The Authentic Travel Experience

Well, I am back on the road today for a quick event in Richmond, VA. I got to fly out of the new Indianapolis Airport for the first of several trips. Mandy got the pleasure before I did a few weeks ago and she was spot on: The place is amazing. The drive in while it is dark out really magnifies how big it is. Lots of skeptics always ask me why Indy needed a new airport. I can't definitively answer that question, but I know that what they have created really brings our city into the 21st century in terms of airport facilities. Wow.

Okay, back to the reason I decided to blog from my Richmond hotel room. Ron (co-worker and fellow Butler Phi Psi) and I got here a little after 1:00 this afternoon and we were starving. We aren't very far away from the campus of VCU and he decided to give me a little tour while we walked to find a restaurant. Well, we got to a corner and needed to make a decision. We settled on an authentic-looking place called the Village Cafe. Walked in, had some booths off of a bar and settled in. Boy, were we in for an "authentic" treat.

Oftentimes, when I travel, I forget to think about the culture of the area where I am heading. In this case, it was the heart of Virginia. Tobacco country with these folks, and it was everywhere. In the booth next to us was an old lady. This woman was worn. She looked like Mother Teresa after getting her butt kicked by the Marlboro man. She sucked down her cigarette with ease (I knew not having teeth had some sort of benefit) and barked out orders to the waiters. You couldn't understand much without the teeth, but you feared her. She looked like a walking raisin drenched in a spitoon. She wanted a meal served with an egg. When asked how she wanted it prepared, she stared off in the distance, glazed over, puffed and then looked back at the guy and said, "I don't care, just cook it some way."

Time to order... I love restaurants with evolving menus. The only problem here is that I think they never remove something from the menu if something else is added. You want a cold sandwich, got it. Want one hot, sure! How about pizza? Pasta? Fried Chicken? Soup? BBQ? Got it covered! Too many choices, so we had to take our time. Fortunately, the drink choices were only a page long (and double spaced!), so we ordered sodas.

Wait, I meant to say

SODAS

Yep, they serve them in pitchers with a straw. And you wonder why people in this country think we are fattening ourselves uncontrollably.

Well, I got enough carbonation in me to make an terribly awful decision on lunch. Every sandwich seemed like a good choice, but in a smoky, corner diner-style restaurant, what should I get??? You guessed it... Chicken Burrito! With diner refried beans and rice. Actually it wasn't half bad, until about an hour later when I (along with most of the 12th floor at the downtown Doubletree) discovered that the Village Cafe burrito may not be the best idea.

Meanwhile, Mother Marlboro Man and her walker (did I mention the walker?) are joined in the booth behind her by a white-collar worker for a late lunch. What a different patron! Clean clothes and no noticeable tatoos (I think the average in the place was 3.4 per person), he sat down for a bite. Now, I understand the smoking is probably a but higher with both Phillip and Morris looking over the town, but this guy wanted to help stain the wood in the place. Most people light up after a good meal. This dude lit it up after a good item. 'Mmm, what a delicious helping of potatoes, time for a smoke!' 'Oh look, the check is here, where are my cancer sticks?' I understand the little buggers are pricey, so I understand when somebody hustles to finish one. But this guy actually puffed one down fast to light up another one.

All in all, a fun day of witnessing Americana. Got an event tonight and then a flight home tomorrow. My only authentic tourist experience in Richmond was the little corner restaurant. Priceless first impression!