VMFA, VHA, and Maymont Park (May 8, 2010)

Nice morning/early afternoon in Richmond, and turned out to be a most remarkable day. Made a trip out to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, which I had been hearing about. Its on the Boulevard real close to Monument Avenue and right next to the Virginia History Museum. The building that houses it is remarkable, and is a real feast for the eyes both inside and outside. I was amazingly impressed with the building, which is a real joy to walk though. It is a big complex with a lot of displays and quite a lot to see. Admission (for the VMFA and also for the nearby Virginia History Museum is free by the way though parking can cost you.

What makes it something to see though are the works inside the museum. For instance here you see some wall art from Egyptian tombs, and in front laying flat tiles from a Syrian house dating to 1 or 2 AD. To say I was dazzled is not to make an understatement. If you are a fan of art, and that would cover virtually all types, or just looking some something unique and different this is THE place to go. I am sure that there will be something, if not many things, that would capture your attention. This is a great addition to the Richmond area and a very fine museum..period. I will be back again to visit before my time in Richmond ends.

I like museums...and one of my favorites is the Virginia History Museum. Its right next door, and as I already noted, is also free to visit. One of the things that are featured in the museum is a display of WWII photos; and they were remarkable. Those who have been reading my post know I am a motorcycle guy, and really liked this WWII era WLA Harley-Davidson, but also enjoyed the art work, as well as the many displays featured at the museum. Both the VMFA and the Virginia History Museum make for a really good "double feature" for a visit, and a fun combination when heading downtown. Again there is something there for everyone.
Finally, ended my visit to Richmond today with a trip to Maymont Park. It was my second visit, but sure was beautiful in the Spring (last visit was in the winter) and the flowers were remarkable. I also for the first time checked out the small zoo there, and thought that was really cool. Got to see the vultures eat (they eat meat and sort of bark like a dog...I never knew that) and they had a number of interesting birds such as this Owl, Hawks, and even a Bald Eagle. They also have bears, foxes and other wild animals on display. It is truly a Richmond treasure!
More photos are posted on my photo page, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed my day in Richmond. It has been a remarkable one, but in many ways, another one of many!

Carolina Classic Bike Show (May 1, 2010)

A great time at Spencer, though started off bad.....my own motorcycle apparently has a charging problem and will be going into the shop this week (thought it was the battery...thought wrong). Been a lot of years since I had a motorcycle mechanical problem. Did spend some time with the mechanical...shrugged the breakdown off (actually, never got it out of the garage) and took the car to the bike show. The show was held at the NC Transportation Museum in Spencer, NC (just outside of Salisbury, NC) in what was a former working rail yard. They have a fantastic (and free) collection of "planes, trains and automobiles there.
As for the show, had a number of classic motorcycles from all over the world. Unlike many motorcycle shows though, only a few US made (one 1929 Indian Scout did stand out though) but a lot of bikes from England (such as this BSA at left), Italy, Germany, and especially Japan. The bikes covered a wide range of history and included many discontinued types, models, and brands. Many of them brought back memories, as two bikes I saw (Yamaha RD-350s and Kawasaki 750 triples) were bikes that I used to own and ride (though not the bikes actually on display there). Most of the bikes were ridden in, and it was fun to hear sounds from long ago again.

You just don't often get to see running versions of old motorcycles such as this Vincent at left. Readers of this blog would know I am fond of history, and enjoy many types including mechanical history. It was a real treat to check out this show. I look forward to it each year, and once again it was well worth (in this case) the drive (hopefully a ride next time on the Vulcan). Spencer and Salisbury are a great area of North Carolina, both very interesting cities. Nearby is High Rock Lake which is a beautiful lake to visit, and there are some great roads in the area. It was a wonderful day, and I am glad to show you some of the sights. Many more photos can be seen on my photo page, and there is a link to it on this page.

