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water features and public art to City Square Park space
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MARION — Uptown Marion is set to take the next step of its ongoing transformation with the opening of the city’s new Central Plaza
City leaders and community members this week will celebrate substantial completion of the roughly $8.35 million project in the heart of Uptown Marion
The plaza includes a refrigerated ice loop
“This project is the crowning jewel of what we have been doing in terms of reinventing Uptown Marion into a vibrant destination,” said Mayor Nick AbouAssaly
“I’m sure there’ll be additional projects in the future
but this to me feels like a milestone moment where we see that vision come to life.”
The project itself was supported through a mix of fundraising
city funds and grant allocations — including a $3 million Destination Iowa grant awarded to the city using American Rescue Plan Act funds
The centerpiece of the Central Plaza is the ice-skating loop constructed in the center of the square where visitors will be able to rent skates to glide around the oblong sheet of refrigerated ice during the winter months
The unique amenity will double as a seating area and gathering space in the off season
and one portion of the loop will transform into an interactive water feature each summer
The ice loop itself is expected to make its debut this December
“A lot of people have told me that Marion is set up like a Hallmark card
and I really feel like that ice loop is going to be the icing on the cake,” said Marion Chamber of Commerce President Jill Ackerman
“It’s going to be really fun — almost magical — to see it transform during the different seasons.”
the nearby Depot Pavilion has been enclosed to offer an event space
bathrooms and a warming area for the ice loop
The iconic orange caboose that previously stood in City Square has been rehabbed and relocated to Draper Park
Parks and Recreation Director Seth Staashelm said the decision to move the caboose was made to best highlight Marion’s historic ties to the railroad through the creation of a new park specifically dedicated to honoring that history
The caboose was removed from the park in June of 2023, at which point it was repaired and revamped prior to its eventual relocation to Draper Park last fall
The park is named for former City Council member Paul Draper
AbouAssaly and Ackerman both expressed their belief that the Central Plaza project will contribute to the ongoing and future growth of Uptown Marion
City Square Park sat mostly unused unless there was a preplanned event taking place
With the additional development and increased amenities
he said the goal is to see a more steady stream of visitors
“No one was going (to City Square Park) for a picnic or just to hang out
It was mostly being used for festivals or other large events,” he said
“We wanted to take the opportunity to reinvent the space … and make it a destination for not only Marion
Those visitors in turn would be able to easily access and patronize the myriad surrounding Uptown businesses
The plaza itself is situated in the heart of the district and is flanked on three sides by commercial development
The land to the south is the open plot previously filled by the Nancy A. Miller Public Library that was razed after sustaining damage in the 2020 derecho, and the city already has expressed its intent to develop the land in a way that complements the plaza project
In collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce
the city will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday to mark the substantial completion of the Central Plaza project
some work remains to truly complete all the promised improvements
A new sculpture will be installed this June, for example, and the installation of commemorative brick pavement on the plaza’s southeast side is delayed until construction is complete on the nearby Broad and Main building on Sixth Street.
you get to a point where the majority of it is completed
but there’s still a few parts left to go,” Staashelm said
we’re just really excited about the vibrancy this will bring to the Uptown area.”
The city of Marion and the Marion Chamber of Commerce will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4 p.m
Wednesday to celebrate the city’s new Central Plaza
The event is free and open to the public and will celebrate the substantial completion of the roughly $8.35 million project
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Approximately 35 students at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management did four months of research on revitalizing Minneapolis’ Uptown neighborhood and presented their findings Thursday to residents
told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS their research discovered Uptown needs more scheduled events to draw people to the area and the city needs to offer more incentives to help bring investors back into the neighborhood
RELATED: Minneapolis Uptown businesses unite to revitalize once-booming area
“If they want to keep the momentum of creating events for people to go to
using the space that’s already here,” said Spillane. “I mean
what more could you want in Uptown?”
told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS their research also suggests the area needs to fight a perception of high crime
have more open streets events and retail stores need to offer more than a simple one-time experience of making a purchase
“There used to be cooking classes and there used to be art studios
I think it’s what a lot of people want to see,” said Bontrager
The next step is getting their research in front of the mayor and city council
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After neighbors complained about loss of parking
commissioners suspended work on the Mall’s long-range plan
Parking on park roads overnight is illegal in Minneapolis
But after residents complained about designs to replace about 25 spots along Uptown’s Mall Park with more green space
a sharply divided Park Board recently chose to protect the parking and put its own long-range plans on ice
Two years ago, an opportunity arose to put the plan in motion. The Metropolitan Council announced it was time to replace the old sewer pipes beneath the Mall Park
Since another agency was coming with money to tear up the street
park staff started preparing for the green space restoration
Opposition to the loss of parking started simmering as soon as the two agencies began to inform residents about their intent to collaborate
the fight assumed aspects of larger culture wars over designing parks for cars
“I don’t want to build something or do something that’s going to negatively impact the communities that are trying to get around this city,” said Commissioner Billy Menz, who proposed the vote to suspend the Mall redesign and restore the roadway following sewer work
“I don’t want to damage constituent sentiment towards the Park Board in order to get a short-term goal.”
For months, neighbors showed up to Park Board meetings to demand preservation of parking spots. A Change.org petition with nearly 800 signatures emphasized how precious the spots were to nearby renters
stores closing and the permanent removal of parking on local streets,” said Lowry Hill resident Craig Wilson at a board meeting last spring
especially renters worried about losing parking and parkway access and threatening to leave.”
Wilson served on the community advisory committee that came up with the long-range plan for the Mall Park
thinking it was an acceptable compromise between people who initially desired an active park with sports courts and those who wanted a quieter experience and prevailed
Wilson told the Minnesota Star Tribune that he is concerned about emergency vehicle access
and that the concept of closing streets was poorly vetted
an East Harriet resident who chaired the long-range planning committee
He said community representatives and Park Board members spent more time discussing the Mall than other southwest parks
incorporating neighbors’ feedback while keeping local ordinances in mind
“One thing that we constantly heard was that people wanted more area for using the parks
“It’s not within the Park Board‘s mission to provide complimentary parking for non-park uses
you’re actually not allowed legally to park on the street overnight.”
Park Board President Cathy Abene and Commissioner Elizabeth Shaffer pushed to pause implementation of the Mall plan, questioning whether fire trucks would be able to reach nearby apartments if streets were closed as planned
“This is to flush out information that I feel like we
need before we can make a major decision like this,” Shaffer said
and that would be to amend the master plan if we find out information that is of detriment to the public safety of our citizens.”
