Richmond off-topic postings

[Child2021]

Some updates:

Tuxford Rd. site is finally beginning construction again. 

Amazon's robotics center has held a career fair for the Racetrack site. 

Two large augers are at the sit of the "Ace" project. 

City officials held a closed session meeting about the Diamond development. 

Chesterfield has broken ground on the Nash Rd. extension. 

Courthouse landing continued to clear trees. 

Henrico Plaza/Urbana @ Hioaks developments  has launched websites about rental prices and availability. 

Laurel site looks close to opening. 

[RVABizSenseMike]

Figured I'd share this here: BizSense is looking to grow its staff. 

We're hiring for a general assignment reporter to join our newsroom. The above link to the listing has all the details. If y'all are interested, or know anyone who might be, please feel free to check it out. I know some of y'all here love digging through public documents as much as we do, so I'd be remiss if I didn't share this. 

I'm not the one doing the interviewing/hiring but if you have any questions, feel free to DM or email me at [email protected].

-

Mike

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, RVABizSenseMike said:

Figured I'd share this here: BizSense is looking to grow its staff. 

We're hiring for a general assignment reporter to join our newsroom. The above link to the listing has all the details. If y'all are interested, or know anyone who might be, please feel free to check it out. I know some of y'all here love digging through public documents as much as we do, so I'd be remiss if I didn't share this. 

I'm not the one doing the interviewing/hiring but if you have any questions, feel free to DM or email me at [email protected].

-

Mike

Thanks for keeping our community in mind, Mike! I hope RBS finds the right candidate to join the fold of your staff of outstanding reporters. 

[eandslee]

1 hour ago, RVABizSenseMike said:

Figured I'd share this here: BizSense is looking to grow its staff. 

We're hiring for a general assignment reporter to join our newsroom. The above link to the listing has all the details. If y'all are interested, or know anyone who might be, please feel free to check it out. I know some of y'all here love digging through public documents as much as we do, so I'd be remiss if I didn't share this. 

I'm not the one doing the interviewing/hiring but if you have any questions, feel free to DM or email me at [email protected].

-

Mike

Hopefully, RBS can hire enough folks to give the airport a little attention, which by the way, has a HUGE impact on local businesses.  Just wanted to highlight the one glaring gap I see in RBS’s reporting.  This is not to downplay any of their current reporting, which in my opinion, is excellent reporting!  They just don’t have the bandwidth/expertise or senior leader support to add any focus on the airport right now (at least, that was my understanding…correct me if I’m wrong, Mike).

With that said, it would be awesome if one of us ended up joining the RBS team!  So, if any of you have some extra time on your hands…please apply!

7 minutes ago, I miss RVA said:

Thanks for keeping our community in mind, Mike! I hope RBS finds the right candidate to join the fold of your staff of outstanding reporters. 

In my humble opinion, YOU should write for them from time to time.  You have a journalist background and your writing is on point!  I’m thinking something like a special series-type writer for RBS (not every day…maybe once or twice a month).  What do ya say?  I mean, if RBS would entertain something like that…

[I miss RVA]

13 minutes ago, eandslee said:

Hopefully, RBS can hire enough folks to give the airport a little attention, which by the way, has a HUGE impact on local businesses.  Just wanted to highlight the one glaring gap I see in RBS’s reporting.  This is not to downplay any of their current reporting, which in my opinion, is excellent reporting!  They just don’t have the bandwidth/expertise or senior leader support to add any focus on the airport right now (at least, that was my understanding…correct me if I’m wrong, Mike).

With that said, it would be awesome if one of us ended up joining the RBS team!  So, if any of you have some extra time on your hands…please apply!

