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.

Cloverleaf Mall/Virginia Aviation Museum

Thursday morning on February 27, took off in search of sights around Richmond prior to work. This old mall is near my apartment on the Midlothian Turnpike. I have been told there are plans for redevelopment, though nothing appears to be going on there at the present time. There is a Firestone Auto Repair place out front in a stand alone building. I looked inside the front door, it is sitting and kind of waiting. Perhaps this will be the site of a future "Blues Brothers" remake, or a new Zombie movie. At any case, an interesting site to explore from outside the locked doors.
I had directions, rolled on down I-95 to I-64 East following the signs to the Virginia Aviation Museum. It is just outside of the Richmond International Airport in a cant miss building, with a pair of can't miss planes right out front. It is not often that you see an SR-71 Blackbird (there is also an F-14 Tomcat right beside it). The museum was really interesting for this aviation fan. Lots of amazing aircraft were found in there, including some Wright replica gliders and planes, some WWI aircraft (those were not replicas) and some historic and classic planes. There are quite a few hands on aviation displays, and everything is in really good condition. I often went to the Carolinas Aviation Museum in Charlotte, NC and this collection was really in outstanding shape. Charlotte is short on storage space, and much of the collection sits outside; so sun and weather really take a hit on the planes.
I had a great visit at the museum, and also got a feel for some of the sights going into the city. Plan for the weekend is to do some exploring downtown. Had hoped to do some outdoor exploring, but looks like the weather this weekend will not cooperate. Area though seems to have a great deal of interesting sights to check out, and I am looking forward to exploring it.