Park staff conducted a traffic study for the Mall Park plan
and reviewed the proposed roadway changes with the city engineer and fire chief
The traffic and parking study found that local streets had ample space to accommodate parking demand
and the change in area traffic volumes would be relatively minimal
Minneapolis Fire Chief Bryan Tyner’s opinion was that roadways along the southern Mall roadway should maintain continuous flow because of the apartments located there
the two blocks marked for removal under the Mall’s long-range plan are located on the northern side of the median
20-foot-wide clearance is required for emergency vehicles
Yet the Mall Park’s roads include a 12-foot driving lane and an 8-foot parking bay
Complying with the code would mean cutting down trees in the median — a nonstarter for most Park Board commissioners — or removing parking
Park Board commissioners voted 6-3 last month to restore the Mall roadways to their current condition following the Met Council’s sewer work without addressing emergency vehicle access
illegal overnight parking or officially amending the Mall plan
staff-intensive effort that would cost about $50,000 and delay other projects across the park system
But not doing so means that when funding becomes available in the future to implement the Mall plan
park staff would still be expected to remove the restored road and replace it with green space at a greater cost
Commissioner Becky Alper called her colleagues’ silence on those issues “hypocrisy.”
Charles Rucker and Steffanie Musich voted for restoring the roadway
“We are implementing bad governance in just its purest form,” Olsen said
Board President Abene won’t ask park police to enforce illegal overnight parking
because people park illegally throughout the park system and
“there are zero ‘no-parking signs’ on the Mall.”
She blamed the long-range planning process for the “chaos” surrounding its implementation
saying that the Mall plan was “infeasible” from the start and that staff failed to do additional review and study of its road closures and alley changes
“They were directing the closure of the roads
that should be a big red flag that there’s probably some due diligence that needed to happen,” she said
The Park Board has closed roadways in the past. The Mall’s intersection with Hennepin Avenue was closed in 1981 to make way for the new Walker Library. The Park Board closed roads at Victory Memorial Drive about 15 years ago, and it has other long-range plans to vacate other streets, park lawyer Brian Rice said.
While the Park Board’s long-range plans are conceptual, all require additional environmental investigation and detailed technical work, obtaining necessary permits and following applicable state laws prior to implementation to understand what the site will allow while maintaining the overall spirit.
Was the Mall plan “unvetted” as its opponents say? Adam Arvidson, park director of strategic planning, said no, because vetting happens at different and increasingly detailed stages of the design process.
“That’s true of any design that ever takes place anywhere,” he said. “To suggest that any concept plan at that concept level is either completely feasible or completely infeasible is a binary analysis that doesn’t exist in the real world.”
Sewer work is scheduled to begin next summer. But because the Park Board has discontinued the Mall’s park design process, the only role remaining for park staff is to facilitate approvals for the Met Council.
Susan Du covers the city of Minneapolis for the Star Tribune.
Minneapolis
The most severely injured in the back-to-back incidents died two days later
Minneapolis’ 2025 city elections will include Mayor Jacob Frey defending his post and all 13 city council seats on the ballot
TrendingCommercialDallasAHarwood seeks partners for Uptown portfolio amid distress spellMajor Uptown landlord tapped Newmark for recapitalization effort
Harwood International is looking to recapitalize its office portfolio in Uptown Dallas, a neighborhood emerging as a hub for Y’all Street
The Dallas-based firm tapped Newmark to help it find equity partners and debt for the next phase of its 30-acre Harwood District, Bisnow reported
The move comes amid booming investor interest in the area
but also growing scrutiny of Harwood’s holdings
The recap effort follows two foreclosure events in Harwood’s portfolio within just three months, The Real Deal previously reported
Harwood narrowly avoided foreclosure on Saint Ann Court
a 221,000-square-foot office building at 2828 North Harwood Street
was taken back by San Francisco-based Spear Street Capital via a $73 million credit bid on April 1
Deed records show Spear Street had purchased the building’s mortgage from Affinius Capital Management days earlier
Sources told TRD the distress could spread
which is 80 percent leased at 2727 North Harwood
is set to lose its anchor tenant when law firm Jones Day relocates to Harwood’s forthcoming Harwood No
Harwood may allow some of its underperforming assets
senior vice president of research and market forecasting at Partners Real Estate
which is nearly 90 percent leased and underwent renovations in 2020
suggests the firm is selective about which assets it fights to retain
SIGN UPThe firm’s development efforts kickstarted Uptown’s transition into an office hot spot decades ago
Now the area is a destination for financial heavyhitters
Goldman Sachs is building a $500 million corporate campus near the Perot Museum of Nature and Science
backed by BlackRock and Citadel Securities
ignited the Y’all Street movement in 2023 with a $120 million fundraising round
The exchange plans to launch listings in 2026 and establish a headquarters in Dallas
Legacy exchanges followed suit: the New York Stock Exchange reincorporated its Chicago office in Dallas earlier this year
and Nasdaq is planning a regional headquarters in the city
The influx of financial players and corporate relocations is transforming Uptown into Dallas’ most desirable submarket
Uptown had the lowest office vacancy rate in Dallas-Fort Worth in the first quarter
Uptown is also drawing employers from traditional business hubs. Insurance giant Lockton Companies recently leased 100,000 square feet at Victory Commons One, at 2601 Victory Avenue, where landlord Hillwood is shelling out $9 million for tenant improvements
More than $1 billion in real estate investment is headed for Uptown, driven by major developments like Hunt Realty’s NorthEnd, which includes the Goldman Sachs campus, and Pacific Elm’s Parkside Uptown
where Bank of America pre-leased 238,000 square feet and will have naming rights
— A significant police presence was established in a local parking lot following a shooting incident that left one person dead
The shooting occurred in the middle of the afternoon
a time when children and teenagers are often present in the area
Federal Way police said the call came in at 4:22 p.m
they found a man in his late teens or early 20s with a gunshot wound
Authorities have not been able to identify the man or his age
three individuals at the scene have indicated that the victim is a minor
"You fear for your kids to even go outside
they deserve to grow up and have fun and play and shouldn’t be worried about going outside from gun violence," said a concerned resident
Authorities have deployed the Guardian One helicopter to assist in the search for the shooter or shooters
but no arrests have been reported at this time
Detectives are continuing to investigate the scene
and they are expected to remain on-site throughout the evening
Anyone with information is asked to call 253-835-2121
Fayetteville’s own celebrity chef isn’t closing shop — the floors in her Owen Drive kitchen are just getting redone
Judith “Chef Judy” Cage, the woman behind the culinary gem, posted a social media video with her business partner Rashawn Moore on April 28 dispelling rumors that the restaurant is closing
saying they're only temporarily relocating
as you know we have been at the Owen Drive location for a little over six years," Cage began
After some playful banter between the business partners
it’s had a lot of complications … We have done all that we can," he said
we actually have a project that is going on through the ownership
They are restructuring our floor in our kitchen
They are completely redoing our floor in the kitchen."
More: Uptown's Chicken and Waffles features Southern-style comfort food
Moore said the Owen Drive restaurant will close for about three or four weeks for the renovations and that in the interim, beginning April 30, Uptown’s Chicken & Waffles will operate out of 1911 Murchison Road, the former Henley’s Vintage Kitchen.
“It’s temporary. We’re getting new floors in the kitchen so we don’t fall through,” Cage said.
