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RVA Mag’s Downtown Holiday Jaunt

John Reinhold | December 23, 2020

Topics: Christmas lights, Coffee shops, Dinner, Dinner spots in RVA, Disk golf, food spots, Gift stores, james river, Lunch spots, restaurants, RVA coffee, RVA Downtown, RVA Light tours, RVA lights, RVA tour, sights, things to do in richmond va, things to do in RVA, Tour maps, walking tour maps

Well, here we are — close to closing out this most difficult and unusual year in RVA. We have all been trying to find a way to navigate, mentally and physically, this season. Our downtown is all lit up for the holidays. At night, you can see our wonderful River City in all its glory across the river, with buildings outlined in lights for Christmas and New Years.  I desperately want to be a part of it all somehow, just like in years past.

This season, probably more than any other, I have been making sure to shop local, to support local restaurants and markets this holiday season. For many years, I have taken family or friends into the city for the lights and for good eats around this time. Despite the many precautions required by the pandemic, navigating all that now is still possible with a little planning and preparation. In this article, I’m going to show you how you can do exactly that. Think of it as a Day in the Life of RVA Downtown in 2020. 

Before we begin, I don’t think of this as a guide; it’s hard to have an exact plan in 2020. Perhaps it’s something that gives you a sense of the possibilities that make sense for your trip. Ways to do it, be safe, and still have fun — all in support of the city and local businesses we love. So then — let’s get to it. I’m making our plan, packing up the car, grabbing our masks, hand sanitizer, coat, and gloves, and we’re heading out early morning. It’s a sunny day in RVA — a little cold, but just perfect for a river trip and a warm drink.

Let’s start by looking at our MAP to get an idea of where to head first. Ah yes — COFFEE! The first stop is coffee, because let’s be real: we need that badly. There are a few spots to choose from, all roasted up perfect. You can smell it before it’s even in your hand. I had to try Sefton, though Whisk was calling me with those pastries. We grab two cappuccinos to go and get back in the warm car. 

Sefton Coffee To go? I think so!

Downtown Coffee stops:

  • Sefton Coffee Company
  • Whisk
  • Ironclad Coffee
  • Wake Cafe
  • Urban Farmhouse Shockoe

We got the coffee, and the zombie feelings are starting to fade.Now, maybe some will get their food at the local coffee spot. But we had a certain spot, and plan, in mind for our breakfast. Perly’s is one of our favorites – lox and bagel curbside pickup sounds about right. So that’s this trip’s plan, but let’s list out a few other local favorites where you can grab that perfect breakfast. 

Perly’s Breakfast Bagel Lox is the play.

Breakfast to go:

  • Perly’s
  • Lulu’s
  • Millie’s Diner
  • Salt & Forge
  • Saadia’s Juicebox

We head now to find a spot by the river for a walk with our coffee and bagel in tow. We go down by Rocketts Landing on the river to get a view of the James River across from Ancarrow’s Landing. However, there are many sweet spots on the river where you could spend a morning; let’s list a few. 

City View by the River

River Spots:

  • Belle Isle – Parking and Information
  • Canal Walk
  • Brown’s Island
  • VA Capital Trail
  • Ancarrow’s Landing

Now to the actual plan for our day trip: we’re going to tour some murals around downtown. There are plenty to visit, and you can route them as needed. Let’s get a map and plan together. Here are some guides and links for starting your mural tour. 

Canal Walk Murals

Mural Tour Links:

  • Downtown Murals
  • RVA Street Art Festival
  • Mural Tours & Canal Walk
  • Street Art Guide
  • Packs Light Map and Self Tour

We could be at this all day, easily. But it’s getting close to lunch and it’s time for a break. Let’s regroup with a beer, and figure out our lunch plan. There are a few close-by places where we can grab a brew; we can even have them outside, or just make a pickup and figure it out. Perhaps we can even pick up some packs for home. Let’s go over our best potential spots.  

Triple Crossing in Fulton with its sweet outdoor area

Lets Grab a Brew:

  • Triple Crossing
  • Legend Brewery
  • Richbrau Brewing
  • Bryant’s Cider

That was needed; now we’re feeling refreshed and we want to get some grub. There are plenty of spots to choose from downtown. It’s also easy to hit a market for some quick bits to go. I’m craving some tacos (duh), so we’re hitting up Soul Taco. But any of these spots are top quality and have easy to go pickup.  

Soul Taco Reminder by the River, good idea.

