Daniel_Williams

In the 1990s, I went to college at William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. During this period, I visited Richmond Virginia a few times; usually, a bunch of us would pile into a car and the objective would be to dance, usually at the gay club the Pyramid (which my friend at the time described as being in a rough part of town) or the decidedly alternative-for-Virginia-in-those-days Rose Alley where wearing black was de rigueur. Hard to believe now that in those days, someone would pull a panel to the side at the Gay club (imagine like at a speakeasy during Prohibition times) to evaluate whether a prospective patron was trouble or not. Visits often involved spending the night on a couch at a friend's or a friend of a friend's place. Given the chaotic and haphazard nature of such trips and that as a passenger, my sense of direction would always get turned around on highways such as the Powhite Parkway, I'd *seen* places such as the Shockoe Bottom and the Fan but never had a clue where anything actually was in relation to anything else. Probably also wasn't paying attention to directions since every time certain William & Mary Richmond friends got on the Powhite Parkway they would always get the car laughing when they'd naughtily say "Po' White Trash go down the Po'White Parkway and go jump in the Po' River".

So, over 15 years had elapsed since I had last visited the city, and I decided to go see a dear Richmond friend that I had not seen since 1991 this past December 27th. This time, I took the train to Main Street Station from Washington DC. The Main Street Station is located quite centrally in the Shockoe Bottom area of the city and I picked a hotel, the Marriott Courtyard, located within less than 10 minutes walking distance of the station. Although my friend whisked me off a few times in her SUV, I otherwise either used public transportation or my two feet to get around. Do be aware that there are two Richmond Amtrak stops; only 2 trains southbound and 2 trains northbound daily pass through the Main Street station. All the other trains pass through the Staples Mill Road station, which is a good bit outside of the city center. I'm pleased they've (re-?) opened the Main Street Station (in the last 10 years maybe?) not only for its central location but also due to its grandeur, as the building hearkens back to late 19th century/early 20th century era of glamourous rail travel, with a handsome red exterior and a wide-staircased spacious interior.

*Coming up: Getting Around Richmond Virginia, Which I Think Has a GREAT Energy About It*

Ackislander

Daniel, my wife and I spend the winter in Richmond!

I can't wait for your trip report, and I'm sorry we weren't there when you were.

It is a city with great energy, an interesting art scene, and perhaps the best price/value food equation anywhere in the country.

I think it is also a terrible place to get around by public transportation, so I have to see how you do it!

Daniel_Williams

Almost from the get-go arriving in Richmond, I realized that I had arrived somewhere more special than I had remembered. Walking from Main Street Station to my hotel, the narrow brick Cary Street and the nearby Farmers Market area with its active restaurant scene gave the city almost an Old World feel.

The next morning, I took the #3 bus out to CaryTown from Grace Street just west of the Capitol building (and returned via the #6). While the city has only a bus system and no subway or streetcars, the good news for prospective visitors using public transportation is that the 1,2,3,4, 6 and 19 buses all transport passengers from the downtown area to the charming neighbourhoods with character-filled homes and restaurants known as the Fan and CaryTown, so one is not waiting for long for a bus to go between CaryTown/the Fan and the Downtown/Shockoe Slip area. The Fan/Cary Town are close to a number of museums that might appeal to visitors such as the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Science Museum or the Virginia Historical Society, as well as to the imposing statues of Monument Avenue (which my friend told me later that some Richmond denizens disparagingly refer to as "Second Place Statues"...however this is quite a beautiful street with beautiful homes and a grass divider in the middle).

One thing I had not realized from visiting in the past is what a beautiful city Richmond is with the views of the James River. After an easy walk from my Shockoe Slip area hotel to the area of the river by the Tredegar Iron Works, via either a suspension bridge to Belle Isle or a second bridge that crossed to opposite shore (which contained interesting quotes from people in Richmond at the time of the fall of the city to Union troops toward the end of the Civil War), one could view the attractive gentle-ish rapids of the James River with rocky outcrops in the middle upon which birds would gather in large numbers (for warmth?). Looking back upon the Richmond skyline lit up at close to sunset with the James River rapids simultaneously in view was incredibly picturesque.

