Richmond off-topic postings

[TBurban]

More light downtown... VCU has added a neat white stripe on the eastern wing of its Main Hospital. I wonder if they'll carry it over to the new tower? Anyway, that is the kind of lighting they need to put on City Hall... not burned-out strings of Christmas lights!

I haven't been downtown in ages Snap any pics?

[burt]

I just finished looking at your latest portfolio, Cam. You sure have a nose for finding picture-taking sites. A number of the shots are of areas probably most of us have never seen. Loved the one of the 1914 swimming hole you put in there to prove that you had found the spot. The bridge looks as if it was a rail span -- probably coming south from old Byrd Street station.

Good coverage of the new VCU campus, and nice work all around. They're not very sharp in color, but as you say the haze was pervasive.

Congratulations, and thanks.

[Cadeho]

Thanks Burt. I still need to figure out how to make zoomed in pics sharper... and I don't feel like hauling the tripod around on my walking trips! I am still not too convinced on the swimming hole though... I can see Mayo Bridge to the left, but there seems to be another bridge and the power line bases are oriented wrong... I'll keep looking.

[Downtowner]

Tommy me and you need to take a trip Downtown soon since that makes two of us that hasnt

been down for a while. I need to take a new set of pics too my last ones were from May.

Edited August 27, 2007 by Downtowner

[Cadeho]

I took a look at Ryan's night pics.. and they were from earlier in the month... WHY has the Wachovia building NOT replaced those burned out ligths yet? They're still out! We need a "lights out" hotline... they are always black eyes to our nighttime idenity!

Burt, do you know of any good books on the history of Manchester?

[burt]

I took a look at Ryan's night pics.. and they were from earlier in the month... WHY has the Wachovia building NOT replaced those burned out ligths yet? They're still out! We need a "lights out" hotline... they are always black eyes to our nighttime idenity!

Burt, do you know of any good books on the history of Manchester?

No. I never knew much about Manchester or the south side.

Isn't there something called Leed lights, or fiber optics, that never burn out? Wachovia's unlighted top portions doesn't offend me nearly as much as City Hall's tacky look. Color lighting inside the observation deck would be an improvement. Can't they realize that no illumination at all is better than what they have done to the top of the building?

[journiyin]

No. I never knew much about Manchester or the south side.

Isn't there something called Leed lights, or fiber optics, that never burn out? Wachovia's unlighted top portions doesn't offend me nearly as much as City Hall's tacky look. Color lighting inside the observation deck would be an improvement. Can't they realize that no illumination at all is better than what they have done to the top of the building?

Burt,

You are very close... they are called LED (simply put - light emmitting diode) lights, and to find an example of one look at your computer monitor... the light that shows it is on is an LED. They have been around for a long time, but it was only within the last 3-4 years that blue light LED was discovered... this is important because it was the last color in the spectrum that had not been perfected - which now allows the lighting industry to do white lighting, which is the most effective night time lighting. LED's are very special, each color has a length of time that it will burn, before it fails. Red is the longest with around 100000 night time hours, White is the shortest about 15-20,000 night time hours. For comparison sake, the standard high pressure sodium is around 2-3000 night time hours. Oh and did I mention it is easier to manufacture LED's? And they also use 1/4 to 1/8 the power of current lights. The main problem is that they are new and are expensive. But the reduction in maintenance cost alone is huge already. Within the last year lighting manufacturers have perfected mirroring systems to get the LED's larger and in line with the lumens required to do large area lighting (in the past LED's could really only have sufficed as a desk lamp or backpacking lite - which I use and it is AWESOME).

I would say if you have money, invest in these lites, as they will take over the market in many areas and really fast. I just dont know how soon you will see them adorning the Wachovia building - but the thought is definitely there.

Tommy me and you need to take a trip Downtown soon since that makes two of us that hasnt

been down for a while. I need to take a new set of pics too my last ones were from May.

If you guys come downtown, let me know - I might like to meet up too... I know I cant buy ya beer, but I can get ya a root beer

[wrldcoupe4]

I should be back downtown much more often in a week or two

[burt]

I should be back downtown much more often in a week or two

...and you just may glimpse Coupe tooling around town in his sporty new 2007 VW Jetta Wolfsburg.

[Cadeho]

journiyin I drove by on my first trip to Valentino's in a long while Saturday night... get me some ginger ale!

[mclawsdrive]

Burt,

You are very close... they are called LED (simply put - light emmitting diode) lights, and to find an example of one look at your computer monitor... the light that shows it is on is an LED. They have been around for a long time, but it was only within the last 3-4 years that blue light LED was discovered... this is important because it was the last color in the spectrum that had not been perfected - which now allows the lighting industry to do white lighting, which is the most effective night time lighting. LED's are very special, each color has a length of time that it will burn, before it fails. Red is the longest with around 100000 night time hours, White is the shortest about 15-20,000 night time hours. For comparison sake, the standard high pressure sodium is around 2-3000 night time hours. Oh and did I mention it is easier to manufacture LED's? And they also use 1/4 to 1/8 the power of current lights. The main problem is that they are new and are expensive. But the reduction in maintenance cost alone is huge already. Within the last year lighting manufacturers have perfected mirroring systems to get the LED's larger and in line with the lumens required to do large area lighting (in the past LED's could really only have sufficed as a desk lamp or backpacking lite - which I use and it is AWESOME).

