With the holiday rush behind us, and our attention turning toward a meaningful start to a new year, we asked Doc Jana for her recommendations for celebrating and appreciating the spirit of this place we call home. Dr. Tiffany Jana is an Awareness Artist who identifies as a non-binary person of color with an invisible disability. Tiffany leverages a variety of mediums to raise awareness about diversity and equity to bring people together across differences. Tiffany has been featured in the New York Times, Fast Company, Huffington Post, Forbes, Inc Magazine, and Psychology Today. In addition, Tiffany is the best-selling author of four commercially published books, a leader in the social enterprise business community, an award-winning public speaker, and has just launched a YouTube docuseries called “Life with Doc Jana.” Take it away, Doc...
Coffee
& Community
Urban Hang Suite is the place to go to sip, meet, connect, and just chill. Everything from the inspiring murals to the nostalgic art supports the uplifting of the people’s vibe. Urban Hang Suite is a whole mood conveniently situated on 3rd and Broad featuring light fare and plenty of caffeine to start your day.
If coffee isn’t your thing, Saadia’s JuicebBox and Yoga Bar (pictured) is around the corner on 2nd and Marshall. Saadia’s vibe is bright and refreshing and offers a menu of fresh juices, smoothies, açaí bowls and healthy fare. Be sure to check the events calendar because there’s a yoga studio in the back and I’ve met some of the most gifted yoginis in Richmond in that studio (I’m looking at you Syd the Yogini).
Perception Organic Spa in Carytown offers a luxurious oasis for a quick escape from the hustle and bustle. The owner takes great care to create a meticulously intentional, nurturing experience for all of her clients. Whether you want a pedicure, a polish change, or a massage, you will enjoy the experience from beginning to end. And if you're hungry after being pampered, head across the street to Sen Organic Small Plate (pictured) for homemade Vietnamese cuisine curated by the owner of the spa! You'll recognize the attention to detail and the tropical aesthetic across the street as well. The spa serves hot herbal tea all day, and the sister restaurant, Sen, boasts my favorite tea selection in the city. Be sure to peruse the tea menu!
Richmond Hill is an ecumenical retreat center that sits at the highest point in the city. Its story is Richmond legend and it’s right up my alley as it’s a facility that has historically and continues to support the spiritual health of the city. It has a focus of racial reconciliation and a beautiful chapel where I love to pray and reflect. The walking labyrinth provides a moving meditation for the restless mind and a stunning garden for quiet contemplation. There’s a bookstore and library for people seeking spiritual support and guidance. I completed my first silent retreat there, and there are countless programs and offerings for fellow travelers from all walks, faiths, and traditions. They even have residencies for people ready to devote a season of their lives to service. Whether you already have the answers or you are seeking greater connection and inspiration—Richmond Hill offers solace and sanctuary to everyone.
vol. 106 / Silent 🤫Sarah Choi provides her tips on how to enjoy this place we love to call home.
VOL. 106 / SILENT
This week's issue is all about slowing down, finding space for yourself, and connecting with this place we love to call home. With that goal in mind, let's meet your guest editor, Sarah Choi. You may know Sarah from the unique experiences she has created around RVA, such as Silent Reading Party, which encourages Richmonders to carve out an intentional quiet space in our busy lives for reading the old fashioned way. And who couldn't use a quiet moment during this busy holiday season?! Sarah, who is also a marketing consultant working to connect hospitality businesses with the Richmond community, has three favorite tips to provide during this busy time of year. Take it away, Sarah….
Blanchard's
Coffee Co.
The month I moved to Richmond six years ago, I got my coffee destinations mixed up and walked into Blanchard's Coffee Co.'s roasting facility on Westwood Avenue thinking it was a coffee house. They very kindly offered me a fresh cup of coffee anyway. I'm so glad their first, actual coffee house is now open on Broad Street, just minutes from my office. It's minimal decor always provides an aesthetically serene start to the day (until the coffee kicks in). Oh, and I still love stopping by their roasting facility on Westwood Avenue where they offer free public coffee cuppings every Friday at 10:30 am.
If I can claim to be a regular at any Richmond restaurant, Fighting Fish in historic Jackson Ward would be it! I'm there almost every week, and all the servers know what I order, every time. My favorite is Chirashi, a traditional Japanese rice bowl topped with sashimi, but sometimes I will get poke bowls. Having grown up in Korea, I am always searching for properly seasoned sushi rice and Chef Billy always hits the right rice vinegar, salt and sugar balance.
Work takes me all over the city seeing many people every day, so intentionally quieting down is a regular practice. I can't always get to it raising a toddler, but my favorite experience is to attend a sound bath at Lucid Living, resting and listening to the ethereal sound of Himayalan Singing Bowls. Everything is made of energy, which emits frequency, and after an hour of listening to the beautiful sound that fills the room, I feel more in tune with everything and everyone.
Represent Richmond well in our comfy cotton t-shirt emblazoned with a hand-drawn design. Yes, that's Richmond's airport code. We consider this tee perfect attire for traveling this holiday season, gift giving, or enjoying a lazy day off. Trust us — it's so super soft, you'll be wearing it everywhere.
vol. 105 / Trask 🎨Artist Ed Trask provides his tips on how to enjoy this place we love to call home.
