Midlothian and Chesterfield (March 28 and 29)

An amazing thing happened this weekend in Richmond; it did not rain the whole weekend. First weekend I was here it rained with snow, then the next weekend went to North Carolina...sunny both days. Following weekend, it rained all weekend here. Last weekend in North Carolina...picture perfect weather for three days (took a vacation day on Monday). This weekend here in the Richmond area.....a day of rain, but a remarkable Sunday.

Saturday, drove out on Hull Street. Very interesting road with a lot of stores and sights to see. Actually got out to the Metro Richmond Zoo which is out in the country. Did not tour it, but it looks like it would be worth a visit in the future on a better day. I did get to the Midlothian Mines. Its a small park on the Midlothian Turnpike. From the information there, it was the first coal mining site in North America. As with all mining, a very dangerous and sometimes deadly job; many people died down in those deep coal mining shafts . This is a photo of the remains of the only surviving building (such as it is) from the company. Park is also very nice and will be really nice when the trees are all in bloom (not far away I believe). Rains picked up in the late afternoon, and I cut the exploring off early. I did note that the Chesterfield Towne Center was packed; though the economy may be a bit rough, America (or at least Richmond) apparently still shops with gusto!

Sunday was a much more beautiful day. Have had good days in Richmond during the week days that I am here, but finally one on the weekend. I took some time and went to Chesterfield to see some of the sights there. Chesterfield was a very impressive town; nice buildings both old and new and a lot of history there as well. I liked the old town hall which is the building below. The museum there was closed on Sunday, and the old jail is being restored, but it is still neat. Drove out to the state park there, and enjoyed that as well.

I also rode out to the Chesterfield County Airport, which was really impressive in the sunlight. Apparently it is also a great place to eat, a buffet was going on in there, and they were lined up for it (and families not all pilot types at all). Got a feeling that will be worth checking out in the future. Looking forward to checking out the food at a future visit.
I liked my visit to the Chesterfield area; a very modern area with a lot of links to the past. Over the next three years will be an area which I return to in my explorations around the Richmond area.
I actually started my day fairly early in the morning, with a trip out to Drewry's Bluff (aka Ft. Darling) which is the first of the Civil War sites that I have seen. The area around here is full of them, and wanted to see one since I have been here. Finally the weather and time allowed it to happen. I was very pleased at my first selection. One because it was close to home (as is Chesterfield) but also was the site of a Naval battle (and I served in the Navy a few years ago.

The battle happened on May 15, 1862 when five Union gunboats sailed up the James River intending to shell Richmond. The Confederates up on this high ground, with the added firepower of sharpshooters, shelled and shot at the ships (one of which was the ironclad USS Monitor) from the heights. The Union ships could not elevate their shipboard guns up to hit the fort, and were driven off. While not much of the Fort remains, again it was a good walk in the country and a great view of the James River from its height.
I have posted some more photos from the visits on my Flickr page. Covered some 108 miles of driving on the two days of trips, and enjoyed them greatly. Next weekend will be in North Carolina, the following weekend will be in Louisville, Kentucky visiting family and friends there. Louisville shares a lot in common in many ways (in my opinion) with the Richmond area, but that will be the subject of a future post.
In the meantime, enjoyed a very pleasant weekend exploring some of the outlying areas of the region this weekend, and look forward to future tours of the area.

