Station 2 and Chimborazo (February 25, 2012)

 Stopped by Station 2 on a Saturday, neat place to catch some fried pickles (loved them in North Carolina...they do a very fine version which also has a very good mustard based dipping sauce) and a frosty beverage. Took a friend from North Carolina (also by way of Kentucky) there. He spent some 12 years in North Carolina, and never had fried pickles. Fixed that oversight today with the visit. Nice place in a former fire station on Main Street-once again a good example of Richmond recycling of old buildings. Other interesting food selections, and a great selection of beer...including many interesting ones from Virginia which is fun to check out. They don't have a lot of televisions for games, but otherwise its a good place to hang out. They also have outside seating which would be fun on warmer and less windy days. This was not one of those: for this visit had to admire whoever rode that motorcycle on this 50 degree and very windy day. I have been on rides in weather like this-not for the timid for sure!  

 Photo of the James River seen here was taken at Chimborazo Park in the Church Hill area of Richmond. Certainly one of the most interesting and historic areas of the city, there is a lot to see and do in that area. Some of the oldest houses, some great historic sites (such as St. John's Church, which is where Patrick Henry gave his famous "give me liberty or give me death" speech) and some more great places to get a meal or to lift a glass. I like the old (and working) gas streetlights to be found there, and quite a few parks such as this one. Have been here before-the big "Childsavers Motorcycle Ride" ended here last year.

The park though in the Civil War was the site of a Confederate Military Hospital which was at the time the largest in the world. It also was unusual in that those who went for treatment there had a roughly 90% chance of leaving there alive. None of the buildings from that period survive...the building in the background is the Visitor Center which was a former "weather station" (if I remember it right). The museum inside has a number of Civil War items, and you can see a free film on the history of the hospital there. Also of interest are some of the neighborhood houses in the area...they are very old as well.  

A Walk in the Park (Feb 24, 2012)

Crazy weather in Richmond this winter. Last Sunday...a very impressive snow storm. Five days later....its in the low 80s here. Good day for a morning walk in Forest Hill Park. Historical marker at left gives a history of this park, which like many things in Richmond, has a long and interesting history. I have walked it before, and find it a very beautiful park to explore. In the spring (not that many days away) they have a very neat Farmers Market there, fun to wander around there, and to check out the people and of course the dogs of Richmond. This is a dog friendly city. 

 The lake at Forest Hill Park is very cool, and offers "catch and release" fishing. The lake just a few years ago was cleaned up. There are trails nearby (watch for bicycles and fast moving joggers..but they are very cool) and there are also a number of grills to cook out in. The park gets a lot of use, shows a bit of wear and tear-but as we get older don't we all? You can also see some damage still from the hurricane a few months ago-amazing how it just pulled trees up from the ground. That was one remarkable day, and real mess for many who went without power for quite a few days after the storm. 

I enjoy this area of town, and as a new resident to this area, already enjoying the change after three years in the Midlothian Turnpike area. Liked this "Blues Brothers" display on Forest Hill Ave. I have also enjoyed lunch and a beverage with my wife Patty at O'Tooles, and a nice dinner during the Sunday snowstorm at "Crust and Creme."  Both had very good food. I even enjoyed a lunch at a McDonalds with an outstanding music selection playing. Now I am not far from the Pony Pasture, and some other interesting areas are sure to be found. Looking forward to some great times here!  

Moving day and the Snowstorm

Another view of the Stone House at Forest Hill Park, and a view of the replica sign at this very interesting park. It is also now a neighborhood feature for me, made a move to this area over the weekend. After living just off Midlothian Turnpike for the last three years have moved to this new area. Will be a nice change to have a new part of town to live in and explore, plus love the new apartment. I think its going to be a great time here. Move went really well, not having a whole lot of things to move really helps- did this whole Richmond/Charlotte thing with the plan to keep things here basic. Paid off with the move.  

On Sunday February 19 (the day after the above move) snow all day though light got suddenly heavy Sunday night, and we got the first (and so far only) significant snowfall for the winter. It has been a very unusual winter thanks to some strange weather patterns and frankly a whole lot of luck. Often we have had rain on warm days this winter (and often it has been amazingly warm) and dry cold days (though they have been few and far between)  but this was a major snowstorm. However by the next morning, awoke to clear streets as work by street crews and warming temperatures cleared the roads. By the following day, only bits of the storm remained. With forecast temps near 70 by the end of this work week, nothing at all should remain of the one day winter wonderland.   

