof is in the pudding: more and
As unpredictable weather and utilities challenges impede my ability to crank out articles quickly, I offer what might initially seem like a “throwaway”. It’s a reference to one of my favorite topics: not just a labelscar, but one in particular for an eatery I’ve featured way more often than its current national prevalence (or lack
Several months ago, I stumbled into a restaurant cluster called The Block in Annandale, a somewhat distinctive suburban district in the overwhelmingly suburban Fairfax County, Virginia, just south of Washington DC. The unassuming exterior (which I’ll review shortly) betrayed a lively, hip interior that managed to generate at least medium buzz after 9pm in this
The downtown of Wheeling, West Virginia is quiet on Christmas Day, as one might expect. Over the years, I’ve frequently passed through this battered but sturdy little city, wedged between the Ohio River and a hill that shares the city’s name. It has the architectural bones—and, thus, the appearance—of a city much larger than 27,000,
As I scramble to meet my quota of articles before the end of December and the end of 2024, I have to churn out a few more pieces of low-hanging fruit or I won’t get it all done. And so, with photos taken a mere two days before Christmas, I offer the best evidence I
As the holiday season fast approaches, I find it increasingly difficult (perhaps impossible) to meet my usual goal of five blog posts per month. December is always the toughest month of the year to accomplish this feat, and, having begun the month with a post that was longer than I expected, I may have to
This isn’t the first time I’ve covered a sublease within a gym or health club, hereafter referred to as a “physical fitness marketplace”. A few years ago, I noted how a physical therapy clinic had moved into a space within a larger health club—a glassed-in chamber that previously served as a racquetball court. This time,
The historic, eponymous main street of Columbia, South Carolina offers an abundance of smartly preserved three-story buildings, some of which no doubt reflect an effort to preserve the character and details from their
In a move that was probably a huge shock to about four dozen people, World of Beer (WoB), the craft beer aficionado’s dream chain, closed its Indianapolis location shortly after New Year’s Day
Despite some glum predictions on the long-term economic health of college towns, most of the ones that harbor flagship universities still look pretty vibrant, at least if Bozeman, home of Montana State University
Midway through The Year of our Lord 2025, conventional retail continues its unrelenting retreat from the array of preferred American leisure activities. Simply put, fewer and fewer Americans “go shopping” for fun, at
As unpredictable weather and utilities challenges impede my ability to crank out articles quickly, I offer what might initially seem like a “throwaway”. It’s a reference to one of my favorite topics: not
Several months ago, I stumbled into a restaurant cluster called The Block in Annandale, a somewhat distinctive suburban district in the overwhelmingly suburban Fairfax County, Virginia, just south of Washington DC. The unassuming
The downtown of Wheeling, West Virginia is quiet on Christmas Day, as one might expect. Over the years, I’ve frequently passed through this battered but sturdy little city, wedged between the Ohio River
As I scramble to meet my quota of articles before the end of December and the end of 2024, I have to churn out a few more pieces of low-hanging fruit or I
As the holiday season fast approaches, I find it increasingly difficult (perhaps impossible) to meet my usual goal of five blog posts per month. December is always the toughest month of the year
This isn’t the first time I’ve covered a sublease within a gym or health club, hereafter referred to as a “physical fitness marketplace”. A few years ago, I noted how a physical therapy