Home to Carolina/Back to Richmond

Had a great visit in Concord, NC (where my home is) from March 21-23. Nice to be back with Patty, my son Robby, and the two very cheerful border collies Cassie and Mollie. The weather was wonderful, and we all had a great time. I got the Vulcan out for a couple of good motorcycle rides. One was to downtown Concord on a Sunday morning (which is where I took this photo of the Old Courthouse...which is now used as an art museum) and one with a friend to High Rock Lake via some very fine backroads on Monday. Patty and I spent a lot of happy hours together, Robby and I discussed sports, and the dogs bounded around the yard chasing tennis balls. It all ended too soon; headed back late Monday night. I rolled into Richmond about 1am early Tuesday morning. Found my apartment the same as I left it, and had a pleasant sleep.
Since then have been posting some photos to Flickr, and planning the weekend coming up. This next weekend I will be in Richmond, and am looking forward to some new explorations of this fine city. Once again though and for the third weekend in a row, looks like exploring will be in the rain. Still, have seen many interesting sights so far, and am looking forward to some new discoveries here. After all here I don't have a motorcycle...I do have a car and a umbrella.
On Comcast, I have not heard anything new; don't know if the billing issues have been solved or not. I was told though from a friend (also having problems with Comcast) that miracles sometimes happen when you click on the corporate link on the Comcast site and complain there. Have not done that yet, but nice to know its there.

The Horror of Comcast

Well, a bit of the bloom is off the rose.....first problems in Richmond and it's the Internet provider. Had some strange billing issues with Comcast, they have so far been unable to resolve them, in fact they barely respond. Business must be really great at Comcast because customer service is not a real big deal. The service is generally good (though have DSL in Concord back in the house, and its just as good) but at least in Concord I don't have to spend endless hours it seems with billing people. Don't want to go into it, but have receipts so hopefully eventually someone will sort it all out. Sometimes its best to just give up and let things run as they will. When talking about this from work, another new transfer had problems as well; tried to bill him a monthly fee for his modem (he purchased it). Not a great start considering this is month one with them for the two of us.
Verizon and the local phone company do not (yet) offer DSL to this area. When they do will change to one or the other. Besides Clearwire (which seems to have its own problems judging from reviews I read) not a lot of options in this part of Richmond right now. Comcast has a six month special, but after that it gets really high. I pay less than 1/2 that much for the DSL in Concord. Plus there, I don't have to waste time with billing issues.
Speaking of Concord, will be back there come Saturday morning for three days this visit. Looking forward to being with family and friends, and to get a ride on my motorcycle. Weather both here and there has greatly improved, and looking forward to a fine visit.

Rainy Day Drive in Richmond, VA

Took a good drive around the Broad Street area today on a very wet day in Richmond. Very interesting area, and probably would be considered the heart of the city. Drove from near the capital (saw that on a previous visit) and down most of its length (to I-64). Saw the Science Museum there (photo of the building with the green dome) and a very striking building. I am looking forward to seeing the inside soon. Went past a lot of interesting places among them the Altria Corporate Headquarters. I got on I-64 near there to I-95 and went back to Broad Street.
Visited Shockoe Slip and Shockoe Bottom; made a stop on this St. Patrick's Day at Buffalo Wild Wings for a bit of refreshment. Went from there to see St. John's Church. That is the church where Patrick Henry gave his famous "Give me Liberty or give me Death" speech which was a major spark of the American Revolution. On those grounds is also the burial site of Elizabeth Arnold Poe, mother of Edgar Allen Poe (also a famous Richmond resident).
So far am two for two as far as weekends in Richmond, but sure that pattern will change. Nonetheless an interesting look at the city, and enjoyed the sights around town. Still feel this area has much to offer and many things of interest.

A Flaming Van on Chippenham

Actually saw this on the end of the drive yesterday; a van in flames on Chippenham (aka VA State Road 150, or SR150). Driver (according to the local news) was unable to walk; his wheelchair and other equipment was burned up in the van. I saw two guys carrying him from the vehicle when I pulled up. One of the people who saved him saw the van on fire, and the guy waving from the window. As to how he drove, probably with "hand controls"...my brother in law drives though he can not walk. Very expensive but they work pretty well. Have also heard small planes can be flown with that equipment.

