Exploring Richmond

So the reason I decided to take an internship in Richmond was so I would have the opportunity to check out the dynamics of the city without having really any commitment. So I think that in 3 months I will have enough time to understand the inner workings of the city, make a few friends, and see if this could be a city that I could look for a permanent job in after grad school.

So a little about Richmond - It is a city that is incorporated and not associated with a county. Richmond is 38% white, 58% black, and the rest is Asian, Native American, and Hispanic. It is an extremely historic city and had important roles in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. Richmond is a very urban city and consists of many interesting neighborhoods, each with their own character. This weekend the Bob and I got to walk around and get to know a few of these neighborhoods.

For starters where I work is called Old Manchester which is located across the James river from downtown Richmond. Old Manchester originally was its own city and was predominantly a white area until the 50's when it experienced "white flight". Now since annexed by the city of Richmond, Old Manchester is predominantly a very poor, black neighborhood. The area consists of very interesting warehouses and an urban "main st" that is mainly vacant of merchants. This area is planned to be re-gentrified in the next 10 years and will more than likely take on the persona that will be similar to Glenwood South in Raleigh.

Across the river in downtown, there are very cool neighborhoods. One in particular is Shockoe Slip and directly below it Shockoe Bottom. These two areas are lined with cobble streets and are full of awesome restaurants, bars, swanky condos, farmers market, and shops. I have eaten and been out several times since I have been here and have always had a great time.

Further north of downtown is known as the Fan. This is a residential area with beautiful historic row houses and neat markets, bars, shops, and restaurants mixed in. It is a very lively, urban neighborhood and the majority of the VCU kids live there. North of that is an are called Carytown and this area is more like something you would find on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Filled with shops, restaurants, eateries, the awesome old movie theater called Byrd Theater where the Bob and I saw a movie yesterday, and tons of other cool stuff to do - all in all a very neat and active neighborhood.

Further north is my neighborhood - the Northside. It is full of beautiful little cottage-like homes mixed in with big historic homes. The neighborhood has pubs and restaurants within walking distance and everyone here is very friendly - I like it.

So with all those neighborhoods explored with the Bob we liked Carytown the best. We also got the opportunity to go do some Memorial Day activities. We went to the historic Hollywood Cemetery which overlooks the James and is the resting place to Richmond elite and Jefferson Davis, James Monroe, and John Tyler. Very beautiful and very big.

We also got to check out the VA War memorial which is dedicated to those lost in WW2, Korea, and Vietnam. Very beautiful and impressive. It was a good weekend and we look forward to ending it with a good old fashion cookout this afternoon at Greta's house.