Wilmington’s Penn Cinema prepares to downsize
Wilmington’s Penn Cinema will close two of its theaters and lease the space to a new indoor golf facility.
Every few months, each reporter at Delaware Online/The News Journal writes about their life in the newsroom.
Some have had columns about specific stories; others have been Q&A style. This time around, I field questions about recent articles and more from New Audience Editor Tammy Paolino:
Question: You’ve been profiling Delaware’s top food influencers. What inspired that project, and has anything surprised you about it?
Answer: I always add Delaware foodies who share their experiences on my Instagram and suddenly my feed was filled with them. When I go out to eat, the first thing I do is go on Yelp and look at photos of the dishes. I don’t really read reviews – tastes vary so wildly – but I like seeing what might end up on the table in front of me. And these food influencers post a lot of video and photos of meals I might try myself. Plus, I’m nosy and wanted to know how it works reviewing restaurants on Instagram and whether they get paid for their posts (most do).
Delaware has lost some big annual events, including top festivals, and there will be no Point-to-Point this year. Some key cultural organizations are also welcoming new leadership. What big changes are you keeping an eye on? What events are you most looking forward to?
No Point-to-Point is a bummer. Nothing says spring like a beautiful day with blue skies, white clouds and pastel sundresses dotting the grounds of Winterthur Museum. It’s like a Philly sports tailgate but with a top hat on it and a lot less beer thrown at out-of-towners lol. I really enjoyed last year’s debut of the Brandywine Park Farmers Market. Since I live near Wilmington’s Trolley Square, it became a first-thing-Saturday-morning tradition – heading down to the river and getting sweets and croissants from New Castle’s Dream Bakery, jars of heirloom tomato sauce from Chestertown, Maryland’s Lockbriar Farms and fruits and vegetables from Ramsey’s Farm in Brandywine Hundred. In fact, that’s where I discovered standout Wilmington bagel shop Van Buren Bagels, leading to a feature article I wrote about their backstory.
Last fall, Wilmington hosted the state’s first official Porchfest. Do you see that event growing and even proliferating in Delaware?
I live on the street that had the biggest cluster of acts that played Porchfest, and I have to say, it was even more fun than I envisioned. Hundreds of people flooded into our neighborhood to see some of the best singers and bands Delaware has to offer, complete with food trucks and retailers. There was a great sense of community that would be very hard to re-create in a music venue. People of all ages showed up. The best memory I have was the last set of the night, watching veteran Delaware cover band Chorduroy get the crowd jumping for a White Stripes song under the night sky. I’ve heard the event will be back this year – even bigger.
It’s also a time of shifting entertainment tastes, and nostalgia has not lost its hold. Not only are vinyl shops and thrift stores trending, and bookstores re-emerging, but now video rental shops are making a comeback. Why do you think people long for more analog experiences? Anything new in Delaware that is satisfying this craving?
I must say, I’ve been a digital guy ever since mp3s came around. Having an endless supply of music on an mp3 player or streaming is just too hard to pass up, even if the sound quality isn’t the best. But I respect those vinyl heads out there. It’s a commitment. I do like browsing record shops and looking at the records. I really do miss staring at cover art, lyric sheets and having something to hold. Plus, it’s important to have indie record stores in the community, especially ones like Rainbow Records that foster the local music scene by hosting live music in-store and beyond.
Speaking of nostalgia, tribute bands continue to power a lot of the bigger venues. Are you concerned that musicians playing original music are being shut out of the live audience space?
I really don’t get the touring tribute band trend. No matter how good they are, I just can’t motivate myself to care at all. I just saw a local venue had a hybrid Radiohead/Phish tribute band. Hard pass. But they sell tickets, especially in Delaware. It’s a shame. Delaware’s original music scene in the 10 to 15 years before the pandemic was so strong: there were tons of really good bands, a healthy number of clubs to host them and a strong fan base. A lot of that has been lost in the past five years or so. I hope it comes back even stronger.
As streaming services multiply and divide, what shows have your attention?
I’m a huge Tim Robinson fan, so “The Chair Company” on HBO was a must-watch for me. It’s been great watching his bizarre brand of awkward comedy grow from the sketch show “I Think You Should Leave” to the film “Friendship” with Paul Rudd to this new oddball series. I’m also a fan of shows like “Severance,” “The White Lotus,” “Adolescence,” and “The Last of Us.”
What are you listening to these days? Concerts you’re looking forward to?
I had already listened to all of Bad Bunny’s albums at least once, but his halftime show made me dig in again. I’ve been playing the song “Tití Me Preguntó” on repeat ever since the Super Bowl. I also just got the new book “After the Flood” by Robert Polito, which focuses extensively on the second half of Bob Dylan’s career. (It’s been amazing if you’re a fan of his early stuff and have slept on him since.) In terms of concerts, I just got tickets to see Delawarean-turned-Philadelphian James Everhart at Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia on April 10. It’s an album release show for his debut solo album. I’ve always loved what he does, dating back to his old Delaware bands Scantron and Villains Like You. I haven’t started buying summer concert tickets yet, but I have my eye on Tame Impala at Xfinity Mobile Arena on July 15. I’m also definitely looking forward to the Zach Bryan/Kings of Leon double bill at the former Firefly Music Festival grounds in Dover on Sept. 18. I haven’t been there since Firefly died. That space holds so many great memories for me.
How have you seen legalization influence Delaware’s nightlife in its first year?
I haven’t seen any major changes other than more people ducking out for a smoke on the sidewalk, perhaps. I’m sure bar owners and bartenders have seen more influence: probably less alcohol sales and more requests for glasses of water, heh heh.
Affordability is certainly already a contender for word of the year. What are some great deals people may overlook in the First State?
So this is pretty boring, but during the pandemic, I finally broke down and joined BJ’s. It’s the best way to save money on groceries and gas, I’ve found. I also wrote about this app called Too Good To Go, using it to get seven slices of pizza and garlic knots for $9.99 from Cafe Riviera at the Concord Mall and a dozen bagels from Concord Bagels near Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, for $8.99. Restaurants and other food businesses team up with the app to sell leftover food at the end of the day for a steep discount. And then there’s always a good Taco Tuesday deal at most Mexican restaurants.
It’s been a long winter and it’s not over yet. What’s gotten you through?
Over the past two years, I’ve really dedicated myself to working out, adding more weight training to go along with my cardio program. These days, I do about two hours a day in the gym and I’m hooked. (Finally. It took a loooong time to get there.) I find it’s a great way to keep myself grounded and zone out, listening to music or podcasts as I sweat. It also makes you think twice about that third slice of pizza or fourth drink after putting in all that work. For the big snowstorm, I walked into Trolley Square that Sunday night and barhopped while watching NFL playoff games along the way. Snow days are the best days when you live next to a cluster of bars and restaurants.
Have a story idea? Contact Ryan Cormier of Delaware Online/The News Journal at [email protected] or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier) and X (@ryancormier)
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