The Perpetual Tourist

For the past two months, I’ve been on the road. I just got word that I’m wanted on the west coast again, so it looks like I’m flying back out there this weekend. For one short week, I get to enjoy being home. I may not be around here much, but of all the places I’ve been, I can’t think of a better place to call home than Charlottesville, Virginia.

I’m not the only one who feels this way. Every year, Charlottesville is named on various top ten lists, mostly having to do with being the best place to live. It has its negative qualities just like anywhere else, but I feel like this big small town has enough charms to make up for any of its failings, the worst of which are the humidity and the pretentious UVA students.

I’d like to embark now on a virtual tour of my favorite part of good ol’ C-ville — the Downtown Mall. This is not some giant shopping complex where all the kids hang out after school. It is where the cool kids hang out, but it’s not known for the shopping. The Downtown Mall is an open-air pedestrian mall in the heart of the city, six blocks long from end to end, packed from first to last brick with great food, entertainment, and even shopping.

Summers are a great time to enjoy the mall, because the city hosts a weekly party called Fridays After Five. Every Friday, street vendors, activists, and entertainers fill the bricks of the Downtown Mall, and at the Pavilion on the east end, professional musicians put on free concerts lasting well into the evening. There’s beer, there’s wine, there’s dancing, and there are lots and lots of friendly people. It’s a great way to unwind after a long week at work or school, and you’re sure to bump into old friends and make new ones.

On top of the Fridays After Five festivities, if you come to the mall on the first Friday of the month, you can partake in the First Fridays celebrations as well. On the first Friday of every month, all the Charlottesville art galleries — many of which are right on the mall — open their doors to the public for free receptions. You can meet and mingle with the artists and chow down on free refreshments while taking in a rich variety of art.

It’s true that the best things in life — even the things that are usually quite expensive — are free, right here in C-ville.

Of all the storefronts and restaurants on the Downtown Mall, only one that I know of is a true chain (Five Guys) — so don’t go there. You have literally dozens of fantastic restaurants all within a 2-minute walk of anywhere you’re standing on the mall. For lunch, I recommend Himalayan Fusion, and Indian restaurant near the Pavilion end of the mall. They have an inexpensive all-you-can-eat buffet that changes daily, but always includes rice, naan, four vegetarian dishes, three meat dishes, and a dessert. I could eat there every day, and when my office was on the mall, I did. For dinner, Himalayan Fusion is still a fine choice, but my top pick is Zocalo. Featuring an eclectic Mediterranean menu, Zocalo has been consistently voted the best restaurant in Charlottesville since it opened a few years back.

Sticking with Best of C-ville winners, I like to spend my evenings at the Gravity Lounge. It’s an intimate music venue with a great wine and beer list, comfortable seating, and the best music that comes through town. Because of its size, Gravity doesn’t draw a lot of big names, but I’ve never had a bad experience there. The music may not be popular, but it’s excellent.

For the finest hotel in Charlottesville, you don’t even have to leave the mall. The Omni Hotel offers luxury accommodations at the west end of the mall. I’d argue that you could have a fantastic vacation week in Charlottesville without ever traveling more than six blocks away from your hotel room when you stay at the Omni. It’s true, but then you’d be missing out on all the other great things my home town has to offer. More on that another time.