She said the hours will remain the same — 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
"We're still gonna make it good," Cage said. "I need y'all to make sure y'all come on over and see us and support us, OK?"
Cage has minor celebrity status in Fayetteville after several appearances on Food Network channel competitions including "Supermarket Stakeout," where she beat four other chefs in 2019, winning the grand prize of $10,000. She also appeared on "Chopped," "Cutthroat Kitchen'' and "Restaurant Impossible."
Canary Grey PhotographyPlayListenAppetites: A Korean stationary store brings life back to empty corner of UptownGo Deeper.CloseCreate an account or log in to save stories
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it created another hole in a neighborhood plagued by empty storefronts abandoned by national chains
But first-time business owner Angie Lee saw an opportunity
“I have played with the idea of having a small business
Moona Moono (loosely translating to “culture octopus”) combines multiple worlds into one storefront
so you can have an imported Japanese notebook or some Korean beauty products along with your coffee and donuts
2025.Photo courtesy of Roy Son“We’re trying to introduce people to new things,” she said
“We’re always looking for recommendations or suggestions from our patrons so that we can make sure that we can are staying on top of the very best products.”
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The now-renovated store doesn’t bear a resemblance to its predecessor — the open interior is a mixture of Japanese and Scandinavian design
“The way that people are most receptive to new things is by anchoring into something they know
“So just putting a slight spin on it … makes it both approachable but also novel to folks.”
Lee moved to Uptown from New York just three years ago
When she was first pitching the idea of bringing a stationery store to Minneapolis
But small-business owners like Bogart’s Donuts’ Anne Rucker and restauranteur Ann Kim
and you can bring to life what you really want to do.’”
To listen to the interview at Moona Moono with owner Angie Lee
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owner of A Step Ahead Learning Center in Uptown
the day care closed over a dispute between Parker and the landlord
Megan Vens-Policky has spent the last week scrambling to find new day care for her 4-year-old daughter
was forced to close its doors after 35 years on Wednesday due to a prolonged dispute between owner Tanneh Parker and the landlord over building conditions and rent
Vens-Policky and other families at the day care have had to hastily make new plans for their children
who have come to adore Parker and their time at A Step Ahead
The parents see her as family and say her eviction is unjust
I’ve reached out to four different day cares
“All while still working a full-time job and advocating for A Step Ahead.”
Parker spent the last hour of the day reading and playing with the children
some parents brought gifts for Parker and her employees
a concerned parent whose children attend A Step Ahead Learning Center
points out water damage and mold in an unused section of the day care in Uptown
so to lose that now is unreal,” Parker said
It eventually expanded across five connected storefronts and served more than 60 children
Parker took over soon after her mother died in 2013
Her troubles with the landlord began in 2015
when Parker began renovations and discovered leaks in the ceilings of some of the storefronts
Parker paused the remodel and contacted the landlord
Water “rained” down walls from a plumbing problem in one of the apartments above the day care
A substance that appeared to be mold developed
Due to the unsafe conditions and seeing no other options
Parker decided to stop using three of her five storefronts for the day care and only paid rent for the two that she was using
In 2021 she received an eviction notice over incomplete payments
and the landlord took her to court for back rent
Parents tearfully wait to pick up their children on Wednesday at A Step Ahead Learning Center in Uptown
It was the last day for the day care center
the landlord said the repairs weren’t made because Parker hasn’t given them access for crews to enter the building and do the work
according to a transcript of the proceeding
But Parker denied that and told Judge David Skryd that she has text messages that show her repeatedly asking the landlord to take care of the issues
When Parker’s lawyer asked her to show those to the judge
She testified to that,” the transcript states
An initial $550,000 judgment was issued against Parker
Facing having to pay that sum and fund her legal challenges
Parker decided it was best to agree to leave the space
Her plight got the attention of local community leaders
who reached out to the city to conduct an inspection of the property on Tuesday
including “severe black furry substance appearing to be mold” and “rotted and water-damaged floors.”
The city filed a complaint against the landlord in circuit court Wednesday over those violations
according to a spokesperson for the Law Department
The landlord and the attorney for building owner George Callas could not be reached Thursday afternoon
who had a young son at the day care center
said shuttering the business is a big loss for the neighborhood
He said A Step Ahead had flexible hours and affordable prices
He couldn’t find a similar place after hearing about the day care’s imminent closure
“It’s got all the stuff that you’d want in a day care,” Cotey said
who had two children at A Step Ahead over the years
said the closure was “devastating” for the community
“What I loved about this place was that it was a place that really looked out for and served working-class people,” Gellman said
adding “it definitely wasn’t easy” figuring out next steps due to the center’s closure
Parents have amplified a GoFundMe that Parker started to raise money to help her fund a legal challenge to vacate the judgment made against her
Parker hopes to someday be able to open another day care in the neighborhood
but I’m hoping that it’s vibrant and full of children,” she said
owner of A Step Ahead Learning Center in Uptown (left) plays with Megan Vens-Policky’s children Milo
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The second annual Lovin’ Life Music Festival will take over Uptown Charlotte on Friday
and Dave Matthews Band; and neighbors are overly excited
so excited that they needed a kickoff event to start the weekend
It’s just like I just feel hyped,” Michael said
He was hanging out with his big brother and friends as they waited to hear one of their favorite bands
Hyped may be the best way to describe the weekend’s packed lineup of musical artists in Charlotte
Victoria Yards was the first place neighbors could go to get a free taste of two local bands — Natalie Carr and Junior Astronomers
“We also do a lot of work throughout the year to build up the Charlotte music scene and ecosystem
We think it’s really important for a growing city like Charlotte to have a vibrant music scene that attracts people from all over,” said Rick Thurmond
He was one of the main organizers of a free concert called “Love Uptown.”
Thurmond says they’re already looking forward to next year’s event.
“We hope this becomes an annual tradition,” Thurmond said.
“It’s really cool seeing everybody just kind of like jam to whatever music
Anytime they have openers that we don’t know
we like listening to them anyways and giving them a chance and other people know them that we don’t
So it’s just nice,” Wyatt said
the co-founder of Lovin’ Life Festival
is excited for the event’s second year.
We got Benson Boone and they’re calling this little event “Boonechella” after he was the darling of Coachella
she’s reinvented herself several times
and then Dave Matthews Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
which I can’t wait for that,” Durkin said.
organizers immediately hit the ground running
adding new culinary vendors and fixing logistical issues with city officials
“One of the things was the light rail is phenomenal that’s how people came
we wanted to lean into that to get more people to take the light rail
We have even more frequency in the number of stops they’re going to run later to help people out
And I think our Uber and Lyft lines will organize on College Street this year,” Durkin said
Festival goers will see an increase in staff at the front gates to make sure wait times are extremely low
More restrooms will also be scattered around the venue
Durkin believes the economic impact of at least 20,000 people roaming around Uptown Charlotte will be significant
“We think it’s $20 million plus and that’s people spending at the festival
is showing what Charlotte has to offer the best from its best foot forward with the cuisine
people get to experience Charlotte this weekend and hopefully come back,” he said.
