Pocahontas State Park

Last weekend, with its perfect blue sky and 60+ degree weather, was the perfect day to be outside. Spring is definitely springing in Richmond and I decided to take advantage with a visit to Pocahontas State Park in Chesterfield.

I've been wanting to visit Pocahontas State Park for months, but somehow hadn't yet made the time to get around to it. If you have not yet been, the park is a must-see. Whether you're a runner, a hiker, or a couch-potato/weekend outdoors-woman like myself, Pocahontas State Park has something for you. Their woods are filled with hiking biking and bridle trails that wind through forest and around the edges of lakes and streams, as well as a nature center and Civilian Conservation Core museum.

My afternoon at the Park was focused on a walk around Beaver Lake on the Beaver Lake Trail, which took about an hour. After walking the lake trail, I spent another hour lazing in the sun, soaking in the spring air. Pocahontas State Park is only about twenty minutes from my apartment, but the air there smells different. As someone who grew up loving the outdoors, especially deep woods, relaxing on a bench at Beaver Lake is about the most relaxing thing I can think of.

The musky-green smell of forest has always been a sort of elixir of life for me, and Pocahontas State Park did not disappoint on that front. Spring is coming to Richmond and I can't think of a better way to welcome it than an afternoon hiking one of the Park's trails.

Get out of your cubicle and go!

I am a desperate grad student...

And it would mean a huge amount to me if you would take my survey and/or pass it on.

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I'm looking for as large a sample size as possible, and the results are anonymous.

Thank you!


4/19/08: Thanks to everyone who took my survey. The survey is now closed.

Hirshhorn Museum

Yesterday, I took a mental health day and visited Washington D.C. After weeks holed up in my apartment doing work, I felt the need to experience a new culture for a day. As I normally do when I visit D.C., I took the Metro straight to the Smithsonian stop. I love the National Mall for two reasons in particular:

1. It's a national park that actually looks lived in; people run and play football but somehow it still feels like sacred ground.
2. Standing on the Mall, you have the opportunity to visit museums of all types, for free. It's like a museum buffet!

For this visit, I chose to stop at the Hirshhorn museum, one of my favorites. The Hirshhorn focuses on contemporary art and sculpture. They put together fabulous exhibits and the current exhibit is no exception. I spent two hours watching and listening to "The Cinema Effect: Illusion, Reality, and the Moving Image. Part 1: Dreams." According to the Hirshhorn's website, the exhibit "addresses film's ability to transport us out of our everyday lives and into a dream world." That description, while a bit bland, is scarily accurate.

The exhibit is so dark at points that wandering through its twisting hallways is both frightening and disorienting. Combine that with video installations splashing brightly onto walls and the exhibit is both shocking and memorable.

I don't know how to describe it other than to say that it is a must-see. Odd but incredibly interesting.