VOL. 105 / TRASK
It just doesn’t get much more Richmond than this week's guest editor, our friend Ed Trask. After growing up in Loudoun County, Ed moved to the River City and enrolled in VCU’s painting program. While in school, he spent every waking hour playing music in the mid-80’s punk scene and creating art. After many attempts to garner gallery attention, Ed decided to do it his own way and began turning the dilapidated buildings around RVA into his canvas. Long before mural artists were regularly celebrated in this town, Ed painted directly onto buildings, perhaps a bit illegally at times, until the city was covered. He continued this approach around the world as he played with popular bands like the Holy Rollers, Kepone, Corntooth, and AVAIL. Today, his work is found in many permanent collections including Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Gap, Capital One, and Fortune Magazine. He’s also the co-founder of RVA Street Art Festival and can regularly be spotted around Richmond supporting any good cause that pushes our community forward. With that in mind, we give you Ed’s tips for enjoying this place we call home…
Morning
Run
My addiction to morning running takes me on an ever-changing, ever-seeing circle around the James River Park System. The River City that I see on these runs resides deep inside of me. It inspires me, it inspires all of us. Running through Oregon Hill, I begin by waving to the ghosts in Hollywood Cemetery; cringe when I pass the spot where an old half-pipe used to sit (first ramp that I tried dropping in on); and reflect on some crazy times in the many Hill houses. Winding down the hill toward the footbridge to Belle Isle, I listen for the rhythm of a train to set my cadence and then start the trek over the river, stopping occasionally to see if I can spot any catfish or gar in the water below. Sixty steps on Belle Isle, I take the first right to circle the old quarry as the morning light shoots around the trees atop the quarry cliffs. Hollywood Rapids pound east to the right. The river smells, like stale PBR, and the island feels lush with winding trails of clay and exposed tree roots. It’s an island of past overwhelming suffering and lost industry, and now a place of respite and rejuvenation. Near the old hydroelectric power plant, I take in the Habitat Restoration Project, the bike pump track, and then head over the access bridge above the rocks toward the stairs that lead to the Buttermilk Trail. Sometimes, I’ll take the trail to Forest Hill park or follow the extension path that brings you to the Lee Bridge to see Joshua Wiener's metal circle sculptures. Within this section of Richmond’s Southside there are climbing walls, city overlooks, trails, stairs, and the beginning of the Floodwall path underneath art-like pylons holding up the Manchester Bridge. You’ll also spot the crew change on trains, monikers and graffiti on rail cars, and those simply taking in the sights and sounds from the T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge. No matter your reason for being there, listen to the roar of the water, breath in, breath out, and be humbled by the beauty of this city.
Some years back, I was in a frantic state. My first real solo show was opening in 10-minutes at Glave Kocen Gallery, and I was running on fumes. On top of it, I had a writer who was doing a piece on me and following me around asking questions. Months of pushing in the studio, not sleeping, and trying to empty everything I had inside onto the walls for the public to see, was pushing me to fits of crying or raging tantrums over nothing. As people started to fill the gallery, I panicked and ran out the door and into Heritage restaurant across the street. At the bar, Mattias Hagglund sat down a rye neat and gave me a calming smile. Seeing the state I was in, co-owners Joe and Emilia Sparatta brought out plates of food. I was home. I believe from that day on I realized that Heritage was much more than great food and cool bartenders. Joe and Emilia regularly invite Richmond to break bread with them and to understand that we are all human and need help from others. Today, Heritage still serves as an inclusive place where the food doesn’t just give you comfort, it gives you an opening—a portal—to attach your own personal storylines to the well-thought-out entrees and cocktails.
There are a handful of places I like to go to when I feel like I’m creatively shooting blanks and chasing my own tail. Beyond the James River, I like to park a couple of blocks from the VMFA so that I can walk into its grandeur. There, I tend to make my way to the second floor and spend some time with my friends. These aren't people—they’re paintings that never stop informing me. They talk to me, they challenge me. These paintings are like private, personal best friends that you can complain to. One of those paintings is by Edward Hopper. This painting has brought me to tears on many occasions. It’s rich and complex, and it can be reinvestigated over and over again. Please people, please—go see the beautifully curated Edward Hopper exhibit at the VMFA. After leaving the VMFA, I like to stop by Can Can for a chocolate croissant, hit Chop Suey Books and bbgb, and throw down an Ellwood Thompson salad before heading back to my studio. Whatever you decide to do, I recommend putting aside everything on your plate at the moment and head to VMFA right now. Seriously, right now.
Here Weekly and Grid Supply Co. have teamed up with artists like Emily Herr to create cocktail glasses that celebrate Emily's Girls! Girls! Girls! portrait series and Hamilton Glass to spotlight his famous #Whosham RVA logo. Both glasses are laser-etched by Richmond based Big Secret. We're now ready to make something special with Ed Trask. Do you have a favorite Trask creation that should find its way onto a cocktail glass or maybe something else? We want to hear your ideas for a chance to be featured.
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