In my humble opinion, YOU should write for them from time to time.  You have a journalist background and your writing is on point!  I’m thinking something like a special series-type writer for RBS (not every day…maybe once or twice a month).  What do ya say?  I mean, if RBS would entertain something like that…

Humble thanks for the kind words, my friend. I might very well be amenable to something limited (a la what our good friend, Dr. Slipek does), so long as I could do it 100% remotely from the Windy City...  (not because I don't want to travel, but I've had health issues in recent years that make any kind of extended travel pretty darn painful at this time. Working hard to fix it but still, it's slow.)

Believe me, if I was even just 10 or 15 years younger, I'd seriously consider throwing my hat into the ring with an offer to (among other things) take primary responsibility as airport beat reporter. They'd probably get tired of seeing me and my incessant questions about how the holy heck are we gonna catch RDU and Nashville (spoiler - we won't) and how are we gonna siphon away traffic from the D.C. airports and ORF, (spoiler - give us RIC-SEA via Alaska Airlines and we'll definitely grab folks currently flying out of DC) etc. I'd drive these people (at the airport commission) utterly insane - believe me! 

[RVABizSenseMike]

15 hours ago, eandslee said:

Hopefully, RBS can hire enough folks to give the airport a little attention, which by the way, has a HUGE impact on local businesses.  Just wanted to highlight the one glaring gap I see in RBS’s reporting.  This is not to downplay any of their current reporting, which in my opinion, is excellent reporting!  They just don’t have the bandwidth/expertise or senior leader support to add any focus on the airport right now (at least, that was my understanding…correct me if I’m wrong, Mike).

With that said, it would be awesome if one of us ended up joining the RBS team!  So, if any of you have some extra time on your hands…please apply!

In my humble opinion, YOU should write for them from time to time.  You have a journalist background and your writing is on point!  I’m thinking something like a special series-type writer for RBS (not every day…maybe once or twice a month).  What do ya say?  I mean, if RBS would entertain something like that…

Airport coverage is something I've run up the line and there's interest there. I reckon hiring another reporter might help pave the for us to increase our coverage of transit in the region in general. 

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, RVABizSenseMike said:

Airport coverage is something I've run up the line and there's interest there. I reckon hiring another reporter might help pave the for us to increase our coverage of transit in the region in general. 

More hands on deck certainly couldn't hurt!

[I miss RVA]

Folks, I just wanted to make mention that our esteemed friend, professor Ed Slipek, will be honored next month with the Branch Medallion by the Branch Museum of Architecture and Design. Most everyone on here in our community know that he and I are 180-degree polar opposites when it comes to preservation vs growth in Richmond. Nonetheless, even though he and I will never agree ideologically on these matters, I do hold him in high regard and have tremendous respect for him and the outstanding work he has done in documenting the city's architectural history. His deep knowledge about city buildings and neighborhoods and his wonderful writing style absolutely would translate very well into a book -- and I'd love to see him author one (or more) at some point in the near future. 

Mazal Tov, Dr. Slipek - well done!

From today's Richmond BizSense:

https://richmondbizsense.com/2023/10/27/guest-commentary-edwin-slipek-to-be-honored-next-month-with-branch-medallion/

[I miss RVA]

Alrighty, folks - get your credit cards ready because Hasbro's RICHMOND-EDITON of MONOPOLY IS NOW AVAILABLE!

Axios Richmond is reporting that the long-awaited, much-anticipated RVA edition of Monopoly was unveiled yesterday. The game box and board look FANTASTIC - and there are so many cool components. I'm definitely going to purchase a copy (a late birthday present to myself).

It's available online for $44.99 (plus tax -- shipping is free!) here: https://toptrumps.us/products/richmond-edition-monopoly-board-game

It's also available at World of Mirth in Carytown. Check out their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/worldofmirth

From today's Axios Richmond:

https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2023/10/31/richmond-monopoly-game

Edited October 31, 2023 by I miss RVA

[I miss RVA]

I've ordered my copy of Monopoly - Richmond Edition! Just waiting for notification of when it ships so I'll have a rough ETA of when it'll get here. Sooooooooooo looking forward to having it, whether or not I EVER play. Now that I think about it, I MIGHT get a second copy to keep pristine and have this one as a play version.

