Hot Date in Richmond, VA

We're in the middle of a seemingly never-ending heat wave but nothing was going to stop us from having a parents' day off in Richmond.   

We started the day at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden with a timed and ticketed entry at 10:00am; they're limiting the number of patrons to promote social distancing.  We wore masks which might've protected us from other people but also trapped heat inside.  I was sweating like I had had a hard workout on the elliptical but instead was taking a leisurely stroll. The conservatory was closed to visitors so we missed out on that and probably missed some of the grounds because after an hour we were anxious to get back into the A/C.  Otherwise, it was a beautiful space.  I can imagine it would be even more enjoyable on a cool, autumn day.    

If you're not familiar with Virginia you might not know that our tourism/travel slogan is "Virginia is for Lovers".  It stems from the fact that there are so many things to love here; Virginia is for lovers of history, hiking, wine, etc.  There are Love signs all over the state with various themes.      

We planned on doing a curbside pickup from Perly's Delicatessen for lunch but they weren't open despite indicating otherwise on their website.  We ended up doing CAVA because we couldn't come up with a better alternative in a pinch. After a sweltering walk through the lovely gardens we were hangry and not in the mood to do an Internet deep dive into other local options.  Everything is so screwed up because of COVID-19.  I really would've preferred to inject money into the local economy.  Next time we'll call and confirm hours in advance so that we don't end up in a similarly disappointing situation.

After our chain lunch (still good since it's one of our favorite and healthier "fast-food" places) we drove over to Hollywood Cemetery.  Under different more temperate circumstances we definitely would've gotten out of the car and walked the grounds.  As it was, we just drove around and I took a few pictures from the comfort of the air-conditioned car.  

When the weather cools and if things are still open we'd like to go back and possibly bring AJ with us.  She's been very reticent to go outside lately because she gets overheated easily.  I don't think we've taken a family walk in 3-4 weeks at this point.  It's going to be a long summer.  I think the fall/winter will be much more comfortable for all of us.