richmond..not on my mind (dorms, find a job, theater)

[ric75]

Originally Posted by Anders15

It snowed in Baghdad last year too.. obviously the weather is not predictable most of the time so whats the point?

There is no point. Some people just like to bemoan their existence any way they can.

[Franklicious]

Originally Posted by Anders15

It snowed in Baghdad last year too.. obviously the weather is not predictable most of the time so whats the point?

I'm making sure someone didn't misrepresent what the weather here in Richmond is really like.

[exlxaxd]

Originally Posted by vasinger

Charlotte? Are you serious? That place has no soul. No character and no charm.

I wouldn't trade Richmond for Charlotte for anything !

Really? Richmond has a soul? I'm gonna have to call you out this one. How are you gonna back that up?

I've lived here just over 5 years and I have to say that Richmond can be deceiving at first. Before I moved here, it seemed to be more lively and I believed it truly was the "growing community with a lot of potential" that the locals continue to fantasize about. Richmond certainly has a few things going for it but I suppose it depends on your perspective. Crime is down, relatively speaking. Maymont Park is pretty nice to visit when it's not 1000 degrees outside. Carytown's nice for a stroll. But if you're looking for a city with:

- Diverse population
- "Southern hospitality"
- Thriving downtown area (that's being invested in)
- Vibrant music / arts scene
- Tasty local dining that's that's
- Quality pro sports
- Progressive government leadership
- Lots of friendly, helpful, open-minded, sociable people

Then don't move to Richmond. On the other hand, Richmond is a very convenient city to live in. Traffic happens, but compared to any other city I've lived in, it's a total breeze here. I live in the fan and I never spend more than 15-20 minutes in my car on a day-to-day basis. For many, that alone is worth the price of admission. Before Wachovia skipped town, I was just a 10 minute ride from work.

A lot of people also ride their bikes because everything is so condensed within the city limits. None of the cyclists obey the traffic laws though (and police don't enforce them) so, be prepared to deal with their holier-than-thou attitude. Many of them consider themselves "environmentalists" and believe they're sticking it to the oil industry by not driving cars. Just last week at a 4-way intersection, a guy on a bike blew through his stop sign without hesitation as I was making my left turn (AFTER I'd stopped)... Then as I braked to avoid hitting him he topped it off by screaming "f*ck you a**hole" at me . Maybe he wasn't an environmentalist, but certainly a bona-fide ignoramus. Such is the "southern hospitality" in this fine city.

If you have a six-figure income, then there are some really beautiful neighborhoods you could afford to live in too. However, 90 percent of the people in that category are paranoid about crime, so if that's you, you'll end up living in cozy place out in the white-collar West End (A.K.A. - "the infinite strip mall") where you can shop yourself silly and drink Starbucks by the gallon. This is a big part of the problem here: people with expendable income don't come downtown unless they absolutely have to (i.e. - for work). They're very content to stay in the suburbs and most couldn't care less about the city. There are other nice neighborhoods in Richmond for the rest of us, but you're likely to end up in the suburbs - especially if you want a wholesome neighborhood in which to raise a family, and don't want to deal with any crime and/or all the VCU goings-on.

Oh, and if you're thinking, "...but Richmond's really close to Washington D.C. -- and D.C. is the epitome of culture!" think again. The trip to DC with no traffic takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes with no traffic. In order to make that kind of time, you'll have to travel between the hours of 7pm and 5am. Any other time of day, you're likely to hit A LOT of traffic which will easily add up to 2 hours to your travel time (I was astounded the first time that happened). My advice on that is to get a room and drive up the evening before and just make a weekend out of it or something. Oh, and a word of caution about DC... D.C. drivers are likely to be the most fearless, psychotic people you'll ever encounter on the road.

If you want to eat local, there are some truly great places, but be prepared to spend well over $100 on dinner & drinks for 2 -- especially in the lovely, historic Shockoe Bottom. There are few, if any, local restaurants that are affordable to the average Joe, so I hope you like Olive Garden and Applebee's. Part of this issue is because Richmond does not allow "bars." Sure, there are bars here, but the rule is, if they're going to serve alcohol, they must offer a substantial food menu (I can't recall the exact food/alcohol ratio required, but there is one). This basically results in a lot of restaurants that have crappy food because they'd honestly prefer not to offer food in the first place. It's fine if you're just on the lookout for a place to belly-up for a few beers, but if you want good food, you're gonna pay for it in Richmond.

It's sunny here most of the time. You might get a flurry or two in the winter, but you're more likely to get the "wintery mix." If you're unfamiliar with the "wintery mix" it's a special blend of sleet, snow and hail all combined. Perfect for making the roads nice and slick. In general though, it's friggin' hot and friggin' humid here (even though it's not the deep south, it's hotter than you'd think), so if you like to sweat your *** off standing still, then you'll love it. Also, if you like:

- civil war history
- the "old south"
- segregation and racial tension (i've even seen the rebel flag flying in front of a few homes out in the east end)
- Panhandlers (huge problem in downtown Richmond)
- apathy
- drinking on porches
- reading about debutante balls
- getting lip service from strangers
- watching hipsters (or hanging out with them - only the "deck" need apply) -- for more info on hipsters, see this:
- Slow service
- People yelling at you while providing slow service
- "homeless" kids toting their booze in Gucci bags
- making plans and changing them 10 times before you finally cancel
- looking at paintings of horses
- looking at sculptures of horses
- "keeping up appearances" (a.k.a. hypocrisy)
- social cliques
- social retards
- the status quo

I'm not generally a negative person, but I've gotta tell it like it is: Richmond is still very much a "southern" city: There's still lots of racial tension and, in general, it caters to its well-to-do, conservative citizens above all others. The cops crack down on anything that's remotely loud...or remotely fun. I've made some very good friends here, but I've also never met so many apathetic people who couldn't commit to a social event - even if it was with Jesus Christ himself. If Richmond has a soul, then it's in purgatory and that's where it's going to remain until... who knows when?

I'm not a big advocate for Charlotte either... but that's another story.

[Anders15]

That is a amazing post and I agree 100%. BRAVO!!

[ric75]

Originally Posted by exlxaxd

I'm not generally a negative person...

You made me laugh a little, thanks.

Originally Posted by exlxaxd

I'm not a big advocate for Charlotte either... but that's another story.

I'd be curious as to what you are an advocate of besides therapy sessions in public forums. Get the chip off your shoulder and maybe you'll have a little more fun.

[Anders15]

Sounds like you are the one with the chip on your shoulder. just sayin

[ric75]

Originally Posted by Anders15

Sounds like you are the one with the chip on your shoulder. just sayin

Sorry but I'm not the one who spent a half-day typing out a diatribe detailing the evils of hipsters, horses, and homeless in Richmond. That's just ridiculous.

[Anders15]

Originally Posted by ric75

Sorry but I'm not the one who spent a half-day typing out a diatribe detailing the evils of hipsters, horses, and homeless in Richmond. That's just ridiculous.

http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/9616/denialo.jpg (broken link)

Sorry but it had to be done.

[ric75]

Have fun at the pity party fellas. When you're done massaging each others bruised egos and blaming Richmond for all your woes come join us back in reality.

[exlxaxd]

Originally Posted by ric75

Sorry but I'm not the one who spent a half-day typing out a diatribe detailing the evils of hipsters, horses, and homeless in Richmond. That's just ridiculous.

You're absolutely right. It is ridiculous. But you can't deny there's a lot of truth to all of it. I rest my case.

To be fair to the lovers out there, a lot of that message was me being silly and facetious... all I'm really saying is, Richmond is nuthin' special. It's just another city that's got a long way to go.