Day 15: Rest Day in Richmond

This morning, I was the first one up. I decided to take out the spring jacket from the box that I was going to send back home since the temperature is still a bit too cold in the morning. After repackaging the box, I walked over to the UPS store on Cary Street and shipped it.

There were only two cafes that’s open around 9:30 AM on Cary Street. I went to the one that had sit down seating, Minglewood Bake Shop. This shop specializes in vegan bakery. I ordered my favorite dessert, tiramisu, and a cup of cappuccino coffee. Their tiramisu is easily my favorite of all time! So creamy and delicious. A bit expensive, but it’s worth the money.

Minglewood Bake Shop, where the world's best tiramisu is at

My allergies were getting bad and I didn’t take my allergy pill nor did I put allergy eye drops in my eyes, so I went back to the house. Jackie was reading in the backyard when I came back. She told me that Belle Isle is something I should check out in Richmond, so I decided to walk over there and just stroll around downtown.

After crossing a bridge to the other side of James River, I hiked on the Buttermilk Trail for about an hour before reaching Belle Isle.

Hiking on Buttermilk Trail

Belle Isle is full of big rock formations that’s right on the James River. I’ve actually never seen anything like it. It was also a POW camp in the Civil War and later it became an industrial site.

Belle Isle

I was getting tired and hungry after walking all the way to downtown. I saw a Japanese restaurant called Nami and decided to have lunch there.

There weren’t many people in the restaurant, but the wait was a bit long. I was so thirsty and no one brought me a cup of water so I asked the waitress in case she had forgotten about me. The waitress gave me a complimentary salad for the long wait. But the salad was just lettuce and ginger sauce, which was quite subpar. I ordered a chicken teriyaki bento box and the chicken was overcooked. I also noticed that all the workers in the restaurant spoke in a Chinese dialect. I should avoid Chinese-run Japanese restaurants.

After lunch, as I was walking toward the Virginia State Capitol a ragged looking man begged me for money. I said I don’t have cash, but I can buy him something. He wanted a pack of cigarettes. I ended up not buying him anything. A block later, another man wanted money from me. I had to turn him down, too. I recall that yesterday when I was at the Kroger grocery store a lady wanted money from me, too. After shopping, I offered her a bag of ramen, but she refused. Not sure why I’m encountering beggars recently. Maybe it’s because Richmond is one of the bigger cities on the east coast.

The capitol building was under renovation and there were a lot of construction, so I didn’t get a picture. I walked back toward Carytown on Broad Street. All the shops were closed. Some are abandoned. When I turned to Main Street and walked through Virginia Commonwealth University, the street became more lively with students and boutique shops. The most interesting are the murals on every block. They are just so fun to look it and made my walk much less boring.

Murals of Richmond

When I came back to the house, Sarah and Jackie were on their laptops. I drank a full bottle of water before taking another allergy pill and dripped some allergy eye drops in my eyes.

Around 4:45 pm, I went to the two bicycle shops on Cary Street to see if they can fix my flag pole. One bike shop had a similar flag pole with the same type of plastic connector, which I didn't like. The other shop had a flag that said "Burley" on it, which I didn't like. I ended up sticking with the fix that Dave did for me and not buying a new flag.

When I got back to the house, Jackie drove the three of us to Sabai, a Thai restaurant for dinner. I invited them to dinner because I took an extra rest day today at their place. The food was really good. We shared three dishes together and couldn't finish them because the portions were so generous. I also enjoyed our chat.

After we came back home, Jackie started a fire in the fire pit. The three of us sat around the fire and continued our conversation from sunset to 9:30 PM. Since Jackie is 25 and Sarah is 28, I asked them about how they liked living in their twenties. We ended up talking a lot of life. I viewed my twenties as mostly a personal growth period that was necessary to get me to where I am today. They both agreed. I feel like I shared a bit of bonding with Sarah and Jackie telling them some personal things, as they shared some of theirs with me.

Jackie and Sarah by the fire pit 

After the fire pit, I played the guitar for a bit in the living room. It was my first time playing the guitar since I started my bike tour 15 days ago. I will sleep a little after 11 PM again tonight. Tomorrow I plan on leaving the house at 9 AM and continue riding on the East Coast Greenway toward Greensboro, North Carolina, to see my friend Crispin in several days.