Lunch Spots for your tummy:

  • Soul Taco / with Special Jingle Belle Holiday
  • Stella’s Grocery
  • Union Market (worth the hike)
  • Secret Sandwich Society
  • Casa Del Barco
  • Station 2
  • Lillie Pearl
  • Blue Atlas
  • Pop’s Market
  • Belle
  • Hot Chick
River walking on a sunny day

Having grabbed our lunch, we head to finish up any remaining mural spots, then take a walk on the river as we digest our food. At this point we could stay on the river, do some Christmas shopping, hit up some disk golf, or even check out some museums in the area. Let’s list some possible choices, and we can form our plan from that. Remember to check for COVID-19 rules at some of these places; if you’re going to a museum, you may need to purchase tickets online before you show up.

Valentine Museum

Museums & Galleries

  • The Valentine 
  • The Poe Museum
  • The Holocaust Museum
  • Richmond Railroad Museum 
  • Art Works  
  • ICA
  • VMFA
Gillies Park Hole #18 Midday Disk golf

Disk Golf Trip: 

  • Gillies Park 
  • Dorey Park  (further out)

We opted for The Valentine Museum to take in some Virginia History. It also has a nice shop in it, so we picked up a classic Richmond gift. Now we’re gonna go down Shockoe Slip to take in the sights and make a popular stop at Fountain Bookstore. 

Fountain Bookstore is always worth a visit

Shopping & More:

  • Fountain Bookstore 
  • Circle Thrift and Artspace 
  • Waller & Company Jewelers
  • Dransfield Jewelers
  • Antique Boutique
  • La Diff 
  • Shockoe Atelier
  • Maven Made
  • Carytown Tobacco
  • Kulture Downtown
  • World of Mirth / Amazing Toy Store ( further out in Carytown)

After that busy afternoon, we’re getting hungry and want to grab our dinner. Ordering some takeout from J Kogi seems to be in order. We need that bulgogi badly, so we’re getting some super spicy to go. There are plenty of other amazing meals we could do in the Downtown area, and quite a few came up in discussion. We settled on J Kogi, but you might pick from any number of great options.  

J kogi Noodles… heartwarming.

Dinner to go: 

  • J kogi
  • Havana 59
  • Capital Ale House
  • Bottoms Up Pizza
  • Fighting Fish
  • Sumo San
  • Mayabi Sushi
  • Mama J’s
  • Lemaire
  • Bookbinders
  • Vagabond
  • Capitol Waffle Shop
  • Sine
  • The Hard Shell
  • Mom’s Siam 2
RVA Holiday Night Lighting by @rvaphotog

Finally we take in our surroundings as the sky gets dark and the city lights up all over. Heading back down to Shockoe, going past Kanawha Plaza to stop and see the lights, then over towards Brown’s Island so we can take in the light tour. The river walk is all lit up, from Turning Basin to Belle Isle. Feeling Christmasy about now.

Links and Maps for Lights:

  • Holiday Downtown Lights Guide
  • Walking Tour MAP DOWNLOAD
  • Holiday Lights in VA
  • Other Holiday Trips with Festive light up spots in Virginia

Well, we’re feeling pretty tired after all that, but successful overall, so let’s grab desserts and find a warm fire. For that, we’re hitting up Capitol Waffle on the way home, because they’ve got that one sweet waffle for win. Goodnight RVA — thanks for the sweet sights.

Remember: Shop Local ❤️ Local!

For more information on all of the shops, restaurants, and sights in downtown RVA and beyond, visit Venture Richmond & Virginia is for Lovers!

Brotherly Love and Hot Coffee

Noah Daboul | October 26, 2020

Topics: Coffee shops, coronavirus, COVID-19, craft coffee, Decafridays, Erik Kopack, Kobros Coffee, Norfolk, Park Place, Sean Kopack, Toast

Identical twins Sean and Erik Kopack are the owners and operators of Kobros Coffee, a new, tiny shop in Norfolk that is slinging the best coffee in the state out of an updated garage with no running water. 

Days before COVID-19 brought Virginians into a multi-phase lockdown, twins Sean and Erik Kopack opened the doors to a dream they’ve both shared since they were 15 year old punks in Orlando; a tiny, hole-in-the-wall coffee shop slinging the best product they can get their hands on. 

Kobros Coffee is a 500 square foot shop run out of an updated garage in Norfolk’s Park Place neighborhood, and they’re doing things that no one else in the city, and arguably the state, are doing with coffee.