[I miss RVA]

Nice write-up in today's Henrico Citizen about the new Monopoly - Richmond Edition - game, focusing on some notable Henrico attractions and features, such as the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, RIR and U. of R. (the campus straddles the city/county line).

PERSONAL NOTE: My game has shipped  - and I'm thrilled to report, is scheduled to arrive here in my humble abode in the Windy City tomorrow by 7 p.m. Central time. With everyone's permission, I'll do a "virtual unboxing" via some photos of the game as soon as I can.

Until then - the article from today's Henrico Citizen:

https://www.henricocitizen.com/articles/notable-henrico-spots-included-in-richmond-edition-of-monopoly/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

 

Edited November 3, 2023 by I miss RVA

[Downtowner]

@I miss RVAI really really want to get my copy of it soon. I have an old old version back in rva at my parents house called Richmondopoly. I can’t remember if it was made by same people as monopoly or it if it’s a knock off version like all the other opolys of the world. 
 

I just want to ask is it always slow with job news and business news around an election, it’s just been incredibly slow on job and development news lately. Slower than I remember. I saw prince George county got 659 jobs in the old rolls Royce plant. A glass and window company is opening up there. Just wondering is it elections that make news really slow?

[I miss RVA]

36 minutes ago, Downtowner said:

@I miss RVAI really really want to get my copy of it soon. I have an old old version back in rva at my parents house called Richmondopoly. I can’t remember if it was made by same people as monopoly or it if it’s a knock off version like all the other opolys of the world. 
 

I just want to ask is it always slow with job news and business news around an election, it’s just been incredibly slow on job and development news lately. Slower than I remember. I saw prince George county got 659 jobs in the old rolls Royce plant. A glass and window company is opening up there. Just wondering is it elections that make news really slow?

Hey @Downtowner-- I had Richmondopoly back in the day as well - and no, it was not made by Hasbro, who are the historical makers of Monopoly. I'm not sure who produced Richmondopoly -- it may have even been a local group - but even good as it was, it was not an "official" Monopoly game. The city-specific edition is something unique to the official Monopoly game. Hasbro has been making city editions for quite some time - and while I don't know how many cities have their own edition of the game or specifically what cities are on the official list (probably not too hard to find out that info - I just don't have time today to search) - it IS a fairly exclusive list, which means it's a VERY BIG deal that RVA now has its own official edition of Monopoly.

To your second point - it's slower in large part because of the time of year, though at least around metro RVA there are plenty of projects being announced in the suburbs. What's good though is the number of projects that have gotten shovels into the dirt and that either have or will be soon hoisting cranes above the city. Whereas the NEWS of the developments certainly has tailed off, it seems like the pace of actual development (from what I can tell from my far-away lens) hasn't slowed one bit. Scott's Addition is off the scale right now with a couple of projects (most notably the Soda Flats) in the latter phases of construction, and at least three other major/large-scale developments (The Ace, The Outlier, the N. Chasen & Sons redevelopment on Marshall) either already underway, breaking ground or about to break ground with site work underway. 

Manchester might be where things have slowed just a bit, though, like in Scott's, there are a few projects that are in the latter phases of construction. The Navigator, the Commodore (I don't think that one is complete yet, right?) - and we know based on what's in the pipeline, we're probably not all that far away from seeing an EXPLOSION of activity in Manchester with projects breaking ground - particularly the Avery Hall and Hourigan high-rises along the Manchester riverfront.

To your final point: nah - elections and politics have nothing to do with this. It's just the nature of the development cycle.

Don't worry - I've a feeling that there are many many many developments we don't yet know about that are on the horizon just waiting for the right time to be unveiled.

[Rooster]

On 11/3/2023 at 10:02 AM, I miss RVA said:

Nice write-up in today's Henrico Citizen about the new Monopoly - Richmond Edition - game, focusing on some notable Henrico attractions and features, such as the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, RIR and U. of R. (the campus straddles the city/county line).