Durkin encourages festival goers to download the Lovin’ Life app
which is the best way to keep up with weather notifications and updates throughout the weekend
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By Christie BrinkleyHarper Influence: 416 pages, $34If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores.
To make it as a fashion model is one thing; to endure in such an intensely competitive field, as Christie Brinkley has done, is quite another. It means having to live in constant fear that your job might be snatched by someone younger, or thinner, or whatever the zeitgeist might be hunting for at any given moment. If Brinkley’s new memoir, “Uptown Girl,” has one lesson to impart to its readers, it’s that no one, not even the beauty icon, rides through life for free.
Life was grand for Brinkley. She recalls one lunch in the early 1970s with agent Nina Blanchard at the old Brown Derby in Hollywood, when she booked her first three major TV commercials before coffee was served, just by sitting there. Francesco Scavullo, Patrick Demarchelier and Helmut Newton trained their lenses on her and the rest was history. She bought her first apartment in a prewar building on the Upper West Side soon after.
In January 1983, while on location in St. Barts for a photo shoot, she met Billy Joel at a motel dive bar. Both were reeling from their previous relationships; Joel had recently divorced his first wife, Elizabeth Weber. Joel played “The Girl From Ipanema” on the bar piano while Brinkley sang along. Brinkley knew nothing about Joel, let alone that he was a global pop megastar.
Books
Tina Knowles, best known as Beyoncé and Solange’s mother, gets candid in her memoir, writing about being diagnosed with breast cancer last summer and being subjected to an unwanted, invasive gynecological exam as a teenager.
Then Joel’s issues began to shade into psychosis. Brinkley in her book describes one ugly scene when Joel, deep in his cups, ate a heap of spaghetti directly from a large pan on the stove, then vehemently kicked everyone out of the house for eating his pasta. “I hesitated to put that scene in the book,” she says. “But at the same time, it demonstrates what I was up against.”
“Suddenly, I had a theme song,” she says. “That was definitely a gift that Billy gave to me.”
In his book ‘Fahrenheit-182,’ Blink 182’s Mark Hoppus chronicles the devastating impact of his parents’ divorce, falling in love with punk rock, surviving cancer and battles among the friends and bandmates.
Despite the vicissitudes of her life, Brinkley has maintained a vigorous career as a model and entrepreneur, enduring far longer than her contemporaries, readjusting her approach to the marketplace, finding the niche that eludes everyone else. “In the years after the copter crash, I have maintained an extraordinary sense of gratitude on steroids,” she says. “We’re all so lucky to make it through each day, especially now.”
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The supermodel recounts some of her most life-changing moments
such as her April 1994 helicopter crash and her love story with the Piano Man
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She’s unsparing about the string of events that led to her and Joel’s 1994 separation
which was fueled by the singer’s issues with alcohol
proclivity for disappearing for several days at a time
alarming behavior that could turn physical
“His drinking was bigger than the both of us — booze was the other woman
and it was beginning to seem that he preferred to be with ‘her’ rather than with me,” she writes in one passage
Below are all of the unpleasant stories Brinkley offers about her former husband
The summer of 1986 was the first time Brinkley experienced a new
The couple had been married for about a year and were staying in a cottage in Montauk
I crept down the stairs toward the kitchen
wondering for a moment if there had been an intruder,” she writes
I didn’t see or hear anything unusual.” Brinkley searched the entire property
refusing to call the police for fear it would result in “an article in the gossip columns the next day.” Then she called every local bar
The fourth watering hole that picked up confirmed her husband was there
which is a horrible feeling,” she explains
“When Billy finally stumbled out of a taxi at 4:30 in the morning
he only got angry at me and started yelling
I thought he may have been mortified for me to see him that drunk — it was the first time it had happened in my presence — and wanting to spare him even more embarrassment
I went back to bed and pretended to fall asleep
staying there until he woke up hours later
and contrite.” Joel “seemed horrified” by his behavior the next morning and said he had been “writing hits” for his upcoming album
Brinkley trusted that it was a onetime event
brought on by the stress of working on a new project
Brinkley and Alexa Ray joined Joel for a string of international concerts to promote The Bridge
shaking the hotel room where Brinkley and her then-infant daughter were resting
which didn’t happen as a result of the earthquake
came back drunk to the hotel in the early morning,” she recalls
“I’d never seen him that way on tour before
he couldn’t even speak about the earthquake that had happened earlier.” The next morning
Brinkley says his behavior was “the same as it had been in Montauk,” with Joel apologizing profusely while “making more promises and excuses.”
That same international tour continued up to Moscow in the summer of 1987
Joel was beginning to show signs of exhaustion
“No number of Tic Tacs or vodka shots,” she explains
“was helping soothe his throat.” An American film crew was given permission to shoot a documentary during this Soviet tour
they planned to illuminate certain audience members with bright lights
believing he should be the center of attention
Let me do my show for Chrissake!’ But the crew didn’t stop
I watched in horror as Billy suddenly lifted his piano and flipped it over on its side
overwhelmed by his own outrage and frustration,” Brinkley writes
“While continuing to sing he then jumped to the front of the stage
and grabbed a microphone stand and smashed it against the floor.”
after belting out a line of lyrics and taking a karate-like kick
sending chunks of metal flying up into the air and hurtling right past my head in the front row,” Brinkley adds
Never before had I seen such fury from Billy
who later claimed the outburst was all part of his performance.” This was the first time Brinkley found herself genuinely “scared” at Joel’s behavior
while Joel was touring Storm Front in Honolulu
Brinkley confronted him about reports he was having an affair with an Australian actress
“I told him that he should find another place to sleep
I had already locked the doors to both the suite and the outside patio,” Brinkley writes
“Billy banged angrily on the front door for some time
he did something unimaginable: He picked up a chaise longue and threw it right through the doors of the patio
shattering the glass into a million pieces.”
Brinkley took her daughter to a separate suite where her parents were staying and lied to the hotel manager and staffers about the source of the disruption
“Despite everything I felt in the moment — fear
anger — I knew what to do: I told the guards that the broken door had been an accident and that they didn’t need to report it,” she says
I loved Billy and didn’t want the incident to become a news story.” Joel apologized the next morning and insisted there was no affair
incident-and-repair had become our pattern
things between us were becoming more difficult to mend.”
