Cville - Hipper Than You

Few things ignite the holiday spirit quite as much as snow on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.  Even when mixed with rain (as it is today in Charlottesville), folks are posting with excitement on Facebook and tweeting away about it on Twitter that snow has come our way.  I hope that you and yours have a wonderful Christmas filled with love, happiness, hugs, and yes, snow (since that seems to put the icing on the cake:-)

Much love - A

In the spirit of the holiday, here are some things around C'ville that I am thankful for:
- JR at Outback: perhaps the sweetest person you could ever meet, and a darn incredible server
- Blazin sauce at Buffalo Wild Wings: hurts so good!
- Incredible terrain to train me for any foot race
- White House/Black Market: yeah, it may be a chain store, but man do they have awesome clothes
- DMB
- our SPCA being a no-kill facility
- the Lawn
- an amazing amount of wineries with top quality wines
- people watching on the Downtown Mall
- and the fighter we have in David Tascano

Of course, I am thankful for things not specifically C'ville, like my family, friends, pets, and job.  It's just always good to remember how great it is here, even when the cold starts setting in, and I feel like moving south.

I hope that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! - XOXO  Angie

Boy, has it been a while.  The world of Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest have been blowing up, and as much as I love to write, I feel that those outlets are extremely limiting.  So, with the exception of the occasional FB post, I have laid silent for quite some time.  My silence is not without reason, though, as I have been traveling throughout the states and around the world for the past year and half, being out of C'ville as much as I was in it.  And while Paris, Jamaica, and almost every major city in the US have been fun to visit, there is nothing like coming home.  I'm sure it is like that wherever your home is.  Mine just happens to be in one of the hippest cities, Charlottesville.  I hope to be posting more in the future, as it helps to get the blurbs out of my brain every once in a while. Plus, I love talking about what is going on in the area to give other hipsters ideas on fun things to do.  While I'm at it, here are a few:
     - October 6, 2012 - 9am - ASG/AIDS Walk - Registration begins at 7:30am at the Cville Pavilion, and last minute walkers are always welcome.
     - October 6, 2012 - SPCA Critter Ball (http://caspca.org/2012-critterball/) and the American Cancer Society Pavilion Ball (http://gala.acsevents.org/site/TR?fr_id=18187&pg=entry) - hard choice, I know
     - October 7, 2012 - 1pm - One of the last polo matches of the season for Roseland Polo at King Family Vineyards (roselandpolo.com)

Enjoy!  We'll talk again soon.  - A

While this blogspot remains, the domain cvillehipper.com does not. I may still post here from time to time, but as all bloggers someday realize, no one is really listening anyway. Enjoy each other. Know that time is short, so get out there and live it!

First, a note about Cvillehipper: My domain name expires in January. So, there is a good chance that cvillehipper.com will no longer exist at the beginning of February. It has been fun.

Now, for the help part: I have been looking everywhere for a restaurant that has something special going on New Year's Eve, but have only seen a couple. By special, I don't necessarily mean music or dancing (which would be fine if included), but I mean a special type meal. Four courses with wine and over the top service is the thing I'm looking for. Any ideas? If so, respond to this 'one of the last ever' post.

XXOO - A

or woman, as the title should read. I have been traveling quite a bit lately and have not had the opportunity to take advantage of lovely C'ville as much as I would like. However, cumulatively, over the last few months, I have had a chance to experience some new places and faces. Here's a quick recap and review:

One Eskimo at The Southern - excellent group at a neat, intimate venue. Find more about upcoming shows at http://www.thesoutherncville.com.

Lunch at the new Hibachi Grill - a few more choices than the other Asian-flavor buffets and a bit more flavorful

Little Black Dress Party at Siips - I don't know how often Hot 101.9 does this, but it was a great excuse to dress up, enjoy wine, and dance a little. Check http://www.1019hot.com on a regular basis to see when the next one will be.

I'm losing big in Vegas, but hope to come back to C'ville a big winner and spend my winnings on fun events in the Ville...

A

A list of fun events on the way that raise the same questions every time:

Cornhole Tournament - September 18th at McGrady's - 2p-5p - a $25 entry fee to benefit Camp Holiday Trails - http://playcornhole.weebly.com/
Women Who Golf Tournament - September 20th - still team spaces available to benefit MACAA - call 295-3171 for more details
Bartender for a Cause - at Siips downtown - to benefit Arc of the Piedmont - details at http://www.siipswine.com/events.php

Why not?!?

XXOO - Angie

So, while the weekend was a blur due to too much fun. I know that there are some folks I should thank for being so great:
M&M - you guys are a great couple, and incredibly cool. Thanks for being the bomb.
Darren & Cindy - how cute are you guys together! Just saying.
David King - thank you for being such a wonderful host. You are a quality person.
Sophie - coolest tatts I've seen.
Jeanne - you know that you mean the world to me
Pete- always good seeing you
Steve - please, you know you da best!
Keith - you make me laugh and keep it fun
Everyone- you made this the most incredible weekend. Love you!

