Day 31: Richmond
Welcome
Yesterday we arrived in the Mother of States to play at The Broadberry.
It was round two of Izy’s epic breakfast spread and this one was just as incredible as the previous day’s. On one half of my garlic bagel I had cream cheese, salmon, avocado, red onion, tomato, and fresh basil. On the other half I had cream cheese, salmon, cucumber, and dill Gouda. From the frying pan I had a vegetable omelette with tomatoes, spinach, and onions.
After another peaceful morning of breakfasting and birdwatching we said our goodbyes and hopped back into the Sprinter, feeling refreshed and ready for the drive up to Richmond. I85 carried us most of the way and Tristan was behind the wheel displaying his usual ‘confident and empathetic’ driving style.
Approaching Richmond.
At 3pm we pulled into the carpark of The Broadberry, our second berry-themed venue of the tour. The venue is located in Scott’s Addition, the historic district west of Richmond’s downtown that is now home to a thriving brewing and distilling scene.
It was a beautiful warm afternoon and as usual we spent it inside a dimly-lit, over air-conditioned building. The stage sounded good though and we finished soundcheck with some time to spare before the show.
Gabe had told me about a beautiful radio tower visible in the distance, looming over the many historic brick warehouses and commercial buildings of Scott’s Addition. I went out to see for myself and Gabe was right, there was an elegant lattice tower with a gently tapering form that was silhouetted against the impending sunset. It was only a handful of blocks away so I set out to get a closer look, discovering upon arrival that it stood adjacent to WTRV-TV’s studios. The 257m tower currently only transmits adult contemporary FM radio although up until 2009 it also transmitted analogue TV.
After its completion in 1953 the WTVR Tower became the tallest lattice tower in the United States and the second tallest in the world after the Eiffel Tower.
On the walk back to The Broadberry I couldn’t help but notice the fresh red methyl methacrylate of the bus lanes in the centre of West Broad Street, and the raised platforms of the covered bus stations that occurred every few hundred metres. As a public transport enthusiast I am always happy to see rapid transit infrastructure and with my hometown of Auckland currently grappling with the best way to implement bus lanes along its primary transport corridors I was fascinated to see new and different ways of doing it. The GRTC Pulse is a Bus Rapid Transit system. It combines exclusive right of way bus lanes with raised-platform boarding and off-board fare collection to create a service that has earned a bronze rating from the Institution for Transportation and Development Policy – one of only five cities in the US to do so.
Feeling good after finishing our set!
Gabe establishes the pack order for the van before everything is loaded out.
Secure parking space achieved at the end of the night.