Monticello, Behind the Scenes

This week, I had the pleasure of accompanying two good friends to Monticello to take advantage of the new “behind the scenes” tour. The last time I visited was about 15 years ago, and since then, the historic site has undergone major renovations, including the construction of a new $43 million visitor center that opened last year that includes a gallery, a theater, a discovery center, and a large gift shop (one of two on the property, because you just can't have enough souvenirs).

We started our day in the theater, watching the new video, Thomas Jefferson's World, which stresses the importance of freedom as the main theme of Jefferson’s work, tries hard to reconcile Jefferson’s ideals with his dependence on his “enslaved workers” (and for me, fails), and works its way all the way up to the inauguration of Barack Obama.

Our $37 behind-the-scenes ticket gave us access to the private second-floor bedrooms occupied by Jefferson’s extended family (mainly daughter Martha and her 11 children), and to the interior of the third-floor dome, complete with attic space. You climb up the very narrow staircases (the only ones in the house) to reach the upper floors, where unlike in the large rooms of the main floor, you are allowed to take photos. While much of the main floor is devoted to Jefferson’s social life, personal pursuits, and clever gadgets, the upper floors focus on Jefferson’s lively family life.

After our look at the upper levels, we joined the hoi polloi for the main house tour, and spent the rest of the afternoon roaming the grounds, checking out the gardens, and visiting Jefferson’s grave. We ended the day back in the gallery at the visitor center, where more details of the estate’s architecture are revealed. We could have used another hour or so to really explore every nook and cranny of the grounds and all of the exhibits and displays at the visitor center, but our time and stamina on this hot summer day just gave out.

The behind-the-scenes tour is given twice daily, at 10:30 and 2:30. Advance tickets are highly recommended, and can be ordered online. These tours will be available until Oct. 31. For more info, check out monticello.org.

One of the very narrow staircases in the home:



Peering down at visitors from a second floor bedroom:



Inside the dome:



Attic space off the dome room:



View from one of the dome room windows:



One of several skylights:



View from the garden side:



Gallery space at the visitor center:



The new visitor center is beautifully landscaped:

Summer Music in the Air

Many towns across the country have outdoor summer concerts, and Fredericksburg holds its own against any of them, just one of the many things I love about this town. Despite funding cutbacks for the libraries and arts this year, there still manages to be lots of summer music in the air in Fredericksburg. On Saturday night, we caught the first Bluemont concert of the summer (a shortened schedule due to financial constraints) featuring legendary bluegrass banjoist Bill Emerson and Sweet Dixie (above). The group played a mix of contemporary and classic bluegrass, and the performance was a real treat. Next Saturday, we’ll be back to hear Furnace Mountain, for what sounds like a quirky mix of fiddle, bouzouki, bass, mandolin and washtub in what the band's website refers to as "ethno Appalachian roots music." This year, the Bluemont concerts are being held in the shade on the Kenmore St. side of Maury Field, so bring a blanket or chair, because there’s no bleacher seating.

We’re also regulars at Monday night’s Music on the Library Steps, where next Monday we’ll hear the always-entertaining Company Store Band. Despite serious library cutbacks, the Friends of the Library have managed to keep this concert series alive. We’ve also checked out the Thursday night concert series at the Village at Spotsylvania Towne Centre (is that enough misplaced e’s for you?), which continues presenting local musicians through the end of July (6-9 p.m., sponsored by B101). The crowd was non-existent on the night we went, but it was the first of the series (featuring Pete Mealy and Laurie Rose Griffith), so I’m hoping it’s picked up some momentum as more people hear about it. And at First Fridays this past weekend, we stopped and listened to the music in Market Square (Pete and Laurie again, but I never get tired of listening to them), sponsored by the Fredericksburg Area Museum monthly throughout the summer. The free concert begins at 7:00 pm and ends at 10:00 pm.—bring a chair if you plan to stay awhile. Add to that the monthly Finally Fridays concerts on Sophia Street, the lunchtime concerts at Hurkamp Park on Tuesdays in May, June and September, outdoor performances by the Rappahannock Pops Orchestra, the concerts at Celebrate Virginia, performances by the Fredericksburg Community Concert Band, just to name the ones I can think of off the top of my head, and you can see that you don’t have to go very long between outdoor summer concerts in the burg.

