Richmond, VA 🏛️

Some cities become “Southern” because of sun-drenched greenery ☀️🍃, others because of melancholic drizzle in the rainy season 🌧️… but Richmond’s identity as a Southern capital feels almost accidental — and a little forced 😅. Originally, the Confederacy’s capital was Montgomery, Alabama. But due to industry, strategy, economy, politics, and — let’s be real — some influential family connections 🤝💼, Richmond got the spotlight. A city’s destiny can be so whimsical yet fateful ✨. I was there from Friday to Monday but swamped with work — only had time to explore downtown briefly. White House of the Confederacy 🏠 A three-story Federal-style building — grand by mansion standards, but calling it a “White House” is a stretch 😆. Kind of like how “Times Square” is technically a square but… you know. Virginia State Capitol 🏛️ Simple, symmetrical, temple-like with white colonnades. It almost understands Chinese feng shui — facing south, backed by hills, facing water 🌄💧. Impressive! People often romanticize the past, and honestly… the Old City Hall (Gothic elegance 🎩) is way prettier than the current one (brutal concrete & glass 🏢). But hey — practicality wins, right? Further south lies the James River 🌊: Tredegar Iron Works / American Civil War Museum Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge 🏗️ — with inscriptions about the fall of Richmond in April 1865. The great fire of Richmond (like Atlanta’s in Gone with the Wind) remains one of the most symbolic tragedies of the Civil War. 🔥😢 Photo 8 📸: That place near the stadium is hyped online — a “viral spot.” I’m including it not because it’s great… but to remind you how lucky we are to have Chinese food light-years ahead 🥢😋. Reflections: 1️⃣ Lincoln spoke about freedom — some chains are visible, some are invisible. Many left plantations only to be trapped in inner cities. True freedom remains elusive. 2️⃣ The “blue blood” Virginia aristocracy — a symbol of glory, but also decline. 3️⃣ So many people smoke here 🚬. 4️⃣ Over the long weekend, Richmond hosted the East Coast Championship (Vermont to Florida!) — nearly 50 clubs, 180+ teams 🏆. Downtown was buzzing… yet the government area felt eerily quiet on weekend mornings — almost no one around. The south riverbank had more life. 5️⃣ My boys competed: older one casual, younger one serious — they brought home one gold 🥇 and one silver 🥈! #RichmondVA #Virginia #TravelThoughts #History #CityWalk