Ann Lemons Pollack
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Chelsea on the Rocks
The Chelsea Hotel, on West 23rd Street in Manhattan, has been a haven for artists and writers, actors and ne'er-do-wells, for more than a century. Built in 1883 as an apartment house, it became a hotel in 1905 and remains so. But things began to chance a couple of years ago when a real
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Earth Day
While a few Congressmen, who probably still believe the Earth is flat, continue to insist that there is no such thing as a danger out there involving global warming, greenhouse gases, rising oceans and the like, others out there are extremely worried about the fate of our planet, and still others think that we're
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Ranoush
Folks who consider people-watching to be a joyous part of the restaurant experience need to hie themselves to a window table at Ranoush in the University City Loop, especially on a weekend. The passing parade is almost like the one in New York’s East Village, full of the young and not-so-young in various combinations, walking
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Gulfport, MS
Years ago, Ann was in Gulfport, Miss., with a friend who had grown up in what was then Yugoslavia. Friend surveyed the long empty stretches of sunny beach and gentle surf, and remarked, “You know, in Europe, a beach like this would be full of people. What’s wrong with you Americans?” Well, that’s one thing
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Still Walking
Unless the story includes a gun fight, serious movies about family life are quiet stories, their rise and fall as gentle as the ripples in a Forest Park lagoon. So it is in "Still Walking," a Japanese import. But there's a current hidden below the surface, and it affects everyone in Hirokazu Kore-Eda's lovely
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Good Hair
One would never confuse Chris Rock with Michael Moore, but here's the comic acting like the rabble-rouser in "Good Hair," a fascinating look at the multi-million dollar industry and the amazing cultural phenomenon created by hair for African-Americans, primarily women. The movie opens today. Apparently, or at least publicly, it all began when one
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Maude Maggart
Member of a show business family for four generations, Maude Maggart comes by her talent honestly, which makes her an honest-to-goodness pleasure when she's on a stage. She sings with honesty and emotion; she tells stories with a winsome expression that draws an audience right into her big, brown eyes. Maggart opened her second
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Breakfast At The Majestic
Anyone who’s been around the southern end of the Euclid strip over the past four or five decades knows the Majestic. It’s been feeding neighborhood residents and students for all that time, serving as St. Louis’ own version of the Greek diner. And while meatloaf and open-face turkey sandwiches are all very well and
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This Week’s Wine October 21, 2009
There's a great deal of bargain-hunting in wine shops these days. Only bankers, brokers (stock, not ticket) and professional athletes can afford the really good stuff. The rest of us are scrambling. But thankfully, with some winemakers and wineries also feeling some financial pressure, there are good values on shelves and lists. While I
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Helver’s World
Philip Boehm's little Upstream Theater produces more mature and thought-provoking plays than any theater in St. Louis, and he's at it again right now, with "Helver's Night," the American premiere of a drama by Polish writer Ingmar Villqist. It will charm and terrify through Sunday at the small black box Kranzberg Theatre at Grand and