On Richmond

In a few days, we'll be loading up the car to take this show on the road, again.  And by "on the road," I mean about 275 miles down south to my second home, the River City, Richmond, Virginia.

Over the last three years, I've heard a lot of people say a lot of things about Richmond.  From my friends in high school who promised they'd send Sherman in after me if I wasn't surviving the South to friends from much further south commenting on how far North RVA really is, I've pretty much heard it all.

Which got me thinking -- Is Richmond really Southern or is it Northern?

On the one hand, Richmond was the Capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War.

And yes, this is what the ACTUAL Confederate flag looks like.  Learn some history, fools.

And trust me, riding down Monument Ave, it's easy to tell that they'll never forget it.  And Virginia itself isn't exactly known for being a beacon of northern ideals, though who doesn't love a little Southern hospitality from time to time?  (Although if you so much as dare to say "Bless your heart" in front of me, we might have a problem.)  Besides, I have never been called a Yankee so many times in my life (you know who you are).

But at the same time, Richmond itself is a relatively Northern city -- more progressive than a lot of its more-Southern counterparts, and I dare you to find someone with a twang.  Go ahead, try.

In a lot of ways, it's almost like this little Northern Bubble inside a very Southern state (and don't get me wrong, the University itself is even more a Northern Bubble (two words: Nantucket. Red.)).  Never truly Northern and never truly Southern, not really belonging to either.

Confusedly yours,
Rachel Leigh