“We like to joke that we’re setting a higher standard for coffee in Norfolk,” said Sean. “We’re running two linea minis [espresso machines] and I think we’re the only people on the East Coast doing it. It’s pretty bold and unheard of.”

Sean explained that their La Marzocco linea minis are usually considered home machines, aimed at the market of rich people who want “badass commercial coffee” in their home. The choice to operate two of these machines in a full-on coffee shop isn’t the only odd choice they’re making, either.

“We also don’t have any running water in this space,” Sean continued. “All of our water comes from five-gallon jugs of high-quality distilled water. That’s kind of a blessing in disguise, though, since we don’t have to worry about a filter going out, and we can have a level of quality control for our coffee.”

The twins also have a pour-over bar in their shop. For this, they like to rotate the beans they’re serving regularly. They source from roasteries across the country and world that they’ve been able to become friends with through traveling in their military careers. At the time of this interview, they were serving coffee from Verve in Santa Cruz, Messenger in Kansas City, and Richmond’s Lineage. They also had a fermented pu’erh tea from a Laotian village in China. 

“Coffee is complex, but it’s also really simple,” said Erik. “My Navy friends will joke with me about opening a craft coffee shop, but when I’m able to convince them to come down to the shop and try a craft latte, they don’t need to be convinced to come back again.” 

“We definitely serve craft coffee,” said Sean. “Every week we do a new craft latte. Over the summer we did a grapefruit latte and worked a lot with mandarin oranges and clementines. Being from Orlando, we love our citruses a little too much. We grew up with grapefruit and orange trees in our backyard. We just did an acorn squash latte. We tapped into our bartending skills, got a little tiki, and used a lot of orgeat in it.”

The twins explained that few people outside of tiki bar employees are familiar with orgeat, a French almond syrup, and that this level of experimentation with coffee is something that sets them apart from other Norfolk coffee shops. 

“We keep it different and rotate the craft latte every week,” said Erik. “We like to have consistency but do something new weekly, too. Especially during COVID, having something like this to look forward to and keep people excited and coming back means a lot to us.” 

Although Kobros is built on high-end coffee and they get experimental with what they do, Sean says that it’s still a place where your grandmother can come in and feel comfortable buying a cup of coffee. 

“You can get as weird as you want, or as simple as you want, with it,” said Erik.

“Coffee is fascinating because it’s so natural, doesn’t have a long shelf life, and is the second most consumed beverage in the world. You can simplify it to its most basic form and have something that most everyone will enjoy,” said Sean. “Compare that to, say, most 21 year olds won’t walk into a bar and order whiskey on the rocks, or they’ll probably have a rough night. But I know plenty of young cats who can rock a black coffee all day.”

It’s one thing to open a business with a family member, but it’s an entirely different thing to open a business during a pandemic as well. Sean says that COVID-19 has been somewhat of a blessing in disguise for the business. It’s allowed them to start off small. It’s also allowed Erik to be in the shop constantly. Because he’s still on active duty in the Navy, he would normally be stuck on base or on a ship more often than not. 

“I wanted to stay in our little bubble and be more low-key, but he’s definitely pushed me to do more,” Sean said of Erik. “COVID’s been good for starting small, but it’s been great to have him pushing me, too.”

The twins have been running Kobros as takeout and to-go, and say that hustle has worked really well for them. In March, they had to close down the shop seven days after opening for the start of the phase 1 lockdown. They were sitting on ,more than 30 pounds of coffee then, and have been able to come back strong. They’ve also been doing Decafridays, a late night event where they sling coffee until midnight, blast punk rock, and put up some visuals on a projector. The twins say that surprisingly, the people who show up scoff at the idea of being served decaf, and typically opt for regular. 

“We had to face how to have people if people aren’t allowed in the first place,” said Sean. “To-go service was a gamble, but the feedback has been unbelievable.”

Sean said that he first fell in love with coffee as a young punk kid in Orlando. He would go to Austin’s Coffee, a tiny hole-in-the-wall shop that was open 24/7, and would go to the events held there almost every night. When he joined the Air Force, he was stationed in San Francisco, and found himself in a perfect position to see craft coffee come up in the Bay Area. When he was deployed out of San Francisco as a flight crew chief, he would visit the coffee shops in the countries he flew into. 

