C’mon Get Happy

Prominent Richmonders share the places that make their hearts sing

by

The following is an extended version of the article that appears in our February 2023 Sourcebook issue.

Most of us have one: a place that makes our heart happy, for whatever reason. It might be as large as a mountaintop view or as small as a certain chair in a particular house. In Richmond, mine is For the Love of Chocolate, the candy store in Carytown. Not only is it a feast for every sense, but it’s also a place where I can find a gift for every person in my life.  

Talking about happy places is a great way to learn about people, as well as the region, so we asked a number of prominent Richmonders to share theirs. Some chose very specific spots, including restaurants, museums and parks. But Mayor Levar Stoney spoke for many when, through a press rep, he said that “all of Richmond” is his happy place.

Meg Medina, author, Library of Congress National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature 

T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge

My happy place is the T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge. Whenever I have people come to visit Richmond for the first time, it is the first place that I suggest. It’s beautiful to walk out over the river and see the rapids. And symbolically, I like being in that space. I like seeing all the quotations inscribed on the slats.  

I’m not from here. When I moved here in the 1990s, the history of Richmond was surprising and difficult. Our city is known for its history, and so much of it is sad history. We’ve been trying to remake ourselves and fighting against remaking ourselves for years. It's been exciting to see all the changes in the city. The bridge puts all those perspectives out there. It embraces what our history has been, the sad parts, but there’s an honesty about it. There’s symbolism about bridges. This one is about making something new that attracts people … all kinds of people. That speaks to me about where Richmond is moving. 

I learned about the bridge by reading about it somewhere; somebody’s dog had gotten stuck in the slats. I wondered, “What is this bridge?” and I went down. I remember photographing all the quotations and being able to stand in the middle of the river and regard Richmond from the middle. It’s a beautiful experience for me. It's not overwhelming, and it’s free. It’s an easy thing to do.

Stephanie Merlo, public speaker and advocate for women, LGBTQ+ people and veterans 

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and Maymont

My mom was an artist and taught me to be an artist. I would go to the VMFA with her, and we would sit, and she would dissect the paintings — the brushstrokes, types, periods. I learned so much, and I learned so much about my mom in those moments, too. I saw the artist, the instructor and the student at the same time. 

I first saw Maymont with my high school friend. She took me there when I got out of the Army in 2007. I was in a bad place, and I remember I loved it so much. The Japanese maples are my favorite. Every time a friend visits from out of town, we go to Maymont. One of my best memories of my father was being at the Richmond Jazz and Music Festival with him and my wife, listening to Jill Scott and being in the moment. My favorite picture of my mom was taken at Maymont. 

VMFA and Maymont provide me with the memories I have shared with people I care about and love. Each time I go to each place, I am flooded with memories of my mom, of happy memories with others and the excitement of creating a new memory. Each of these places provides me with such a sense of happiness.

Daniel Harthausen, chef, Young Mother; winner of “The Big Brunch” (HBO Max) 

Yewon, Midlothian

My happy place is probably this place called Yewon in Midlothian. It’s a Korean restaurant. I go there when I’m feeling nostalgic and want to get away. It’s a little drive out of the city, maybe 20-30 minutes. It’s one of the best restaurants in Richmond now. Going there is a nice escape for me because I don’t have to cook for myself the food that’s comforting to me. It’s very nostalgic for me because they serve everything in a traditional Korean way. Someone recommended them to me maybe two years ago. It took me a while to go, because of the drive. But when I finally went, it was great. I started going every week. 

I don’t know if they’ve made the connection that I am a chef. They definitely notice me because I come in a lot, but I don’t say much. I'm not being a chef when I’m there. When you’re a chef or working in the food world, when you frequent restaurants, you don’t always want to have to be that person. Going there is my little escape.

Myra Goodman Smith, president and CEO, Leadership Metro Richmond 

William Byrd Park and Maymont

I think of the two parks as one, even though they’re divided by a gate. It was a safe place to be as a kid, just being outside, just part of the neighborhood. I almost knew that place like the back of my hand. I used to ride my bike to Carytown. I still drive through there and walk through there. Maymont is a beautiful place in the center of it all. It’s peaceful, and you can walk almost down to the river. 

I recall the Richmond Jazz and Music Festival at the park, and I miss it.* It brought something bigger to the community, a perfect place where people came together with good food and great drinks to listen to fantastic music. The festival really highlighted who we are, our flavor and our history of music. I don’t think many people think about that.

*The festival is scheduled to return in 2023.

Tim Kaine, U.S. Senator 

Belle Isle

I wish I could be super original, but I’ve got to say Belle Isle. We live within walking distance from it, and we like walking there a lot. Our children all learned to rock-climb and kayak there. We hosted many a birthday party there. I remember one morning, when I was at the law firm, going out early and hiding scavenger hunt prizes to come back to find at the end of the day.  

Now that we love walking so much, we enjoy the tremendous variety of birds, people and boats that we see. It’s always different, depending on the time of year. It’s a little oasis in the heart of the big city. 

Richmond is so unique. I grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, doing a lot of canoeing and kayaking, but I would have to drive a long way to do that — four hours to the Ozarks. When I moved here in 1984, that pedestrian bridge wasn’t there. I bet the first time I got to Belle Isle was by canoe or raft. Years ago, my wife — she wasn’t even my wife yet — took me on a picnic to Texas Beach. I remember sitting there and thinking, “We’re in the heart of the city, and we can see kayaks and canoes and blue herons.” We’ve really reclaimed our place as a river city.

