been in Richmond since 1968, this has beeen for better or worse home. In the "annex area we have seen things go from fair to the toilet. CRIME, now in the good ol days Cernal Dueling , richmond police chief, ran a clean town. If any of his houses caused a problem in the communaty it only took one phone call and the place was "cleaned" up. Now the triads that Rob Bob imported from califonia are a bunch of bums. They control most of city council, and major adminastration. When you raise H double E, ll, about a dope house , they will be quick to point out your grass needs to be cut and there is a stick of firewood not pefectly stacked. They will drag your butt to court over it to! OK I have been on strike while my 8 year battle to close a crack house drags on!I guesse they are waiting till I give up and take matters into my own hands, so that way they can lock my up for good and not be bothered by an Irate honest law bidding tax payer. It's a working class nieghborhood and has no million dollor property values to protect so we are low on the todem pole for law enforcement.

Well! First, does the eatery have to be the greatest thing on earth to do? Does that have to represent the city? I don't think so. I am from Virginia and came to live in Richmond after D.C....what a difference and I HATED IT! I moved. I am not a whiner and I have let my wonderful state know when it needs to make some changes, but it is true the people in Richmond are deaf to that (above that?). I use to call it living in "the Ivory Tower". I now live in the Tidewater area and even though I am more comfortable because of the relaxed atmosphere of the water, the people are even more difficult and detached... and you talk about critizing and complaining? And the ones that do it the most are not from this state. We might be snobbish and critical, but rise above the pettiness and have a culture as Virginians in Richmond. Just have a good car and leave more often when the air gets too thick.

Would like to tell anyone reading (which is probably only Jeff E. at this point). ;) that I went to Verbena tonight and the food was GREAT! We waited for 45 min. past our reservations time and obviously that was annoying. However, they paid for $35 worth of our drinks and the food and the service was really, really good.

We had a cheese plate for $12 with 6 different cheeses including a very tasty blue, 2 bries, 1 goat cheese, 1 hard cheese from Holland, and a smoked Gouda.
Wish we had a couple more cracker and less bread.

For entree I had the special which was tuna, seared rare. The tuna was served with perfectly cooked soba noodles and crunchy, spicy kimchee. My husband had the rainbow trout with sweet potatoes chips, coconut sticky rice, and chocolate straws. Sounds weird but had a balanced taste and very nice mouth feel. The sweetness of the chocolate straws and the saltiness of the trout played well together. The only complaint I have, with regards to the food is that whatever seasoning was on my tuna, I believe it to be either the fresh ground pepper or ground orange rind, was very crunchy and led to a sandy texture coating my fish.

Jeff E., sorry that you feel threatened. Yes, people in NYC are tough, claim to be tough, and remain tough. They don't claim to be cutesy and sweet and then turn out to be dou*&E Ba&s. The only person that guided me told me there was "no traffic" in Richmond.

Which is it? Is it..."wasn't directed at anyone in particular.....a new paragraph was in order?.... I don't think it's rude......admittedly I could have made the tone of those statements a little softer." OR "tone of my replies will be a little more understandable." Support your "City" and your comments or don't, Jeff. If you have any further comments, suggestions, questions, remarks, statements, lashings, etc., etc...... please email me and don't clog the blog.

No offense hoboken but how in the world did you survive in NYC if you can find so much to be offended about in my posts? Reread your own remarks about Richmond and maybe the tone of my replies will be a little more understandable. I have pride in my City and just like any New Yorker would do, I'll defend it when I see someone come in with a holier than thou attitude. Some have politely tried to guide you to the places that make Richmond a great City to live as I did initially but I still have to call things like I see them. If that makes me rude, so be it.

Jeff E., Thanks for attempting to justify your comment only to wrap up your case with another rude comment. Btw, not sure what you are referring to when you say I cancel all positives by "shooting the messenger". I thanked everyone that responded to my question and said either "you gave me something to think about" or I replied with a reason why, IMO, that wasn't really a positive. You are the only person I replied to with a "shoot the messenger" comment BECAUSE you specifically said there are no "rude people" in Richmond and then you made that uncouth and curt comment.

