STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Irene · Dooney & Bourke

Romantic Weekend in Richmond, VA?

ILoveChoo · Hermes

no. i made that mistake this time last year. Richmond is super ghetto. You're better off going to Williamsburg or somewhere like that. (unless of course you dont want to leave the hotel, in which case Richmond is greta becasue of the prices!)

dc · Dooney & Bourke

Irene - Yes, I think it's VERY possible. I lived in Richmond and loooved it for several years (2 after college, then for another year a few years after that). And I personally managed to have some romantic weekends there!

Also, I still have a subscription to the Virginia Opera down there so I go to Richmond like 4-5 times per year (it's halfway between me and my parents).

SO. It depends where you go. Shockoe Slip, Shockoe Bottom (both of which have nice cobblestone streets), the fan (where I lived - on Floyd Ave and Monument Ave) and Careytown are all nice areas in which to eat, stroll, and go to bars. The Jefferson Hotel is absolutely beautiful - five diamonds I think. The lobby is spectacular. I've stayed there a few times when I didn't live in Richmond, and it is really the place to stay. After that I'd recommend the Berkeley, which has a great location at the top of Shockoe Slip and a really excellent Sunday brunch (some people like the Jefferson's brunch, because it's huge and splashy, but I find it to be overkill).

There are areas of the downtown area which are sort of dying, but the areas I mentioned above are where I enjoy spending time. There is so much history in Richmond, and if you look you can find pretty tree-lined avenues (the fan) with little row houses, cozy bars and restaurants, and really nice people. Give it a chance! I'd be happy to give you more specific advice if you go. I am actually getting a bit nostalgic thinking of it now. Good times....

-- Edited by dc at 22:24, 2005-02-03

ILoveChoo · Hermes

wow, looks like I stayed in the wrong part! We didn't really know where we were going or anything though, so that might have been the problem.

blink · Coach

I don't know if you are interested in colonial/pre-revolutionary war history, but I found that touring some plantation homes in the area was very interesting, educational and relaxing. I went to Shirley Plantation, one of the oldest ones, around 300 years old, right on the James River. It was owned by ancesters of Robert E. Lee.

Now that I think about it though, maybe that's not exactly romantic for everyone else.

-- Edited by lorelei at 10:22, 2005-02-05

bumblebee · Dooney & Bourke

i haven't been there myself, but my parents go pretty often because of my dad's work, and the RAVE about the jefferson hotel. that's all i have to add.