Sorry I haven't written in a while.   Sometimes the blogging well goes dry.  Here's a few bits:

SUNDAY - LAST CHANCE TO BUY BREAD AT GREAT HARVEST

As previously reported .. Rodd Hall, the owner of Great Harvest, closed up his retail shop in early October.  However, he is keeping his annual commitment to let the kids of Richards hold a fund raiser for the Hunger Task Force.

The bakery will open from 9am - 2pm, with kids helping out, staffing the cash register, the works.  A musical tribute for Hall will be going on from 11am to noon.  

This is a great event.   Get down there, support your local merchants, buy some bread, raise some dough for Hunger Task Force.  Seriously.  I mean it.

iPIC iTroubled

The iPic movie theater at Bayshore is going down the tubes.   It never paid rent to Bayshore, and the lease was terminated last month.  Looks like Bayshore is allowing them to continue operations under some other agreement.  

But .. iPic has bigger problems, as they owe $3m to the company that constructed the movie/bowling complex.

This does not surprise me.  Previously, I'd written about the preposterous $15/ticket price, which gets you unnecessary valet parking, assigned seating, and some popcorn.  Anyone surprised that formula didn't work?  Shocking.   

This is a reminder:  GO TO THE FOX-BAY.  It's GREAT. Support WFB businesses.  They will need every ticket sold in this economy.

School Referendum Postponed

News came out of the school board that because the economy is down, they will not go ahead with a $14-41M referendum on the April 2009 ballot, and perhaps move it to November 2009.

One could guess that if the economy isn't much better in 6 months (probable) that the referendum would be moved back again.

I find this to send mixed signals .. if you need capital improvements, you need capital improvements.  Looks like we can put them off for 6 months.  Probably 12 months.   I'm not saying I support or don't support the idea of the referendum .. it's just that moving it back undercuts the argument that they are actually needed.

Berkeley’s Café

Berkeley's has a grand opening ribbon cutting this Thursday.  That's great news for Silver Spring.

The "iPic" movie theater, bowling alley, bar, and restaurant complex opened up last month at Bayshore.  

I get the bar.  I get the restaurant.  With the old "Echo Bowl" being replaced by Walgreens in Glendale, I get the bowling alley.

I don't get the movie theater.  Or rather, I can't fathom the price.  $15 a pop, so $30 for a couple.

For $30, you get a movie, reserved seating, popcorn, and valet parking.

Absurd.  First, reserved seating is hardly a benefit.  It could be, if you intend on showing up at the last moment, but for most of us, we like picking out our own seat while in the theater.   One variable is who is in front of you, left, and right.  Don't know that if you're picking your seat before you get there.  With $15 seats, I imagine many empty seats and room to spread out.

Valet parking?  The drop-off is INSIDE the parking structure.  What's that going to save you, 30 steps?  Those are some expensive steps, plus you'll probably end up tipping the valet.

Ok, you get popcorn.  That better be some delicious, delicious popcorn, served in sterling silver bowls with a personal usher, ready to spritz each handful with butter.

There's a better option 3 blocks away.  It's called the Fox-Bay Cinema Grill.  Two tickets and a large popcorn will run you $21 .. 40% cheaper.  Ample parking in back.  Plus, you can have drinks and food while watching the movie.

One can imagine the iPic's prices are so high to prevent the theater from becoming like Mayfair's theater, with its real (and perceived) youth crime problems.  Here's my bet.  A year from now, with a huge of every iPic movie showing going empty, they quietly lower prices to a reasonable rate, and hope for the best.