Brinkley’s breaking point came days before Joel embarked on his 1993 tour for River of Dreams
Joel had invited a few members of his touring band over to the couple’s Hamptons house after enjoying dinner out on the town
felt the need to devour even more leftover pasta
When he couldn’t locate it in the refrigerator
Then he suddenly looked down at the pot of pasta and realized it was all gone
as all conversation in the kitchen ground to a halt
“Who ate all my pasta?” Everyone in the room turned to look at him and then at one another
but that made Billy irate — which was when we realized he wasn’t kidding
you just ate it,” I said as softly as I could
“Everyone get the fuck out of my house!” he screamed as he began shoving his bandmates out of the kitchen
“You come here and you eat all my pasta like that
he was acting delusional in a way I’d never seen before
and when one of the guys in the band grabbed my arm
pulling me out of the house with the rest of them
“You’re coming with us,” the bandmate said to me
“We’re not leaving you alone with him like this.”
he pounded on the door demanding to be let in
Brinkley urged him to leave for fear of embarrassing himself in front of his young daughter
knew that I was right: He wouldn’t want his little girl to see him like that
retreating into one of the guest rooms where he could sleep it off,” she writes
Brinkley gave Joel another chance to rekindle their relationship by spending Christmas together as a family
Joel failed to return home in the Hamptons after a concert
A member of Joel’s road crew called Brinkley to let her know why
“He hadn’t crashed his car on the Long Island Expressway or wasn’t lying dead somewhere else
the crew member said: He was having an affair with a woman who worked as a caterer for the show,” Brinkley says
Billy continues to deny ever having had affairs
I asked him to leave.” They publicly announced their divorce months later
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By Nick Wooten
The first— the 31-story 2811 Maple — is just down the road from the 1.3 million square foot mixed-use development
It will welcome its first residents in June
which the Dallas City Council approved zoning plans for earlier this year
Located at the northern tip of the Crescent development
the slender tower will rise as high as 415 feet above the hotel and buildings on the site
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The buildings will be some of the tallest in Uptown once finished
We’re bullish specifically on the Dallas-Fort Worth market
There’s nothing like the Crescent,” said John Goff
chairman and principal owner of Crescent Real Estate “It’s going to be the crowning event for the Crescent development.”
6 imagesView GalleryThe 2811 tower will include 177 apartments with an average size of roughly 1,450 square feet
each exceeding 2,000 square feet on the building’s 29th
Rents range from $4,200 to $19,500 a month
the man behind some of Dallas’ most iconic skyscrapers
and his firm Keating Architecture are the design architects
The 250,000-square-foot property is meant to feel like a boutique hotel
Each floor has only six or seven residences and is designed so that 60% of the apartments are corner units
A highly curated art collection fills the tower’s public spaces to make it feel more like a home
The building’s second floor is where the amenities live
It includes outdoor spaces like the pool deck
and the space is densely landscaped to provide some privacy and shade
The floor also includes an indoor library room/coffee bar and a private boardroom
Other perks include a valet service and 24-hour concierge
and a boutique fitness center and outdoor space for yoga and other classes
The units include built-in wine refrigerators and private balconies
The floor-to-ceiling glass windows have elicited gasps from prospective residents who’ve toured penthouse units
“It was our sense that it was time for a very fresh
contemporary building in urban Dallas,” he said
Dallas council members approved a planned development subdistrict in late March
up to 215 rental units could occupy the 415-foot tower
the firm’s managing director of development
said fewer units may be developed at the site
Crescent has tapped Pelli Clarke & Partners, which the firm utilized for McKinney & Olive and the American Airlines corporate campus
“It’s a beautiful exclamation point on the Crescent,” he said
“It’s the first time people can live on the campus.”
Pitchford said the group would like to break ground in a year and a half
Construction could take two and a half years
putting an opening date four or five years out
This tower does have some development advantages
It will utilize already existing parking at the Crescent complex — meaning less work for the developers and a big plus for the environment
Pitchford said the ideal residents at these towers could be executives who move to town for work
and those who want a second home in Dallas without purchasing property
They hope the projects will fill what they see as a need for luxury rental properties in Uptown
Crescent Real Estate, one of Uptown’s most active buyers and builders, purchased the Crescent complex in 2021 for almost $700 million.
“We don’t think of it as the cherry on top. That would imply that we are done with the sundae,” Pitchford said of the new towers.
“We’re never going to be done with Uptown. ... We believe so strongly in the future of this incredible urban district that it’s always about the next opportunity.”
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the NoDa community of Charlotte is the city's historic arts and entertainments district
with North Davidson Street and East 36th Street as its main throughways
The NoDa neighborhood is served by the LYNX Blue Line light rail and is also easily walkable and bikeable
Included within NoDa is a unique art gallery/restaurant/bar called Artisan's Palate
The Neighborhood Theatre and The Evening Muse both present entertainment and live performances
NoDa hosts community festivals such as the NoDaWeen Festival and the NoDa Eclectic Marketplace
Atrium Health University City and Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center
Just 20 miles north of Charlotte, the small town of Davidson is adjacent to Lake Norman and home to Davidson College. The town and the college were both founded in 1837 and named after famed Brigadier General William Lee Davidson of the Revolutionary War
This Charlotte suburb is a lively college town with a quaint main street and housing averaging $658,000
The North Meck Village Rider inter-town public transportation service connects Davidson with the towns of Cornelius and Huntersville
The Davidson Shuttle also takes riders around town and connects with the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) to reach parts of Charlotte
Davidson's picturesque downtown area boasts shops including Birkdale Village and Oak Street Mill
and restaurants like Flatiron Kitchen & Taphouse and Brickhouse Tavern
Davidson was awarded a Tree City USA designation
making it one of only 72 communities in the state and 3,000 in the nation so recognized for planting and caring for healthy urban forests
Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital is just five miles away from Davidson for medical needs
Matthews is a suburb just 20 minutes southeast of Charlotte's uptown area
a director of the Central Carolina Railroad
Matthews was once a sleepy rail town but has since become an active town with families and businesses
along with the renowned Matthews Farmers Market
Public transportation in Matthews includes CATS
with bus service throughout Matthews and connecting to Charlotte
Fifteen parks and ballfields are available throughout the town of Matthews for outdoor recreation
The Matthews Playhouse of the Performing Arts offers acting classes and plays for all ages
One of the most popular hangouts in downtown Matthews is the Jekyll & Hyde Taphouse and Grill
Novant Health Matthews Medical Center on Matthews Township Parkway is available for hospital care
Ballantyne is 25 minutes south of Charlotte, bordering the South Carolina state line
and bordered by Pineville to the west and Matthews to the east
The town's location just off I-485 draws many who want proximity to the city and its amenities
This unique neighborhood includes green space
CATS serves the Ballantyne area with buses
providing easy public transportation options to Charlotte and other areas
provides 100 acres of green space for walking
and Fire Festival and the Carolina Holiday Light Spectacular are held here annually
Eateries in Ballantyne range from Southern cooking at Gallery Restaurant to Indian cuisine at Tabla Indian Restaurant
Shoppers will appreciate the bargains and styles found at Blakeney Town Center
Novant Health Ballantyne Medical Center on Providence Road is a convenient option when health care is needed
