Travel
Richmond, Virginia Street Art Guide
For about a year and a half now, Virginia’s capital city of Richmond has been my home base. There are honestly so many things about this city that are unique and worth a visit. Perhaps one of the most unique things about Richmond is the 150+ street murals bedecking the city’s neighborhoods. This large number of murals is especially amazing considering that the initiative to bring more street art to Richmond began less than ten years ago in 2012 with the advent of the Richmond Mural Project and the RVA Street Art Festival.
Though the public art initiatives of 2012 and onwards were the initial catalyst for Richmond’s myriad murals, the continuance of the street art tradition has been thanks in no small part to a handful of incredible local muralists. As I have explored the world of Richmond street art both online and in-person, I feel as though I have really gotten to know the local talent. I may or may not be irritating friends and family with my constant proclamations like “those colors look like something the Nightowl would paint” or “look, another Nils portrait!” or “I hadn’t seen that Ham Glass mural before.” …I am also absolutely enamored by the Girls Girls Girls! murals by HerrSuite. I could go on but just trust me when I say that there are some excellent muralists here in Richmond. In fact, why don’t I just show you?
Please scroll down to join me for a mini-tour of just a very select few examples of Richmond’s stunning street art.
Stop 1: Old Town Manchester
by The Nightowl at the Southern States Silos – site of the 2016 RVA Street Art Festival.
by 0uizi on the side of La Vera Pizza off Hull Street.
Stop 2: Shockoe Bottom
by Aryz off of N 17th Street.
by Pixel Pancho on N 18th Street.
by Caratoes on E Main Street.
Stop 3: Canal Walk
A large view of several murals along the Canal Walk gallery including ones by Ham Glass and Chris Milk Hulburt.
Closeup of the Canal Walk mural by local artist Chris Milk Hulburt.
Stop 4: Jackson Ward
Jackson Ward welcome mural by Ham Glass on 2nd and Marshall streets.
by Jacob Eveland on N 2nd Street.
by Anieken on E Marshall Street.
Another vivid Ham Glass mural on 2nd and Marshall.
Stop 5: VCU
by Etam Cru on W Grace Street.
by Nils Westergard on N Harrison Street
by James Bullough on N Lombardy Street
by Emily Herr behind Quirk Hotel on West Broad.
Stop 6: Carytown
by David Flores on South Sheppard St behind Mellow Mushroom.
by Smithe on South Colonial Avenue and W Cary
by Sonni on Citizen Burger on West Cary Street
Stop 7: The Fan
by Nils Westergard on Floyd Avenue
by Nils Westergard on S Allen and W Cary.
by Taylor White on South Addison Street.
Stop 8: Scott’s Addition
by the Nightowl on Mactavish Avenue.
by Joan Tarrago on W Clay Street.
by Nico Cathcart behind Courthouse Creek Cider.
by Nils Westergard on W Clay Street.
by Nils Westergard at The Veil Brewing Co.
by Nils Westergard on W Marshall Street.
by the Nightowl on Belleville Street.
Take Your Own Richmond Street Art Tour with the Most Comprehensive Richmond Street Art Map
After frequently discovering new murals in Richmond completely by accident, I recently set out to get a look at as much street art around the city as possible. When I began, I genuinely had no idea that there were nearly as many murals as there actually are. These past few weeks, I have found myself trudging through alleys, side streets, and parking lots to get photos of only a small handful of Richmond’s numerous murals. I’ve also spent nearly as much time noting mural locations in the city as I go about daily life and also by stalking the websites & Instagram accounts of local street artists. Ultimately, after the aforementioned weeks of research, I put together what I believe is the most comprehensive map of all the street art in the city of Richmond. I was on the lookout for other people’s maps as I went on my own hunt, but many of them are either outdated or only include the murals from a specific project. Check out my Richmond Mural Map (last updated January 31st, 2020) to use as your own street art guide to Richmond, VA.
Would you take a self-guided tour of Richmond’s Street Art? Do you know of any murals I may have missed on my map? Let me know in the comments!
I like to journal. In fact, I’ve been writing about my life with regularity since I was nine years old. And I make no exception when I travel. In fact, I journal even more while I’m on a trip than I do at home. Even though it can take up a lot of my time, I feel compelled to journal about my experiences on the road. Here are five reasons why:
See Also :A Few Days In Asheville, NC
You Are Writing for Your Future Self.
As with any journal I’ve kept, I love being able to read about something I did and see it through the eyes of my past self. It not only brings me joy to relive a tip but re-reading old journals also helps me recall details I never would remember otherwise. It’s been three years since my trip to Costa Rica and I don’t think I could have remembered the names of all of the village tiendas if I hadn’t been journalling about it.
