I suppose I ought to wrap up this Virginia Travelogue so today I will cover our last 3 days. There may be more next week, as Dale will be telling you his Frank Harlow story, and I think the Museum of the Confederacy deserves a post all of it’s own but in the meantime, here are the details on the rest of our vacation.
Thursday:
- Got up in time to have breakfast at the hotel – thank goodness.
- Drove to downtown Richmond in order to be at the Museum of the Confederacy when it opened at 9.
- Parked the car, walked over to the museum only to realize that it didn’t actually open until 10.
- Whoops.
- Visited Hollywood Cemetery while waiting for the museum to open.
- Loved it there and took lots of photos. It’s quite moving and many famous Confederates are buried there, including Jefferson Davis, J.E.B. Stuart, and George Pickett.
- Headed back to the Museum of the Confederacy by late morning.
- Toured the Confederate White House. I was impressed with the many original artifacts.
- Toured the Museum of the Confederacy. Again, lots of original artifacts and I have photos of things you will like.
- Kept Dale on a very tight schedule throughout this time period so that we could be finished with the Civil War portion of our day by 2pm.
- It’s like herding cats but it does work.
- Went to the Carytown section of Richmond where there are lots of funky shops and restaurants.
- Hit The Yarn Lounge. Yay! Bought Plain and Fancy. Double yay!
- Relaxed over a cheese plate and cocktails at Can Can Brasserie.
- Crossed the river to the other side of town and relaxed some more over beers and nachos at Legends Brewery.
- Soaked in the whirlpool tub in our room.
Friday:
- Packed up our room and had our last breakfast at the hotel.
- Drove north to Fredericksburg, the last battlefield visit of our trip.
- Thank jeebus.
- Waited in the car while Dale hiked the battlefield as my interest in all things Civil War had completely evaporated.
- Drove north to Washington DC.
- Met up with Hillary and had a delicious lunch at The Old Ebbitt Grille.
- Drove north to Atlantic City. This should have taken 4 hours but took over 5 thanks to traffic on route 95.
- Checked into The Golden Nugget at 8pm. Loved our awesome room.
- Discovered that Happy Hour lasts until 11pm in Atlantic City. Rejoiced over our good fortune.
- Lost money at the black jack table.
Saturday
- Slept late and loved it.
- Admired our view of the brand new pool area and the marina.
- Had a delicious cappuccino and croissant for breakfast. It wasn’t free but damn it was good.
- Won money on a slot machine.
- Checked out and headed north to Massachusetts.
- Arrived home at 7pm only to be greeted by a very pissed off cat.
- Unpacked, collected the dog, and collapsed on our very own couch.
- Went to bed early and relished being home.
Whew!!!! In a place where every stone and field has history, you did good.
We love Atlantic City. We went there all the time when we lived on Long Island. We haven’t been there in years.
Can’t wait to see your Plain and Fancy!
Ah yes – the pissed off cat. That is subject of my blogpost tomorrow.
My chuckle of the day – your pissed of cat.Its amazing how a few whiskers and a furry face can say a thousand word.
Man, you must really love that guy to drag around all those battlefields and museums! (You can see that your wild enthusiasm shows through in your posts.)
I was a young bride in Virginia in my youth—-and I didn’t quite see the appeal of old battlegrounds, but I’d appreciate it a little more now. But I’d still prefer restaurants and yarn shops.
Love the juxtaposition of the late Happy Hour good fortune with the loss at the Black Jack table. 🙂
You sure know how to pack a ton into a day of vacation. You know the best ways to relax and enjoy, too!!
What a great vacation Carole. Looking forward to Dale’s post!
My maternal great-grandfather was a Union soldier. My aunt got into Civil War history and battlefield visitation, but that interest skipped the rest of us. He returned safely and fathered, I think, 15 children, 12 of whom made it into adulthood. My mother can remember when old Civil War veterans still marched in the Memorial Day parade. Now there are just a few WWII vets still alive to be in the parade, too aged to walk so they are driven in convertibles. I never can make it through the parade without having a little breakdown, especially when the kindergarteners and first graders come by with their flowers and flags; “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” starts to play in my head. I guess that’s the whole point of Memorial Day.
Ken is very jealous of your trip!!
Glad you had a truly delightful trip despite all the battlefields. And seeing the joy on Dale’s face must have helped to alleviate your boredom in things Civil War 🙂 Just sayin’, however, that all the happy-houring & hot tubbing definitely sounds like it made the trip!
What a great trip! It certainly kept you busy. And you got Plain & Fancy to boot! (Good thing you didn’t let Dale spend the entire day on the Civil War.)
Holy Civil War. You’re a saint.
aww, herding cats..ha aha ha. Your posts this week have made me laugh Carole! What a fun trip. Glad you snuck some yarn in there
Wow the Yarn Lounge is a lovely store. The Museum of the Confederacy looks really interesting. And what could be better than coming home to a pissed off cat. Our Mikey used to vocalize to express his displeasure at our absense–totally cracked us up!
wow, y’all packed a TON into that week! so glad you managed to squeeze in some girlfriend time and a yarn shop (and a slot machine win). sorry you had to spend any time on I-95. look forward to dale’s post next week – is he also going to let us all in on how he managed to convince you to to with? 🙂
Wait, you can get Plain & Fancy at a yarn store? That’s awesome!