I really like live music. Can anyone tell me if there are any dives, etc. in Richmond that has good live music? Any good cover bands? Thanks! Also, what is the best festival to go to in Richmond?

hoboken , that statement was addressed to all the folks who are obviously miserable living in Richmond and choose to do nothing except complain and wasn't directed at anyone in particular. Perhaps a new paragraph was in order? Plus I don't think it's rude to tell people the truth though admittedly I could have made the tone of those statements a little softer. But I find it exasperating that instead of doing what is right for themselves and finding a new hometown, they choose to stay here, spread their contempt and depression, and do their damndest to convince everyone around them that Richmond really as bad as they see it through their eyes. To what end? But anyway, I highly doubt you are interested in any of this, you've tried to cancel all the positives that Richmond offers with a "shoot the messenger" argument and I'm sure you'd be content to leave things at that. But I do hope you decide to get out there and see and be a part of Richmond instead of taking potshots from the outside.

Wes, thanks for your comments. You gave me some things to think about.

Jeff E.- Your comment certainly started out giving me reasons to love Richmond. You said, "I love the parks, the mountain bike trails, the river, the old architecture, the tree-lined streets, good museums, a plethora of festivals, the fact that I'm a 2-hour drive from the ocean and the mountains, friendly folks, no traffic, a growing music scene (check out the National or Toad's Place!), a strong arts community, and the fact that the city is small enough that one person can make a difference. .............without having to suffer the big city stress, crowds, lines, and rude people."

However, I found it quite hilarious that in the same comment you said there were "friendly folks" in Richmond and no rude people and then you made the comment "If you are one the whiners/haters do yourself and everyone else a favor and MOVE! How dumb do you have to be to stay somewhere you don't want to live? Stop trying to drag everyone else who loves this place down into your self-imposed misery."

So, basically the only thing that I learned from your quote is that there are hypocrites in Richmond too. How can you say there are no rude people here when you made that comment to someone you've never met in your life?

hoboken, sorry your life is so miserable here (disgusting shrimp with spaghetti tends to do that to people) but obviously the things that make people love Richmond are things you don't appreciate. I love the parks, the mountain bike trails, the river, the old architecture, the tree-lined streets, good museums, a plethora of festivals, the fact that I'm a 2-hour drive from the ocean and the mountains, friendly folks, no traffic, a growing music scene (check out the National or Toad's Place!), a strong arts community, and the fact that the city is small enough that one person can make a difference. This is no NYC which is what you are comparing it to but IMO, you can find a lot of things to get into here without having to suffer the big city stress, crowds, lines, and rude people. This is why I absolutely love Richmond but it's definitely not for everyone. If you are one the whiners/haters do yourself and everyone else a favor and MOVE! How dumb do you have to be to stay somewhere you don't want to live? Stop trying to drag everyone else who loves this place down into your self-imposed misery.

Honestly, I've been here MY WHOLE LIFE and I feel like an abducted child taken from their home in another city or state and dropped off here. Richmond is not for me. The women range from "okay-looking with a nasty attitude who think they're too good to speak" to "not THAT good-looking who think they're good-looking with a nasty attitude who think they're too good to speak". That's just black women. The city council?! I would call them retarded but that would be an insult to those who are mentally challenged. Case in point, you go through alot of b.s. here. Low cost of living? Well.....not so much.

