Red Roof Charlottesville

Um....yeah. Red wine, pinot noir, is my new friend. Got rowdy with Aaron and Luca. Kelly and Ed made an appearance as well. Went to the UVA vs William and Mary because we got free tickets from a gentleman named Davies. He had walked in on us smoking and could not have been any cooler. And even though UVA lost we had fun anyway. Lots of ...

As we left Albany driving towards Charlottesville, i kept thinking how absurd it is that I have yet to ramble in my own backyard. I've lived in New York for years and yet, I've never traveled south of Philadelphia! Our first stop was Shepardstown, a beautiful college town with

Ooook, I am done with the summer research program! I gave my presentation for the last once time today at the Rotunda in front of all the faculty members and graduate students! I have finished packing! We all gathered in Mary's room and got all sentimental... but peace!

... and the rest of the world, so this 1:3 fan to non-fan ratio is just novel and incomprehensible to me. Second, the only movie theater I have seen in Charlottesville is the old-school one in downtown Charlottesville. This movie theater was playing several chickflicks but not Harry Potter-- what? Mary had to call up her friends to go with us to Carmike, a movie theater 15 minutes away from the grounds. I ...

We didn't sleep too late, but, by the time we reached the concierge lounge, almost no food was left. We did manage to get some yogurt, then went to a local coffee house for real coffee. On the road towards Charlottesville around 11am.

The road was not as pretty as I hoped -- very green, but virtually no picturesque farms or horse ranches, and the highway bypasses all the small towns. When we did see buildings, they were car dealerships ...

... there. But other, more pressing issues needed my attention at that time, such as dorm parties and the quest to find the perfect brand of beer. I always dreamed of returning someday and "doing it right," i.e. spending more than 10 hours in any one location and visiting multiple countries. After the children were born, I dreamed of “doing it right” and, at the same time, showing them why I love Europe so much.

Fast forward to ...

... selected a delcious bottle of their 2007 Viognier.  
 
When we left the vineyard we drove around the area a bit and drove past some great walking trails and Monticello, which looked like a great place to visit.  We also happened upon a cute "village" where we checked out a gift shop filled with all sorts of fun area related items.  Then it was off to our friends for the night!  

... normal lunch options; A Gus Burger for Evan (cheeseburger with a fried egg on top), and a Rueben for myself. The dessert was called "grills with," 2 glazed donuts grilled where all the meats are cooked and served warm with a scoop of vanilla. Sounded better than it was. Orginal fresh Krispy Kreme's are better. 450 Miles to Charleston. ROAD NOTES: GPS devices are awesome.