Ndubuisi C. Ezeluomba, Ph.D., Curator of African Art, VMFA 

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is my favorite place in Richmond because of its connection with history and history-making. The institution is a storehouse of relics. I think of the comparison between a library and a museum. In a museum, you can see a physical thing, have a physical perception of it, where in a library you see things in pictures and texts. 

Within the museum, I go to the African art galleries. I think I would still go there if I wasn’t the curator, maybe because I’m an African, born and raised in Nigeria. I came to America when I was over 30 years old, a full-grown man. Relics of Africa speak about my past and give me a vision of the past. What we gather today will help future generations understand certain things about us when we are no longer here. 

I’m interested in enlivening the African art galleries. Excitement and noise help us believe ancestral spirits are in that sacred space. When it’s quiet, it looks as if danger or evil has driven everyone away. The presence of the spirit is what people celebrate, and that comes from musical instruments making noise, and chanting and appreciating the spirits who have come. Sometimes, you need the quietness to think, but if we want to re-create an ideal sacred space within an African context, we need the noise to come in. 

Giles Garrison, superintendent, James River Park System 

Joe’s Inn, Bon Air

I have lots of favorite places, because I love this city and grew up here. But if I had to name one, it would be Joe’s Inn in Bon Air, family side, the big table in the back. For decades, my family has gone there for dinner on Monday nights. It’s a very warm place where you know all the waitstaff, and they know us, just like they do with everybody. I love everything about it. I love the big loaf of white bread and the little butter packets. I love the little juice cup of wine. 

Those gatherings also include people who are my mentors and my close friends. Over time, people have come and gone, and in my imagination, the table grows. I was a teenager at the table. I remember there were times when I might have done something I shouldn’t, and we’d talk about it there. We still go on Mondays, and now I bring my 11-month-old baby to the table — it’s so much fun. It feels like home away from home but better because you can walk away from the dishes and because the team there really represents what I want Richmond to be like: accepting and tolerant. It’s a very warm and happy place for me.

Chris Mooney, head men’s basketball coach, University of Richmond 

Tuckahoe Little League

My happy place would be Tuckahoe Little League. My younger son, Ryan, plays baseball. He’s probably played there for four to five years. It’s a beautiful layout, with nine fields.

It was the first activity that came back after the COVID lockdown. It really was that we couldn’t wait to get outside and be among other people and watch games, just bringing our chairs and maybe something to drink.

Usually, there are games going on all the fields, and you can hear pockets of cheers all around. You can turn around between innings to see other games. You’re outside in the sun, watching baseball, just sitting there, getting to know the other parents. It’s really fun to not have to make any of the decisions.

You don’t have to worry about anything — just cheer for your little guy.

Mooney is on a medical leave of absence for the remainder of the 2022-23 season.

Reggie Pace, trombonist, No BS! Brass 

Vietnamese restaurants on and near Horsepen Road

My happy place would be Horsepen Road — with Pho Tay Do, Pho Thien Phat, Vietnam 1, Catina Bakery and Tan A Supermarket. I love going into Tan A to check out different fruits and vegetables you don’t see other places. You can get all kinds of great things: wonton skins or ingredients to make your own dumplings. I bought new bowls and plates there. That place rules.  

When it comes to the restaurants, it depends on the friend circle to see who claims which one is the best. Pho Thien Phat has great, quick service, and the oxtail pho is awesome. Pho Tay Do has the best Vietnamese coffee. 

I first went there with musicians I met after I moved to Richmond in 2001. That was probably one of the first times I’d had any food remotely like that. It’s some of the greatest food in the world. I like all different types of food, but having soup, especially during the winter, is so satisfying. If you’ve never tried it, do the training wheels version — just get chicken noodle or beef noodle. You don’t have to get tendon or tripe. Everyone can find something. Don’t be intimidated; just go try some more food.

Bill Bevins, radio and TV personality 

The set of ‘Virginia This Morning’ at CBS 6

I’m really Richmond. I was born at West Hospital on Broad Street, and I grew up watching CBS 6. I went into a Channel 6 studio for the first time when I was 7 or 8. I was with my Cub Scout troop, and we were there for a local cut-in during the “Howdy Doody” show. That same studio is in use today; it’s where the lottery drawings happen — and I do that twice a week. 

Now I’m 73, and I work with a bunch of young things at “Virginia This Morning,” and it’s like going to a party every day. I worked in radio — and I’m still on the radio, on a streaming station, The Breeze. I’ve been at Channel 6, part time, for more than 30 years. People always ask me which I like better: radio or TV. They’re total opposites. Radio is an individual sport. It’s all on you, your imagination, your take on things. TV is a team — a big team, not a small team. Everybody has to rely on everybody else, or it doesn’t work.

With “Virginia This Morning,” it’s like family. They don’t expect anything of me. I just show up to be goofy and silly. Jessica Noll, my co-host, is very organized and disciplined, so they leave time for me to just go off and see where it goes. It’s fun. But being in that historic place — CBS 6 was the South’s first television station — being part of that history, means a lot to me.