“I didn’t want to do the regular military guy thing and go to a bar and get drunk in every new country. I wanted to experience culture in a different way besides bar hopping, so I went to every cool coffee shop I could find,” Sean said. “All of my family lives in Orlando, so when I got back to San Francisco from deployment, I had no family hug to welcome me off of the jet. I would drive my car to Journey’s Coffee, and each time the owner was like, ‘Welcome home, dude’, and would give me a hug. It was kind of a home away from home.” 

Erik would fly out to San Francisco to see Sean, and they would go to all of the coffee shops they could. Whenever Sean was in Hampton Roads seeing his Navy brother, they would go to all the shops they could in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and even up in Richmond. Eventually, they realized they could create their own shop that specializes in high-end craft coffee that had late night hours. 

“We could make something incredible like we’ve seen in other places, and be included in the growth here and make something special as well,” said Erik. “We could have some badass coffee shops here in this growing community that can put Norfolk on the map as a destination coffee city in Virginia and the East Coast.” 

Despite their military background, the Kopack twins are far from the clean-cut soldier cliche. They say that they give off a completely different vibe than what you’d expect. Really, you’d have no idea that they’re both veterans if they didn’t tell you. 

“When we were opening, we really pushed to our roots of hole-in-the-wall shops. Sure, it is specialty coffee, but we didn’t want to be minimalist. It’s not ‘Hey, look what we don’t have!’,” said Erik. “We wanted some darker vibes, we have an abundance of plants here, a couple of couches, this table we’re sitting at is a concrete slab.”

“We aren’t playing Mumford and Sons in here,” said Sean. “We go from old-head hip hop to IDLES and everything in between.” 

“We try to be unapologetic. If we like something, we hope that everyone else will too,” said Erik. “It’s worked really well for us. We don’t try to be something we’re not.”

Sadly, Norfolk has a reputation for having problematic coffee shops. Rape-apologist racist owners and violent kitchen environments have become things that people in the community overlook to appease their caffeine addiction. The twins realize this, and they avoid slipping into that pattern.

“It’s about knowing and being known in your community. We pride ourselves on being kind individuals,” said Sean. “We aren’t doing this to make a buck. We have other means of income. [Erik]’s still active duty, I still bartend and sling coffee down the road [at Equinox]. We’re doing this for our dreams and ourselves, and just to do it. We also want to raise the standard here a little bit. Since money isn’t the concern, we feel like we can be more genuine with our customers, and not be assholes.”

All of the money from their Decafriday nights goes to charities and organizations in Hampton Roads, Sean said. 

“Every Friday we’ve done this it’s been incredible. We raised $1000 the first time — in three hours, which is insane numbers for coffee,” said Sean. “That went to the Urban League of Hampton Roads. We see what we’re donating to on a daily basis; we want to help our neighbors and community, especially here in Park Place, where it’s deeply historical and there are a lot of generations here.”

They’ve also made donations to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the LGBT Life Center. 

“The other day, I spent hours scrubbing oysters and cages. Erik grew up jumping into it [Chesapeake Bay] out of helicopters for the Navy. We want to clean it up any way possible,” said Sean. “The LGBT Life Center is our neighbor. You could throw a rock at it from here. That’s a weird way of saying that, though… don’t throw rocks.”

David Hausmann, the owner of Kobros’ neighbor, Toast, says that Sean and Erik are great friends of his and that they work hard to help make Norfolk a fun-loving and supportive community. He says they study and think about coffee constantly and push for avenues to share it and even make it charitable. 

“Kobros Coffee is elevated yet simple. They are finally bringing exquisite and rare espresso to our area and serving it out of an open warehouse garage,” said Hausmann. “It’s their ingenuity and handiwork which makes this possible. I love giving them advice and seeing what they do with it. The past few months have shown just how much people are looking for something different, but at the same time, comforting. Kobros is every day an adventure.”

The Kopack twins say that they truly pride themselves on being a kind and neighborly business, and they take pride in being small and local. They say that they had no idea that they would have fallen in love with Norfolk and Hampton Roads the way that they have, but it’s become their home and they love it. 

“We try to be altruistic. We aren’t doing this to make money; we’re here to serve the people of Norfolk badass coffee,” said Erik. “We’re locals, you can come say hi to us at Toast or The Veil. We try to be transparent with everything we do; you can literally see everything we do through the plastic garage door.”

