A NEW GREENVILLE ATTRACTION: WESTEND MOVIES ... what a cool concept!

We decided to check out a new Greenville attraction: Westend Movies on S. Main Street. I was really impressed. (And how cool was it that we were the first customers? lol)

Above is Sugar Daddy & The Barbarian chillaxin'.

I think it is a great concept; and can definitely imagine it becoming a Greenville institution. The venue itself is simple & pleasing... a few pub tables with stools and rows of nice folding canvas chairs. And they don't mind if you move'em around... giving you plenty of leg room! The movie screen is hung on a brick wall; speakers mounted overhead. I would call it an unabashedly urban setting.

The plan is to screen classic and independent movies. They are planning on several series of movies... the one most interesting to me is the Bollywood movies (the only time that I have seen one in a theater, we had to drive to Atlanta!) But there will be classic westerns, comedies & sci-fi \ horror flicks coming up soon!

The tickets were $3 apiece (as I believe most of the flicks will be); although some of the other movies may cost a little more (like the Bollywood flicks)... wow! an affordable night out!

Tonight's flick was STAGECOACH w\ John Wayne...plus Superman cartoons & a charming newsreel featuring GM's 50 millionth car!

The concessions are simple but adequate: normal-sized bags of popcorn, bottled and canned drinks & bags of candies (i remember m & m's {plain & peanut} and skittles... may have been others)... and here is a novel idea for a movie... REASONABLY PRICED -- nothing over $2.

Picture above is owners (so nice to have met The Fowlers!) and snazzily- attired usher greeting and serving movie-goers. The Fowlers have an accent that they blamed on their having been in Atlanta... but I am from that area... and I can assure you, my accent is NOTHING like that... LOL!

Here is a close-up of our lovely attendant! (I am so sorry, I didn't get her name! Please forgive)
I just love that uniform!

shhhhhhhh.... here is a screenshot of the movie... just to show you what it's like!

another shot... showing the set-up.

The only down-side is that Mr. Jubal had to stay at home... although he dearly loves to go to the movies...lol.

I think that this business will definitely add to the fabric of Greenville. And I hope to see y'all there in the future... maybe even this weekend... they are showing STREETFIGHTER w/ Sonny Chiba! Awwwwwww... Kung Fu!

edited to add: i forgot to mention, bring cash... at this time, westend movies doesn't take credit cards... although you can order tix online on the website ( www.westendmovies.com ) via paypal.

FIRST CRAFT OF SPRING: Greenville SC (Main St)

I ended up making 2 daffodils for The First Craft of Spring ( www.firstcraftofspring.blogspot.com or www.boozeandyarn.com ) public art project. Choosing the quote for the project was easy... "Be the change you want to see in the world ... Ghandi", has always been a favorite of mine. It puts the power of change on the individual... you don't have to wait for change to come... YOU can be the change!

I "planted" both of my daffodils in downtown Greenville on Main St., figuring that would be the area in which they had the most impact. Sugar Daddy helped me "plant" these at around 1 am; it was a little more difficult than I had imagined... lots of people (and policemen!) are still out and about downtown at that time. It was really hard being inconspicuous!

I chose the statue of Joel Poinsett , who was a physician, botanist and American statesman, as the spot for the daffodil in the pot cozy... it is right downtown, close to city hall. I think it will have good visibility there.

And then I chose the statue representing Sterling High School, which was South Carolina's first public black high school.

My hope for participating in this project is to highlight some Greenville history; and to inspire change... change that starts at an individual level -- but will end up impacting the world.

BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD

HMMMM... IF ANTHONY BOURDAIN CAME TO GREENVILLE...

Today while reading a few blogs on WYFF's Sound off South Site (which this little blog is included on!), I found this blog post which posed the question of where you would take Anthony Bourdain if he were shooting his show in Greenville.

I found this idea intriguing... I love food... good food, that is!

(Since moving here a few years ago, I have found that there are alot of restaurants in Greenville... but not too many that I am fond of! no offense intended!)

