Malerie Yolen-Cohen over at the Huffington Post’s travel section has given Richmond an excellent back-handed compliment
Malerie Yolen-Cohen over at the Huffington Post’s travel section has given Richmond an excellent back-handed compliment:
The best thing about gritty, sometimes sketchy, disparaged cities is that, for the traveler, they don’t put on airs, hike up prices or otherwise become obnoxiously pretentious. Disparaged cities just try harder. And that is a boon to tourists.
The lengthy and photo-filled write up starts off on this high note, also calling us “gritty,(and) sometimes sketchy.” I guess Richmond, Virginia is an episode of The Wire.
Yolen-Cohen goes on to make us sound a bit more of a charity case before making it all okay by using code to say we’re a town full of hipsters and important dead people:
If you’ve been reading my blog posts here, you’ll know that I’m a big fan of formerly depressed, now “emerging” cities, particularly if said cites have singular historical significance and incredible restaurants. Richmond, Va., that little-bit-Philly-little-bit-New-Orleans decidedly southern yet close to north city, has this in spades. Yes, Richmond’s got broken storefronts and skeptical suburbanites, but there’s a vibrant, youthful, Brooklyn-before-it-got-upscale vibe here, and it’s worth at least a few days to explore.
The rest of the piece is a fairly predictable 10-things-to-do list: Saint John’s Church for your history lesson, touring the local public art/murals and even a Segway tour because nothing says “I’m a visiting RVA, am I saying that right?!” like a Segway ride through the bottom.
In all seriousness, thanks for the shout Huffpo, any press is good press. The top 10-list could only be made better by sampling some local craft beers, taking a walk through Hollywood Cemetery, and drinking a PBR on a stranger’s porch.
However, I don’t know if “disparaged” is a great adjective to add onto any place you see yourself visiting. Maybe it’s new travel-blog slang for “quaint?” Let’s stick with say something nice, or saying nothing at all, alright Yolen-Cohen.
