Things I'll miss about Virginia [in no particular order] now that The Move is underway...
...The Blue Ridge Mountains. Gorgeous, rustic, and rugged. If you ever get the chance, check out Humpback Rock.
...Wineries. There's Barboursville, which encompasses the ruins of an antebellum mansion; there's Jefferson Vineyards which sits on land TJ himself picked out for growing the grape; there's Veritas, which has a great view of the Blue Ridge and many others I fail to mention. But no matter where you decide to go (or take a tour of all of them), it's great to buy a bottle or two and sit in the sun with friends and take it all in.
...Chick-fil-A. The chicken sandwich with a pickle and mayonnaise is some good eatin'. It does appear that Philadelphia has several locations, however, they won't be as prevalent, and, there is a decent chance they won't serve...
...Sweet tea. At least not in the same quality and quantity. Lots and lots of sugar mixed in with ice. It sure does hit the spot on a hot and humid day.
Montpelier. To be fair, I should include Monticello, Mount Vernon, and Ashlawn-Highland as well, because they are very interesting, but all three of those have been restored for decades. On the other hand, if you go to Montpelier, you will see that some rooms are in the process of being restored. It's very interesting to see layers of wall paper and plaster right there on the wall. [Plus, a JMU grad can't pick Monticello over Montpelier.]
...Golf in January. It was one of the first things I checked out, and Philadelphia's weather isn't drastically different from Virginia's. However, I doubt that there will be as many surprisingly sunny and 60 deg days that catch you out of the blue as there are in the Old Dominion. It happens once or twice or so, and it certainly breaks up winter nicely.
...Music. I have no doubt Philadelphia will sport a very good music scene, but I doubt it can surpass what Virginia had to offer: Eddie from Ohio, Dave Matthews Band, Buzby, Pat McGee Band, Jason Mraz, Soko, Bruce Horsnby, Carbon Leaf, Regan, Fighting Gravity, etc, etc.
...Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens. The Missus and I got hitched there (Bloemendaal House). Plus, it's constantly changing, and so it is kind of cool to visit every so often, just to see what is different from the last visit.
...Notice, I'm not mentioning "friends". We've made quite a few good ones over the years, and I'm certain we'll be staying in close touch.
See you soon, right?
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