My final day I did a tour of the Virginia State Capitol, which despite having lived in Virginia for 13 years of my life, I'd never seen before. Inspired by the Classical Greek style, I was unaware that Thomas Jefferson (in collaboration with the Frenchman Clérisseau) was an architect. I highly enjoyed the tour of the magnificent building and the often stately and elegant rooms with beautiful portraits inside. State Capitol building tours I've discovered are typically educational, often very well-presented and in my experience, have been free as I've learned from visiting these buildings in Austin, Richmond, Albany and Springfield. I think if more people knew what an entertaining way to spend a few hours such tours were, more people might be interested in visiting Capitols.

For restaurants, my friend whisked me off to a number of great meals while in Richmond. We ate at the Daily Kitchen & Bar (CaryTown), Tarrant's (west of Downtown, in a beautiful old building) and Urban Farmhouse & Cafe (Shockoe Slip). All exuded charm and ambiance and I appreciated that generally in Richmond, there seemed to be quite a number of locally-owned and -operated establishments.

Richmond was definitely a great place for a 3-day/2-night getaway. I could have easily stayed longer; I hadn't even scratched the surface as far as the museums were concerned!

Happy New Year to you all!

PS If you're in Richmond in the next few days, check out the park downtown with crowds of lit-up white deer for the holidays. Truly special!

Daniel_Williams

Thanks for reading ackislander!

You must have responded before I'd finished writing the last portion of my report.

What a terrific place to call home for some of the year! I agree entirely that the dining scene is pretty fantastic in terms of price/value. The public transportation I agree isn't the best, but for a visitor who's willing to take city buses and is focused on the Fan/Cary Town and Downtown/Shockoe Slip areas, I found the public transport more manageable than in some other North American locales and than I'd imagined.

Best wishes for a happy new year! Daniel

Birdie

Great report, Daniel! We've been living in Williamsburg since the mid-eighties so we were here when you were. Back then there weren't a lot of restaurants in town so we'd go up to Richmond for dinner. We have a lot of good restaurants now but will still occasionally go up for a meal.

JanetKMR

I'm a Richmonder through and through and glad you had such a good trip. Our restaurant scene is phenomenal (you barely scratched the surface) and I love RVA so much.

Daniel_Williams

Birdie--Thank you for reading! I do remember some good places to eat in Williamsburg, although as a W&M student on the meal plan, I more often than not would eat at the Market Place or Caf, the College dining facilities. I have not, alas, returned to Williamsburg since I graduated (I live reasonably far in Montreal, Canada) but the evolution of the dining scene sounds like a good excuse.

Richmonder JanetKMR-- I share your love of RVA. I look forward to discovering more of the restaurants in Richmond as well as just generally getting to know the city better in the future.

oldemalloy

Wow Daniel, I am glad someone brought up this TR from years ago, as I missed it then. We had a car when we visited many years ago on one of our Civil War trips. My great great uncle was in Libby prison there not far from the Tredeger Iron Works. Thankfully he did survive but did not get home for four months after the surrender.

I am always amazed at how much you get to see with public transportation. Thanks.

Daniel_Williams

Thanks emalloy,

That trip report seems so long ago now, it seems written by a different me. I’ve been back to Richmond twice since, as my nephew now goes to VCU. I find the city each time such an enjoyable place to visit; also, I can’t explain why but I find the James River views so aesthetically pleasing.

Best wishes

Daniel

TDudette

Hey Daniel, I visited the Arts museum as a day trip from an Ashland getaway. As I was eating lunch at the gallery, I happened to notice what looked like glass reeds in the garden...they were part of a Chihuly exhibit. It and the gallery = fabulous.

FYI:
Mini-Trip to Ashland VA ("Center of the Universe”!)

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Birdie

Hi from Williamsburg, Daniel. Glad to hear you’ve been able to come south a few more times. You've probably seen a few changes in the VCU area over the past few years.

TDudette, we went up in Dec for the Ansel Adams and Man Ray exhibits.

Daniel_Williams

Thanks tdudette-- I have seen Chihuly exhibits in Montreal and Seattle; so talented and creative! I remember your report on Ashland and being intrigued; I enjoy exploring new cities but more and more, I am appreciating exploring smaller communities, places like Ashland!
Thanks Birdie-- Alas, I didn't make it to the VCU area either trip. I stayed one trip in the Shockoe Slip and treated my nephew & his girlfriend for supper and ice cream in CaryTown and the other trip stayed with a friend in a part of the city of Richmond that is quite suburban; the Richmond visits were part of two trips, one to Charlottesville and another to Charlotte/Asheville and as much as I enjoyed my stays, there was nothing really trip report-worthy to mention about my Richmond stays those times.