Hilton Head Island

A lot of people think that Hilton Head is this:


Or this:


But Hilton Head is also many other things such as this:


And this:


It's a beautiful island and it's only a short plane ride (or a seven hour drive) away. Hilton Head may be a haven for older people and filled with tourists, but they've done a beautiful job of keeping some of the Island's natural beauty intact even through years of excessive development.

Richmond International Airport

Less than a week ago I stepped into the Richmond International Airport. As always, I marveled at how few people were there, how quickly the lines moved, and how easy it was to get to my gate.

I grew up on the North Shore of Chicago, meaning that O'Hare was my home airport. At the time that I lived in Chicago, O'Hare was the world's busiest airport in terms of takeoffs and landings. I was used to getting to the airport two hours in advance and still feeling rushed for time. In Richmond on the other hand, I breezed into the airport an hour in advance and still had 45 minutes to sit and wait.

Today, I returned to Richmond and to the Richmond International Airport with a slightly less rosy disposition. After being delayed in Savannah, missing my connection in Atlanta and barely making it on a standby flight hours later, I returned to Richmond exhausted and irritated. The only saving grace was that because I live in Richmond, my bag was in my hand five minutes after getting to baggage claim.

Thank God for smaller airports. I never realized before that time in an airport didn't have to be ulcer producing.

The Omni: Barlowe's Terrace

A few weeks ago my weekly routine got a little bit busier when I started waiting tables at Barlowe's Terrace Restaurant at the Omni Hotel in Richmond. Two nights a week I meet stranger after stranger as I serve them food. The mix of people at Barlowe's Terrace is always interesting. Tourists, Business travelers, groups of recent graduates who have just started working at Capital One, and the occasional local who probably works in the James Center.

I've worked in several restaurants in the past, and I never get tired of talking to the people I wait on. The best guests broaden my worldview. The worst, crabby as they tend to be, make me work harder at my communication skills (and my frozen, subservient smile).

Working at the Omni may have given me fifteen less hours every week to think about advertising, but I'm starting to think that maybe that's a good thing. Fifteen less hours of advertising means fifteen less hours of spinning my wheels. Somehow, as tired as I am after work, I find myself much more likely to have a fresh perspective on whatever problem I'm working on.

Crossroads Coffee and Ice Cream

Last Tuesday while I was frantically getting ready for a presentation, I got a phone call. When I looked down at my cell phone, I was surprised to see that it was from a friend from undergrad who had been living in China (not for a few months apparently - communication via phone is not my forte). This friend announced that he was in Richmond to visit his girlfriend for the afternoon and would love to see me while she was in class. He was near Monroe Park and wanted to know where we could meet up.

Being a downtown / shockoe slip kind of Richmonder, I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't really know where one went for a quick coffee in the Fan. Instead of letting him know what a bad Richmonder I am, I told him I would meet him in the park and then quickly Googled for coffee near Monroe Park when he hung up. Fifteen minutes later, I was ready to show my friend Crossroads, which I had never been to but had heard much about from friends who have lived in Richmond longer than I.

While I can't say that Crossroads changed my perspective on life or anything that dramatic, I can say that I liked it quite a lot. Before walking in, I had no idea that they also served ice cream. And what a great way to cover all seasons and temperatures. I had latte, my friend had a vanilla malt, and we were both happy with only one stop. Aside from the drink possibilities, I really enjoyed the people watching opportunities at Crossroads. My friend, whose family is originally from Richmond, pointed out that he believes that the hipster movement is larger here than anywhere else in the world. I was about to argue for Brooklyn or London, but at that moment a girl walked in dressed so perfectly that I now have an amazing picture in my mind of what it is to be a hipster.

The Old-South Hipster capital of the world: just one more example of Richmond's cultural diversity, and of why I like this city so much.

The Brunswick Stew Festival

Last year I didn't read Mark Fenske's blog until it was too late. This year I was prepared. After a year of curiosity about Richmond's Brunswick Stew Festival, my hunger for knowledge and for stew was satisfied today.

The Brunswick Stew Festival is held in the 17th Street open-air marketplace in Shockoe Bottom. For one day, stewmasters from across Virginia get together to compete for the honor of being the best Brunswick Stew makers in the state. Before moving to Richmond, I had never heard of Brunswick Stew. As someone who grew up in the Midwest, your typical chili cook off (complete with freshly shot venison) is more my speed. But as someone who desperately wanted to participate in (and win, though I didn't really cook at the time) a chili cook off as a kid, I felt called to the Brunswick Stew Festival from the moment that I heard of it.

By the time I arrived at the festival, some of the more popular or less prepared stew makers had already run out. But for a dollar a cup I was able to taste stew from a few different vendors. Quite good. What is Brunswick Stew, you ask? About.com informed me of the following:

"According to one story, Brunswick stew was named for Brunswick County, Virginia, where in 1828 Dr. Creed Haskins of the Virginia state legislature asked for a special squirrel stew from "Uncle Jimmy" Matthews to feed people attending a political rally. Brunswick, Georgia residents claim their stew is the original. It's just as likely the stew - at least a very similar version - was created much earlier. With the original ingredients of game (usually squirrel) and corn, and long simmering over an open fire, it's typical of early native dishes.

Brunswick stew is now most commonly made with chicken, or a combination of several meats, which might include rabbit, beef, and pork. Onions, corn, and tomatoes are usually included, and many recipes call for lima beans, peas, and/or okra."

In addition to the actual stew, I was impressed by the festival as a whole. The sunny day and the promise of great food pulled in quite a few people, several bands, a petting zoo of sort and even a unicycle-riding man who juggled flaming batons while talking to his audience via wireless mic. While I didn't walk away from the festival with a quart of my own, I really enjoyed seeing people walk around downtown Richmond throughout the day clutching multiple quarts.

The Byrd's Mighty Wurlitzer

Tonight I saw the AICP show at the Byrd Theater in Carytown. For fifteen years, the AICP has worked with the Museum of Modern Art to award and archive the best commercials of each year. Looking at winners from past years is always interesting, because they are so indicative of pop cultures and hot issues from that time. If you have any interest in commercials, I highly suggest that you visit www.aicpshow.com to check out this year's winners.

However, while the AICP show was great, my favorite part of the event was seeing Bob Gulledge play the organ at the Byrd. Both times that I've seen him play, I've found it childishly thrilling to see him rise from below the stage as he enthusiastically plays hits on a Wurlitzer. There is so little in our lives that hasn't been touched by the digital invasion, that hearing that giant organ sound is a real treat.

If you haven't heard Bob Gulledge play at the Byrd, make a point to do it in the near future.