The Lewis Show

If there is an enigma wrapped in an enigma in Richmond for me, it has to be Staples Mill Road. Just some background for my readers who do not live in Richmond, there is one road in town that draws a significant amount of traffic. One would think that this Staples Mill Road takes you to a main downtown interchange or into the heart of the financial or business district. From what I know of Staples Mill Road, it does not really lead to anything. Being a resident of the north side, I've traveled up and down Staples Mill Road, endlessly trying to figure out why on earth so many cars venture to this road as a destination. During rush hours, this road is impassable and the curiosity has been killing me. So what is on Staples Mill Road that's unique to anywhere else in Richmond? Here's what I found: Train Station - The Richmond Amtrak station is on Staples Mill Road. From what I gather, we actually have two train stations, one downtown and on on Staples Mi...

I would be lying if I said I wasn't a tiny bit choked up watching this evening's local news. Anchor Gene Cox had his last broadcast tonight before heading to retirement. Of course reporters got to leave short messages for him and poke some fun at him one more time before going off the air. Thinking back and growing up in Warsaw, I remember watching Gene do the evening and I think at one point the morning broadcasts. I used to have a tiny portable TV that I kept by my bed growing up and it would work as my alarm in the morning. I can remember the TV would come on every morning with this God awful Tuffy (repair shop) commercial. On the commercial a mechanic turned into the devil and laugh maniacally at overcharging some poor woman to fix her car. It used to scare me every morning. But despite the terrible local commercials, I spent the first part of every weekday keeping up with local and world events thanks to Gene's professionalism and tact. I think in this new digita...

Last night, Janine and I took advantage of a rare chance to catch some prolific artwork. The Picasso exhibit came to Richmond earlier this year and this weekend it is concluding to sold out crowds. I'm glad we went. Picasso's art is thought provoking, it makes statements towards the time the works were done, and we get to see his perspective on humanity and the world. We in fact were so thrilled with the work that the Va Museum of Fine Arts is bringing to Richmond, that we became members. Between this exhibit, the Tiffany exhibit last year, and Faberge coming up later on this year, it made sense to become a part of this, and we think it's important to support local venues that work hard to bring the world to our town. There's a lot of change and growth in the city and I'm becoming more and more proud to call Richmond home. It was announced this morning that there will be a cultural exchange with China. Two hundred items from the Beijing Palace will be sent here ...

Last year I was harsh on the city of my residence. I made a very angry post about local customer service. I recalled several bad experiences I've had in town. It has been one of the most read posts on my blog over the past couple years. My point wasn't to look down my nose at this town that I've only called home for five years, but to remind the locals that it doesn't pay to be rude. Not in this day and age. I can easily take my spending money away from the local "brick & mortars" altogether and be perfectly happy. This year I've had a different impression. It wasn't perfect, I still would like to share a few cross words at the T Mobile rep who wore his ass on his sleeve before Christmas. But apparently the city wants my money again. A couple years of recession and fears of lay offs has seemingly corrected several attitudes in town. Is that the only reason? I think in this new day where local businesses are interacting with their customers ov...

You may want to find some Bach on your iPod when reading this post. Alright, it won't be that bad, but I decided to get a little culture tonight. The Tiffany: Color and Light exhibit has been going on at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts all summer and I figured it was time to take Janine. She is a huge fan of Tiffany artwork. More about the art and the artist can be read here, I'm far from any kind of expert.  The exhibit itself is very well put together. I recommend it highly to anyone and it's worth the price of admission, just think of it as a splurge. I enjoyed it all, but probably not for the same reasons as most. I was most caught by the flaws of the work rather than the exquisite craftsmanship that goes into making these pieces. I guess it's the human element in otherwise perfect works. It's also worth checking out the other exhibits in the museum and also checking out the rest of the great things in the museum district of Richmond. I practically enjoy...