I tell you, there is nothing like a three-day work week to really exhaust a girl. I am beat and I'm sure it has nothing to do with last weekend's all-girl debauchery. Nothing at all. I am going to do a full write-up of Internet Dork Camp, Year Two, but not until next week. Stop crying, it will be worth the wait. Key camp moment - we ran out of drinking water on the last day so we drank beer instead. PURE CLASS.

Anyway, I thought as a shout-out to my new spot on RVA Blogs that I should talk a little about Richmond, my fabulously well-hated hometown. People who love this place pretend to hate it because that's the cool thing to do, but honestly? I could do worse. Other than the ex-boyfriend-dodge game I have to play at the grocery store and the lack of a Trader Joe's, I really can't complain. I have history here, good and bad, and this is where all my memories live whether I like it or not. You can't get away from that stuff here so you just have to learn to live with it.

I've written about Richmond before, notably here and here , which clearly shows the love/hate relationship I have with my hometown. I have, however, never talked about the bits I really, really love. And there is a lot to love. Hark:

Mountain bike trails. We are lousy with them. Honest to God, if you are a mountain biker and live in the city you are set for life. We live within bike-riding distance of three different sets of trails - Powhite, Buttermilk and Forest Hill Park, all right in the middle of the city. It's incredible and I know how lucky we are.

Carytown. I have had five different jobs in Carytown, starting in '89 and ending in '96:

1. Ukrop�s grocery bagger
2. Byrd Theatre popcorn girl/floor manager (nearly six years!)
3. Part-time counter help at Bygones
4. One week at some sketchy lingerie shop (no longer there)
5. Mongrel counter help (three long, loooong months)

I feel like I'm forgetting one, but suffice to say, I've spent some time in Carytown and it continues to make me happy (except for the hell that is the Watermelon Festival) and impress me with it's growth and resilience. I know the rents are getting higher, though, and I'm really sad to see some of the long-standing businesses shutting down or moving out.

I was there yesterday, visiting JetSet (a lovely shop that carries our jewelry line) and parked in front of what used to be the New York Deli.

The New York Deli is under new ownership and is being renovated, which makes me simultaneously happy and sad. Sad because it was such an institution and the sandwiches were pretty damn good in an classic deli way. Happy because nothing lasts forever and whoever is renovating it seems to be keeping it's original flavor.

There's a bit of wall next to the door which I think used to have a mirror attached and they've removed that along with a few coats of paint to uncover an old painted Coca-Cola ad and some original deli offerings. It looks really great - urban archeology! I hope they leave it like that.

The Byrd Theatre is another favorite of mine, though I'm a bit wistful about it now. I used to have full run of the place and now I'm just another customer. I belonged to that place for nearly six years and we got along just fine, ghosts and all. I rarely go there now but I'll always love it.

A new favorite in Carytown: Can Can Brasserie. I love nothing more than a long boozy Saturday lunch, complete with dessert. They have frites to die for and the atmosphere is lovely. They even have nice bathrooms which is rare in the RVA restaurant world. (Hi, Sticky Rice? We need to talk, because damn.)

One of my favorite places used to be the happy tree area around the VA Museum and the sculpture garden but all that's been razed for the new stuff. I was driving up Hanover recently and when I got to Boulevard I realized I could see clear through to the other side of the parking lot. The entire 70's wing was just...gone. It's very strange to think that a place I worked for quite some time ( I do get around, don't I?) is now rubble. Ow, the change hurts me. Stop with the changeyness!

Other random things I like in Richmond:

- The Maury monument
- Driving on cobblestones
- That funny little field between Windsor Farms and the interstate where the horse lives
- Limeades at Kuba Kuba
- A certain New Orleans-esque house on Plum St.
- Bizarre Market
- The New Community School
- The bread pudding at Avenue 805
- Stories on Forest Hill
- Bandy Field

There's a long, long list of things I don't like, but I'll try and be succinct:

- The Country Club of Virginia
- No left turn ANYWHERE
- Albert Hill Middle School
- The Phoenix in Carytown
- Bill's Barbecue
- What my sister said
- The lack of decent public transportation
- The lack of safe bike lanes

Alright, I've run out of steam on this one. I'll be back next week with all the gory details about camp. And pictures! There will be pictures.

*Three - one to screw it in and two to talk about how great the old one was.

4 chatty monkeys