Senior Spectrum
Newspaper
June 2009
Our Other Publications
Generation Boomer
Magazine
on-line
Golden Pages
Directory
Seniors 4 Travel
Last month Robert flew to the Washington, DC area, sandwich in hand (no free food on the airline), to join his oldest daughter and family in Falls Church, Virginia. From there he traveled with them to Charlottesville, less than 125 miles from DC, to attend his youngest granddaughter’s graduation from the University of Virginia.
So, this month we write about Charlottesville, best known for two reasons: As indicated, it’s the home of the University of Virginia. Perhaps less known is that the university was founded by Thomas Jefferson, our nation’s third president.
Charlottesville’s other claim-to-fame is Monticello, Jefferson’s renowned mountaintop home overlooking the city from Monticello Mountain. The remarkable Monticello will be our subject in next month’s column.
The rich history of Charlottesville goes back to Colonial times. At the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, this city of 40,000+ citizens is the county seat of Albemarle County, named in 1774 in honor of William A. Keppel, Second Earl of Albemarle and titular Governor of Virginia at the time the county seat was established. The city is named after Princess Sophia Charlotte, wife of King George III of England.
Millions of visitors are attracted to the area primarily because of Monticello. But, James Monroe also established a home here, called Ashlawn- Highlands. As did James Madison.
Farming is still an important part of the region’s economy, although on a smaller scale than in Colonial days.
Although smoking is on the decease in the US, Virginia tobacco is highly prized worldwide. The area also has a growing wine industry, a would-be dream-come-true for Thomas Jefferson were he here to see it.
When we contacted the local Chamber to get a more detailed idea of what Charlottesville offers in terms of entertainment and historic sites, we were reminded that Bert Sperling and Peter Sander, in their book “Cities Ranked and Rated,” recently ranked the city “the best place to live in the United States” based on cost of living, climate, and quality of life. In granddaughter Katy’s opinion, the city deserves the ranking and says it is a favorite “fun” place for students to “hang out.”
Charlottesville’s Historic Downtown Mall is replete with live theatre, music and limitless dining choices. The restaurant recommended to us was the Mono Loco on Water Street.
We beat a hasty retreat to the favored place and enjoyed a goodly selection of seafood plus their gigantic burritos, enough to fulfill our culinary needs for both lunch and dinner. Dinner in this area is still called supper and natives make certain you understand the difference (as in the time of day you are eating). Our supper fare was not disappointing. By day’s end we had explored the highlights of a very lovely city.