Charlotte's South End is a popular neighborhood for those who can afford the higher home prices
Just south of the uptown area of Charlotte
It is easy to get to other parts of Charlotte through the LYNX Blue Line light rail system
with one highlight being the Confetti Hearts Wall mural on the Design Center of the Carolinas
The Elder Gallery of Contemporary Art showcases local and national artwork
Thirsty South Enders know to visit the Charlotte Beer Garden
voted Best Beer Garden in the US by USA Today
The Sedgefield Park neighborhood is also found within the South End and features smaller homes from the 1940s
Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center on Blythe Boulevard is the nearest hospital to serve the medical needs of South End residents
the Elizabeth neighborhood is bordered by Randolph Road/Fourth Street to the southeast
Independence Boulevard to the west and north
Central Piedmont Community College is also found in Elizabeth
The Gold Line Streetcar connects Elizabeth to the rest of Charlotte
Restaurants in downtown Elizabeth include Lupie's Cafe
one of the first city parks in the country named as an historic landmark
Historical landmarks include the Adams House from the early 1900s
Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center on Blythe Boulevard is conveniently located for Elizabeth residents
Named after the Cotswold region in England
the neighborhood of Cotswold is at the intersection of Randolph and Sharon Amity Roads
less than 15 minutes from downtown Charlotte
It is one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Charlotte
Proximity to the headquarters of Fortune 500 companies like Lowe's and Honeywell
and restaurants all add up to make Cotswold a great choice for those moving to Charlotte
The CATS system provides public transportation to other areas of the city
The shops of Cotswold Village include specialty items and gifts
with 150 stores including Gucci and Louis Vuitton
Restaurants in Cotswold include Eddie's Place
The Mint Museum in Cotswold holds international art exhibitions
Novant Health has several top-notch medical facilities in Cotswold
including Presbyterian Medical Center and Cotswold Medical Clinic
the Uptown neighborhood of Charlotte is becoming recognized as a great place to live
Uptown is bounded by Trade and Tryon Streets
as well as Interstate 277 and Interstate 77
including LYNX Blue Line Light Rail and buses
serves the uptown area with connections to other parts of the Charlotte metro area
Whether you're looking for arts and culture
The Belk Theater at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center hosts the Charlotte Symphony
Parks in Uptown include Romare Bearden Park
The Uptown Farmers Market in the center of the city offers produce and goods from local vendors
Discovery Place Science and the NASCAR Hall of Fame entertain visitors of all ages
Many great hospitals are in the Uptown neighborhood
including Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center and Atrium Health University City
North Carolina is filled with diverse and welcoming neighborhoods
Those who move there will find that they are just a few hours' drive to both the Appalachian Mountains and the beach
Whether you prefer to live among the livelier Uptown vibe or the more laid-back suburban feel of Ballantyne
choosing to relocate to any of these Charlotte neighborhoods may inspire you to lead a more fulfilling way of life
photos and original descriptions © 2025 worldatlas.com
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weren’t only changing residences but also making a fresh start in their family life as an independent threesome
a real estate developer who focuses on affordable housing
had been checking out apartments up and down Park and Lexington avenues
wanting their home base to be within walking distance of the girls’ school; when she came across a high-floor unit on Fifth Avenue instead
overlooking Central Park in a prewar building not far from Museum Mile
The place was far from perfect: It had been cobbled together from two smaller apartments in less-than-ideal fashion by a previous owner
resulting in a hodgepodge of awkward ceiling soffits
and wood floors whose decorative borders no longer matched the geometry of the rooms they were in
so I understood that I was going to have to create for myself the space I wanted to live in.”
Erika Jones, wearing Valentino
with her daughters Valentina (far left) and Gigi
She turned to the AD100 list to track down a partner for the work, and was immediately drawn to AD PRO Directory designer Corey Damen Jenkins
both for his maximalist aesthetic and his personal narrative
“I loved how he bootstrapped himself in Detroit,” Jones says
“and then moved to the big city of New York and was able to be successful here too.” She saw in his experiences a kinship with what she refers to as her own “phoenix-rising story in progress.”
Initial plans for the family’s new quarters only included renovating the kitchen and bathrooms, along with some cosmetic upgrades. But then, as design meetings got underway, Jenkins suggested that Jones take advantage of the opportunity to create the apartment of her dreams
“I looked myself in the mirror,” she reports
if I’m not going to live how I want to live now
What am I waiting for?’” She decided it was time to go all-in
and the designer and client embarked together on a total makeover
the condo had been utterly transformed into a vibrant
unapologetically feminine realm of layered patterns and sometimes audacious color choices
An entry hall with green chinoiserie walls beneath a ceiling of glittering hexagonal mirrored tiles leads to a dining room that is coated in a high-gloss lacquer—the velvety purple hue of a blueberry panna cotta
Jones’s love affair with de Gournay and Gracie mural papers is evident in almost every room
and all—is sheathed in a luscious Calacatta viola marble
with glittering brass hardware and fixtures added as jewelry
Jenkins and his firm completely reworked the interior architecture
and coffered ceilings—which occasionally conceal structural beams that couldn’t be moved—now adorn the public spaces
entirely in keeping with the kind of Beaux Arts detailing that the building’s original architect deployed in its grand foyer downstairs
which now definitely fit the spaces they’re part of
Jones, wearing Carolina Herrera
sits on one of the custom scallop-backed banquettes in the dining room
The spectacular living room is proof of just how well Jones and Jenkins vibed with their shared vision
the emerald silk grass cloth that ended up on the ceiling was meant to go on the walls
she texted Jenkins an image of Gracie’s Kano Garden wall covering—which led to a phone call
which led to a revised scheme involving custom colors to match the furniture that was already on order
“And it became one of the most dynamic rooms in the house as a result.” The lesson
“Settling for less” is not a thought that would come to mind when anyone sees this home today
chock-full as it is of what Jenkins terms “cultured
reinvented as the perfect backdrop for a mother and her two daughters setting out on their New York adventure
Monkeys scamper among palm fronds on either side of the dining room’s fireplace
The streamlined table and chairs are from Baker
and the spectacular Murano palmette chandelier dates to circa 1920
Jones, wearing Reem Acra
The medicine cabinet mirror lifts up like a garage door
Valentina, Jones’s younger daughter, originally asked for a black bedroom—but very dark shades of green and teal proved to be an acceptable compromise. The rich amber wall covering from Cole & Son has an allover pattern of stylized feathers
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They want to form a business improvement district, work with landlords and improve parking, all to boost traffic to the commercial area.
Uptown businesses have realized they need to be more organized and aggressive to save their distressed commercial area.
Uptown Minneapolis celebrated a rarity these past few weeks: the opening of a new shop — Moona Moono, an Asian coffee cafe and retail shop on Hennepin Avenue. But neighborhood businesses are hoping it’s a trend.
Business owners say they are working on ways to attract 30 to 40 new businesses, working with landlords on rent breaks or other incentives.
During a packed Uptown Association meeting last week, they also announced an effort to form a new business improvement district and improve parking.
Andrea Corbin, owner of the Flower Bar and president of the association, said a district that included the Uptown, Lyn Lake and Lowry Hill neighborhoods would make the area eligible for more state and city grants to fund new ideas and necessities like security and beautification.
“We believe creating a larger service area will create an economy of scale and allow us to do more with more,” Corbin said.
