Crazy February Holiday Season
I decided very last minute-like to take a trip to Richmond because there were a couple of things going on there I wanted to do, and some people I wanted to see, and to get out of Norfolk for a while.
The first thing I wanted to do was get out early, if possible, which didn't happen, so I got to Richmond pretty late. I wanted to go directly to Bogart's to enjoy one of my favorite bands--the Upper East Side Big Band, which hadn't played together in quite some time. However, when we got to the new Bogart's on Cary Street, which I had never been to prior to this, I was severely disappointed. The new place is just awful. It is small--one crowded room, decorated in the same shades of beige that so many other places are, with the same materials like big tile on the floors--I'm so tired of seeing those things that I just want to take a sledge hammer to them. So, uninspiring decor, no character, terrible acoustics (the place was packed and the sound even when the band wasn't playing was horrendous), and on top of everything else I was starving so I wanted to eat, but there was not an available place to sit and eat. So, sad to say, we did not stay to hear the glorious music (Harvey and I, that is).
So we went to Garnett's, formerly Table 9, and it was fantastic. Everyone should eat there. The service was exceptional. You know how sometimes you go out to eat and even if the place isn't busy, it still seems to take forever for the server to bring your drink and then your food? Well, not here. Drinks were on the table practically before we were finished saying the words, and the food, which was excellent, was out very rapidly as well. Oh, it was so good. I must go back, and everyone in Richmond should go there, too. It's a small (very small) cozy place, and they need to be supported. I love that location. Corner of Park and Meadow.
Saturday was a very weird day, spent much of it running around town taking all day to do what should have taken one hour tops because Harvey is such a weirdo about how he does things. Got to see Jonathan again (YIPPEE)--he's the most elusive person I know, which is sad because he's one of my favorite people in Richmond. He's even more elusive than Perry and Walrus. But we chilled, had Vietnamese sandwiches (another great food find courtesy of John's advice), and then I had to go to Church Hill and see Bill, who was throwing a Chinese New Year party that evening.
The party was fun. Packed house. He has a row house from the 1840s, but it was a worker's house, not a fabulous rich person's house, so it is very small and cramped, and it was very crowded. I was worried at first that I wouldn't know anyone there, but eventually some people I knew showed up, which was great. I also met some wonderful new people, and Denny convinced me to wear my mini-sarong with the Chinese dragons on it. It was cute and highly topical.
Sunday (St. Valentine's Day) was church day, of course, after which Harvey wanted to do lunch at the Jewish Food Festival. I was very much looking forward to this event, and when we got there I looked over the menu and saw things I had never heard of and was eager to try, and Harvey decided (after talking about going to this thing for days) that he wasn't interested in any of the food and that it was too expensive (he's rich, mind you), so we left. I was starving because it was after 2 pm when we got there, so we ended up having Chinese take-out and it was after 3 before we got to eat it, so this meant for the rest of the day and evening I was a complete waste, not feeling like doing anything. But at least there were some fabulous movies on thanks to TCM's 31 Days of Oscar.
Monday (President's Day) I went to the gym, and hung out with Ilse, which was terribly fun. We chatted about relationships and life and stuff, then we went shopping. First stop was "For the Love of Chocolate," where we went to find discounted Valentine's stuff from the best candy store in Virginia. No Hershey bars here, children. I ended up with a heart-shaped box of chocolates covered in black fabric with a ribbon which was white with black polka-dots and an assortment of truffles and toffee from the counter. Heaven. Then we got stuff for dinner, and Ilse cooked some gnocchi with vodka sauce and and a squash/broccoli dish which was wonderful, and we watched movies. Fun. Then we stood outside for the longest time in the cold waiting for a bus to take me back to Harvey's house, and a bus never came, so I crashed at her pad.
What a time so far. Today is MARDI GRAS, and I am hoping to hear back from John about heading to the Eastern Shore to pick up a truck which we will take to New Orleans soon. We'll see how things go, but I hope to do something fun for Mardi Gras, even if it is attending the shin-dig at Nation's, which I still haven't been to yet. Maybe I will do that. We'll see.
