Charlottesville Tire

We bought our car last July, which means every July from now until it kicks the bucket we need to get a Virginia State inspection. In Northern VA the typical process is to get up really early in the morning and drive to a gas station who does inspections and get in the inspection line. It can take anywhere from 30min to 2 hours (depending on how long the line is), and I think I remember it costing about $40. I haven't observed this behavior in C'ville, so I decided to take another approach. First I walked over to the auto shop right near our house and the very friendly lady at the front counter said that they were very busy and I could have an appointment in a few days.

So then I drove a few more blocks down the road to Charlottesville Tire. They are located at 843 West Main St. in Charlottesville. I walked in not expecting to get an inspection. They appeared to be very busy, which was confirmed when I talked to the guy behind the counter. After talking to him for a short while he could squeeze me right then, which was the only time I could do it because Betsy had to take the car to work in an hour. The inspection took 10 minutes, and the whole operation they had going seemed to be running really tight. Also, I forget the guy's name who was behind the counter, but he was very nice.

This seems like a great place to take your car, and I will be recommending them to anybody who asks for a mechanic.

We did it!

We finally took advantage of Fridays After Five! Shocking that we haven't been before now - but we did it! The band was actually really fun and it was nice to just sit and enjoy the music. And surprisingly, there were still stores open which was a nice little break from sitting.

Riverside Lunch

I love burgers. I love french fries.

I had a cheeseburger and french fries at Riverside Lunch on the corner of Meade and E. High. And yes, it is open for dinner and it is delicious. A heads up ('cause I always need a reminder) you can smoke inside in Virginia and Riverside Lunch is no exception. The burgers were awesome and somehow magically flat and still delicious. The diner-type building has been open since 1935 and totally looks the part. A cheeseburger is $3.00, a bacon cheeseburger (Charlie's choice) is $3.60, and a basket of fries is $3.40. Each topping costs extra (we think) and the burgers come with nothing unless you ask. They also serve hot dogs, cheesesteaks, fish sandwiches, onion rings, and they had good beer specials. You seat yourself and then pay up at the register.

We were a little surprised at the total bill of $17 and change - which is how we came to the conclusion that all toppings are an additional cost - but it was delicious and totally worth it.

We loved it.

Book Sale

The Gordon Avenue Library had a pretty large booksale last weekend. One of the ladies who works in Charlie's department told him we might want to check it out since they had a lot of children's books. It was crazy - we got almost 50 books for $10. My teaching library is growing!

We'll have to remember to look for the next one and give people a head's up.

Dogwood Festival Parade

On our way to find the Carpe Donut Truck (which unfortunately won't be around until September), Charlie and I stumbled upon the Dogwood Festival Parade going down High Street. I had been hearing about the Dogwood Festival but I thought is was just a festival event that was over by now (it started last Thursday). I was wrong. The parade was quite long and added a little fun to our day. I forgot for a moment that we lived in the South until I saw the Confederate Soldiers (just 2 of them) riding down High Street on their horses in full Civil War period uniforms. We also really enjoyed the Vintage Car part of the parade that included a 1980s Cadilac with crazy wheels. It really just looked like they took all the cars off of our street and put them in the parade :) It might be a fun tradition to check out the parade every year just to give us some humor in our day!

The City Market

I got out of bed this morning (before noon, believe it or not) and Charlie a I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather by checking out the City Market. We've been meaning to go but have either had something else going on, forgotten, or I haven't gotten out of bed. Depressing, right? :) My friend, Erin, has a stand at the market where she sells her jewelry and has been telling me to go for a while. The market is fabulous! The flowers are beautiful and the plants they have are awesome - lots of herbs and lettuces. I can't wait to see what changes as the season progresses. The Market really is an awesome positive for living in Charlottesville.

Parking Meters

Parking in downtown Charlottesville is sometimes tough - especially on weekdays during class time for UVA students. Charlie and I usually walk to the Downtown Mall but on the seldom occasion we do drive, we like to park in the lot between Water Street and the South Street Brewery. There are parking meters all over Charlottesville and shock of all shocks (for those of you from DC especially) - one quarter grants you an hour.

It's wonderful!

If you're willing to walk, there are plenty of residential areas with parking right near the Corner or the Downtown Mall.

Trash

So, if you live in the City of Charlottesville you need to buy a sticker for your trash can in order for your trash to be picked up from the curb. The city site (www.charlottesville.org) has a map and schedule of trash pick up days. Charlie picked up two can stickers and some bag stickers at City Hall (right on the downtown mall) and said that everyone there was super friendly. The trash can stickers or "annual trash decals" run you about $95 for a 32 gallon container. The decals are labeled with your home address so they are non-transferable. The city also picks up recycling with your trash and you don't need a sticker for your recycling bin.