Security has been a problem over the past few years. So has yearslong construction along Hennepin that has discouraged customers, business owners said.
The area simply must attract more foot traffic again to survive, said Bryan Keeler, general manager of Lowry Hill Liquors on Hennepin.
“Before all this construction, Hennepin and Franklin, especially our spot where 94 feeds into it, I always thought of it as one of the busiest streets in Minneapolis … and it was packed with cars constantly,” Keeler said. “Now, there’s barely a trickle of cars coming in.”
Lowry Hill Liquors lost many of its regulars because it is so difficult to get to, Keeler said.
“Some of the drivers will call and ask how to even get to the store,” Keeler said. “That pretty much means they’re going to go to another store, and once they create that habit, then we pretty much lose them.”
Sota Clothing in March closed its Uptown location due to a lack of foot traffic.
“There just weren’t other retailers around us to support people doing additional shopping,” said Makenna Schluter, manager of the store.
Having other stores in the area creates a flow of customers browsing and window shopping.
“It made it a little bit more challenging for us since there wasn’t the ability to stop into Sota and … then decide to go to another boutique after that,” Schluter said.
That’s the way it used to be when Uptown was thriving.
Now, stores struggle to stay open because of the state of the neighborhood, Corbin said.
After construction, there is minimal street parking along Hennepin Avenue. The construction came after the COVID-19 slowdowns, stacking challenges for area stores.
Sarah Rust, an employee at the Spectacle Shoppe, pointed to parking as a big concern.
“You can find parking on side streets, but not everybody is as agile and can walk as far,” Rust said. “A lot of our demographic is 55- to 60-year-old people and sometimes even greater than that. I’ve personally gotten phone calls from people who scheduled, canceled and rescheduled to a different store because of mobility issues.”
Mayor Jacob Frey said at the meeting that the city plans to address some of the parking difficulties by adding free parking on 27th and 28th streets.
Frey said that the new programs have the potential to help the neighborhood get back on its feet.
“None of them in and of themselves will be some sort of massive revitalization,” he said. “They are not a long-term fix, but they’ll help.”
Rachel Hoppe is an intern for the Minnesota Star Tribune business section.
MN Fortune 500
Barry earned a larger bonus than the previous year but reduced equity payouts lowered total compensation
“A bargain is always worth a little sweat,” say fans of the region’s largest fabric warehouse
CEO Linda Findley already has eliminated 21% of corporate management positions
Milly’s Pizza In The Pan is leaving Uptown for a larger location
Here’s a Chicago pizza bombshell: Milly’s Pizza in the Pan, one of the city’s best deep-dish pizzerias, is closing its Uptown location to move into a new location. Owner Robert Maleski announced that his restaurant will relocate to Noble Square inside a space at the southeast corner of Ashland and Walton
Milly’s debuted in 2020 in a Logan Square ghost kitchen, making 10 pizzas a day, and the pies sold out in a flash. In February 2022, the pizzeria found a permanent home at 1005 W
Milly’s is mostly a takeout and delivery operation
“It’s going to have even less seating than the Uptown location,” Maleski says
But the good news is that a larger kitchen and better oven will allow Milly’s to double its production from 60 pizzas a day to 120
While Uptown had embraced his small business — Maleski initially made all the pizzas himself — the restaurant had outgrown the space
Maleski was baking using a convection oven
he says the appliance wasn’t very forgiving
Maleski says he wasn’t looking to leave when the new location’s landlord approached him about three weeks ago
currently home to a ghost kitchen operation called Lucky’s Food Group
Maleski became enamored with its conveyor-style pizza oven
The new restaurant’s Cutler oven (a brand previously and more widely known as Middleby Marshall) is often called the “Cadillac of pizza ovens,” coveted by pizzaiolos for its ability to deliver consistent and crispy results
The space was once home to a location of Pizza Metro
the Roman-style pizza spot known for its late-night hours
which Maleski estimates is 15 to 20 years old
Maleski says he doesn’t have immediate plans to expand the menu as he anticipates the demand for pizza to increase in Noble Square
The move also makes Milly’s more accessible to tourists staying at downtown hotels who need their deep-dish fix and don’t want to waste their vacation waiting for a table at a downtown chain
and has had a chance to cook in the new space to experiment with the new oven
He’s pleased: “It’s taken everything up to a new level.”
Milly’s opened a location in suburban Berwyn in March 2024
While the move will open more opportunities for Milly’s
Maleski remains melancholy about leaving Uptown
He’s grateful for their support: “It’s been a great neighborhood for us.”
Milly’s Pizza in the Pan
Christie Brinkley with Billy Joel and their daughter
Christie Brinkley finally tells her life story in “Uptown Girl" (Harper Influence
a memoir named for the 1983 Billy Joel single that became her unofficial theme song
the book chronicles Brinkley’s early childhood under an abusive father
her rise as a world-famous model and her marriage to Joel
which she describes as a tender romance that couldn’t survive the singer’s drinking and volatile behavior
Brinkley, who has a home in Bridgehampton, will be making two appearances throughout Long Island to promote “Uptown Girl,” which goes on sale Tuesday. She'll be at Barnes & Noble in Carle Place at 6 p.m. Thursday and be interviewed by Newsday's Elisa DiStefano for a Newsday Live! event in Melville
Newsday obtained an advance copy of "Uptown Girl." Here are six things we learned about Brinkley:
Raised in the Los Angeles suburb of Canoga Park
Brinkley began taking French classes in seventh grade after seeing Jacques Demy’s 1964 musical
the photographer who helped launch her modeling career
After joining the powerhouse agency Ford Models (co-founded by Great Neck’s Eileen Ford)
Brinkley was put on a strict regimen of only fish and water
She was later allowed such meager snacks as sunflower seeds and nonfat yogurt
but Brinkley soon decided against self-starvation
when I was in a new city or a foreign country
with all the piña coladas and banana chips I wanted.”
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in August of 1980 she spotted Muhammad Ali outside New York’s Plaza Hotel and finagled a couple of tickets to his upcoming fight against Larry Holmes
Brinkley began shooting for The Ring magazine and even Sports Illustrated
Brinkley guesses she might be the only sports photographer to have a boxer wink at her after he’d been knocked out
Her name for Billy Joel was “Joe.” When the supermodel met the singer on the island of St
he had scored more than a dozen Top 40 hits
including “Just the Way You Are,” “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me” and “Allentown.” Yet Brinkley had never heard of him
“I wasn’t sure if his name was Billy Joe or Billy Joel,” she admits
and the name stuck “for the eleven years we dated and were married.”
Joel gave her the lyrics to “The Longest Time” as a gift
Joel presented her with a velvet box containing a diamond bracelet
Also inside: a sheet of lined notebook paper with the handwritten words to a song that would become a Top 20 hit for Joel in 1984
he and I were still tentative with each other,” Brinkley observes
a highly publicized love life (her divorce lawyer called her “a bad picker,” she says) and a helicopter accident that led to years of hip pain
you write your own script,” she recalls him saying
“so go out there and make sure you write a damn good one.”