The first thing I wanted to do was get out early, if possible, which didn't happen, so I got to Richmond pretty late. I wanted to go directly to Bogart's to enjoy one of my favorite bands--the Upper East Side Big Band, which hadn't played together in quite some time. However, when we got to the new Bogart's on Cary Street, which I had never been to prior to this, I was severely disappointed. The new place is just awful. It is small--one crowded room, decorated in the same shades of beige that so many other places are, with the same materials like big tile on the floors--I'm so tired of seeing those things that I just want to take a sledge hammer to them. So, uninspiring decor, no character, terrible acoustics (the place was packed and the sound even when the band wasn't playing was horrendous), and on top of everything else I was starving so I wanted to eat, but there was not an available place to sit and eat. So, sad to say, we did not stay to hear the glorious music (Harvey and I, that is).
So we went to Garnett's, formerly Table 9, and it was fantastic. Everyone should eat there. The service was exceptional. You know how sometimes you go out to eat and even if the place isn't busy, it still seems to take forever for the server to bring your drink and then your food? Well, not here. Drinks were on the table practically before we were finished saying the words, and the food, which was excellent, was out very rapidly as well. Oh, it was so good. I must go back, and everyone in Richmond should go there, too. It's a small (very small) cozy place, and they need to be supported. I love that location. Corner of Park and Meadow.
Saturday was a very weird day, spent much of it running around town taking all day to do what should have taken one hour tops because Harvey is such a weirdo about how he does things. Got to see Jonathan again (YIPPEE)--he's the most elusive person I know, which is sad because he's one of my favorite people in Richmond. He's even more elusive than Perry and Walrus. But we chilled, had Vietnamese sandwiches (another great food find courtesy of John's advice), and then I had to go to Church Hill and see Bill, who was throwing a Chinese New Year party that evening.
The party was fun. Packed house. He has a row house from the 1840s, but it was a worker's house, not a fabulous rich person's house, so it is very small and cramped, and it was very crowded. I was worried at first that I wouldn't know anyone there, but eventually some people I knew showed up, which was great. I also met some wonderful new people, and Denny convinced me to wear my mini-sarong with the Chinese dragons on it. It was cute and highly topical.
Sunday (St. Valentine's Day) was church day, of course, after which Harvey wanted to do lunch at the Jewish Food Festival. I was very much looking forward to this event, and when we got there I looked over the menu and saw things I had never heard of and was eager to try, and Harvey decided (after talking about going to this thing for days) that he wasn't interested in any of the food and that it was too expensive (he's rich, mind you), so we left. I was starving because it was after 2 pm when we got there, so we ended up having Chinese take-out and it was after 3 before we got to eat it, so this meant for the rest of the day and evening I was a complete waste, not feeling like doing anything. But at least there were some fabulous movies on thanks to TCM's 31 Days of Oscar.
Monday (President's Day) I went to the gym, and hung out with Ilse, which was terribly fun. We chatted about relationships and life and stuff, then we went shopping. First stop was "For the Love of Chocolate," where we went to find discounted Valentine's stuff from the best candy store in Virginia. No Hershey bars here, children. I ended up with a heart-shaped box of chocolates covered in black fabric with a ribbon which was white with black polka-dots and an assortment of truffles and toffee from the counter. Heaven. Then we got stuff for dinner, and Ilse cooked some gnocchi with vodka sauce and and a squash/broccoli dish which was wonderful, and we watched movies. Fun. Then we stood outside for the longest time in the cold waiting for a bus to take me back to Harvey's house, and a bus never came, so I crashed at her pad.
What a time so far. Today is MARDI GRAS, and I am hoping to hear back from John about heading to the Eastern Shore to pick up a truck which we will take to New Orleans soon. We'll see how things go, but I hope to do something fun for Mardi Gras, even if it is attending the shin-dig at Nation's, which I still haven't been to yet. Maybe I will do that. We'll see.