First February Saturday in the RVA (February 4, 2012)

 Nice day in Richmond, went exploring with a friend from work-Keith, who is standing in front of The Stone House which is located in Forest Hill Park. That park is one of my favorite places in Richmond, and soon I will be relocating from my current apartment to one in that area. Looking forward to some new places to explore in that area, which is one of my favorite in Richmond. I have been in my apartment for the past three years, and am looking forward to a change (helped by a rather hefty rent increase). There are though some good values in Richmond, though it does take some looking. 

 I enjoy playing guitar, Keith and I wandered over to Short Pump. Liked this Fender line of "Pawn Shop Guitars" which is pretty cool. Sam Ash and Guitar Center are virtually side by side (a short walk from each other) which I have always thought is sort of nuts-but seems to work for them both. Not the first time I have seen that sort of thing, but among the most successful. Fun to check out all the items for sale there, there are some very interesting musical instruments and among those two you can pretty much find about anything you want. I also enjoy Richmond Music Center which also has some interesting instruments to check out.
While in Short Pump we also made a stop at Quaker Steak and Lube. Enjoyed some of their fine chicken wings and a frosty cold beverage. Often went to the one in Concord, NC for their bike night, and the Richmond version will also start their bike night (which happens on Wednesday) in a few short weeks.

Finally, made a stop at Velocity Motorcycles, which is one of my favorite motorcycle shops in Richmond. They always have some interesting bikes-used bikes from Italy, Japan, Germany and England (as well as the occasional Harley-Davidson) , and many of them are restored classics. They also sell Royal Enfield motorcycles. There you can also find riding gear, and other items of interest to bikers. They also have motorcycle rental, and a very nice maintenance department. They sell new Royal Enfield motorcycles (the 500cc Bullet) which is now made in India and China. In the photo at left, there is a Ducati in the window, one at left and black bike at right is a German made BMW.  
Not paid to say nice things about any of these places, these are just places that I enjoy visiting from time to time. Fun to get out and explore this fine and interesting city, but sometimes its fun to enjoy things that I enjoy when back in North Carolina. This was a very fine day indeed!

NoDa (January 28, 2012)

 Certainly one of the most interesting sections of Charlotte -the North Davidson neighborhood was once a mill town (and one of the buildings that were converted was a mill. Made into apartments it was closed due to discovered termite damage). Artists attracted to the cheap rents in the area opened art galleries. Now the gallery crawls are very popular. Now there is also a thriving music community as well. The Neighborhood Theatre books many name acts (Robert Cray and Delbert McClinton are coming soon according to the signs) and provide a place for smaller acts to perform up close and personal.    

The Dog Bar in NoDa is unique....a bar where you can enjoy a drink with your best friend....Charlotte's only dog friendly bar! You don't have to have a dog with you to go there, but think it is really neat. Richmond would enjoy this place a great deal (though I would not be surprised that dogs are welcome at some bars in the city-Richmond is a very dog friendly city! NoDa is also home to a brewery (and makes a very tasty product I might add). There are a number of bars and pubs in the area, and many of them have live music during the week and on weekends.     

 The area is famous for its art galleries, and has a number of popular gallery crawls. Of course the art and music has attracted a lot of people, and I have been reading that with the success of the area a lot of development has gone up-so have rents in the area as well. Still, many of the old buildings have been converted in the re-birth of this area and it is also (as is seen at left) a great place for outdoor art. Every city needs a place for its creative people to create-and NoDa is the center of that activity in Charlotte. It is a fun place to park the motorcycle and to walk around. 

Sort of a NoDa institution is "Cabo Fish Taco". This is the first place I ever had a fish taco (but not the last) as I had to check that out a while back. There are a lot of good restaurants to explore in the NoDa area, and even a few good coffee shops (Smelly Cat is my favorite in NoDa).
Charlotte has a lot of fun neighborhoods, for one thing it is a big city in area and takes a long time to cover it all. For another thing, as I have noted, it changes a great deal in a relatively short time. It is a fun city to explore, and very different from Richmond. That makes this period in my life very, very interesting much of the time spent in "my two homes". Coming up next week, an interesting part of the Richmond area will be featured on this page. Thanks for visiting here! 

