Yesterday I drove from New York City to Richmond, breaking the trip eating lunch in Baltimore with family. The drive was uneventful until the final stretch, when Virginia decided to stage an entire season of Highway Disasters.
First came an SUV engulfed in flames, shooting fire high into the sky while surrounded by firefighters, ambulances, and police. Although it slowed traffic heading south, the real mess was on the northbound side.
About twenty-five miles later, southbound traffic ground to a halt because of a motorcycle accident. As we all know, bad things come in threes. The third incident was merely a fender bender, but by then my patience was hanging by a thread, my leg hurt, and all I could think about was finding a bathroom.
Fortunately, when I finally arrived at the Airbnb I’m sharing with friends, there was a parking space directly in front. At that point I considered it a sign from the travel gods that I had suffered enough for one day.
After a brief period of recovery, we headed out for dinner at Lunch.Supper!, a fun restaurant with excellent food, enormous portions, and incredibly friendly waitstaff.
Today began at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, which is both impressive and enormous. Highlights included the collection of Fabergé eggs and other decorative objects, along with an outstanding group of Degas sculptures and paintings. I was particularly drawn to the horse-themed works. We only saw a small slice of the museum’s collection, I will need to return there. The museum also has a lovely restaurant, Amuse, and, perhaps most importantly for those of us with aging backs and wonky knees, plenty of places to sit.
Leaving the museum we headed off to a local bookstore, Shelflife Books. It’s in a funky, fun neighborhood, Carytown. We couldn’t resist heading across the street to Bygones, a vintage clothing and jewelry store.
Next came afternoon tea at Terre Haute Farm, about thirty minutes outside Richmond. The tea itself would have been worth the drive, but our host, Theresa, was even better. She shared stories of her family’s history, which stretches back centuries to the original Huguenot settlers. The property now operates as a bed-and-breakfast, and by the time we left we were already hatching plans for a writers’ retreat there in 2027. Anyone interested?
If that wasn’t enough for one day, we returned to Richmond for a canal tour and a dose of local history. The canal was originally built to help transport tobacco and other goods through the region. It provided a relaxing way to learn about the city’s past while giving our feet a much-appreciated break.
The forecast had threatened rain all day. Clouds drifted in and out, but the thunderstorms waited until five minutes after we returned to the Airbnb.
Between the parking spot, the weather, the tea, and a day filled with art, books, and local history, Richmond seemed determined to make up for yesterday’s traffic. By evening, I was prepared to forgive Virginia.