The Violet Crown
Our Lotus hidden treasure this month is an exciting, new addition to the Railyard scene in Santa Fe. It is none other than the fabulous Violet Crown Cinema. This revolutionary theater concept is brilliant in terms of thinking outside the movie box and VC's community outreach programs are inspiring. There are a lot of things to cover, so let's get started!
The interior design and architecture is the epitome of urban, hip coolness. The film offerings include everything from commercial/blockbuster to independent, art, foreign language and documentaries. The 11 theaters feature state of the art technology & luxurious cinema chairs with double arm rests - no sharing required. (love that) All ticket sales are reserved seating and you can buy your tickets at the theater or online ahead of time. fyi: go for the front row seats! Yes, I know this is typically a very bad idea at traditional theaters, but here you can enjoy spacious front row viewing without breaking your neck, all-the-while relaxing in total comfort with your own ottoman to rest your feet upon. Yes, an ottoman for every front row seat. You heard it here.
Violet Crown also offers a delectable array of food and beverages that you can take in to the theater to enjoy during the movie. Seriously people, does it get any better?! Violet Crown's restaurant offers entrees with an emphasis on seasonal and locally sourced ingredients when available. The restaurant features a stone hearth oven used for cooking gourmet pizzas. (try the sausage & gr. chili pizza - yum) The beer and wine bar features more than 30 rotating taps of craft beer, wine and cider. The food offerings are scrumptious; even the popcorn is far better than the average movie popcorn. Here's the menu: http://santafe.violetcrowncinemas.com/cafe.php. There's even an outdoor patio where you can dine and enjoy a cool and refreshing beverage; perhaps go enjoy lunch after the Farmer's Market! Park in the nearby underground parking garage and VC will validate your ticket. Gotta love free parking.
Violet Crown believes in giving back to the community and here are a few ways they are doing so: The first major initiative they started in Santa Fe was a free field trip program for all schools. Some locals have taken advantage of the free Family Film Series and engaged in private screenings, and some have reserved entire auditoriums for private shows that support their curriculum. It is a great opportunity for kids to get out of the classroom, learn some Santa Fe history by touring the Railyard, and enjoy a film in an environment that treats moviemaking like the art form that it is.
Violet Crown has also donated and discounted space to the Currents New Media Festival, Santa Fe Fashion Week, the New Mexico Film Office, the Jean Cocteau theater, and the offices of Congressman Ben Ray Lujan and Mayor Javier Gonzalez among others. Violet Crown is additionally working on finalizing a deal with a local composting company which will handle a majority of the theater packaging and food waste, in an effort to reduce the footprint as much as possible. The team at Violet Crown wants Santa Fe to be a better place because of their active involvement in the community. It's all about giving back, and clearly the Violet Crown is doing so. So go see a movie, enjoy the food & drinks and support the cause!
And Violet Crown shows no commercials before the movies. Instead, if you get to the auditorium early enough you can enjoy several minutes of wonderful historic Santa Fe photographs shown on the big screen before the trailers begin, all courtesy of the New Mexico State Museum Photo Archives.
Photo credit: Vuemobi Streetview