I would say if you have money, invest in these lites, as they will take over the market in many areas and really fast. I just dont know how soon you will see them adorning the Wachovia building - but the thought is definitely there.

If you guys come downtown, let me know - I might like to meet up too... I know I cant buy ya beer, but I can get ya a root beer

Journiyin, I share your sentiments about LED's. There is a skyscraper in Sweden that only uses LEDs for all interior lighting. I forgot the name of the city, but I'll find out. In the near future, look for LED television screens. These things will be thinner than plasmas but will cost a pretty penny.

[weill]

OK Richmond, its official.

You have the greatest Greyhound terminal Ive ever been through.

Seriously.

Been through many, and yours is the greatest.

By the way, on the way out of the terminal (which is across the street from the Diamond) the guy behind me was saying to someone on his phone, "Ughhh, Im not sure where we are at. I think we are in Cleveland, because there is this big Indian on this huge baseball stadium. Yeah, I think we at the stadium of the Cleveland Indians."

Haa.

[burt]

That's funny, Weill. It's hard to imagine anybody could be so stupid as to get off Greyhound in Richmond and think he was in Cleveland. That Diamond Indian REALLY confused him.

Richmond is one of the busiest Greyhound stations in the country. I've never figured out why, except I believe it is a big change point.

Some people (including a poster here) think it's so dangerous they won't go near it. I'm glad you had no bad experience there.

Were you changing for a Roanoke bus, or had you been visiting in Richmond?

[weill]

Yeah, I think he had an extended smoke break before getting on the bus.

It was busy, I actually went Myrte Beach to Raleigh to Richmond to Roanoke. Kind of out of the way, eh?

Its not dangerous, but I wouldnt leave your bag anywhere and expect it to be there when I got back.

I was just changing.

Although, way back when, my grandparents had lived in Richmond for many years.

[wrldcoupe4]

And to think when I was a little kid we actually went on a field trip of the Greyhound bus station!

[burt]

And to think when I was a little kid we actually went on a field trip of the Greyhound bus station!

Yea, the good old days. I recall when Greyhound was on the north side of Broad between 4th and 5th with loading in a big lot behind the terminal. The lot was the whole half block of Marshall between 4th and 5th.

There was a lunch stand and news kiosk in the building as well as ticketing and other amenities. Nobody was afraid to go in there eventhough it was considered "the wrong side of Broad." Directly across 5th was the great Angelo's Hot Dog - VERY popular -- and their dogs with chili were the best in town. They later moved to the basement of Thalhimers.

Trailways had a smaller and less busy station on the north/west corner of Broad at 9th which was diagonally across from the Lyric (later WRVA) Theatre. Both were demolished. The Trailways lot is now The State Library and the Lyric is the General Assembly building (built as regional headquarters for IBM which was intended to support 10 more floors that were never added.)

[Downtowner]

I know I havent been around much but baseball card addiction has returned to me again. Which sucks spending on all this money for cards. Plus im going to a huge show in Sterling VA next weekend which shows you how bad my addiction has gotten when you have to drive 2 hours to DC to meet a few people at a card show to pick up a few cards and a few players autographs.

[burt]

I know I havent been around much but baseball card addiction has returned to me again. Which sucks spending on all this money for cards. Plus im going to a huge show in Sterling VA next weekend which shows you how bad my addiction has gotten when you have to drive 2 hours to DC to meet a few people at a card show to pick up a few cards and a few players autographs.

Your addiction to baseball cards is a helluva lot better than substance abuse, Joey. If you're careful in your spending and truly have an eye for valuable cards, your collection may make you a rich man someday. "Control" is the word. Don't allow yourself to be scammed by counterfeiters trying to pass off bogus, worthless cards.

Do you sell and swap as well as buy at shows such as the one in Sterling? Have a good time up there, but be sensible!

Are you enrolled at JSRCC yet?

[Cadeho]

A hobby doesn't count as a habit!

[mclawsdrive]

A hobby doesn't count as a habit!

I don't know about that. Some of these model airplane glues are pretty intense. I wonder sometimes if that hobby is popular because of the process and not the finished product.

[Cadeho]

Do we need to put you on a poster for the anti-huffing campiagn?

[journiyin]

Do we need to put you on a poster for the anti-huffing campiagn?

Is UP a hobby or a habit?

[Downtowner]

Burt yes I am at JSRCC now and Im managing my time with studying and homework with my hobby of baseball cards. Ya I mainly buy and sell and trade too if its a good offer or in my favor. But Ive been in the hobby since I was 5 years old. So ya I need to catch up with UP as I am going to right about now.

[burt]

It's pretty quiet around here this weekend. Maybe traffic will pick up later today; meanwhile I'm posting a few items in their respective threads if anyone is interested in perusing them.

[burt]

Could our very own Tommy be one of the young men in the photo accompanying this inRich story?

http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news/busines...09-10-0095.html