Bravo! Cucina Italiana

We’d seen this Italian restaurant under construction in the new section of the Spotsy mall called the “Village at Towne Centre.” My expectations weren’t high—it’s yet another “plastic menu” chain. With an exterior that looks like it would be at home on Disneyland’s Main Street. And then there’s that annoying exclamation point in the name. And I’d read somewhere that it wasn’t as good as Carrabba’s. But in celebration of their grand opening, we got a coupon in the mail, and I can’t resist a coupon, so we decided to check the place out last Sunday.

Low expectations must be a plus, because we were very pleasantly surprised at how good the food was. The service was excellent (thank you, Andrew), and the menu had a lot of variety. We generally like Carrabba’s, and were expecting something along those lines. Which Bravo is. But I prefer the ambiance of Bravo’s spacious dining room, with tables and booths that afford more privacy than the jam-packed Carrabba’s.



It's still a chain (although a very small one, with only 35 locations), so you're not going to get innovative chef's specials. And a good food critic would visit a restaurant several times before passing judgement, so this review might be premature. But we had a lovely time (the inexpensive bottle of wine we consumed helped, I'm sure), it didn't cost us a fortune, and we'll definitely go back again.

Here's the "Flatbread Roma" we shared, in lieu of the pricier appetizers. It was crispy and delicious.



In front is the seafood risotto, and in back is the grilled scallops over potato gnocchi. The herb bread is forgettable, and I hate the dishes with the goofy logo, but the entrees were tasty.



Happy cooks are a good sign, no?

Wolfe Street Gardens

About twice a week during nice weather, my husband and I head downtown for a walk. The neighborhoods of downtown Fredericksburg are at their best this time of year, with everyone’s gardens in bloom. And many downtowners take their landscaping very seriously. I’m not much of a gardener, and my property is entirely shaded, so even when I’m lucky enough to be able to grow some woodland plants, there’s not much color there. So I love the sunny little gardens of downtown. Even among the front yards that are postage stamp tiny, you’ll find many that are chock-full of blooms. This past week, we paid special attention to the yards on Wolfe Street, between Caroline and Spottswood.



The first garden is at the corner of Princess Anne. The gardener is hard at work at the center. From there, it was just a few steps to the next garden, where every square inch of front yard was filled with hydrangea and daylilies (also at top).



A tiny side garden:



I can't resist a white picket fence:



Near the end of the block, close to Spottswood.



Wolfe Street is home to the Wegner Metal Arts Foundry & Gallery, between Kenmore and Jackson, where the block gets more industrial.



I couldn't pass up this truck in a parking lot off Wolfe. I've never given much thought to horse's teeth, but now I'm wondering if there are cow dentists and pig dentists and goat dentists, too.

Trader Joe's

Last week, a couple of girlfriends and I took the second in a series of road trips to Richmond to shop at Trader Joe’s. Joe’s is a different kind of shopping experience. The first time I stumbled upon one, by myself, I was a bit confused by the seemingly random selection of products. With experienced friends by my side for a little orientation, I got into the swing of it. It’s not really the kind of supermarket where you could do your weekly shopping. Instead, its claim to fame is specialty and gourmet foods, natural and organic foods, environmentally friendly products, and a great wine shop. There’s also a huge selection of Trader Joe’s store brand items, and the ones I’ve sampled have been excellent. And prices are surprisingly low.

The vibe at Trader Joe’s is decidedly anti-corporate. It feels like the kind of store your aging hippie friends would open (not to be confused with your deadly serious, all-too-earnest, strictly vegan, gluten-free friends). Maybe it’s the small size, or the hand-written signs, or the gray-haired men with ponytails who work there. And I understand that marketing has a lot to do with this—this is exactly the impression Trader Joe’s is trying to achieve: that they are the socially-conscious, eco-friendly, all-natural “little guy.” In reality, they are as corporate as any other supermarket chain. Still, it’s a fun place to shop, and I wish there were one in Fredericksburg.



