Having missed the turn towards the Visitor Center for the battlefield, I passed the white stone war memorial.  After turning around, I pulled into the parking lot for the memorial.   A little bit lower than the actual memorial, the walk up the steps gave me a chance to admire the tall structure.  Originally built in 1955 to honor the dead from WWII and the Korean War, the long rectangular shrine gained additions to honor both Vietnam (1981) and the Persian Gulf Conflict (1996).  The shrine is open on the short ends, a stone wall on the right, glass walls on the left.  The names of the deceased are engraved on the two solid walls.  The sheer number of names is a bit mindboggling.  I have been to the Vietnam War Memorial in DC with its many names; here on one wall are thousands of names from WWII alone.  The names were listed in a geographical order which I liked; that made the names more real, gave them a place to be attached to. 

At the far end of the shrine, just under the roof stands Memory, a white marble sculpture.  She looks down, silent.  My first glimpse of the statue had been on my drive past.  Up close she is imposing but not intimidating.  At the base of the 23-ft tall sculpture are an eternal flame Torch of Liberty and a fresh rose bud.

Also on site is a small museum with a few displays of uniforms from each of the wars remembered.  Another display contains models of various warplanes from WWII.  A bed of memorial roses lines the walkway by the museum.

Originally a small mill, the Tredegar Iron Works grew and helped the city of Richmond become the center of iron manufacturing in the southern US.  The capacity to produce contributed to Richmond's choice as the capital of the Confederacy when the Civil War broke out.

The Tredegar Iron Works is the main Visitor Center for the Richmond National Battlefield Park and also the American Civil War Museum.  You can park right next to the center for $3 or as I did, go a little farther down the block and hope for an open spot at the parking for Belle Isle.  An elevated track runs right past this parking lot and a train was creeping slowly by when I arrived.

I wandered around the courtyard area first.  While some of the ironworks have been restored to their design around the time of the Civil War, other walls still have a crumbling appearance.  Large black machinery reminds visitors of the bustling noise and activity that once filled the air here.

Up the black stairwell, I then headed into the Visitor Center which is in the former Pattern building.  The three levels though all dealing with the Civil War are still distinct not only in the aspect of the war addressed but also in look--each level architecturally represents a different period in the building's life.  The lowest level displays military artifacts of the war--a small boat, cannonballs, and staffs from different regiments.  The middle level--recommended to view first--contained the ranger station, gift shop, and a variety of photos and maps.  The maps were useful to help visualize the battles in the area since they spanned multiple days and locations.  The top level named Voices of Richmond took a look at the war from two fronts: military and home.

Back outside, I walked around the upper level of the site, past the sculpture commemorating Lincoln's visit to the city after its surrender, past the smaller brick building that once housed the general store, past some modern art up on the hill.  My final stop was by a large piece of wheeled equipment.  I believe it was used to help press metal but I can't remember for sure.

The concert venue was only about 7 blocks away from the hotel. Granted, it was a Sunday night in what looked like the beaten down/run down part of town, and I was a tiny bit concerned that I might not make it without incident. When I got to the venue I grabbed a beer and perused the scene. A nice size stage with the floor sloping upwards so people in the back can see over those infront easier. Behind the slope were levels on either side of the sound system, about a foot off the ground, with railing. Then there was the second floor, but who on Earth would go up to the second floor to see Disturbed? I plopped myself down in the front of one of the levels against the railing. No mach pit for me today!

In the crowd was a bunch of youngsters, some actual middle-age people, but most surprisingly I saw a teenage boy and he looked to be with his mom. Weird, right? To my right was what appeared to be a very large biker and his girlfriend. To my left were two guy friends chatting. There was room for someone else to stand against the railing next to me, but once the opening act began we all seemed to spread out a bit and get comfortable. It was nice knowing that the day after the Chili cook-off no one was going to be pushing me. After all, who in their right mind would push someone into a ginormous biker?! hehe.

The opener was a local metal band and I was unimpressed. The next opener (yes, they had two bands open for them in that small of a venue) was a band called Art of Dying. A Canadian group. I was very impressed when the first song they sang was metal, yes, but they were actually harmonizing. The lead singer had two mics: one for singing and the other for sustaining notes. Haven't ever seen that at a rock concert before. I was impressed, so after the show I bought their CD. 15 bucks where the day before I had bought the new Seether cd (fantastic, btw) for only 10!

Then came Disturbed. :) "This isn't just a concert...This is the largest group therapy session you will ever attend!" 'nuff said;-)

Of course came the one minute sold encore and then the song most of these kiddos came to hear. Down with the Sickness. And when he is doing his 'talk' during the middle of the song, talking to his mom, telling her to stop beating him, I realize, "Damn! It's Mother's Day today!" Ironic or Appropriate?

