Murals and street art have definitely become a thing. Or maybe it was always there, and I’ve just become very attuned to it. Drive or walk around Richmond and the murals are everywhere.
When I went to Mamma J’s for dinner, I had to wait to get a table. While waiting, I walked around the area. At every turn there was fabulous artwork. By the time I returned, a table was ready, and I sat down to a delicious southern dinner—crispy fried chicken, collard greens and candied yams. Can’t get much more southern than that.
The next morning was chilly, but sunny with cloudless blue skies. I headed off to the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. What a gorgeous place, this time of year filled with tulips, daffodils, and flowering fruit trees. The layout of the garden is lovely, with benches strategically placed for perfect views, gazebos, and follies.
Back downtown my GPS failed trying to find the White House of the Confederacy. I ended up in a maze-like parking ramp that took ten minutes to figure out how to exit. When I finally located it, all of the tours for the day were booked (and it didn’t say anywhere on the website that reservations were needed). At Tredegar, a civil war museum, the parking lot was closed for a private event and there was zero parking available anywhere nearby. I just wasn’t having much luck.
I returned downtown and parked in the Shockoe Bottom neighborhood, filled with restaurants and, much to my delight, a clay art center.
After wandering around the area, I headed north, only to get caught in a horrific traffic jam.
All of this just goes to show that while travel can sometimes be frustrating, it remains one of the greatest joys.