Seems like a lot of the "hater" commentary about dissappointment over life in Richmond comes from people expecting to find all the great things about the big northern cities boiled down into the same experience in a small city. Personally, I don't think you'll find that anywhere, because there are always tradeoffs. I've lived outside of big cities (NYC) and in metro sprawls (NoVA/DC)and for me the choice to live in Richmond has always been about quality of life. I love the fact that I can get to work in 15 minutes and home in 20 minutes because it means I can spend quality time with my kids and actually eat dinner with them at a reasonable hour during the week. In NoVA, I used to spend over an hour commuting to work in the morning and over an hour getting home. Now, from Richmond, I can get to a wide variety of places in a little over an hour: the beach, the river, hiking in the mountains. The cost-of-living reduction that many promote is not as big as you would expect, but it is still possible to live very well for comparatively less. I bought a 5 bedroom, 3 1/2 bath house north of Richmond for under $250,000 5 years ago. Same house in NoVA would be 3 times as much. Prior to that I bought a great duplex in the fan, lived upstairs and rented the bottom, cutting my mortgage in half. 4 years later, I sold it for almost twice what I paid. As for the food, I realize there are some overrated places, but there is a great variety of choices compared to other cities. And there are places that are worth the price, such as Patina Grill. Finally, you have to remember that Richmond is a southern town. We take on life a little slower down here. Really, there's no need to rush things like they do in the big city. And this attitude bleeds into a lot of other things. Service at your restaurants may not be as prompt as you'd like. Folks waiting in line at the grocery store like to carry on conversations a little while longer before bagging up your stuff. And barbecue is a food that you cook nice and slow and not the actual act of grilling. And if what you crave is a taste of the big city, it is not that far away. I can get to the airport here in 15 minutes, arrive an hour before my plane takes off, and get to NYC or Boston for under $200. Go see a show, eat at a fancy restaurant, and then come back to the laid back lifestyle of the River City.

Why is there not a movie theater in downtown richmond? I move from a city where there was a movie theater on every corner why is their none in this city. why is it that i have to drive to another county to see a movie and cary town theater dont count.

Thanks, plus. I appreciate your comment. However, I was subway rider. So, no traffic really doesn't change my opinion of Richmond.

Hey hobokenite...there's no traffic in Richmond. Unless you're dumb enough to travel to shortpump or brandermill during rush hour....the interstates here are traffic free. For you locals who disagree, a 5 minute holdup at the tolls is not traffic.

Things I like about Richmond: 1.) I have a lawn. 2.) More than 1 person can now fit comfortably in my kitchen.
Things I don't like about Richmond: 2.) I was told numerous times that if I moved to Richmond, a very small city, then the cost of living would be less. Um, NO. Had to buy a car (car payment, fuel, car insurance), pay $150 -$300 monthly for natural gas, pay for water/sewer, pay for refuse collection, etc.... Yes, my rental does have a bit more square footage but it's still pricey as the cost for just the rental is only $50 cheaper. 2.) Salary decrease by 50%. Cost of living- more. Income -50% less. Economy here doesn't make sense. 3.) What a housing market. I can get myself a two story, white, "renovated" with wood paneling transitional home in Short Pump for $450K on .3 acres OR I can get grandma's one story brick house in some other neighborhood for $325K. So disappointing! 4.) Pay NYC prices at restaurants lacking NYC quality/atmosphere. Seriously, $85 at Mama Zu for a cheap bottle of red table wine, caprese, and two pasta dishes (one tasty eggplant parm and one disgusting shrimp w/spaghetti)!!! 5.) Crappy food period. However, 95% of the restaurant reviews we see ends up saying "go there"...even though the experience was a bad one for the reviewer. Why? Because people in Richmond refuse to be impartial and unbiased. They are constantly trying to sell Richmond as wonderful. 6.) ... continued from #5...People have a huge chip on their shoulder. Reason- unidentified 7.) Lackluster live music. 8.) Are there any real bars here? Not restaurants with a bar, not a cheesy Richmond lounge.. But a real bar? A dive bar, perhaps? 9.) Richmond has no clue what it wants to be and lacks an identity. 9.) Segregation still exists...here in Richmond anyway. 10.) Overly conservative. 11.) Richmond is far behind times. So far behind times that, in fact, the new Whole Foods is the talk of the town. 12.) The thing that I find hardest to accept is the people of Richmond not being comfortable with what Richmond is... to quote Anthony "Also, we have great growth, strong economy and a bright future." Just keeping it real, Whole Foods opened its first NYC store in Feb. 01. That, to me, doesn't indicate great growth or economy for Richmond.

