A Richmond Apology

For the VCU Brandcenter's annual magazine, I wrote an article about my experiences getting to know Richmond. For those who read this blog and have gotten a detailed view of my tourism, I've copied the text below.

To see the entire magazine, click this link. The article, with beautiful art direction by Leslie Buker, is on page 79.

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Dear Richmond,

As I write to you, I am stretched out on a rock at Pony Pasture rapids, enjoying the day. This moment and many others have led me to regret my attitude towards you in the early days of our relationship. I write to you today to apologize for the disdain that I showed you when we first met.

When friends told me that you were “the city that only looked like a city from across the river,” I took them at their word. I arrived in August of 2006 planning to get to know you only well enough to buy groceries, go out to dinner and take an occasional stroll along the nearby Canal Walk. For nine months, I ignored your many offerings while I sat holed up in my apartment or at the Adcenter, refusing to believe you could be an integral part of my life.

After finishing my first year of school, I stayed with you for the summer to intern at The Martin Agency. Because I had eight weekends to enjoy, I decided to spend them learning more about who you were. In order to kill two birds with one stone, I fulfilled a class assignment by starting a blog about the parts of you that I had seen. My blog, Living Richmond, started something like this: “Armed with a Dodge Neon, a map and a credit card, this Chicago native turned Richmonder expands her view of the area through weekend tourism.” Truth be told, I didn’t really plan on turning into a Richmonder. I also didn’t think that my tourist flirtation with you could last more than a summer. Once again, on both counts, I was wrong.

Since making the decision to get to know you better, every week has included at least one tourist activity within your borders. I have gotten to experience both your everyday and your extreme, visiting historic sites, museums, outdoor areas and festivals. My adventures have included taking a dip in the James River, tasting my first spoonful of Brunswick Stew and visiting a Tudor estate that was brought over from England and rebuilt piece by piece, among many others. I have heard the Byrd Theater’s mighty Wurlitzer play and have spent an afternoon at the botanical gardens looking at flowers that I could never grow myself. As I got braver, my tourist adventures expanded to neighboring areas such as Williamsburg, Washington D.C. and the James River Plantations. As a result of my Richmond tourism I have a new appreciation for you and your cultural offerings. I have gone from a student with no connection to you, the city I live in, to something much closer to a resident.

Please accept my heartfelt apology. I can truly say that I will be sad to leave you in May. You may look like a city only from across the river, but the proof is in the forty blog entries I’ve written which barely scratch the surface of who you are.

With Love,

Caitlin

PS, I hope it takes the new first years less time to figure out how interesting you are than it took me.

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!

Canal Walk

Since yesterday's trip took me so far outside of the city, I decided that today was a day for a seriously close-to-home excursion. And so today I walked out of my apartment and and headed down to Canal Walk. I started at 14th Street and walked to Bell Isle, and it was a brilliantly sunny (and hot!) day. And now, Canal Walk in pictures: