The James River winds through Richmond, VA and serves as the city’s playground. On a sunny day you’ll find folks lounging on river rocks; testing the rapids in rafts and kayaks; and biking, walking, and running on the riverbank trails. From the numerous walking bridges across the river, you can watch osprey dive, great blue herons fish, and geese and ducks eat bottoms up.

When you turn away from the river you find yourself wandering along streets lined with old brick buildings including row houses and factories-converted-to-apartments. Murals are scattered throughout the city. Parks and green spaces are more numerous than tall buildings.

Downtown Richmond is quiet. There isn’t much traffic – even at the peak of rush hour the traffic is manageable. There’s a boarded-up window or “for lease” sign every couple of storefronts on the primary street at the heart of the city. Neighborhoods with different vibes sit like cars on a Ferris wheel around Richmond’s often sleepy downtown.

Richmond could be called the city of highway sampling. Numerous highway bridges crisscross through the city. Under these bridges are blocks filled with restaurants and parks. When you use Google maps to navigate almost anywhere in or around Richmond, you’ll find yourself driving on several highways for less than 1 minute each.

Richmond is easy living. It’s urban enough that there are big name shows yet it is quiet enough that you can often hear birds singing. Without many tall buildings, Richmond feels more like a large town than a big city. I suppose “big city” is relative. I like having a 6^th floor apartment that feels like a penthouse because a 6-story building is tall in my neighborhood.

From my mini balcony I have a lovely view of the sunset. From my apartment windows, I can watch the numerous lightning storms that come from the south-west to dazzle the city. I guess living in a hot and humid place leaves ample opportunity for any cold front to make the air zippy-zappy. I’ve never seen so many lightning storms in such a short period as I have living here.

After about 3 months in Richmond, I’ve found my favorite ice cream place and some go-to walking routes. There’s still a lot left to explore and learn about the city, but it already feels like home. It doesn’t usually take me long to settle in a place, but Richmond was an especially easy transition.