Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden – Richmond, Virginia (December 2011)
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Showing posts with label richmond. Show all posts
Showing posts with label richmond. Show all posts
Weekend Getaway: Day 1 — Taste of Richmond
Saturday — February 13
The sky was a dull gray; the temperature was 32F (0C) when we pulled out of the driveway at 8:00a. Doesn’t sound like a pleasant day, does it? Perhaps, but there was no snow falling and the roads were dry and ice-free. After the blizzard that hit us hard last week, we (that would be mom, Mui, and me) were satisfied with the weather conditions.
Our adjusted weekend plans result in a roughly triangular driving itinerary.
We made the drive to Richmond, Virginia’s capital, in just under two hours, arriving at the Richmond International Raceway as the doors to the RV show were opening. For those not familiar with the initials, they stand for "recreational vehicle." When I think of those two words I can’t help but add a bit of a Russian accent to them. Why? Because they remind me of the unfulfilled plans of Captain Borodin (a defecting Russian naval officer played by Sam Neill) in the movie The Hunt for Red October. Without getting into the full story, here’s part of the conversation I am reminded of: “Then I will live in Montana. And I will marry a round American woman and raise rabbits, and she will cook them for me. And I will have a pickup truck... maybe even a “recreational vehicle.” And drive from state to state. Do they let you do that?”
The answer to Borodin’s question is, "Yes, they do." And that’s exactly what we hope to do when we retire — travel from state to state and explore not just the US, but Canada as well. Though we’re not yet ready to begin our nomadic lifestyle, we have started going to RV shows to educate ourselves on the intricate details of determining which class of RV might best suit us when the time comes for us to hit the road. Will our home on wheels be a Class C or a Class A? We don’t know yet. In the meantime, it doesn’t hurt to dream of this baby, Tiffin’s Phaeton.
We left the RV show around noon and drove the short distance to Richmond’s historic Shockoe Slip neighborhood, which gets its name from the creek that once flowed through it. According to the district's own website, "Shacquohocan" was the Indian word for the large, flat stones at the mouth of the creek, and "slip" refers to the area's position on the canal basin where boats loaded their cargo.
On the off chance that our rooms might be ready, we went to The Berkeley Hotel first. We were in luck. Within a few minutes, we were settling into our fourth floor rooms.
Room 402 — home away from home for one night.
Wanting to make the most of our afternoon, we didn't dally long at the Berkeley. By 12:30p, we were walking down Cary Street to a restaurant recommended by the concierge. There were just a few patrons when we arrived at The Hard Shell, located just a few blocks from the hotel, but the place filled up pretty quickly soon after we were seated. Our meal — clam chowder for mom; Caesar salad topped with grilled shrimp for Mui; and half a turkey club sandwich with a cup of tomato basil soup for me — was simple and filling, and left us with just enough room for dessert — crème brûlée for mom; chocolate brownie topped with vanilla ice cream for Mui and me.
Thus fueled, we spent the afternoon wandering around the area. First we did the Canal Walk, a promenade that follows the Haxall Canal and the James River and Kanawha Canal. We did just a small portion of the walk, which is billed as featuring "four centuries of Richmond’s history." It was overcast and rather chilly when we started our stroll, but by the time we had reached Brown Island, the sky was blue and the sun was making its presence known.
Mom and Mui kindly pose for a photo op along the canal.
“The Headman” commemorates the contributions of African-American men as skilled boatmen on the James River and its canals and in the development of industry and commerce in the City of Richmond.
Taking the footbridge across the canal, we next headed to the Virginia State Capitol, which has been restored to the way the building looked in the early 1900s.
The Capitol’s center building, designed by Thomas Jefferson, mimics a temple located in France.
The structure carries the distinction of being the first public building in the New World to be designed as a monumental classical temple. In fact, the center building (1788) was the commonwealth’s first permanent Capitol and it’s design was based on a temple built by the Romans in southern France. The wings on either side were added during the extensive renovation that was undertaken in 1904.
The only thing missing from the temple-like building is a pair of lions flanking the stairs leading up to the Capitol;
mom and I make an attempt to rectify the oversight!!!
In the bright sunshine, our visit to Capitol Square was quite pleasant, but in the shade, it was seasonably cold. The occasional breeze added to the chill factor, however, and by 4:00p, we were ready to return to the hotel to relax for a while.
The Washington Monument, which stands in Capitol Square, honors our first president
and glorifies Virginia's contributions to independence.
We had every intention of enjoying some fine dining before bringing our day to a close, but best laid plans and all that … we didn’t realize that the good people of Richmond, and those visiting this fine city, had moved Valentine’s celebrations up by a day!!! None of the establishments we checked had availability until 9:00p at the earliest. So, we switched our plans and settled for casual fare at the Richbrau, where we were able to snag a table for 7:00p. The brewpub, just down the street from the hotel, was perhaps a little short on ambiance, but the food was just fine — club sandwich for mom; "black & blue," (a burger topped with blue cheese) for Mui; spinach salad for me. A pint of "Santa's Little Helper Witbier" to wash the food down (mom had wine) and we were set to call it a night.
Tomorrow promises plenty of sunshine and warmer temps. We’ve altered our weekend plans slightly and will be heading about an hour west of Richmond to visit Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s mountaintop estate. That’s not to say that we didn’t enjoy ourselves in our state’s capital today; we’ll be back when the weather is warmer and we can better enjoy the outdoor walks in this historic city.
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