Richmond Skyline

[Dirt Roads]

From the New I-885 in Durham thread:

.....and to underscore, my prior point was not whether Petersburg is the "right" control city, my point was simply that I found it odd that the signs in the Durham area refer to it merely as "Petersburg," and not "Petersburg, Va.," because I don't think it's a significant enough place in its own right that the average driver would see the word "Petersburg" and automatically think of a place in Virginia approximately 120 miles way.

I think it should be Richmond. But then, I grew up in Richmond.

Richmond's skyline appears on I-95 Northbound in a manner that is one of the nation's most dramatic of all. There's something about your car's elevation and Downtown Richmond's on a distant hill that couldn't be more perfect.

Then there's Richmond's uniform low-height buildings that emphasize breadth over height which I like. That's why I don't mind Raleigh's penchant for 17-20 floor towers, it's different from the rest of the world trying to be validated with tall towers.

Downtown Richmond is probably the most romantic urban Christmas setting next to Midtown Manhattan.  The mix of midsize skycscrapers and courtyards right next to the 1860s office buildings of Shockoe Slip is very special when all lit up. 

One of the best pics of the Richmond Skyline is on the other side of I-95.  The venerable clock tower of the Main Street Station rises just over the east edge of the James River Bridge.  One time when I was traveling up I-95 from Roanoke Rapids to Baltimore, I pulled out an old 110 camera and reached out over the car and popped a quick pix.  To my amazement, it turned out great.  (I lived in Richmond at the time and didn't take the time to stop at home).  Little did I know that I would get to work at Main Street Station numerous times during my career (three out of the five legs). 

[plain]

After reading what was said in the I-885 thread:

The thing about Richmond's skyline is most of the high-rises are downhill, not uphill. It has a lot more density than it may appear, you can't see everything from certain directions. In my opinion, the best roadway views are from:

I-95 NB, by far

Commerce Rd (and eventually the Manchester Bridge) NB

US 1/301 NB

Williamsburg Rd WB

Downtown Expwy (VA 195) EB

Richmond definitely has that wow factor, especially after a long trip from the south.

With that being said, Pittsburgh coming out of the Fort Pitt tunnel is my favorite, and this is coming a guy that's seen Manhattan from all sorts of angles.

[Takumi]

Driving through the city every day going to and from work, there's still just that special something about going around that one bend where the whole thing appears. I-95 northbound and I-64 westbound, the views I see on my commute, are my two favorites.

[1995hoo]

While I've never been a huge fan of Richmond for several reasons, I must admit that driving northbound on I-95 at night around Christmastime is a very cool thing when you first see the city and all the buildings are outlined in Christmas lights. Hopefully they manage to do that this year despite the unusual circumstances.

[Takumi]

While I've never been a huge fan of Richmond for several reasons, I must admit that driving northbound on I-95 at night around Christmastime is a very cool thing when you first see the city and all the buildings are outlined in Christmas lights. Hopefully they manage to do that this year despite the unusual circumstances.

Some of them already have lights.

[ixnay]

From the New I-885 in Durham thread:

.....and to underscore, my prior point was not whether Petersburg is the "right" control city, my point was simply that I found it odd that the signs in the Durham area refer to it merely as "Petersburg," and not "Petersburg, Va.," because I don't think it's a significant enough place in its own right that the average driver would see the word "Petersburg" and automatically think of a place in Virginia approximately 120 miles way.

I think it should be Richmond. But then, I grew up in Richmond.

Richmond's skyline appears on I-95 Northbound in a manner that is one of the nation's most dramatic of all. There's something about your car's elevation and Downtown Richmond's on a distant hill that couldn't be more perfect.

Then there's Richmond's uniform low-height buildings that emphasize breadth over height which I like. That's why I don't mind Raleigh's penchant for 17-20 floor towers, it's different from the rest of the world trying to be validated with tall towers.

Downtown Richmond is probably the most romantic urban Christmas setting next to Midtown Manhattan. The mix of midsize skycscrapers and courtyards right next to the 1860s office buildings of Shockoe Slip is very special when all lit up. 

One of the best pics of the Richmond Skyline is on the other side of I-95.  The venerable clock tower of the Main Street Station rises just over the east edge of the James River Bridge.  One time when I was traveling up I-95 from Roanoke Rapids to Baltimore, I pulled out an old 110 camera and reached out over the car and popped a quick pix.  To my amazement, it turned out great.  (I lived in Richmond at the time and didn't take the time to stop at home).  Little did I know that I would get to work at Main Street Station numerous times during my career (three out of the five legs).

Can't comment on Christmas in Richmond, but based on a late October 2014 vacay there (staying at the Hampton Inn down by the Philip Morris plant) and walking around downtown in the daytime, I thought the bolded part looked rather cool.

Happy Thanksgiving 2020 to all roadgeeks.

ixnay