PERSONAL NOTE: My game has shipped  - and I'm thrilled to report, is scheduled to arrive here in my humble abode in the Windy City tomorrow by 7 p.m. Central time. With everyone's permission, I'll do a "virtual unboxing" via some photos of the game as soon as I can.

Until then - the article from today's Henrico Citizen:

https://www.henricocitizen.com/articles/notable-henrico-spots-included-in-richmond-edition-of-monopoly/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

 

This is fantastic - Im getting one

 

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, Rooster said:

This is fantastic - Im getting one

 

Mine has arrived - I've just been running crazy busy this past week and haven't had a chance yet to crack it open and dig into it. I'm planning on doing a "virtual unboxing" for everyone here - let's see if I can carve out a few minutes tomorrow to snap photos and get 'em posted. 

[eandslee]

10 minutes ago, I miss RVA said:

Mine has arrived - I've just been running crazy busy this past week and haven't had a chance yet to crack it open and dig into it. I'm planning on doing a "virtual unboxing" for everyone here - let's see if I can carve out a few minutes tomorrow to snap photos and get 'em posted. 

Photos!?  How about some videos!

[I miss RVA]

20 hours ago, eandslee said:

Photos!?  How about some videos!

Yeah, as some point I need to go back to where I was living last year and bring all my good audio and video equipment here to my new place.

MEANWHILE...

Here's the "virtual unboxing" in still photos. I took a bunch of pictures as I was unboxing the game - and I'll post a select handful of them in the order in which I was going through the box so you can see the components in the same way that I experienced them. Not as cool as doing a video - but y'all will get the idea.

Gotta say - Hasbro did a really nice job on this game. It's top-notch - good quality card stock, nice game board - everything you'd expect from Monopoly. Reminds me of my mom's classic version that I played as a kid.

That said, presenting: Monopoly - Richmond Edition.

Enjoy!

 

 

Edited November 10, 2023 by I miss RVA

[I miss RVA]

Interesting follow-up to the phenomenon that is Monopoly - Richmond Edition:

Axios Richmond has some interesting reporting that pulls the curtain back just a bit and reveals a little bit of behind-the-scenes to the development of the game. Namely - that places, organizations, etc., that are named on the board or on the Chance or the Community Chest cards or that get pictures on the board or the box - had to "pay to play". The game developers had a tiered structure of how much they charged for the level of "publicity" they received in the game.

Here, according to Axios, is a portion of how this was set up:

As Monopoly players well know, nothing in this world is free — and for some Richmond businesses, that included landing a space on the recently released Richmond edition of the game.

What's happening: The board, unveiled two weeks ago, g features 24 local attractions and businesses drawn from more than 1,000 suggestions from locals.

• Turns out, some of those businesses paid to be there.

According to a list of rates obtained by Axios Richmond, the cost for a place on the board ranged from $21,000 to $60,000, spread out over three years, depending on which package local businesses selected. The packages:

• Bronze - square on the board - for $7,000 per year, x 3 years.
• Silver - square on the board, community chest card - $12,000 per year, x 3 years.
• Gold - square on the board, community chest card, an image on the board montage, an image on the box lid montage — $20,000 per year, x 3 years.

A Monopoly representative declined to comment on how many or which local attractions paid for place, but said:

• "We took the public's suggestions into great consideration when deciding who to reach out to as this board was made for the Richmond community."

It's unclear how many of the local spots featured paid for the honor.

From Friday's Axios Richmond:

https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2023/11/10/richmond-monopoly-edition-prices

Edited November 12, 2023 by I miss RVA

[I miss RVA]

BREAKING: Richmond makes yet another national Top-10 list!!

WRIC-TV8 News this morning has reporting from a study conducted by online rental platform Zumper that RVA ranks ninth nationally for singles, based on a variety of metrics such as population of singles, restaurants-per-capita, average rent for a one-bedroom apartment, entertainment scene, etc.

