Beyond personally experiencing the abandonment of delightful local theaters like the Utopia in…read moreQueens, I'm infuriated by events like New Haven, population 135,081 per Google, losing its only theater. The Cranford Theater is an honorable holdout in the war against AMC nonsense, even more important because of its relative proximity to the nauseating Route 22. A ticket to The Holdovers was a reasonable $13.75, and it's delightful to see a place that avoided the pointless reserved seat bandwagon. The young guy selling tickets was quick and friendly. Fellow explorers of inner-ring suburbs should note that Cranford is closer than you might think and the theater is minutes away from the train station. (For my next coffeehouse open mic performance I plan to read the first two sentences of this review in the voice of the Paul Giamatti character from Holdovers).

The New Branford Theatre was opened on November 29, 1926 and over the decades its ownership and…read morename have changed several times. Eventually it settled on the name "Cranford Theater". In 2017, New Visions theaters took over and it seemed like it may have been a bright new chapter in the theater's history. However, in September 2019 the theater was unceremoniously shuttered and many fans of this wonderful downtown area in New Jersey were left to wonder if their beloved theater would ever play to audiences again. Fast forward to November 8, 2019 and the Cranford Theater has reopened! This time out it is owned by the folks who own the property. They did not just dust off what was there and open back up. Instead, the entire theater has undergone a renovation. New lighting, projectors, seats, carpeteting, a new concession stand and even a "mobile" box office station are all part of this treatment. The blue, gold and silver colors incorporated into the theater are intended to align with some of the colors that represent Cranford itself, making for a theater that truly wants to be part of the community. The theater is full of friendly staff and courteous, local patrons who all seem to know each other (I have watched entire rows of people chatting with each other like old friends). The new seats are very comfortable and have a nice high back. There are several screens divided in a space that once only showed one movie so this is not the place to look for an IMAX or Dolby experience. However as someone who goes to movies often I had zero problem with the screen size and sound quality. You may not want to see "Star Wars" here, but a film like "Joker" or "Last Christmas" is just fine on these screens. I am very happy Cranford Theater has made a return to the neighborhood and I have every intention of supporting it as much as I can.

Wonderful little wine shop with live music and delicious selection of wines. Enjoyed talking to…read moreserver about the wine selection they offer here and from Tomasello, and although it's not spacious it offers a comfortable and relaxing brunch spot or quick snack and wine for any Saturday!

I'd been here once before and loved it, so I decided to bring my girlfriends for a night out. I…read moremade a reservation just because there were four of us and I'd always rather play it safe. The staff were very friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. On Friday evenings, there's even live music! We enjoyed listening to the guitar player, and the music wasn't so loud that we couldn't hear each other. We all did the build your own tasting flight, which I highly recommend. We got to pick 6 wines for only $18! My favorite that I tried was the Shore House White, but all the wines were delicious. You have the option to order wine by the glass as well, which we did after our tastings. We also ordered some food to share. The bavarian pretzel board was outstanding. I sadly didn't get a picture of the smoked gouda and chorizo flatbread because of how quickly we ate it! I highly recommend this spot for a chill night out with a beautiful atmosphere and great food!

Came to see Spyro Gyra, celebrating 50 yrs tonight with some friends. And this place is new to the…read morearea and a very intimate venue holding shy of 200 people. The seating is perfect for even me. Good room for my knees not too feel cramped. The sound system is excellent and clear. It made perfect to hear each instrument. Excellent parking lot. Can come in the back and front to get in the venue. They sell snacks and beverages prior to the show in the lobby. Great date night, girls night, if looking for a comedy show, music concert, or play type event. Check the calendar and buy tickets on line or at the box office prior to the event. Definition I'll be back here.

Beautiful theater with parking not far. You smell the nostalgia lol. They do have a cafe offers…read moresnacks and drinks. Came to see Swan Lake. Can't wait to go bac

I've been following Crystal on Twitter and on her website for a few years now. She's always on…read morepoint and provides great clarity on timing and on the "whys" in our lives. I've gotten an horary reading from her in the past and recently had an official reading and was blown away. Can't wait to see the planets in action this coming year. If you have those "why" and "when" questions I definitely recommend getting a reading from her. Super savvy and always on the pulse.

Having consulted astrologers on and off over the past 20 years and studying it a bit myself, I can…read moredefinitely say Crystal is the real deal. Her focus on predictive astrology is perhaps one of the more difficult tasks to do because she has to look at 50-100 different elements, know which ones will have a stronger influence vs a lesser impact, then synthesize all of these into how they will personally affect her client. I have found her predictive readings to be quite accurate and definitely appreciate her ability to clearly explain astrology to whatever level her client is at as well. I highly recommend her professional astrology skills which are nicely matched to her compassionate conversational style - she's really easy to talk with. What's more, her fee when compared to others at her level is a really good deal!

Came here to watch Alex Clark live. When I entered at 6:30 pm, there is a crew member that is…read moreselling merch. Since I purchased a VIP ticket, I was allowed to wait upstairs. Since I had a VIP ticket, I was able to sit in front. The show lasted for an hour and a half. The theater can seat up to 200 guests. After the show, a guest paid $40 to upgrade to VIP status for the Q&A and photos. After the Q&A and photos, I was able to leave before 9 pm. May come again.

Loved it! I saw Little Shop of Horrors ($25) last night and it was a terrific performance! The…read morevenue is spacious and comfortable, and there is a parking lot for patrons. Easy to get there via the Garden State Parkway. Enjoy!

I'll reuse my old quip that 3 stars on Yelp isn't considered good, this isn't my company's work…read moreperformance review. And I'll defer to the town elders about whether if I'm being unfair to a place that might be the heir to Maxwell's because of a "me" problem. I expected more of a "standing bar" venue. There's a main seating area that seems designated for full service food and drinks. The smaller seating area on the right felt like more of a VIP area. There were no signs, fences or bouncers stopping me from sitting in these places. The unambiguous standing area was quite small. I'm unclear on the ethics of whether it's required to buy drinks considering the delightfully low $10 cover charge. But I did enjoy a Down East cider and more shockingly, a loganberry hard cider from Canisteo, NY's own Cross Creek. Still, the DIY vibe is more refreshing than City Winery charging more than Live Nation to get through the door, tacking on $25 minimums and seating you with strangers. The men's room is currently out of service so I used the modular set-up outside (flush, not porta, but my rating on this sub-section of the trip varies depending on whether the light is working!) On the bright side, there's a great assortment of cover bands and originals on the calendar. I was here for Ashtray Floors, who had a stellar homage to The Replacements. I never thought I'd hear Left Of The Dial live again. And REM tribute band The Ones You Love also rocked the joint. Crossroads deserves credit just for hosting these shows but also for good sound quality whether it was the haunting echoes of the late Bob Stinson or the mandolin in Losin' My Religion. And if I don't see ya, in a long, long while, I'll try to find you, left of the Garwood NJ Transit stop.

Great place to see a show. It's small and the parking lot is very limited, but there is parking on…read moreside streets in the neighborhood. We've been here many times and it's always fun. The staff is always friendly. The acoustics are good and it's overall just a nice, intimate setting to see a musician.