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Uptown in Minneapolis flourished in the 90s and early 2000s
riots following the murder of George Floyd and a spike in crime which started during the pandemic
Uptown Association Executive Director Andrea Corbin told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS it was a perfect storm of catastrophic events that led to many businesses leaving the area
“I think it’s a tragedy for our community and it’s not just business owners that are suffering,” said Corbin. “Sixty-five businesses have left Hennepin Avenue alone
That doesn’t include the businesses that have left on Lyndale in the last three years.”
the Uptown Association has proposed the creation of a Business Improvement District (BID)
which would run up and down Hennepin and Lyndale avenues between Franklin Avenue and 31st Street
Corbin told KSTP the newly proposed BID would collect a specialized tax from businesses within the district
and it would then be spent the way businesses want the money to be spent — mostly on business recruitment
beautification and even armed security services
“Armed and unarmed wherever there is a need
We could hire our own mental health services
“There’s no reason why the area should be the way it is.”
Corbin said the Uptown Association hopes to present its proposal to the city council sometime in August
Golden Globe winning actor Jeremy Piven brings stand-up comedy to the Uptown Theatre stage in Napa on May 17
Jeremy Piven prepares to bring 'authentic self' to Napa's Uptown Theatre during on May 17 as part of his stand-up comedy tour
Jeremy Piven has traversed it all for quite a while
the Golden Globe and Emmy award-winning actor’s next stop will be Napa’s Uptown Theatre
which he’ll visit as part of his nationwide stand-up comedy tour
With about 100 TV and film credits to his name
which include everything from “Entourage,” “Heat” and “Grosse Pointe Blank” to “Serendipity,” Piven’s range of characters often muddles the perception of his true personality
the stand-up stage is a place where authenticity shows up naturally
“That’s what stand-up is if you’re really doing it,” Piven said in a telephone interview
I’m going to reveal my true self.’ I think that’s what happens when you inhabit that space and you speak authentically
People are going to receive you in that way
It’s an incredible form I have always admired
the Uptown Theatre’s management and crew are excited to welcome the acclaimed actor
from his Emmy Award-winning role in ‘Entourage’ to his appearances on some of our favorite podcasts and
we are thrilled to host Jeremy on May 17 at Uptown Theatre,” said Drea Libby
“We've been looking forward to this show for a while now
great drinks and good hearty laughs with our community."
While Piven’s stand-up comedy career technically started 10 years ago
Considering how much Piven draws from his life
he argues that possibly his half-century of experience on and around the stage could be the true start of his comedy career
His parents’ Piven Theatre Workshop during his formative years was instrumental
along with Piven’s oldest sister and director Shira
count themselves as alumni from this workshop
With stops at New York University’s Tisch School of Arts and the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Connecticut
Piven sought to expand his acting experience as a young adult
With his earliest credit listed as 1986’s TV series “Lucas,” according to IMDb
Piven quickly amassed a significant string of credits starting in the 1990s
Perhaps Piven’s most notable role came in the 2000s as Ari Gold
the brash and flamboyant Hollywood agent of the HBO series “Entourage.” Since that award-winning performance
Piven has continued to string together credits across the stage
Piven navigates a space few actors have been able to traverse
But it does return to those early years in Illinois under his parents’ security and trust as teachers
“There really is no difference between drama and comedy,” Piven said
“They can exist simultaneously at any moment
I was so lucky to really grow up embracing that notion
… We weren’t intimidated by improvising because we were empowered by them (Piven’s parents) to know we were enough
‘You are enough.’ So we would log those hours.”
Traversing the space between drama and comedy is apt
as Piven navigates his stand-up tour in apparent contrast to his upcoming film he helped produce
Based on a short story by the Pulitzer Prize winner Arthur Miller
“The Performance” is set in 1937 as the fascist atmosphere in Nazi Germany is nearing its brutal pinnacle
is a Jewish-American tap dancer who is nearly past his prime
but still longs for the success and status that have eluded him
With the unthinkable decision of keeping his Jewishness a secret to achieve his dreams or escape while his ancestry is still a secret
Especially with the heightened tensions of modern affairs
Piven said this film is particularly important to examine
“It’s the best work of my life,” Piven said of “The Performance,” which will be released later this year on a date to be determined
The Uptown Theatre will feature a slate of performances across its summer schedule
Robby Krieger of The Doors and Mary Chapin Carpenter
highlight some of the special appearances this summer
For more details on The Uptown Theatre’s upcoming shows, visit uptowntheatrenapa.com
Piven is currently on his U.S. stand-up tour. For additional details and to purchase tickets, visit jeremy-piven.com
Friends and family of Berryessa's Turtle Rock bar collected the money pined to the ceiling of the cafe to donate to UCSF and celebrate the 15-year 'cancerversary' of Elijah Leung
Take a ride around Napa on these motorized ADA-compliant scooters made to look like various critters and creatures
Most of Napa’s River Park Shopping Center tenants cater to locals
Now a handful of tenants have left the center
The sheriff's office reported seizing 13 roosters from a Carneros site where it said the birds were altered and trained to fight other male birds
Take a good look at Napa’s Kohl’s building
Developers have asked the city of Napa for permission to demolish the building at 1116 First St
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Thousands in Centre County Lose Power After Severe Storms
Man Dies by Electrocution in State College After Severe Storm Damaged Power Lines
Road Closures Continue in Centre County After Severe Storm
Uptown Cheapskate is relocating its Centre Region store to 522 E
A clothing resale store is moving from its Centre Region home of the last five years to a new location in downtown State College
Uptown Cheapskate plans to open in its new location at 522 E. College Ave. on May 1, according to posts on the store’s social media accounts
Its current store at 176 Rolling Ridge Drive in the Hills Plaza will close April 21
The shop will hold a moving sale at its current location
with 20% off everything April 16-17 and 30% off April 18-19
Renovations have been ongoing at the new storefront on the ground floor of the Barcroft building
and a grand re-opening weekend celebration is scheduled there for May 1-4
A sister store to the children’s consignment shop Kid to Kid, Uptown Cheapskate is a national chain that buys and sells in-style
Uptown Cheapskate’s State College area franchise opened in 2020 at the Hills Plaza
near the local Kid to Kid store that has been in operation since 1997
80% of consumers turn to directories with reviews to find a local business
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Texas � The Creative Arts Center has been pleased to offer another spring series of Music in the Garden on Thursday nights at 7:00 p.m
there will be a $5 cover charge to help offset the costs of the bands
The Uptown Drifters will be closing out our fall concert series on May 1 with their special brand of Texas Swing. There is something real cool about Texas Swing and The Uptown Drifters will absolutely blow the roof off
Come early to check out the new artwork for the May show
Art show opening will be come and go from 5:00-7:00 p.m
inside the Art Center (free admission). Credit Union of Texas will have their food truck here in our parking lot
serving up free tacos from 5:00 � 7:30 p.m