Got out to do some exploring further down Chippenham yesterday. Got back from a Carolina home visit over the weekend; enjoyed a great time there. Headed out toward Richmond. I have been down a portion of it; stumbled across the Stony Point Fashion Park on my first visit to Richmond. This time went by the Regency Square Mall; a nice two story mall. I rode out W. Broad Street, and I-64 was the point where I turned around. Rode down River Road which was interesting. Some really big houses and old churches...strangely though in the direction I went did not see the river. I did see it from Chippenham; neat view just before the photo where the van was on fire.
Richmond so far has been a very easy town to explore. Real good on putting up directional signs and point of interest signs so its hard to really get lost, and its a smaller area (city wise) than Charlotte. Seems a lot closer together which is pretty good. Different areas in Charlotte are pretty widely spaced; can do some real driving from Point A to Point B in that town.
Hope to get out some more during the upcoming rainy weekend. Looking forward to some of the festivals and events that will be coming up when the weather improves; seems to be a lot that goes on here in the spring and summer. Did make the Tacky Light Tour last Christmas; was a nice introduction to local events; that was different and fun to see.

Two weeks in Richmond

Very interesting two weeks in Richmond, VA. Heading home this weekend to rejoin family and friends in North Carolina, will be back Sunday night/Monday morning. As noted in previous posts, toured the Aviation Museum in Richmond, and also took a walking tour of the downtown. Saw quite a bit, and found very interesting what I saw. Had a great time getting around. Impressed that Richmond is a very easy city to explore; a great deal of signs telling you where places are. North Carolina could take a clue from what is done here. Helps to know where things are in the Carolinas, not a lot of signs for directions. I also have been impressed with how friendly everyone is here. They can be in North Carolina, but a lot of people there are from many parts of the United States (its a great deal like Atlanta in that regard).
Today visited the Richmond Music Center, once again a friendly store. Sure they are trying to sell stuff, but shook hands, asked my name, and gave me theirs. By the way if you play, they have a nice selection of instruments. Impressive wall of guitars in the store really grabbed my attention.
Planning to do some more exploring next weekend; looking to see what all this area has to offer.

Walking Downtown Richmond

On Saturday February 28, took a (largely) walking tour of Downtown Richmond, VA. While a cold rainy day, better to see the area. I started on Broad Street to see the State Capital Buildings. The Capital itself is seen in the bottom photo of the building designed by Thomas Jefferson. It was amazingly beautiful both inside and out. This is the first building I have seen that Jefferson designed, and can see what all the talk has been about. I also enjoyed the statue of Washington on the grounds, the governors mansion, and the other statues in the area.
I wandered a bit around Broad Street and some of the side streets. I walked past the Richmond Coliseum, and also went by the Museum of the Confederacy (though did not tour it). I am interested in the Civil War, and certainly have come to a place where there is a lot of history about it. In fact at the end of the war, Richmond was the center of attention, and the Confederacy fell only a few days after Richmond fell.
I got back in the car after a few hours of exploring around Broad Street; drove a few blocks to Canal Walk. As I had noted in the news the bridge across the river has a section down, but certainly is a beautiful area. Enjoyed my first close up look at the James River which was rocky by Canal Walk, and also had a good section of rapids. You can see Canal Walk in the top photo above.
I did take a tour of the American Civil War Center. Admission was $8 of the facility which is on the grounds of the Tredegar Iron Works. That was a major armory of the Confederacy during the Civil War and many of the cannon on display were made there. There is also a National Park Service center there (which is free) and offered a lot of good information as well as a film on battles in the Richmond area during the war. I enjoyed the tour of the buildings there, and of the James River. I was raised in a river town (Louisville, Kentucky) and enjoy being in one again. Charlotte has rivers near it, but not through it, and none the size of the James or the Ohio for that matter.
Due to the rain and the cold in the late afternoon took a short driving tour of the area. Got a little lost, and ended up off Commerce Road and onto the Jeff Davis Highway. Came across the Model Tobacco building...amazing sort of Art Deco construction. Not sure if it was an actual tobacco company (never heard of Model Tobacco) but an interesting building. Looked to be used for storage, and was listed as a "business park", but was still impressed with it.
I have a number of photos on my Flickr Page taken during the five hour walk/drive. Saw some beautiful sights, and many interesting places. Richmond seems to have a great deal to offer and looks to be a very interesting place. I am looking forward to getting deeper into it over the three years that I expect to be here.