While I tend to generally write about the details of the day, I also jot down other things that I’d like to remember. Things like pronunciation guides, songs I heard in specific places, the history of a site I visited, a little map of the area I walked in, or some interesting facts I read in a book. I’m always learning a lot of information about the new places I visit that I know would normally just disappear from my memory. Once it’s on the page, the information won’t get lost.
Emmett caught me tired and about to start journalling at a helpx stay in New Zealand
2. Writing is Cathartic.
When I’m having a crappy time somewhere, I will feel a lot better about it if I can write down every little thing that’s bothering me. A drunk guy peed on the floor of the dorm room? The airline lost my luggage? I’m covered in ultra-itchy bed bug bites? You can bet I wrote some angry words about all of those things in my journals. It was much easier to let go of my frustrations once they were all written on the page.
3. It’s a Scrapbook.
My journaling supplies: the journal itself, a glue stick, scissors, souvenirs to paste, a few pens.
I don’t know about you, but I like to hold onto every little ticket stub, brochure, map, paper with traveler contact info, business card, or flier that finds it’s way into my hands. I always seem to end up with a pile of travel memorabilia in the bottom of my backpack – even after only a few days. Instead of just periodically throwing all of that nostalgia in the bin or keeping it in a messy pile somewhere, I long ago decided that the best thing to do with it is put it all in one accessible place. So: I glue them into that day’s journal entry. Now my journals are like little diary-scrapbook hybrids. I like that pasting papers and tickets into my journal visually breaks up the pages upon pages of my sloppy handwriting. Not only that, but the scraps I paste in can further jog my memory back to a specific time or place.
4. Waste Waiting Time.
Waiting is an inevitable part of traveling. Waiting for a flight/bus/train
to leave? You can catch up on journaling. Not only that but I’ll write once I get on that train, plane, or bus I’d waited for. Sometimes I’ve even found myself sitting & waiting for a hostel to open or a dorm room to be ready. That’s journal time. I can always find the time to to write at least a little bit.
Stepping away from my open journal on the patio of our hostel in Nadi, Fiji while we waited for reception to officially open.
5. Your Journal Becomes a Reference.
The more I’ve traveled, the more I’ve had relatives and friends ask me for information on places I’ve visited. All I have to do is flip through my journal from that trip to find names, locations, or directions. Oftentimes I’ll also write down advice given to me by other travelers about places I haven’t even been to yet. For example, when I was planning the New Zealand trip I remembered that I’d met a guy in Prague who’d done aWorking Holiday. I then looked through my journals from Europe and found his recommendations.
All in all, I highly recommend journaling while you travel. Even if you’ve never journaled before, traveling is honestly the best time to do it. A travel journal is a unique and personal souvenir that will preserve your trip forever.
An entry in my first journal of the New Zealand trip featuring a map of the top half of the South Island with a drawn line noting our hitch-hiking route for that day.
Kathmandu is a dusty, chaotic, and incredibly fascinating capital city. From the ancient architecture of Bhaktapur to the cafes & shops of Thamel to the religious sites that the Buddha himself visited, there is so much to do and see in Kathmandu. Emmett and I spent a month in Nepal, with Kathmandu being both the first and last place we visited. There is so much to see in the city and I know that we only scratched the surface. Check out our five favorite places in Kathmandu below.
+ Shopping & Dining in Thamel – 1 Day
+ Swayambunath, Boudhanath, & Pashupatinath – 1 Day
+ Bhaktapur – 1 Day
If you have more than 3 days, you could always add an extra day to exploring Thamel or Bhaktapur and throw in a side trip to the town of Nagarkot to see a view of the Everest range. (Just check the weather forecast before going to Nagarkot because it was very cloudy when we made our attempt).
See Also :Two Days In Malaysia’s Tea Country
1. Thamel
Thamel is the primary tourist district in Kathmandu. It has the widest variety and most affordable choices for accommodation in the city. I love Thamel. It’s very much a touristic place but there’s something so endearing about all the alleyways and shops. The best thing to do in Thamel is Shop for Souvenirs. A lot of the shops will sell the same sorts of items, so make sure you ask the price of the product you want at each shop first to compare deals. And don’t forget to barter a little because that’s the expectation most vendors will have of you as a tourist.
On each of our visits to Kathmandu, we stayed at the dorm in the top of the cozy and very friendly Hotel Silver Home for 1,000 NPR ($10 USD) per person per night.