Uptown Charlotte Ride (January 28, 2012)

 Back in North Carolina on January 28, had wanted to check out a place called VBGB at the NC Music Factory in Uptown Charlotte (actually just slightly outside, though great views of the city there). I liked this place; great beer selection was on tap and samples to check out the variety along with informed bar people to make suggestions. The facility has a nice inside section, also a large beer deck outside. The sign is historic-nice to see Charlotte save a bit of its history. Made a short visit there, but I plan to be back later this year, and in the years to come. Think this will be a blast in even warmer weather.  

This is the "main" entrance (I guess...considering this is the sign for it) for what is a massive complex. NC Music Factory has a number of restaurants, bars, indoor music halls, outdoor music venues, a music studio, band practice facilities - a great variety of things went into the facilities creation. Plus I am pretty sure this massive facility once had another purpose-which would make it a rare rework of a Charlotte area building. I do know a lot of money has gone into it, and from what I am hearing, it is getting to be a popular place to hang out. Not so crowded on a early Saturday afternoon though. 
Below at left is The Fillmore, which is licensed I believe from the famous music hall in San Francisco. I also have a photo of Bank of America Stadium in Uptown Charlotte (which is not part of the NC Music Factory), but a place where over the years I have spent many happy hours indeed (especially when the Carolina Panthers win there).

View here is of the two tallest buildings in Charlotte. I always enjoy wandering around the city, there is a lot of interest to be found there. Have read over the weekend that E2 is open for business in the city-being the 13th restaurant owned by the great Emeril Lagasse (that is open uptown at the Levine Center for the Arts). Charlotte will also be the site this year for the 2012 Democratic National Convention, and that will be a most interesting period in the city for sure later this year. Charlotte is a great town for food, fun place to check out a concert, and it is a modern and interesting city with a lot of elegant areas as well. I hope to bring some of those in a future post, some great riding weather is coming up, and this is a favorite destination of mine. Of course, so far there has not been much "winter" in this winter, it has been remarkably mild for this time of year. Snow fall has been at or very, very close to zero, and the temperatures have been very pleasant as well. I was not the only motorcyclist enjoying the 65 degree temperatures under beautiful blue skies. In my next post I will be sharing photos from the very interesting North Davidson area...aka Noda. While Charlotte does not often recycle buildings, what has been done with that area makes it one of the most interesting in the city.   

A Big Wet One in the RVA (January 21-22)

 Busy rainy Saturday in Richmond-stopped at Sedona Tap House, a new place which opened a couple of weeks ago on the Midlothian Turnpike. Nice setting, and a wide beer selection (they also have live music some nights I was told) but a bit pricy. Still, I enjoyed it. Also enjoyed the movie "Red Tails", though I am an aviation and history buff. Still an important story, and a good look at a period in American history that is well worth remembering. Movie was by George Lucas of Star Wars fame, and told he wanted to make it for some 20+ years. Good day along Midlothian Turnpike.  

 Sunday before the football playoff games went to Church Hill. Friend of mine lives there, and went with another friend. We took a walk in the Shockoe Bottom area, here at the Lucky Strike condo. At one time this was a tobacco factory, one of many in the Richmond area (now only the Philip Morris factories remain). Indian at top here used to be on the Richmond baseball stadium (aka "The Diamond"). Formerly the Richmond Braves were the team that played there, now the current team is making noise about moving as the new stadium they were promised is years away from being built. 

Bridge here is part of the old Canal system, from what I read nearby it dated to the 1920's and could be raised to allow boats to pass underneath to bring supplies to the tobacco factories in the area (see the photo above). All those of course are gone, though Philip Morris still has some facilities in the Richmond area. Also near this site back in the day was the Confederate Naval Yard in the Richmond area, nothing remains of that from what I was able to read. Not far from this location also was the Confederate "Libby Prison". That building is also long gone though a plaque remains to mark the former site.    

Finally, here is Poe's Pub-love the "Sorry, we're Open" sign near the door. Great place and found today they have a Sunday Brunch (from 10-2). Always meet some interesting people in there, and there are many good beverages in there as well for beverage fans such as myself. It is real close to Libby Hill Park which has the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors monument at the top of the hill. Went to a real fun bbq festival with some great bands at Libby Hill Park last summer-it was a great time.
It was a cold and wet weekend in Richmond, but can't complain-its been a very good winter so far.