All Photos courtesy Kobros Coffee

RVA Global: Going Beyond The Legend In Amsterdam

Chloe Fortin | May 13, 2019

Topics: Amsterdam, bikes, cannabis, Coffee shops, edibles, gouda cheese, patat, RVA Global, stroopwafle, trams

The Dutch city of canals and coffee shops offers plenty of cheese, fries, and other assorted edibles (yeah, you know what we mean). RVA Global correspondent Chloe Fortin brings us an in-depth report.

Typically, when you tell people that you’re going to Amsterdam, they smile and give you a wink. Because let’s be honest — the first two things that come to mind when thinking of the most famous Dutch city in the world are the coffee shops and the red light district. While these hedonistic attractions are still a BIG reason why Amsterdam is widely known, it’s also important to know other reasons why it’s a bucket-list destination.

Transportation

While the canal system in Amsterdam is really amazing, what got my attention was how bike-friendly this city was. Bike lanes were everywhere and cyclists followed the same lights as cars… or at least, they were supposed to. It was difficult as a pedestrian when trying to cross the street because not only do you need to be aware of cars, but also cautious of non-braking cyclists whizzing past.

To add even more confusion, let’s add the tram. It was always unclear when exactly a tram was going to come, because in some places people were just hanging out in the street unaware that there were track marks underneath them — until they heard the bell from the tram. My advice is to follow all cross signals and yield to all bikers, because in this city, cyclists are number one.

Food

If you are into cheese, then this is the city for you! Just walking along the street, you’ll encounter several “Kaas” shops that carry a variety of cheeses, most notably Gouda, which they create in a bunch of unique flavors and spreads. You of course can’t miss the “Old Amsterdam” cheese shops, as they are everywhere! The Dutch are so into their cheese that if you walk down just the right street, you’ll discover The Amsterdam Cheese Museum, which has even more samples of cheese — including the “Best Gouda Cheese of 2019.”

Not into cheese? Amsterdam offers tasty fried treats you may like. For instance, “Bitterballen,” a tasty little fried ball of a meat ragout, or its brother the “Kroket,” which contains a similar meat ragout. Both wash down well with a pint of beer. You can pretty much order these guys anywhere. If you want to keep it simple, you can try some “Patat,” a thicker version of a French fry, usually topped with mayonnaise, ketchup, or curry and served in a paper cone. I recommend checking out the patat shop called ‘Manneken Pis’ which is the perfect spot when you have the late night munchies.

If you’re looking for something that’s a little more on the sweeter side, hop into a waffle shop and grab yourself a “stroopwafle.” Essentially the Dutch version of a cookie, it at least looks like a waffle. Or perhaps you want something a little more filling — like tiny pancakes called “Poffertjes,” which are super fluffy and served with butter and powdered sugar on top.

Perhaps the experience you want doesn’t have to do so much with taste as much as it does with elevating the mind. You can always hop into a convenience store or bakery and grab yourself a space cake, brownie, lollipop, cookie, or just about any baked good containing a little bit of Amsterdam’s most notable herbal delight. Just be warned that prices for these baked goodies are not the same across the board, so look around — don’t immediately buy at the first little store you see.

Coffee Shops

If all you really want is some coffee, then look for a café, not a coffee shop, because they are two very different places. Selling marijuana in Amsterdam has been legal for almost 40 years, and over the years the city has built up quite a collection of coffee shops and dispensaries that cater to every type of cannabis enthusiast. Whether you’re into a grungy environment or just want to mellow out in a quiet place, there is a coffee shop for you.

Being that Amsterdam is the most notable city of cannabis culture in the world, you can find so many different types of strains that go along with everybody’s wants, needs, and desires. Usually there are three types of strains you’ll come across in these coffee shops: sativa, indica, or hybrids. If you really are not sure what you want, the people who are running these coffee shops are pretty knowledgeable with their products and can help find the right one that suits you.

While smoking in these coffee shops is legal, it is still not legal to smoke on the streets. However, police officers over the years have become a little more relaxed about it. Conversely, it is also not acceptable to smoke straight cigarettes in coffee shops. They prefer a more herbal aroma than that of tobacco — so light your joint, not a cig. In addition, prices and quality do very from place to place. If you are closer to the city center, just like in any other city in this world, expect to pay more. Some notable places you can check out is the OG of dispensaries, The Bulldog The First, which has been selling since before it was legal. Or swing by one of Snoop Dog’s hangs, The Grey Area.

All photos by Chloe Fortin. Read more posts from around the world on Chloe’s blog, Adventure in Travels, where she blogs about her travels abroad.

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