the last first fridays (for me)

This being my last week in Richmond, there was no way I was going to miss July's First Fridays. While the event has become more contentious recently, in my opinion that is no reason to stay away. The event is crowded, but there remains much to do. My friend Holly and I went somewhat early, worried about parking now that Broad is closed to parking. Our 6:30 arrival put us there before most and our first gallery stop was fairly empty. The night picked up quickly, however. A highlight was this band playing outside Visual Art Studio, the young woman leading the band had such a soulful voice.




At Quirk's front window, an artist was creating portraits using a sewing machine. They were quite inexpensive at $10, but I would have wanted a larger size. I didn't catch his name so I guess I'll just have to work on my sewing machine skills. (A recent attempt to use a friends abruptly ended in less than desirable results.) Holly and I did pick up several whimsical items from the sale section.



We ended the evening in need of a drink and cool place to sit. The Broad Street restaurants were packed, so we headed back to the area we had parked and went to Lemaire. We enjoyed labeling items on our table with stickers from our purchases (though moved them all to the paper napkin before leaving.) Lemaire is an upscale establishment in the Jefferson Hotel and so diners are a mix of hotel guests, locals and other out-of-town visitors. As Holly and I were waiting for another friend to join us, a bathrobe clad woman came strolling through the premise asking if anyone had seen her husband. Weary of the scene that could happen if he was discovered, the waitstaff quickly helped usher her back to her room, handling the situation professionally, as expected. Later, a friend who is a chef there revealed that she had previously been dining with her husband and enjoyed several $400 bottles of wine as well as $80 shots.