Atlanta tops the list, followed by St. Louis, Minneapolis, Boston, and Madison Wisconsin rounding out the Top-5. D.C. checks in at number 6, Orlando 7th, Salt Lake City 8th RVA 9th and Pittsburgh 10th.

The Zumper study is actually pretty interesting. Richmond is third nationally with a whopping 60.62% of the city's population identifying as singles. (This SOOO explains the city's muted population growth despite the tremendous influx of people and the continuing development boom). RVA is ranked fifth nationally in restaurants per capita - holding court with a very impressive list of cities to make the Top-5 in this category (Orlando, Atlanta, Denver, Portland and Richmond).

One important takeaway: RVA ranked middle of the road in terms of entertainment options, landing in the "moderate" category. For folks who might clap back against my desire for more explosive population and economic growth (and who preach the sermon of "RVA is fine just the way it is") this right here is a classic example of how not becoming MUCH bigger holds us back. A bigger RVA will - as a matter of course - garner bigger, better and MORE entertainment options. Okay - the horse has long-since left the barn on RVA having major-league-level professional sports, and right now we don't even have a decent arena anywhere in the metro to host major college tournaments, large concerts, etc. Economic and population growth begets growth in other sectors, such as entertainment. This is a category that's fixable.

The flip side: RVA punches well above her weight on the food and beverage scene, and ranking fifth in this category is pretty darn impressive. 

Either way - it's a pretty interesting study and, as I constantly preach, yet another piece of good national publicity that keeps the name "Richmond" in the front of peoples' eyes and minds - which can pay some HUGE dividends down the road when it comes to name recognition playing a big part in metro RVA beating out competitors for huge "big fish" developments, such as landing big manufacturing centers, corporate relos or HQ2s. 

From WRIC-TV8 News:

https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/richmond/richmond-ranked-as-a-top-10-city-for-singles-report-finds/

From Zumper.com:

https://www.zumper.com/blog/best-cities-for-singles/

Edited November 13, 2023 by I miss RVA

[Flood Zone]

2 hours ago, I miss RVA said:

Okay - the horse has long-since left the barn on RVA having major-league-level professional sports, and right now we don't even have a decent arena anywhere in the metro to host major college tournaments, large concerts, etc. Economic and population growth begets growth in other sectors, such as entertainment. This is a category that's fixable.

So long as Green City doesn't go belly-up, it's more in the category of being fixed rather than fixable.

[RiverYuppy]

I saw on LoopNet there is a 17 property $8m listing. The last time I saw one of these deals go through the buyer renovated a lot of houses and sold them to first time homebuyers--which is great for the city.

It will be interesting to see what comes out of this transaction. I walked by one of the properties in my neighborhood and it looked like it needs a major renovation. Some properties in the pictures do not look that bad though. 

[I miss RVA]

2 hours ago, RiverYuppy said:

I saw on LoopNet there is a 17 property $8m listing. The last time I saw one of these deals go through the buyer renovated a lot of houses and sold them to first time homebuyers--which is great for the city.

It will be interesting to see what comes out of this transaction. I walked by one of the properties in my neighborhood and it looked like it needs a major renovation. Some properties in the pictures do not look that bad though. 

Wow - this sounds like it really could potentially benefit  a lot of first-time home buyers, who nowadays could use some help.

Say - next time you happen by one or two of these properties, would it be possible to get a couple of ?

[Nathan_in_DC]

Hello! I'm a lurker in the Virginia sub-forums, usually using the site to keep tabs on my hometown of Nashville, but I wanted to cross-post some thoughts I put together on Richmond following a weekend visit by my family. Richmond was great, we want to go back down sooner rather than later and spend more time in town. Please don't take any of these observations as an indication that I didn't enjoy our visit! I just wanted to get feedback from the denizens of the Richmond forum on my thoughts!

