And our First Place is...

"We go down this road called life, we take the punches and pains and all of the things that we do." (Marisa Yeager) This was a line from a song that I tried to write years ago. I am a musician, I have been my entire life. From my humble beginnings of being born in a small town in Pennsylvania, to the now bustling semi-metropolis I call my second home, it's been a wild ride. This first place that I wanted to show you all, is my second home. I'd like to introduce you to a place in Central Virginia, about half an hour west of Richmond, called, Midlothian. If you have seen my social media, I've already provided a few pictures of my second hometown. Midlothian consists of roughly 59,000 people, and is about half the size of Richmond. It has a small town feel with a big city attitude due to the quaintness of the town itself, being downtown Midlothian; and with it being so close to the city. A lot of people tend to live in Midlothian, and go into Richmond for work, with it being so close. The other unique thing about Midlothian, is that no matter if you've lived here for your entire life, or just a few years, there is always something new to discover. For example, I've lived here for almost 14 years, and I never knew that there was this little shop on Midlothian Turnpike, (which is one of the busiest main roads in the town) that was dedicated to stamps, and rocks. This place is called Packard's Stamps and Rocks, and will knock your rocks off! (Get it, rocks, ha!) This place has a variety of stamps, geodes, minerals, and even supplies to make your own jewelry! If I had known this place was here last year, I would have contacted my cousin, who is a Geologist, and I know that she would have gone crazy for this place. It caters to the young and old alike, and is very quirky.

To also give you some more context of who I am, I moved down to Virginia when I was six years old. The only people that I knew were my family, and I didn't know much about Richmond, or even Midlothian at that point. When I was moving, my family and I were living with my Aunt and Uncle at the time, and were living in Richmond. My parents were still trying to get used to living down here as they are New Yorkers, and it was one of the best experiences that could have happened to us. They were mainly looking for a good school district for me to grow up in, and they were looking around at houses, and they found Midlothian. Midlothian is part of Chesterfield County, which has about 59,000 students enrolled each year. In terms of recreation, Chesterfield also has two main rivers throughout the county. The James River, and the Appomattox River. Pictures that I have below, are of the James River, and of the Swift Creek Reseviour in Brandermill. These were two places that I tended to visit often with my family and friends, and had the greatest memories with.

James River @ Robious Landing Park, Midlothian, VA

Swift Creek Reservoir @ Brandermill, Midlothian, VA

Now, to get on with the food! Midlothian has some of the greatest food you will ever eat. They have several family owned restaurants throughout the town, and I would like to give you my recommendations. The first one is called The Crazy Greek, in a place called Hancock Village. They offer Greek and Italian food, and can cater to any palate. When I went, the last time I was there, they had something called a Gyro, which is a Greek dish. It is shaved lamb and pork, in a pita bread served with a cucumber tzatziki sauce. If you're looking more in terms of price, they are more on the affordable side. However, if you are looking for a place that caters more towards a "fancier" place, look no further than Crab Louie's Seafood Tavern. They offer a variety of seafood options, as well as steak, chicken, and even caters to gluten-free! They are known for their sweet breads, which are part of their appetizers, and I highly recommend their salmon and their creme brulee.

I hope you enjoyed this first blog! Check back in next week, as we will be going to... a town known for a "High Bridge."