Things to do in Charlottesville, Virginia

Charlottesville has surprised me.  I came here expecting to be neutral on it at best, but man was I wrong.  It has all the elements of the best kind of college town: a burgeoning local food movement, independent shops and boutiques, an absolutely beautiful campus, and free public transportation (bonus!).  I was in an adorable home goods and stationary shop in downtown Charlottesville today when I overheard a woman say “I just love Charlottesville.  I’ve been tryin to move down here for years from Manhattan, and this is my year.  I’m just going to do it.  There’s no better city around.” 

Right as she said that, I looked outside as two shirtless and very sweaty young men ran by.  Hmm, maybe this broad is onto something here...

There are beautiful and healthy people here, most of which have dogs that they are more than happy to let you pet.  It’s the kind of place where people feel comfortable leaving their bikes unlocked and their dogs tied up outside of stores or restaurants while they are inside. This place has great people, puppies, street art, sustainable shops, cupcake delivery vehicles, food trucks…I love it!

The modern street art, chalk walls, and super cool music scene gives Charlottesville a modern feel.  What makes these splashes of modern great here in Charlottesville is their juxtaposition with the always-visible past.  Charlottesville is old.  The buildings were designed by ole Father Jefferson himself, and everyone here would love to tell you about it.  It’s a sweet tea and fried green tomato kind of place, but hey – if you want some Bikram yoga and a barre class next to your old timey and wonderfully delicious local ice cream shop, then this is the place for you.

As I take time out of life to think about my next travel steps, I decided to give Charlottesville a good ole fashioned walking tour.  Check out what I found.

Great Shopping.  Two that I loved were Roxie & Daisy and Bittersweet downtown. 

Great food.  I stopped in for a quick lunch at Revolutionary Soup and had crab and corn chowder and a raspberry goat cheese spinach salad with balsamic vinaigrette.  A dog that really wanted to snuggle waited for me by the front door.

After lunch – the obligatory ice cream stop.  Chaps had the best chocolate ice cream.  It tasted like straight up brownie batter, and you can’t beat that.  It has been left alone throughout the years and still retains the 40s style diner appeal.  I loved posting up at Chaps with one scoop (that eventually turned into two…).

I thought DC’s Eastern Market could never be replaced in my heart, but I was wrong.  Charlottesville’s City Market on Water Street downtown is a great way to spend a Saturday morning.  I bought the best granola I have had in my entire life there, and browsed through enough food stalls to make my heart content. 

For a quick and ridiculously good sandwich, head to the Belair Market inside the Exxon gas station on Old Ivy Street.  There is no sign to indicate good food inside, but let yourself be guided by the full parking lot.  We had the Birdwood Sanwich and the Farmington.  I am in love. 

After lunch, a walk through UVA’s very collegiate looking campus is a good calorie burner.  We live on University Circle for now, and the scenery is just lovely.  Big open and well manicured green spaces next to columns on columns on columns.  There is so much pastel / Vineyard Vines / Brooks Brothers here that it sort of feels like someone threw confetti onto a big Thomas Jefferson cake.  It’s kind of awesome. 

After a few conversations with Charlottesville insiders and city exploration by yours truly, here is a list of what to do on a weekend trip to C-ville.

Fun Activities:

Monticello – word on the street is to wait until fall.  The view is supposed to be stunning as the leaves start to turn.

Hiking and Kayaking – The lake in Crozet, VA.  The area has lots of trails to roam around on in case you aren’t into a Saturday kayaking expedition.

Vineyards – Pippin Hill has the nicest view.  Kings Family has better wine.  Pollack is also a winner.

Breweries – Devil’s Backbone is the local favorite.  The food is great, and it’s right by Wintergreen, the area ski resort.

Wintergreen – Ski resort 45 minutes outside of Charlottesville.  I don’t ski, but I’m definitely working that out this year.

Farmer’s Market – Saturday mornings downtown on Water Street.

Trivia Tuesday ­– Mellow Mushroom

Dinner, Brunch, Lunch, and Coffee Spots:

Dinner - Zocalo, Ten Sushi, Fiest, Continental Divide, Tavola, Mas, Maya ($10 Tuesdays!), Crozet Pizza, Milan Indian Food, C&O, The Virginian (for the mac and cheese).

Brunch – Bluegrass Grill (enthusiastically referred to as the “hands down best brunch in town”), Beer Run, Pigeon Hole, and West Main

Lunch – Belair Market (in the Exxon gas station on Old Ivy), Sushi to-go from Food of All Nations. 

Coffee -  Mudhouse, Shenandoah Joe’s

Definitely head to Charlottesville if you are looking for a weekend trip from DC.  Such a gorgeous and fun town!

Welcome Home - To Viterbo

Close your eyes.  Try to imagine that place you always retreat to.  Is it a beach?  On top of a mountain?  Or is it just away – far away from your desk and your computer?  For me, it is Italy.  Since the day I set foot back on American soil after my first study abroad in 2008, I was heartsick for it.  I didn’t realize how heavy the weight of missing Italy actually was until four days ago. 

Standing in front of a beautiful yellow church in Ischia Ponte during a religious ceremony, fireworks started to explode overhead.  And with those fireworks, I felt myself almost lifted up.  I wasn’t sure at first what the feeling was, but I think I’ve got it now: pure and complete joy.  Relief even.  What I experienced was a feeling of coming home after a long absence.

 In the spring of 2008, I left the U.S. for the first time for Viterbo.  Situated above Rome in the middle of Lazio, it is completely off the tourist track.  And by off the tourist track, I mean not even on the radar screen. 

For five months, I lived an entirely new life in a foreign country.  I spoke Italian every single day, ate everything Italian I could get my hands on, learned how to cook, and made incredible friends (friends I still have now).  I traveled around Europe, experienced my first long distance relationship, and grew in ways that were incomprehensible to me at the time.  I began examining life in a different way – replacing all of the “how is that even possible” with new words…”why not?” What happened in Italy has since spurred an insatiable thirst for exploration, and I have devoted the last six years of my life figuring out how to do as much of it as possible.  So far, I’ve been pretty successful.

 But now I’m at one of those crossroads.  School is over, and there are jobs on the horizon.  But I keep coming back to the same question: can I give this up? 

I was walking through a cemetery in Ischia on my birthday (morose, so what), and I stopped to think for a while.  Rich, poor, white, black, happy, unhappy – we all end up in the ground.  That’s it.  How you spend your years doesn’t change the end result.  We are all going to die.  So why not roam and run while we can?  The obvious answer – money – is the one that comes to my mind immediately.  It makes me wonder.  What if money were no object?  How would my life and the life of my loved ones be different?  What would we do? 

For the next month, I’ll be in Viterbo doing some thinking about the future and living out my daydream for the last 5 years.  While a month is hardly enough, my heart is happier now than it has ever been.  Have any of you ever been somewhere that you became attached to in such a strong way?