Richmond Trip Report, and thanks (Arlington, Alexandria: for sale, condo, hotel)

[andalusian]

So we are finally back in Italy after a fun but busy stay in the States. I visited Richmond twice, once with my mom and kids, and once with my husband. Overall, we liked it and had a good time visiting the city and surrounding area. Since we were visiting with a view to relocation, there were several tourist-y things we had to skip (unfortunately). We mostly looked at neighborhoods, businesses for sale, and available retail space.

A rundown:

We landed in the Museum District and took a walk down Monument Ave., which was just beautiful. It was a nice welcome to the city. We also saw a lot of VCU kids moving into their housing in the area. One jarring aspect of this part of the city is the difference between the Museum District and Fan streets and Broad, which is basically just one street away, but a world away in feeling.

Next was Carytown, where we stopped for ice cream at Bev's. Pretty good, although the place could a have used a thorough cleaning. Carytown was fun and cute -- sort of a mix between Mt. Vernon Ave. in Del Ray and King St. in Old Town, Alexandria. We were interested in retail opportunities there, but it seemed a little small and mostly geared toward students.

Then Westover Hills, where we did a drive-through on our way to check into our hotel in Midlo. I loved the houses in Westover and the neighborhood had a nice feel. The amenities on Forest Hill Ave. were nice to have, but there is some room for improvement there. On the 2nd trip with my husband, we stopped to let our toddler play at Westover Hills Elementary.

We drove to Short Pump that night to get some take-out from Whole Foods. A bit of a hike from Midlo, but live and learn. The development of the area was shocking after Richmond's sleepier vibe. I know mixed-use developments are big now, and I do think that they are an improvement over regular suburban sprawl, but there is something a little ridiculous about spending serious money to buy a condo with a view of the parking lot of Whole Foods. On the other hand, walkability is super-attractive to me, too, so I can still understand the draw.

The next day we took a tour of St. John's Church, which I must say was a highlight of the trip. The guide was very animated and included my 8 year-old twins by asking them questions, etc.. Hard not to get excited over Patrick Henry, but maybe that is just me. Then we walked around Church Hill. Another lovely neighborhood, but very, very quiet. Stopped for refreshments at Captain Buzzy's and then went to Chimborazo (?) playground, which was small-ish but quite nice.

Bellevue was our lunch-stop. Bellevue is definitely an attractive place and I appreciate that there are some amenities. We ate sandwiches at Stir Crazy and walked around the neighborhood. I should say that everywhere we stopped to ask questions or directions, people were universally friendly and helpful. I LOVED that.

Driving down Chamberlayne, we did see some less appealing neighborhoods but I knew to expect that. Those areas do tell you, though, that Richmond is still coming up. You used to see neighborhoods like that 20 years ago in Alexandria, but you would be hard-pressed to find something comparable now. Having said that, not-so-great neighborhoods do not scare me as long as I see families. When I see single guys hanging around on street corners, I get worried.

We then drove around Midlothian a little and took the kids to Huguenot Park -- great playground there! We ate that night at the diner in Midlothian, which was fine for the kids. Very friendly people. I can see why people like the area -- the great schools, friendly people, and shopping everywhere, but the long strips with subdivisions on either side are not really a good fit for us.

Next day was 23226 and Libbie and Grove more specifically. Of all the neighborhoods we visited, I thought that area was the closest to what we are looking for. I loved the boutiques. We stopped into Kambourian Rugs and had a long talk with the extremely kind and friendly Mr. Kambourian about business opportunities, schools, housing, etc.. He was very helpful, and I do appreciate his taking so much time with non-customers. You wouldn't find that everywhere. If that area were a little more developed, I would be able to picture us there.


When I went back with my husband, we stayed downtown at Linden Row Inn (about which I won't complain too much since we got the room through hotwire). Good location, though. We spent more time at Libbie and Grove, River Rd., and Short Pump. I did like Short Pump Town Center (and our toddler loved the train!) Malls would be interesting to us except that we know from experience that independent boutiques tend not to do well in malls. Took a quick look from the car at Glen Allen (VA Commons Mall, I think) -- I am sure there is much more to see there, but we didn't have time.

Upshot: I really liked Richmond and would willingly go back to visit. There's a lot we didn't get to see. Loved the lower cost of living and the friendly people. But even though it is bigger than Alexandria, it feels a lot smaller. I realize that is mostly due to metro DC's effects. I think it is probably a question of time and development, and I am sure Richmond will see big changes in the next few years. But I think my family would need a stronger retail economy and a more diverse city in general, sad to say.

Thanks to all who gave us advice. It was great appreciated!

[richmondpics]

What kind of retail / boutique are you interested in opening?

[andalusian]

We currently have a store here in Italy selling leather goods, and my husband would like to open something similar in the States. This is not set in stone -- if there are other, better business opportunities we would be interested in trying something else. But he has several years experience in the business, he has numerous contacts, and enjoys it, so would prefer to stick with that if possible.

[Charlesaf3]

Yeah, Richmond is less of a big city than DC in all ways, positive and negative. It's more of a hipster small city, and definitely doesn't have the density of a big city to me (and I'd ignore the return of the land and consider Alexandria and Arlington part of inner dc in every way)