The Italian American Festival

This weekend, I visited Richmond's Italian American Festival. The whole experience should have been right up my alley, given that I'm an Italian culture junkie and a somewhat of a foodie, but I left the festival with mixed reviews.

On the positive side, Saturday was a beautiful day to be outdoors and enjoying the Church Hill neighborhood. The mix of foods smelled wonderful even from a distance of a few blocks, everyone involved in the festival was incredibly friendly, and it was wonderful to see such a large gathering of Richmonders. I certainly wasn't the only one taking advantage of the fabulous day.

On the negative side, though, the Italian American Festival seemed to focus much more on mediocre sausage and pepper sandwiches (not so mediocre that I didn't eat the whole thing) and store-bought cannoli. After enjoying cannoli from a great little bakery in New York a few weeks ago, the one I bought at the festival seemed like it belonged to a different species. With such a vibrant Italian community, I would have expected more from the festival. Where were the fabulous foodstuffs I had envisioned? How exactly was this festival giving me any sort of immersion into Italian culture? Even the musicians seemed to be on break during my stroll down Broad Street.

To end on a positive note, I did buy a fabulous sausage, and have been eating it one little slice at a time since Saturday. If only I could remember who sold it to me...

Chimborazo Park

While searching for today's tourist adventure, I happened upon the VCU Back to School Guide. I live near the medical school, which has its own section of the site, and so I clicked on activities for med students. According to the VCU page, all the med students hang out at Chimborazo Park in Church Hill, sunning and relaxing, when they have time off. The site promised a beautiful view of almost the entire city, which I really wanted to see. And so, this afternoon I found myself driving up Broad Street further East than I've ever been to the 3200 block.

When I got to Chimborazo Park, I have to admit that my initial reaction was disappointment. While my trip convinced me that I need to spend more time getting acquainted with Church Hill, it didn't convince me to add Chimborazo Park to my list of must-visit-regularly sites. Where were all the lounging doctors? Where was the beautiful view of the city that I was promised?

To be a bit more positive, I can see the appeal of the park. It offered a wide expanse of grass high on the hilltop, a beautiful gazebo and a neat old neighborhood. For those interested in medical history, the park is also home to the Chimborazo medical museum. And to top it all off, the boy scouts have donated a miniature replica of the Statue of Liberty. Now we never have to leave Richmond to get the New York experience!

Overall, though, the view of the city was much less than promised, and the lack of trees made it one of the hotter places I could think of to be on a Richmond summer afternoon.