3.07.2007
3RD & CASTLE
My first trip to Wilmington, I arrived around 2 am, drove to Wrightsville Beach east of town, and slept on the dunes. I woke up wet and sleepy. My friend cursed me for suggesting the impromptu drive from our home in Georgia, and we found a Sunspree Inn with a heated indoor pool to take baths in. Not a typical holiday by the sea.
The next trip, a travel assignment for Coastal Living, allowed the finer things: a suite downtown, a chic sushi bar in an upper loft, a visit to the snake museum.
Highlights from the 3 days include another lunch special at Slice of Life Pizzeria; meeting Mr. Clinton while he primed his wrought iron fence for a new painting; the Barbary Coast, WIlmington's oldest, roughest, dog-friendliest bar and its owner, Paul Best, who drives a 1958 peacock blue Cadillac El Dorado; that yellow house off Nun Street; and, the moment I always wait for when writing a magazine story, when the story meets you. This time it was Friday morning.
I drove along 3rd, crossing Castle Street, and I saw this mustard yellow shotgun building. It looked like an old mom-and-pop general store. A skinny man with a auburn red mustache stood by the green windows, so I stopped. His name was Chet, and he owned the ERA gallery, an art and furniture venue, which had new show going up by this DC artist JColeman. All portraits of WIlmingtonians, some local celebrity, some streetfolk. I was in.
James, the artist, used to be in a hardcore band, grew up in Virginia, and carries an arm's worth of colorful tattoos. What a find, this guy. What a gem. His art struck me, and the evening packed with locals, including television stars young and old (I spent a lovely 20 minutes with Henry Darrow of the great tv days (Magnum PI, Hawaii Five-O, Wonder Woman, and, famously, The High Chaparral) He left me with a fine taste for Wilmington. I bought the portrait of the young Darrow, that vibrant charmer, his character Manolito.
Chet's portrait is the one above. Go see him. For more JColeman, visit jcolemanartwork.com.
-TB
My first trip to Wilmington, I arrived around 2 am, drove to Wrightsville Beach east of town, and slept on the dunes. I woke up wet and sleepy. My friend cursed me for suggesting the impromptu drive from our home in Georgia, and we found a Sunspree Inn with a heated indoor pool to take baths in. Not a typical holiday by the sea.
The next trip, a travel assignment for Coastal Living, allowed the finer things: a suite downtown, a chic sushi bar in an upper loft, a visit to the snake museum.
Highlights from the 3 days include another lunch special at Slice of Life Pizzeria; meeting Mr. Clinton while he primed his wrought iron fence for a new painting; the Barbary Coast, WIlmington's oldest, roughest, dog-friendliest bar and its owner, Paul Best, who drives a 1958 peacock blue Cadillac El Dorado; that yellow house off Nun Street; and, the moment I always wait for when writing a magazine story, when the story meets you. This time it was Friday morning.
I drove along 3rd, crossing Castle Street, and I saw this mustard yellow shotgun building. It looked like an old mom-and-pop general store. A skinny man with a auburn red mustache stood by the green windows, so I stopped. His name was Chet, and he owned the ERA gallery, an art and furniture venue, which had new show going up by this DC artist JColeman. All portraits of WIlmingtonians, some local celebrity, some streetfolk. I was in.
James, the artist, used to be in a hardcore band, grew up in Virginia, and carries an arm's worth of colorful tattoos. What a find, this guy. What a gem. His art struck me, and the evening packed with locals, including television stars young and old (I spent a lovely 20 minutes with Henry Darrow of the great tv days (Magnum PI, Hawaii Five-O, Wonder Woman, and, famously, The High Chaparral) He left me with a fine taste for Wilmington. I bought the portrait of the young Darrow, that vibrant charmer, his character Manolito.
Chet's portrait is the one above. Go see him. For more JColeman, visit jcolemanartwork.com.
-TB
posted by TB at 16:10