Quote

 

Since we both had off for the Veterans' Day holiday last weekend, the wife, kiddo, and I decided to take a trip down to Richmond, Virginia. Theoretically a pretty easy drive from the DC area (less than 2 hours without traffic), but as per usual I-95 was a complete mess the entire way. But hey, that new 12 lane section they just opened at Fredericksburg is SURE to help it. Just one more highway expansion will fix it! We really wanted to take the train, as they now have (I think) 5 round trips daily from DC, but we didn't want to rely on a bus system that has a bad reputation for reliability and service when we got there (and with a kid taking rideshare or a taxi is a challenge). In retrospect, we should have taken the train, as transit appeared to not be quite as bad as it had been made out to be.

The Good: 

• The public transit is better than it appears at first glance, with a BRT route running 10-15 minute headways across town, and 15 minute headway connections on a route crosstown and a route across the James River from downtown.
• The bones of the city are amazing. Tons of old housing and commercial stock that just oozes character and charm, and it's in low enough demand that it's much more affordable than other cities of similar size, location, and stature. 
• The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is one of the absolute best art museums I've been to anywhere. Total hidden gem. Honestly, going there is worth a trip to the city in and of itself.
• It's chocked full of cool neighborhoods that I'm excited to go back and explore more of. Carytown, Manchester, the Fan District, Shockoe Bottom...all really interesting neighborhoods with cool small businesses, architecture, and streetscapes.
• Much of the town is mixed residential-commercial. Corner stores, cafes, shops, and restaurants are the norm in many neighborhoods. I could actually see it being pretty easy to live a car-minimal (if not totally car free) lifestyle in many neighborhoods.
• The Canal Walk, the James River islands, some big cemeteries, and other public areas make for lots of accessible, beautiful, urban wild green spaces. 

The Bad:

• Outside of the three routes mentioned above, their system public transit is plagued by the same problem that many mid-sized cities face: too many routes winding their way across the city with 45-minute and 60-minute headways. In other words, by trying to make it available to all, they make it useful for none. 
• We happened to be down concurrently (and unintentionally) with the Richmond Marathon, and the city simply was not built to deal with that many people. We should have known something was up when we were finding it difficult to get a hotel in town. Downtown was bursting at the seams, but businesses seemingly hadn't done anything to prepare for the busy weekend. We were staying about 3 blocks west of the State Capitol and on Saturday morning and afternoon the few restaurants and coffee shops within a 5 block radius of the hotel were either closed or packed full.
• The James River is a definite challenge to connecting the sides of town, but they have done a horrible job in connecting the two. Much of the bad connecting infrastructure is intentional and is a holdover from the overt segregation the city was designed around for much of its history, and it's unfortunate that they have done little to try to realistically fix it. The city is situated at the fall line of the very broad river, giving the city dramatic views of the rapids just before it becomes navigable, much like the Potomac River just upstream of Georgetown. There are two pedestrian bridges, one built across an old dam and another suspended underneath a highway bridge, providing pedestrian access across the river. Unfortunately, these two bridges are treated more as tourist attractions or park features than functional connections. Actually accessing these bridges from commercial and residential areas at both ends isn't immediately clear or intiutive, especially on the south side. One surface street bridge, the 14th Street Bridge, also crosses the river and wouldn't be too bad to walk across, and it does provide a connection on the Manchester side of the river. The other crossings are highways that pedestrians are either prohibited from, or are extremely dangerous for pedestrians or cyclists to try to navigate.