Plenty of fair trade coffee, of course.



And now you know where to go to get your organic blue agave.



A good selection of thoroughly drinkable $4 wine.



Here are my Trader Joe's goodies. Love their "Better'n Peanut Butter" (lower cal & fat) and their chipotle salsa, but my favorite product is the orange muscat champagne vinegar. Mixed with nothing but olive oil, it makes a delicious, refreshing vinaigrette.

Flashback

Thanks to Dan's comment on my previous post, I dug out some old photos I took of downtown Fredericksburg, circa 1981. Here's a shot of the back of the store Dan mentioned, Lowery & Cox. I guess guns really do go with everything.



The old Victoria Theater on Caroline, now the back entrance of the Fredericksburg Baptist Church.



Shelton's Shoe Repair. You don't see that many shoe repair places around these days, now that shoes are considered disposable.



Some things don't change that much, after all. Crismond's Shoes is still at its original spot on Caroline Street. Parker's Barber Shop is where Basil's is now (or was, since Basil's recently closed down). Two doors to the right is the old Colonial Theater, now "The Galleria." According to the poster, they were showing Cheech & Chong's Nice Dreams. I don't know what the occasion was, but bluegrass on a flatbed truck on Caroline Street, courtesy of Picker's Supply, has to be a good thing.

Getaway

To celebrate our birthdays and anniversary (three events that fall on two consecutive days, and which is increasingly being called the “birthversary”), my husband and I had our traditional annual inn outing. This year, we decided to return to L’Auberge Provencale, an inn outside of Winchester that we visited more than a few years ago. Our plan was to stop at a couple of wineries on the way there on Sunday (the best part about retirement is the flexible scheduling), and visit Winchester on Monday, which we remembered had a charming and historic downtown, not unlike Fredericksburg, but with a pedestrian mall that made strolling all the more pleasant.



We chose to stop at two wineries in Delaplane, Barrel Oak and Three Fox. The beautiful countryside surrounding the wineries is barren this time of year, and still covered with dirty snow from our pre-Christmas snowstorm. But we enjoyed the wine tastings, and came home with a couple of bottles, plus 4 new souvenir wine glasses to help replenish our dwindling supply (I’ve lost quite a few to a simple knock against the kitchen faucet).


Barrel Oak Winery has only been open a year, but has a lovely rustic beamed tasting room, with comfy seating where you can enjoy a bottle of wine and a light meal.

But really, visiting wineries is just a way to kill time until check-in. L’Auberge Provencale is at the top of my list of favorite Virginia inns, and we loved every minute of our stay. On a dead-of-winter Sunday night, we were the only overnight guests, so were lucky to get an upgrade to one of the most expensive suites. But the real highlight of the inn is the amazing French restaurant, where we splurged (and it was a big splurge) on an incredible multi-course prix fixe meal, featuring an amuse bouche, first course, second course, intermezzo, third course and dessert. Definitely one of the best meals we’ve ever eaten, with each course an artful layering of components. Plus more shaved truffles in one meal than I’ve eaten in my entire life. Then in the morning, you wake up to another multi-course meal, enough food to last till dinnertime. We don’t take this kind of trip often, but it’s something we look forward to for months. And it’s a lovely way to cap off the craziness of the holiday season, with this one little getaway just for us.


Taking photos at dinner is a tad intrusive, so I only brought my camera to breakfast, where my husband and I were alone in the sunny dining room, and where these luscious baked pears were just the first course of our morning meal.


I'm a sucker for poofy linens.


We had a sitting room with an array of reading materials. Am I the only one who thinks "Garden & Gun" is an odd combination of hobbies?

On Monday, we left the inn and headed into Winchester for our downtown stroll. Where we discovered things were pretty quiet, mainly because 1. it’s the dead of winter (did I mention that already?), 2. Monday is the day many small shops are closed, and 3. downtown Winchester is experiencing an economic downturn (like everywhere else), with many empty storefronts. The town definitely shows better in warm weather. The 83rd Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival, scheduled for April 23-May 2, might be the perfect time for another day trip.