The Slip and the Bottom (April 24, 2010)

An overcast Saturday in Richmond, problems with the internet (went down Friday night, fixed by Comcast on Sunday morning...thanks to the tech who came by early) gave me the inspiration to get out and do a little exploring. Had a great time, and put more photos on my photo page besides these. Got into Richmond via the Midlothian Turnpike...just roll up that and it goes straight into Shockoe Bottom. This is the view of the bridge which crosses the James River going in; also from what I saw it was a very popular fishing spot. I like rolling to town via the Midlothian Turnpike, its an interesting drive that way.
Took this photo at Shockoe Slip. Like to get out and walk, and there are many interesting things to see there. Good places to get a bite to eat, some liquid refreshment (think the famous blogger of "Jack Goes Forth" works there someplace) and a lot of history to check out. I liked the cobblestone streets in the Shockoe Slip section (which adjoins Shockoe Bottom) and also the old buildings which are there. Seemed on Saturday to be a lot of tourists around town, as many people were getting help with directions. I myself (though have only been here for a year and a couple of months) was able to help a runner find Canal Street...made me feel good!

Richbrau was a local brew pub, which from what I read had been open for some 17 years. Unfortunately I never got the chance to check out its beers, as it closed earlier this year.
In addition to the Shockoe Bottom/Shockoe Slip walk, got out and wandered around the Capital grounds, and the downtown area near there. Actually rolled in the car as far as The Boulevard making a stop at Velocity Motorcycles (if you are into motorcycles, that is a great shop to visit) and down always impressive Monument Avenue before heading back to the apartment. Everytime I go into Richmond I see something new and interesting, its a fun town to explore and to this date I have yet to be bored with it.

One more in Charlotte (April 17, 2010)

Saturday morning took a motorcycle ride with my friend Steve; he fired up the Ultra Classic, and I took my trusty Vulcan and we tackled the mean streets of Charlotte, NC. Took this photo at left on Tryon Street in what is known as Uptown Charlotte for my second visit in as many visits to the Queen City. Always nice to wander around there though, and a lot to see and do in the town. It was a really nice morning for a ride, a little overcast, but warm and mostly sunny. I like riding around Charlotte on Saturday, like with Richmond, traffic is generally a whole lot lighter, and that is a fine thing when traveling by motorcycle.
Steve and I went to lunch at Mac's Speed Shop (again my second visit since my last visit) but he had never been there and it is damn fine BBQ! These tanks (storing something I suppose) are across from Mac's....find them interesting for sure, and thought they were worth a photo. South Blvd is an intersting part of the city, goes a long way (in fact all the way if you follow it into nearby South Carolina) and is a really good ride. We did not have time for all that, but enjoyed a fine lunch with some good people. A C-130 flight crew also was having lunch there, and that was pretty neat. Today was the start of the Kentucky Derby Festival with Thunder Over Louisville...did not get to see the air show, but did get to eat with an air crew!
Rolling back toward Uptown in this last photo. I think (not positive) that the pink building houses condos, have been a lot of them going up in Charlotte. A few posts back I have some more photos of Charlotte and where I had lunch (two weeks ago, its a fun place) but one of many in the city. Like exploring Charlotte, though today was a relatively short visit. I will be posting these and some other photos on my photo page (have a link to that) if you are interested.
Next weekend will be doing some exploring in downtown Richmond, seeing some old and hopefully some new favorite places there.

Poker Runs and Westchester Commons

After a great day exploring parts of Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown (focus of the previous three posts), many hours of driving and walking though on a beautiful day) I turned it down a bit today...after all, a working week is coming up. Stumbled across a Poker Run on a web posting last night; though my motorcycle is waiting for me in North Carolina, like being around motorcycles and motorcyclists. So stopped by to check out some of the rides and riders of the Richmond Road Riders this morning. Hope you guys (and gals) had a nice ride on what was certainly a beautiful day for one. Nothing quite like a motorcycle in spring or fall especially.
Went out to Westchester Commons for dinner today. It is located out on Midlothian Turnpike and 288; big mall. It has some good places to eat, and felt like relaxing a bit at the Books a Million there. Did that prior to dinner, nothing like relaxing a bit with a good book or magazine (or in my case both). Did not find anything worth buying this trip. Actually feel sort of sad in those sort of places; got a feeling that bookstores, movie rentals, and a few other sort of places will soon be things of the past along the lines of drive-in theaters; as something quaint that people used to do for entertainment. Technology is rapidly changing how we get entertainment; books, movies, newspapers, news and its not at all a bad thing. Never has so much been so available to so many. Certainly has been a change for writers, musicians, and publishers, but then again it has opened up a lot of options for many people. I like the mall, have been to a few movies at the Regal there, and like the stores that are there, and the fact that it is not crowded.

