For women only, although significant others may learn a thing or two by reading.
By Catherine Chapman Mosley
As (partially) featured in The Roanoke Times, July 20, 2008
We have all been there…in dire need of some girl time. Not just dinner out or a few hours at the spa… We’re talking a CONCENTRATED block of time to have good conversation, hang out time, wine (of course!), chick flicks, shopping, and pampering….
For my 43rd birthday, all I wanted was some time with my girlfriends. Laura from Raleigh suggested rendezvousing somewhere central, perhaps Richmond. Washingtonians Pam and Gail were also game for a getaway. I was coming from Lynchburg, so we all had a two-hour drive, except Laura who clocked in at three and a half hours. Finally, we were all in good negotiating positions with our significant others. The plan was hatched.
My husband surprised me on our fifth anniversary with a Romance Package at The Jefferson hotel in Richmond. When the ladies and I discovered their Girlfriends’ Getaway package, Virginia’s capital city appeared to be the ideal destination for us. Pampering, shopping and catching up – in no specific order – well, perhaps the pampering first. We commenced planning and anticipating our needed excursion.
The four of us do a combination of working, volunteering, mothering, step-mothering and house-managing. The time flew by to our coveted weekend. Along the way, we were contacted by hotel revenue manager Amy Clegg, who graciously scheduled our package amenities included manicures, pedicures and massages, based on arrival times. It was like having a personal assistant, someone else to take care of things for a while. Bliss!
Of course we needed to research restaurants and shopping areas. Enter Pam, UBER planner.
“I was at a party last night and one of the gals there came up from Richmond,” emailed Pam. “I asked her if she knew of any places to eat near the Jefferson Hotel. She thought and said: ‘hmmmm—that's in a really strange location. There aren't really any restaurants around there. And I really wouldn't walk around near the hotel at night. It's not a great neighborhood.’ (Which I guess is why the hotel concierge was having trouble coming up with any suggestions!) She said the hotel itself is fabulous and there are actually two restaurants IN the hotel—a fancy schmancy expensive one and a more casual one, both of which she said would be fine.”
We concluded that dining was not a top priority and that we would not stress about it. After all, this two-day/one-night excursion was about de-stressing! And managing to do as much as we could in 24+ hours...
Pam forwarded information on Carey Street shopping and on La Difference, a truly unique three-leveled modern furnishings store. A consensus solidified that these two destinations would be our priorities, since stores at malls like Short Pump and Stony Point Shopping Park are prevalent in Raleigh and DC. Being the only Pottery Barn-deprived sister, I conceded, which turned out to be an excellent decision.
The anticipated Saturday arrived. After missing my exit on Interstate 95, I was the third to arrive, shortly before 11 am. I found Pam and Gail lounging in the very ornate lobby, which revolves around a statue of Thomas Jefferson. A stained-glass “rotunda” ceiling and elegant décor welcomed us, and partly explained why The Jefferson is a 5-star hotel. We would learn that the service and amenities were equally deserving of this designation.
After some initial confusion about the actual elements of the girlfriend package, the front desk accommodated our early check-in and we could begin our 24-hour vacation. Our connecting rooms with two double beds each were ornate and spacious, and we were welcomed with spa baskets including oils, lotions and soaps from Molton Brown of London. We threw our bags in our rooms and headed back down to the spa, which Pam and Gail had already scoped out. Thus began three hours of cuticle clipping, massaging, polishing, chatting and continuous updates from Laura regarding her location. Note to self: Suggest GPS systems to her husband as well as mine for Christmas.
Freshly polished and renewed, we prepared for the next stop on our whirlwind jaunt. A complimentary shuttle transported us to Carey Street. After thoroughly questioning the driver, we discovered he was new to the Richmond area but loved the diversity and edginess of Carey Street, Shockoe Slip and Shockoe Bottom. We were eager to check them out, but food would be our first stop as it was nearly 3pm, and we had all skipped lunch to fit in pampering prior to shopping. Can Can Brasserie had been recommended by the hotel concierge, so we headed that way noting our post-lunch destinations along the interesting walk down Carey Street.
Can Can was surprising packed mid-afternoon. The maitre-d led us to the only empty table within site and handed us very small menus highlighting a small selection of “café faire.” After scanning the meager selections, we noticed the diners next to us were reading larger menus, which meant more selections. We borrowed one of theirs and salivated over the additional choices.
“May we order from this menu?” Pam asked our waitress.
“It’s 3:00, and we’ve switched to our café menu. I’m sorry.”
“But these people are just ordering from the larger menu,” said Gail.
“They had reservations. But let me check with my manager.”
To no avail – we were relegated to the café faire and too hungry to go anywhere else. Despite the inflexibility on the menu issue, the atmosphere was excellent - an attractive high-ceilinged space strung with tiny lights, tiled in black and white, large mirrors on the walls - an authentic Parisian flare. And - maybe it was because we were starving – but the food was top-notch. The salads were simple but made with quality ingredients, and Pam said the Croque Monsieur was one of the best she’d had this side of the Atlantic. Laura fretted about what she’d do with the leftover half of her sandwich – but it became a moot point after she devoured the whole thing. We left Can Can refreshed, fulfilled and ready for shopping.
Stumbling upon Mongrel a few storefronts away, I remembered shopping in this one-of-a-kind store years ago. Their slogan sums it up: Cool Stuff for All Breeds of Humans. Jammed-packed with stationary, cards, unique gifts for children and adults, the four of us broke up and explored on our own for a good 45 minutes. Gail found some beautiful art deco note cards for gifts (including a set for me for my birthday, which I love), and I found the most unusual and creative coloring book for my five-year-old son. Scribbles (www.chroniclebooks.com/tarogomi) challenges children by asking them to use their own artistic skills and imagination to expand on simple backgrounds.