Winchester's empty pedestrian mall on a cold Monday.


We were much too full from breakfast to enjoy a Snow White burger, but this is tops on my list for our next visit.


Winchester has many lovely old homes, like this architectural wonder.


An early military office of George Washington's is preserved as a museum in Winchester. Closed for the season. Of course.

And finally, I have to end with a couple of public restroom shots. I have a penchant for a well-designed public restroom, and am particularly fond of the new trend towards artful basins: the shallow ones, the square ones, the oddly angled ones (check out the women's room at the new Firebirds Grill at the Spotsy mall). Here's the faucet at Barrel Oak Winery, designed to look like an old fashioned pump:



And while the all-automatic, hands-off public restroom is becoming more common, this was the first time I've seen this hands-off door handle, seen in the first floor restroom of Winchester's City Hall:

December Wrap-Up

We experienced a traditional Fredericksburg holiday season this year: the downtown merchants’ open house, the Jaycees’ Christmas parade, holiday concerts, a church pageant, and too much time stuck in traffic on Rt. 3. Best downtown store decorations this year have to go to "A Place in Time" (photos above and below) which is so jam-packed with Christmas decor that it's almost impossible to actually shop.



Our best musical discovery of the season was the Stafford Regional Handbell Society. We caught their performance at the Spotsy Mall (do I ever have to call it the Towne Center?), and these young ringers were a treat to hear. I've joined the budding handchime choir at my church, so I can appreciate the work that goes into their concert. Next year, we'll try to catch their performance at Mount Ararat Baptist Church in North Stafford and avoid the noise and lousy acoustics of the mall.





And this month, we discovered a few new things on our strolls through town. Colonial Cupcakes finally opened, with its staff dressed in full colonial costume (bet the teenagers behind the counter love that uniform). We brought home a couple of samples, the key lime and the red velvet.





The Bella Italia market next to Castiglia’s opened in time for Christmas, a thrilling development for an Italian American like me. For our Christmas buffet, we stocked up on wonderful cheeses and sausage, plus a giant, but light panettone covered in confectioner’s sugar that we referred to as “Sugar Mountain.” (For the culinary purist, it was technically a pandoro, a similar bread also traditionally served at Christmas, but without the dried fruit.) They also have take-out specialities including homemade pasta, lots of deli meats, and Italian grocery items. I highly recommend a visit.



But for me, the most exciting change is that Virginia’s new restaurant anti-smoking law went into effect, where smoking sections now have to be completely separate areas, with their own ventilation system. A few of Fredericksburg’s oldest restaurants, like the Battlefield Restaurant across from the Park Service Visitor Center and the Rec Center on William St., went completely smoke free (a recent walk past the Rec Center found a cluster of smokers right in front of the entrance, huddled over the standing ashtray). I was so excited about returning to the main room at Sammy T’s, but the staff there was adamant that the restaurant was going to keep its arrangement of smoking in the big front room, no smoking in the little separate back room. I kept calling to see if they had changed their minds, but kept getting the same answer. So I was surprised and delighted that in mid-December, I finally saw this sign:



Better late than never.

(UPDATE: After seeing Emily's comment that as of late Dec. the arrangement at Sammy T's hadn't actually changed, I just called and was told that the management changed their minds, and the front room will continue to be the smoking room. I'm so disappointed. Not that they will care, but there are plenty of other non-smoking dining rooms in Fredericksburg to enjoy, so I won't be going back.)

The other noteworthy December news in town was the big snow. So many photos have been posted of the foot-plus accumulation that I don’t need to add much to the mix. I’ll just leave you with this photo from my front yard, where the snow reached 14 inches, a record December snowfall for this area.



Tonight, I'll kick up my heels at a New Year's Eve party and think about the freezing First Nighters downtown as we all wish 2009 a fond farewell. I'm looking forward to 2010...hope it's a good year for all of us.