On the walk home I decide to stop off at a bar and relax before going to bed. ...realized that I was the only girl in that bar besides one of the bar tenders, and was saddened. Someone did end up coming up to me and talking to me though. It turned out to be the owner of the restaurant I ate dinner at earlier that night. We listened to a couple of young guys sing some karaoke (that they shouldn't have!) and I went back to the hotel, thankful that I walked through downtown Richmond unscathed. :)

Tarrant's was recommended to me by the concierge at Linden Row Inn. About a block and a half away this little restaurant serves some mighty good manicotti. They had Stella on tap too! As soon as I walked into the restaurant I was greeted by just about everybody on staff that night. Even sitting by myself at the bar I felt welcome. Their Clam Chowder was very rich, perhaps a bit too rich for me, but sensational none the less. And the Manicotti.... you know how you eat 'Italian' food and wished that the chef used a far better sauce b/c it tastes nothing like mom used to make? Not the case here. I was so surprised. Just like mom used to make, almost;-) Let's just say it was so good that I didn't realize just how hungry I was...I ate the entire bowl full! Of course, no trip to a new city, sitting in a mom-n-pop kind of place eating would be complete without meeting the local 'guy'. You know, the super friendly guy who comes in during work brakes and sits and talks with random people (or waitstaff if no customers are available.) This older gentleman decided to keep me company by telling me all about his new car and trying to guess where I was from while I ate. Once his break was over the staff kept me company. :)

Cute Little bar in Richmond, VA near the Linden Row Inn. Was open until 2am on a Sunday, which was convenient for me. :) Small and rectangular with the bar along the right, long wall, and a little, raised stage with the karaoke along the other. At midnight on Sunday/Monday the bar was packed, and it was Mother's Day too! I'm not sure if it is a gay bar, but the crowd that particular night was mostly male couples. The bartenders were very nice, though I wasn't really too happy with my Long Island.

When I first pulled up to the Inn I drove past it to try to find a parking space for the night. I ended up parking in a garage with something called an honor box. It's where you fold up your money really tight and shove it into tiny holes in a box, and you are supposed to use the honor system with giving them the proper amount of money. No signs said that it was suitable for overnight parking, so when I got to the inn they suggested, since it was just for one night, that I park on the street or valet as they didn't know if my car would be towed or ticketed in the garage or not. Valet was only $10 a night. The valet actually found me a parking spot on the street and waited in front of it until I had gotten my car parked snugly for the night. The woman at the front desk was very sweet. She gave me directions to every place in Richmond that I wanted to go to, suggested an excellent local restaurant for dinner, and constantly offered to call their gentlemen who drives a bus for the inn to take me anywhere I wanted to go. The front desk even had street maps of the city you can take, which was incredibly helpful! When I got into the room, it was their tiniest and by far cheapest, the bed hadn't been made and there was a used coffee cup out. I called the lady at the front desk to let her know that my room needed to be cleaned and she had me come up to the front desk to give me a key to a different room. The lady who was cleaning the rooms walked by when I was at the front desk and personally apologized to me. It was a simple, honest mistake which didn't need an apology, and that impressed me. I got the key and went to my new, Bigger! room. It had a little fake fireplace, a decent sized desk, a couple of fake plants, and the bathroom! Ah! A tub! Not only a tub, but a big one...you know, the kind you can actually relax in. The next morning's continental breakfast was decent: two cereals, some pastries, bagels, oj, milk, and some fruit. I believe this inn is a historical building, which gives it a nice cozy feel to it. I know that they had a wedding party there that weekend, but I don't know if they actually DO weddings themselves. Also, the inn is surrounded from the city by a wall which makes it feel quite comfy. :)

Traveling south on I-95, in search of a place to rest, we came across Country Inn & Suites and were very pleased. We had a king size bed and a jacuzzi in our room.

Stoney Point Parkway is an expensive outdoor shopping center with several good resturants. One Sunday, we decided to eat at the Cheesecake Bistro. I had Honey BBQ Chicken skewers. They were so good! But a little expensive. Only 6 for $10. My mom had a breakfast/brunch platter. The service was great. Wait staff was dressed in black shirts and ties and the hostesses, black suits. The atmosphere was very releaxing. I loved the decor. The bathrooms were clean but the stalls were really small. It's a great place to go if you want to take your time eating your meal, it's not a resturant that rushes you out. Oh, and they have a 'frequent diner card'. After 9 visits, you get a free entree. (Our waitress stamped our card 4 times) If you want to go shopping there are stores such as Banana Republic, Brooks Brothers, Godiva Chocolatier, Hugo Boss, Louis Vuitton, Saks Fifth Ave, adn Three Dog Bakery. The outdoor shopping center is pet friendly. There a doggy centers that have freash water and pooper scoop bags.

This downtown Richmond staple is located in Shockhoe Bottom beneath the train trestle and the roar of I-95. They have a full bar and serve inventive pizzas like the State Fair that has brown mustard, sausage carmelized onions and roasted peppers. These pizzas are very thick and slices are actually quarter pizzas, so I would strongly suggest only getting one if you order by the slice. I had a Greek pizza with spinach, oven dried tomatoes, olives and feta. It was yummy and filling. The service was extremely slow even with a small crowd, but the pizzas are hardy and satisfying.

Insight into a fascinating life