I have 2 ideas:

#1. Focusing on the Diversity of Greenville's Foodscene (pick & choose)
a. the taco truck (Mexican) on Cedar Lane Road (only Fri, Sat & Sun nights)
b. Saffron (Indian) @ intersection of Woodruff Road & Miller Road
c. Korean BBQ (Korean) @ intersection of Woodruff Road & Miller Road also
d. Saigon Fast Food (Vietnamese) on Pleasantburg Road
e. Pita House (Middle Eastern\Lebanese) on Pleasantburg Road
f. Zamorah's (Southern\Soul\Meat &3) on Whitehorse Road
g. El Carretero (Colombian) on Laurens Road
h. Cositas Ricas (Colombian) on West Parker Road
i. Pomegranate On Main (Persian) on Main Street
j. Thai Restaurant (Thai) on Augusta Road

#2. "Greenville" spots
a. Tanners Big Orange (serving Greenville over 70 years)
b. Charlie's Steakhouse (serving Greenville over 80 years)
c. Handlebar (unique Greenville eatery)
d. Soby's (unique Greenville eatery)
e. brief overview Greenville's Main Street (restaurants & events)

so that is what I would suggest if Anthony Bourdain were to ask me where to go in Greenville!

A GREAT LITTLE RESTAURANT YOU JUST MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT

If you know Sugar Daddy & me IRL, then you know that we love to search out new places to "get our food fix on". We love little "hole-in-the-wall" places... in my opinion, they often have the best foods.

Ethnic foods are a fave of ours. Many times you can get a great meal for the same price as fast food... it's a deal and usually nutritious.

Here is what I had for lunch the other day: beef empanadas, beef tongue tacos & Colombian hot sauce. DELICIOUS!

I found this tasty meal at El Carretero on Laurens Road (as it enters into Mauldin) (near the Pumpers gas station).

I love the pictures of the food above the ordering window. It helps me because I speak no Spanish. I can read a little, but I can't seem to speak too well. And the gentleman who runs this place is bi-lingual, so no problems.

The restaurant area is nothing fancy... just a few tables in the back of the store. But I gotta tell you, the Colombian food they serve is very good and very affordable.

If you enjoy Colombian cuisine, give it a whirl.

(also try Cositas Ricas on West Parker Road... best breakfast with cafe' con leche in town!)

We South Carolinians must REALLY love our TV (or is it our cars?)...

with a hubby in the grocery industry, i cook at home most nights... but every so often... i get the urge to go out.

most of the time... when we do eat out... we go to ethnic eateries. if you know me irl, you know i adore the taco truck on cedar lane, saffron on miller road & swad on laurens road for indian food, cositas ricas on w. parker road for colombian, pita house on pleasantburg rd for middle eastern, saigon fast food for vietnamese, thai restaurant on augusta road for thai (du! lol), korean barbecue on miller & great wall for korean, etc...

but the other night...it was the new krystal drive-in on woodruff road that beckoned us. it has a conventional drive-thru, an inside area to order and eat, and then there is a "car hop" section... where you pull up, press a button, a carhop comes out to take your order... and YOU CAN WATCH TV!

that's right... they have large tvs attached to the menu boards in front of every car... you can change channels and listen via your car radio... if it is working...

this is the 2nd time we have stopped in; and both times we have pulled up at the only non-working sets (different parking spots) ... so no tv for us... boo hoo

i got a basket meal with little toasted sandwiches (so cute!), a turkey club and a philly cheese steak) and waffle fries... who knew that krystal had waffle fries? (although they call them fiesta fries i think)

i was kind pouty about the no tv deal...although sugar daddy says i am minimizing my reaction... lol... i mean, that's the gimmick of it, right? watching the tv in your car? (i am not even going to mention that we have a dvd player in our car! lol)

but then we came home and 2001: a space odyssey (such a cool movie... i don't think i have ever seen it all at one time!) on tcm... we cut off all the lights for ambiance... and promptly fell asleep on the couch... so not much tv there either... lol

i was telling my brother about the krystal the next day, and he said "you folks in south carolina must love your tv... you have tv on your gas pumps and now at your drive-thru restaurants!"

...hmmmm... he said it like it was a weird thing!