I plan on living here a while and I do wish that I could tolerate Richmond. I moved to Richmond with open arms and was met with ugh, after ugh, after ugh. Sincerely, can someone please tell me what is good about Richmond? What is it that you enjoy? What do you do? Please don't say I enjoy commuting across the bridge when there is a sunset...or....I like Monument Ave....or going to Melito's.
Please, someone change my mind about Richmond.

Richmond stinks, sleepy old southern town with stuck up rich kids, crappy sports scene, bad drivers, overpriced cookie cutter neighborhoods...sure there's stuff to do but after a month you've done it all. Some people get stuck here because of their job so they're going to complain. Deal with it.

People will always whine and complain. Maybe it makes them feel superior to know that they personally have experienced better and if "we" only knew... You know what, Richmond is great. Every town is great if you have the right attitude. Richmond has fantastic food with tons of atmosphere and culture. I've had a blast laughing at some pretty awful food and I've been blown away by some fantastic food. But I always have fun. We're all in this together so instead of whining and complaining (which by the age of four we should have realized is pointless) lets get motivated to continue to help Richmond grow! I love it here

The bottom line is that people love to complain and to act superior. For the rest of us, we know how to have fun anywhere and enjoy amazing people, amazing food, and great times. Cause in the end, you make the fun you have. You make a restaurant a fun time or an awful evening. I've had a blast laughing at some awful food I've paid for and I've had a blast enjoying some amazing food as well. If you can't enjoy yourself at Mama Zu's or Zeus Gallery Cafe, then where will you enjoy yourself. Relax, take a deep breath and start living! Life is too short for whining and complaining. If you don't like this town then start making it better and I promise you, as you should have learned at three years old, whining never makes things better!

Dude, look. You moved here from out of state and therefore have experienced greater restaurants than Richmond has to offer. But that doesn't mean Richmond restaurants suck. Have you ever heard of regionalism? People have different tastes (honed mostly from what's available). This doesn't make shoe leather shrimp right but it also doesn't mean just because you had a few bad experiences at a few restaurants that all of Richmond dining sucks.

I agree about Mama Zu's and Millie's...I'm a native Richmonder and have always found these "cool" restaurants to be overrated. But there ARE great restaurants...just go off the beaten trail more. L'talia in the west end is a senior citizen crowd, but yummy! Melitos is also great.

I just can't believe that people here think they have good restaurants. After moving here from out of state, I have eaten at several restaurants including Mamma Zu and Millies, which are two of this town's most popular places. Mama Zu served shoe leather shrimp, while Milles reached way back into the depths of their fridge, grabbed a piece of meat they called "filet", cooked it to death, then charged me over $30. There may be cool things about Richmond, but food is not one of them

I think there's plenty to enjoy in Richmond! In high school, I enjoyed catching the sun rising while crossing the dime bridge (yes, I said dime, not nickel b/c I wasn't alive when it was nickel). I enjoy the fact that every weekend there is so much to do (various restaurants opening, festivals, farmer's markets, comedy shows, etc) that I don't have the chance to even do a fraction of it.

I've lived a few other places, and I think Richmond is a wonderful city. Its character, history and beauty are very much desired. There's plenty to do here, especially for this size city. Also, we have great growth, strong economy and a bright future. If you don't like it here, then I say leave!

I have lived in 12 different city's have a good gage of what is out there...if you don't like it then move. Head to Chicago, the sidewalks are great and the streets are cleaned every night...hope you enjoy the snow and wind, try out Seattle amazing views, fresh seafood and rainy winters, what about Lincoln Nebraska where every house built has to have the front door face the street and parking garages are a max of $5.00, views for miles no trees unless you plant them. EVERY town and city in American have the annoyances and qurks they is no way around it. There is something for everyone in this town and if you can't find it then this isn't the place for you.

The small town vibe, the architecture on Franklin St., Maymont, driving across the Hugenot Bridge at sunset