XXOO - Ang

Fun is important, but when you can mix fun with helping a great cause, it is even more incredible. The following are events that are fun, fun for a cause, and just down right the right thing to do:
- Pepsi 10K Run to benefit Special Olympics - September 18th - literally one of the toughest 6.2 miles you can run, but also the most beautiful. Find more info here: http://pepsi10krun.com
- I'm trying to get as many people as possible to go to the polo match at King Family Vineyard on September 12th. If you can come, get directions here: http://www.roselandpolo.com
- SPCA Critter Ball - September 25th - this is one of the most fun cause events in C'ville. Be there. Details here: http://www.spcacritterball.com

Hope to see you at all of these! Party on Charlottesville!

XOXO -A

While I have had to leave our beautiful city for at least a week each month for business, the Summer has slowly passed me by. Sure, I at least got to go tubing on the James once this season and sure, I was able to hit Fridays After Five a couple of times, and sure, I hiked Humpback Rock, but yet I still don't feel that I have been able to take advantage of the Ville in the manor that it should be taken advantage of in the best time of the year. Therefore, I have vowed to do the following before Summer is over:
Go to the C'ville City Market
Hit Chris Green Lake and Hill Top Berry Farm
Sunday polo match at King Family Vineyard
Wine Festival at Monticello - Sept. 18th

Join me, won't you? (Lots more suggestions to come.)

-A

I love the fact that you can be a complete 'biker chick and art lover in one' in Charlottesville. So, tonight I went to the photography art exhibit at the C&O Gallery of artist David Young. He sees the most absolutely beautiful art in local rivers and creeks. You can see his incredible photographs at C&O Gallery until Sept. 26th and on his webite anytime at http://www.davidyoungphotography.net. Then, I proceeded to BW3 in Barracks Road for Biker Night, which happens each Thursday. My bud, Tim Ryalls performs and there are great deals on boneless wings. It's always a fun night, and you can always see motorcycles with great custom designs. If you are looking for an interesting and sensory exceptional night, these two events are unprecedented!

All love - A

So, the amazing weekend trip to King Family Vineyard to watch polo got canceled due to the rain. While I realize we need the rain, I was so looking forward to hanging with friends, some of whom I hadn't seen in a very long time, at the very beautiful polo grounds in Crozet. Luckily, the polo matches will continue each Sunday through September. So, there should be plenty of chances to get my 'beautiful mountain view/horse/wine' fix.
Wanna join me? Visit http://www.roselandpolo.com for all the deets.
XXOO - A

But I adore Fridays!!! Besides it being the beginning of the weekend, it is also the name of a great event downtown...Fridays After Five. I hadn't been to this amazing event since the first one this year, mainly because of brutal weather conditions. But today was perfect, weather-wise and music-wise. So, I went. It was so great to catch up with folks I hadn't seen in ages. Lisa, Michelle, Michael, Alex, Karen, Sandy, Larry, Jim, Erin, and so many more...where does the time go? I also saw for the first time (and probably should have seen this long ago) how wonderful this event is for families with kids of all ages. Face painting, kettle corn, and more now make what I used to think of as a 'drunk fest' a very family event. I'm so proud that we have something like this here. If you want to find out more, check out http://www.charlottesvillepavilion.com/fridaysafterfive/
Summer doesn't last forever, so get on it!
XXOO - A

C'ville has great, interesting places to run. I usually run a 6 mile trek around UVA and have lots of time to observe and think. Here are today's musings:
- I think the Women's 4-miler training program is such an awesome way to support a great cause and introduce women to the world of running. I have several friends who are running in that event on September 4th. I am going to be there cheering them on and getting inspired myself.
- The UVA pond beside the Curry School (across from the Newcomb Hall parking garage) used to have 4 ducks. Now there are only three. Does anyone know what happened to the little brown duck?
- If I start dancing when I stop for water because a good song is on my iPod, will anyone notice? Yep. My apologies to the touring group of the E-School for my bad moves.
- I can always tell that Summer is slipping away when the pink fluffy things on the Mimosa tree near Darden start drying up.
- a picnic at the polo match at King Family Vineyard this Sunday would be a great way to spend the day
- have I earned a Frosty?

Lots of love- A

Is it just me, or is C'ville coming full circle? I didn't write for a while...okay, a long while, because I just didn't feel I had anything to add. And why waste your time and mine if things are well, blah. Yes, there are things for the Hook and C-ville to write about, but that's not me. I'm only looking for the fun in C'ville. Life is too short, right? So, I'm back, and will be back posting and will be for a long time. I like passing along the good word. So, here we go...
- just went to a beautiful fundraiser at Keswick Vineyards for an incredible man and family a few weeks ago. It reminded me how incredible and giving the people in our lovely area are.
-the Women Who Golf tournament to benefit MACAA is happening September 20th. There is an early bird registration until August 27th. Please register at http://www.macaa.org/events/women_golf.html
-the Albemarle County Fair is Aug 3-Aug 8th. And while I didn't necessarily like standing out in the heat for 8 hours when I worked for a local radio station, there is nothing better than a local fair and funnel cake. Visit http://www.albemarlecountyfair.com for all the details.

So much more to come from me. I love this city and won't take no for an answer. (Yeah, I don't know what that means either, but when said with passion, it sounds so 'China Syndrome' - esque.)
XXOO
Angie