Wed., 5/18/11: Touring Richmond with Jim and Dee

Rain was predicted for today.  Except for a few sprinkles late in the afternoon, we had a beautiful weather day with lots of beautiful sunshine.  Jim and Dee walked over to our site around 12:30.  We had plans to go check out The Museum of Edgar Allan Poe on Main Street in downtown Richmond.  I've driven by there a few times before, so I knew how to get there.  A parking lot is located directly next to the museum, and there was plenty of parking available for this mid-week visit.  Regular admission is $6, but they give a $1 discount for AAA, senior, or military.  Jim and Dee used the military discount, and we used the AAA discount.  The museum is very interesting and includes four different buildings and a courtyard.  Guided tours are available, but unfortunately we missed the 1PM tour, and the next one was later than we wanted to wait.  We opted for the self-guided tour.  We all enjoyed the museum and learned some things about Poe.  Jim was especially interested in the rare first editions of Poe's books and first printings of Poe's tales as they appeared in magazines and newspapers.  There are many items to see ranging from furniture to clothing to a lock of Poe's hair.

After we were finished at the museum, we all piled back into the car and took a driving tour.  I took them to Shockoe Bottom, downtown Richmond, Monument Avenue, The Fan district, and Carytown.  We drove past the State Capitol building, the Science Museum of Virginia, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Sauer Company, The Diamond,  the Virginia War Memorial, and the Byrd Theatre  We crossed over the James River and back.  We also stopped in at Richmond International Raceway.

Dee (and Jim) took many pictures today.  If you haven't already been there, go to their blog and check it out.

After our driving tour, we headed over to Anna's Italian Restaurant in Mechanicsville, VA.  This is the place we tried to go to on Monday, but it was closed.  The Wednesday Special is a large cheese pizza.  Jim and Dee got a large pizza with mushrooms, sausage on one side, and ham on the other.  We got a large pizza with sausage.  Terri and I have had their pizza many times, and it's very delicious.  Jim and Dee said they really liked their pizza too.  Afterward, we headed back to the campground for the evening.  Another excellent, wonderful day spent with friends.

We dropped Jim and Dee off and headed home for another evening of TV and internet.  Tomorrow we have plans with Jim and Dee to head out west of Louisa, VA, and visit John and Bridget.  On the way back home we're going to stop and visit with our friends, Jim and Linda.  They're going to be staying close by at another campground Thursday night.  It should be another fun day with fellow RV-ers.