Swayambhunath
Also known as the Monkey Temple due to it’s population of rhesus macaques, Swayambhunath is one of the oldest religious sites in all of Nepal. The whole site is comprised of a set of very steep steps leading up to a hilltop complex of Buddhist temples and shrines surrounding a large stupa. In addition to it’s historical and spiritual significance, Swayambhunath is a great place to do people-watching. There are souvenir touts, locals in prayer, women feeding the monkeys and stray dogs, and plenty of other tourists.
Entry for tourists is 200 NPR per person (about $1.80 USD) and Swayambhunath is about a 30 minute walk from Thamel.
Boudhanath
Along with Swayambhunath, Boudhanath is one of the most significant sites for Buddhists in Nepal. The huge stupa is said to be built around the remains of Kassapa Buddha and is surrounded by a circular courtyard which must be walked in a counter-clockwise fashion as one circles the stupa. It may be difficult to see in photos, but Boudhanath is a maginificent sight to behold. The top of the stupa is estimated to be 118 feet (36 meters) high – if that gives you any indication of the scale. We walked both of the lower rungs of the stupa, taking our time and listening to the tinny sounds of a stereo playing the Buddhist chant “Om Mani Padme Hum.” The stupa is, like most historic sights in Kathmandu, surrounded by a series of shops selling souvenirs and religious artwork.
Entrance to walk the lower level of the stupa is 400 NPR per person (about $3.60 USD).
Pashupatinath
If you’re anything like me, you may be under the assumption that Nepal is a Buddhist nation. Maybe it’s the plethora of Buddhist prayer flags to be found in every souvenir shop in Nepal? Or maybe it’s the fact that the Buddha himself was born in the country? Either way, you maybe be surprised to learn that the majority of Nepali people (a whopping 81.3%!!) follow Hinduism!
Pashupatinath is the oldest Hindu temple in Nepal and is located on the outskirts of Kathmandu. I have a confession to make: Emmett and I were running low on Nepalese rupees and did not purchase passes to enter the complex. Instead, we wandered around the outskirts and watched a Hindu funereal procession from a respectful distance. We spent a while just watching some stray cows eat from a garbage pile as monkeys played in the dirty river that ran through Pashupatinath’s center. The shops surrounding the temple were full of Hindu souvenirs and piles of very photogenic powdered dyes.
Entrance to the Pashupatinath temple complex is 1,000 NPR (about $9 USD) per person.
Bhaktapur
Bhaktapur is an incredible ancient city about 8 miles (13 kilometers) outside of Khatmandu proper. In fact, Bhaktapur is the most well-preserved ancient town in all of Nepal and is full of beautiful and ornate architecture. However, even after three years, the whole of the city is definitely still reeling from the effects of the 2015 earthquake. . In fact, I have so many good things to say about it that I plan to make a post solely about Bhaktapur very soon.
Entrance to Bhaktapur’s Durbar Square is 1,500 NPR (approx. $15 USD) per person.
1. What countries have you visited?
On a QANTAS flight to Melbourne, Australia.
Other than my home country of the United States, I’ve been to Costa Rica, Panama, China, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Vanuatu, Singapore, Malaysia, & Nepal. (Also see the Google Map at the bottom of this page).
See Also :Being Vegetarian in Singapore & Malaysia
2. What are your favorite countries?
Me in 2014 in Norway, one of my favorite countries I’ve visited.
3. how old are you?
Me at 28, feeling great!
I just turned 30 in Summer 2021! Wow, that sounds old to me. Most of my international traveling was done at 21 (Central America), 23 (China & Europe), & 25/26 (Everything Else).
4. How do you afford to travel?
When you alternate between backpacking on a budget and working, it’s easier to afford travel.
I work and save money. I’ve been a teacher, a kitchen hand, a sales associate, a social media manager, a receptionist, and a tutor in the US; a fruit-packing factory worker in New Zealand; and a painter, receptionist, and assistant manager in Australia.
5. How much do you spend when you travel?
Emmett & me in New Zealand (a very expensive country), where we spent an average of only $50 a day per person over 10 months.
When my partner Emmett and I spent ten months living and working in New Zealand, our expenses amounted to 31, 000 USD for TWO people. That basically breaks down to $50 per day per person. But that’s in one of the most expensive countries to visit in the world. Some days we spent $0 and on others, we did something extravagant like drop $900 for both of us to heli-hike a glacier.
6. What’s your photography gear?
Beach hair Nikon selfie on the Fraser Coast of Australia.
A Nikon D3300 (currently with just the kit lens) and a GoPro Hero Silver 4.
7. What’s Your Favorite Piece of Travel Gear?
My Chacos sandals, the most versatile footwear I own.
Why I Travel Journal And You Should Too
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A Few Days In Kathmandu
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