Our next significant stop was Que Bella, a high-end shoe boutique. We happened to wander into the store during the last days of its Winter clearance, and upon hearing the clerk explain what the red dots on the boxes meant, Pam leapt to the front of the store to snag the last pair of Cordani boots in her size that had been marked down from $440 to $89 like “a jackrabbit leaving its cage” (as described Gail). Laura and Pam also snagged a pair of can’t-live-without-‘em $395 Isaac Mizrahi leopard-print flats for $89. And, after hearing from the very friendly clerk that Charlize Theron had just ordered that same pair of Cordanis that Pam scored, even I was inspired to buy a pair that Pam said would last forever. (And I must say that I have felt like a million bucks every time I have worn them since.)
Our final stop was For the Love of Chocolate. What a great place to browse while waiting for our return hotel shuttle! If you want something unusual made out of chocolate, this is the place to visit. I was in search of non-chocolate sweets for my son, and I happily discovered a section of pirate candies. I even found some “Jewish Mother” gum for my next door neighbor and friend, which I knew would bring a smile to her face. Pam, Gail and Laura bought a combination of sweet sensations, including New Tree Cocoon cinnamon chocolate bars for which Gail was searching high and low all over DC and couldn’t find. Pam discovered elusive favorites like mini Sugar Daddys, Zero bars, and Nik-L-Nips. This goldmine of candy stores also carries edible novelties from the sublime (giant-sized Smarties rolls, Smarties chewing gum, marshmallow-flavored lollipops that look just like the campfire favorite - on a twig-shaped stick) to the ridiculous (candy “french fries” with strawberry gel “ketchup” - which even the 5- and 7-year old boys they were bought for declared “disgusting”).
Loaded with shopping bags and a natural high from a successful retail trip, the hotel luckily sent the van rather than the Town Car for our return trip. Uncorking a bottle of wine, we toasted our bargains and ourselves and launched into major conversations and catch-up. This was also an impromptu birthday celebration for me! What was talked about in Richmond stays in Richmond.
Two hours later, we decided to find some sustenance within the hotel. Delighted to find an empty table within a jammed-packed hotel bar, we also found some light fare including delicious green salads and soups. Of course I needed a cheeseburger fix after such a light lunch, so I “gorged” ahead.
The night ended with a viewing of 27 Dresses. The only real chick flick on the hotel’s in-room selection list, two of us fell asleep, which is the most accurate review I can give.
Awaking for a change to the sun streaming through the sliver of window between the curtains and not to my adorable barking puppy, I felt relaxed and renewed and ready for another day of female fun. Gail and Pam wandered down the Jefferson’s fitness center for their 30-minute massages while Laura and I caught up one-on-one over coffee in the room before our turn for the final pampering. The massage reviews were mixed – I enjoyed the deep tissue and surprising fell back asleep; Gail’s masseuse talked throughout her massage so her experience was less than spectacular.
Hungry again, we ventured down to the included American breakfast. Here was the big disappointment. While eggs, grits, hash browns, breakfast meats and pastries are wonderful any day, we would much rather have experienced the elegance of the Jefferson’s Sunday Champagne Brunch (http://jeffersonhotel.com/dining_sundaybrunch.aspx). Of course we could have paid additional for it, but at the price of the hotel package, we decided to save for the final shopping destination.
La Difference International Furnishings is truly different. Three floors of funky, modern, unique furniture and accessories require a good two hours to explore, if not more. At Pam’s suggestion, we began on the top floor, which includes the clearance room and “LaDiff Kid” to which I quickly gravitated. Pam and Gail took camera phone pics of potential buys while I wracked up a few cool additions for my five-year-old’s room. Where were wall decals when I was creating his nursery? After this purchase, his bedroom has become an underwater paradise of sea turtles, rays, coral, bubbles and sea horses on what were plain, blue walls. I have since ordered more wall decals for my son’s playroom – planes and clouds we attached to the ceiling – simple decorations that define a room and create atmosphere.
My final purchase was a sturdy, vertical Sapiens bookcase (starting at $179). Made in Italy, it is a wonderfully practical storage solution for his many books and much more cost-effective than the swirling, wall-mounted Bookworm (starting at $425) I was considering. Pam bought a beautiful wooden side chair for her office desk. Pam emailed us after the trip, “My chair is perfect with my desk! Matches great, fits great.” Gail returned to Richmond a few weeks later to buy a Swedish media console she saw that day. It now supports her new flat-screen television, which she said positively transformed the design of her living room. The store furnishings truly made a difference for us!
Loading up these final purchases, my girlfriends and I said our good-byes and promised to make this a yearly pilgrimage. Where will our next getaway be? Stay posted…
Girlfriends Getaway Package, The Jefferson, 101 West Franklin Street, Richmond, Virginia 23220, www.jeffersonhotel.com, 800-424-8014.
Grab a girlfriend and join us for a "Girlfriends Getaway". Your package includes luxurious accommodations for two (with two double beds, of course), valet parking for two cars, Molton Brown gift basket for two, a 30-minute massage, manicure and pedicure for each of you, full American breakfast and gratuities for two, early check-in and late check-out. Advance reservations are required for the massages, manicures and pedicures. (Taxes not included.) Deluxe Accommodations: $550, Studio Suite Accommodations: $650.
Carytown: A Mile of Style, www.carytown.org/merchants.html
Can Can Brasserie, 3120 Cary Street, 804.358.PARIS, www.cancanbrasserie.com
Mongrel, 2924 West Cary Street, 804-342-1272, www.mongrelonline.com
Que Bella, 3105 West Cary Street, 804-249-6110, www.quebella.net
La Difference International Furnishings, 125 South 14th Street, 866-4LADIFF, www.ladiff.com
No comments:
Post a Comment