Being back in Virginia after six months in Montana makes it easy to see the things I really miss and can do with out.
If you haven't noticed, I love my mighty Commonwealth and especially Yorktown. So much so that I will argue with an editor who is interviewing me for an internship when he said Fredericksburg is the most historic town. Yeah, no, Yorktown wins. Luckily, he still hired me.
So, here's a top three things I love about the place I call home.
1. Yorktown
This is where we beat the British in 1781 and lead to the end of the Revolutionary War. Colonial buildings still exist and reenactors teach you about what the British troops did, how the locals lived, agriculture and so forth. I might be a nerd, but I really, really love this place.
Hurricane Isabel destroyed the area in 2003, when I was in college. It was later rebuilt and the Riverwalk Landing is a great place. A weekly market is there on Saturdays during the spring, summer and fall and I always go when I'm home. Mom buys grass fed meat and produce, I pick up handmade jewelry and local coffee.
It's one of my favorite places on Earth and everything about it makes me happy.
If you haven't noticed, I love my mighty Commonwealth and especially Yorktown. So much so that I will argue with an editor who is interviewing me for an internship when he said Fredericksburg is the most historic town. Yeah, no, Yorktown wins. Luckily, he still hired me.
So, here's a top three things I love about the place I call home.
1. Yorktown
This is where we beat the British in 1781 and lead to the end of the Revolutionary War. Colonial buildings still exist and reenactors teach you about what the British troops did, how the locals lived, agriculture and so forth. I might be a nerd, but I really, really love this place.
Hurricane Isabel destroyed the area in 2003, when I was in college. It was later rebuilt and the Riverwalk Landing is a great place. A weekly market is there on Saturdays during the spring, summer and fall and I always go when I'm home. Mom buys grass fed meat and produce, I pick up handmade jewelry and local coffee.
It's one of my favorite places on Earth and everything about it makes me happy.
Sometimes the tall ships come to town. They're awesome. Photo credit to littlest sister, Maura Rowell.
Me and Grover-pup at Yorktown 2010. Probably my favorite picture ever, by littlest sister again. Grover has since eaten that leash and flip flops.
2. Williamsburg
Again, a colonial thing. The historic part was left to fall apart until Rockefeller came to town and decided it should all be saved. He helped finance the restoration and now the place is really incredible. Interpreters in period costume stay in character at all times and do everything as they would have in the colonial days. The agriculture, blacksmithing, tailoring, cooking, candle making. All of it. Done as it was back then. I love it.
Christmas time is my all-time favorite in Colonial Williamsburg. The Grand Illumination is quite possibly the greatest thing on Earth. They decorate everything using natural pieces and they don't use Christmas trees since the trees came later with the Germans. The event comes with Fife and Drums, carolers, hot chocolate, cider, and other festivities. It ends with one of the greatest fireworks shows I've ever seen. I've gone almost every year since college if I was in town. Or even in the state, I would drive down for it. Some video from a few years ago is below, there's about eight more of them on my YouTube channel, from back before I knew how to make videos.
There's also the Williamsburg Winery. I will sing its praises to anyone who will listen. My favorite is their Governor's White. It's totally affordable and delicious. Mom bought me an entire box of the big bottles one year and then I took another big box to Montana in January. Sadly, it's gone now. And I can't ship it to Big Sky. You can read my post about it on the DC Ladies.
Again, a colonial thing. The historic part was left to fall apart until Rockefeller came to town and decided it should all be saved. He helped finance the restoration and now the place is really incredible. Interpreters in period costume stay in character at all times and do everything as they would have in the colonial days. The agriculture, blacksmithing, tailoring, cooking, candle making. All of it. Done as it was back then. I love it.
Christmas time is my all-time favorite in Colonial Williamsburg. The Grand Illumination is quite possibly the greatest thing on Earth. They decorate everything using natural pieces and they don't use Christmas trees since the trees came later with the Germans. The event comes with Fife and Drums, carolers, hot chocolate, cider, and other festivities. It ends with one of the greatest fireworks shows I've ever seen. I've gone almost every year since college if I was in town. Or even in the state, I would drive down for it. Some video from a few years ago is below, there's about eight more of them on my YouTube channel, from back before I knew how to make videos.
There's also the Williamsburg Winery. I will sing its praises to anyone who will listen. My favorite is their Governor's White. It's totally affordable and delicious. Mom bought me an entire box of the big bottles one year and then I took another big box to Montana in January. Sadly, it's gone now. And I can't ship it to Big Sky. You can read my post about it on the DC Ladies.
You know, colonials outside the Barnes and Noble in Williamsburg.
3. Washington, D.C.
The traffic I don't miss one bit. But, the monuments, memorials, Capitol, Eastern Market, restaurants, coffee shops, sights and sounds I do really miss. Concerts on the Capitol lawn for Memorial Day and the 4th of July. The national Christmas tree. The Library of Congress. It's just a beautiful city. Fun fact, there's a height restriction on buildings in the district so they can't compete with the Washington Monument.
The traffic I don't miss one bit. But, the monuments, memorials, Capitol, Eastern Market, restaurants, coffee shops, sights and sounds I do really miss. Concerts on the Capitol lawn for Memorial Day and the 4th of July. The national Christmas tree. The Library of Congress. It's just a beautiful city. Fun fact, there's a height restriction on buildings in the district so they can't compete with the Washington Monument.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial. I used to work for the guy who built it. An amazing, special place.
Capitol and the 2012 Christmas tree.
Washington Monument, the Capitol and the Natural History Museum, as seen from the front of the Lincoln Memorial.
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