The Ugly:

• Downtown Richmond, and to a lesser extent, the built-up areas outside of the CBD, has the absolute worst pedestrian infrastructure in any city I've been to in a long time. There seems to be zero parking enforcement, with people appearing to routinely just leaving cars overnight in crosswalks. There's a car-first culture that makes it dangerous to walk, we were almost hit a number of times by cars failing to yield at crosswalks, failing to stop at stop signs, and turning right on red without actually looking to see if anyone was in a crosswalk. Sidewalk obstructions are the norm. Most intersections don't actually have cuts for crosswalks. Some crosswalks have been moved (recently) without the curb being cut for accesssibility. I know that pushing a stroller is nothing like being in a wheelchair, but it sure does make you notice this sort of thing a lot more often.
• The pedestrian paths (the Manchester Floodwall Path, the 9th Street Bridge, and the Canal Walk specifically) are NOT wheelchair, bicycle, or stroller friendly, often with large stairways connecting sections without ramps or elevator accommodations.
• Honestly, based on my observations, I don't understand how the city of Richmond hasn't been sued into oblivion for ADA violations. They clearly have made renovations, changes, and new additions that would be subject to ADA compliance which has been totally ignored. For all the good the city has done with helping walkability and density, they should be ashamed for their complete disregard for accessibility.

 

Edited November 20, 2023 by Nathan_in_DC
typo

[I miss RVA]

11 hours ago, Nathan_in_DC said:

Hello! I'm a lurker in the Virginia sub-forums, usually using the site to keep tabs on my hometown of Nashville, but I wanted to cross-post some thoughts I put together on Richmond following a weekend visit by my family. Richmond was great, we want to go back down sooner rather than later and spend more time in town. Please don't take any of these observations as an indication that I didn't enjoy our visit! I just wanted to get feedback from the denizens of the Richmond forum on my thoughts!

 

Hey, @Nathan_in_DC-- first, I want to thank you for the absolutely fantastic and very insightful (and honest!!) commentary on the state of our fair city as seen from a first-person perspective. You hit on SO many outstanding points that, quite honestly, I SO wish the folks at City Hall could read. Sometimes, as those of us who are locals or who are natives who are ex-pats, we tend to view RVA through rose-colored "RVA-can-do-no-wrong" glasses, and reading (at times brutally - and appropriately so) honest feedback from visitors is EXACTLY what is needed. I'm sure I speak for many on here when I say how much your observations are appreciated. You are 100% spot-on in so many areas, and again, I only wish the powers-that-be could read and digest (with an eye toward implementing policies to help correct areas where there is need) these kinds of observation.

And to be clear, I'm speaking not just of your criticism, but also of your praise as well. It's SO cool to hear from out-of-towners how they view the things that are some of RVA's strengths - such as the VMFA, the pluses (and minuses) of the mass transit (particularly the PULSE BRT line), etc. Your observations really hit the bullseye on quite a few things (both positive and less than positive) - and man, it's refreshing to hear a new, different perspective.

Humble thanks to you for posting - and for your frankness all the way around (meaning, pulling no punches on both the good and not so good). And, if I may be so bold (and with everyone's permission) - welcome to our little RVA/UP community. PLEASE do not be a stranger here! We need these kinds of perspectives to help clear our own viewfinders.  You've "broken the seal" now - which means, the time for lurking is over; the time for participating has begun! Would love it for you to join in the conversation and post as often as you'd like. You brought up an number of points that are real food for thought and good conversation starters - and I for one am most appreciative. Also, VERY much hoping you and your family will visit RVA more often and partake of even more of what the city has to offer. (Okay - very selfish RVA "boosterism" plug  here: if there's any way we could influence you to move/relocate to our growing burg and help push things along...  - know you and your fam would indeed be welcome!)

Either way - borrowing from a phrase that, with you being from Nashville, I'm sure you know very well just as much as we do in RVA - "y'all come back now, y'hear?!" 

Edited November 21, 2023 by I miss RVA

[wrldcoupe4]

Thanks for sharing and visiting. When you come back to explore, there's tons of neighborhoods that each have their own bit of character. Here's a few more to add to your list that are outside of the downtown core:

Bellevue

Westhampton (Libbie Ave at Grove/Patterson Aves)

Scott's Addition

Forest Hill / Westover Hills

Byrd Park / Maymont

Agreed on the city infrastructure in general.  It's improving though.