Course there are a lot of empty stores there, passed Chesterfield Towne Center (which was packed) but maybe because Westchester Commons is so far out and in a relatively undeveloped area, it has never been very busy. That makes the service really quick, seating at movies very good, and the bookstore is generally library quiet. Course much of that is certainly due to the economy, but I think not all of it. This BBQ place is a prime example, which looks to be from the outside and the inside largely completed but it has never opened for business.
Enjoyed a nice day in Richmond, with much more spring like weather today and yesterday than the previous weekend was, and was nice to take it easy before cranking up again for the upcoming workweek. After the next few days, will be up again for some new adventures in North Carolina and in the Richmond area.

Jamestown, and Back to Richmond

Back on the remarkable Colonial Parkway for a second time from Yorktown, drove to nearby Jamestown. This was the site of the first English settlement in the New World. Think its kind of wild that it is so close to the battlefield that largely ended the British rule in nearby Yorktown, Va, but that would be a long time later. This monument was put up many years ago at the 300th anniversary of their landing at Jamestown under the leadership of John Smith. Jamestown was at a beautiful place, on the shore of the mighty York River, and on an island. The built a fort there, housing, government buildings, later a tavern (to me...a mark of civilization), and it eventually turned into a thriving community at least for a time. Certainly they had many difficult days. In a museum on the grounds are the remains of one colonist who was killed by a bullet to his leg (and the bullet is still lodged in his bone!). James town is interesting both for the recreations there, and the actual things that can be seen from the colony. It is both a historical site and a research facility used to study the past.
The church here is the fourth or fifth built here, and has some of the oldest remains building wise in Jamestown. There are a lot of above ground recreations of what has been found under the ground. I read that those were reburied after being dug up to preserve them; exposure to air would soon decompose the materials used back in the colony. In addition to those recreations, and the old buildings, a museum on the site shows many of the relics that have been found to date on the site. They have ranged from bodies, to weapon parts (metal as the wood of guns for instance is long gone), and many day to day items that have been found.
This is a photo of the recreated fort on the grounds of the original fort and an on-going excavation which has been underway. Jamestown still probably holds a lot of discoveries and that makes it all the more exciting. I really enjoyed the visit to Jamestown.
However, it was a very remarkable day with a visit though short to three fine places: Jamestown, Yorktown, and Colonial Williamsburg. I will certainly be returning to that area and ranging beyond, in addition to more exploring in the Richmond area. This region certainly has a great deal to offer!

Yorktown!

The second stop of my tour of the Williamsburg area was of Yorktown. A very remarkable battlefield, and very well preserved, I have a photo at left of the field where the British surrendered to the American forces. Cornwallis was trapped at the York River where his retreat was blocked, and with a combined American/French force surrounding his army. His surrender though not literally the end, was essentially the end of the war with England. The park charged a $10 admission, but it was also good to get into "not too far away Jamestown". I drove there from Williamsburg via the Colonial Parkway....a remarkable road!!!
You can see a lot at the battlefield. There is a walking tour (here by some of the guns used in the battle, a ranger gives a talk on the battle which happened there), as well as earthworks, and the house there the British and Americans met to write the terms of surrender. Unlike the Civil War, it was a more gentlemanly (if that is the correct term for such as thing) war with lots of rules (which Americans as well as the British often bent if not flat out broke). Weapons in the day were much more primitive than they would be around 1861-1865, but took quite a toll over the years of the Revolutionary War. Have been to some battlefields of the period in the Carolinas, this was easily the best I have seen from that war.
I also got out to see modern Yorktown. This is an overview of the Yorktown Riverwalk; which has a number of stores, a bridge, some interesting housing just a very, very nice town.
I could have spent many more hours in Yorktown, but this was a quick exploration of the area and what it had to offer...plus I had a ticket that would get me into Jamestown. So though it was getting late in the day, I got back on the remarkable Colonial Parkway, and headed toward Jamestown...the site of the first English colony in North America.