Day 2

Day's Traveling
    Start: NA

    End:  NA

Total Travel Hours

     Joanna: 7 hours  21mins (car)

     Alex: 6 hours 16mins (car)

States Traveled through:

New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland* and Virginia (5/10)
*only 14 miles were traveled in this state 

Today Tori had class from 8AM-12PM and then had to read some chapters for class the next day. 

Jo and I did not wake up with Tori and instead slept until 10 and 9:30, respectively.  Once Jo woke up we went for a light jog around UVA. We ended up running a total of 2.58 miles over the course of a half hour. Our goal is to be running for 5 miles by the time we get to Reno. 

After our jog we cleaned up and planned dinner. Tori came back from class and drove us over to Harris Tetter (the local grocery store). We picked up our supplies for dinner and then on the way back Tori dropped us off at the beginning the mall in downtown Charlottesville. 

The banners that are on every lamp post in the mall area and our first view of downtown

We stopped and got some coffee from the Mud House. It was delicious and warmed us up. We stopped in some stores, including a rare and reuse book store. There was a really cute corgi inside, half the reason we decided to stop in, that was very friendly. After shopping around we stumbled up on the chalk wall. 

The 1st amendment chalk wall

The chalk wall is a place for visitors to leave their mark and have their say. Their are several quotes chiseled out from great speakers such as Thurgood Marshall (a prominent person during the Civil Rights movement) along with several quotes from people passing by. Jo and I added our mark with the handy chalk!! 

"Road tripping w/ my favorite Allies, Jo and Alex 2011"

The wall was very cool and then we made our way to the visitors center/ transportation center. We were able to find a few maps that offered information about the area including a walking tour of the historic sites of downtown Charlottesville. 

We followed the guide through the downtown area. The tour highlighted several civil war memorials, historic houses and historic business district buildings. You can find more pictures with descriptions on my facebook account. 

"Stonewall" Jackson statue which is supposedly one of the best equestrian statues in the world

The sights were amazing and the sky/lighting were perfect for taking pictures. Jo and I had a lot of fun touring the city. 

Taking a break to play some checkers in Lee Park

Following our navigation through historic Charlottesville we hopped on the free trolley back to UVA's campus. The trolley was great, had a great conversation with a local fellow concerning the economic status of New Jersey and Pennsylvania versus Virginia and we also were able to see some more sights while remaining warm. The stadium is huge! I can't even imagine playing in-front of that many people! so nerve racking. 

We got off the trolley and headed to the special exhibits on UVA in the special collections library. The current exhibits highlighted a Virginia city that had been the home of several different groups throughout history, the effects of increased globalization on politics, American propaganda during the second World War and the United States presidents. Although you weren't supposed to take pictures we snapped a few. Hey, no one was around! 

The Karma Sutra- UVA has a collection of all the Tibetan sutras (not the originals because they were destroyed)

 Following the exhibits we went back to the apartment, hungry and cold. Tori was still doing some work so Jo and I made dinner (after snaking on the delicious chips and salsa we had purchased earlier in the day). Our Tilapia tacos were wonderful, but a little too filling. Before we could go out again we had to let the food settle. 

Once settled, Tori, Jo and I headed out again. The temperature dropped so we had to bundle up before setting out. We walked around the rotunda and special dormitories in the center of  campus. 

one of the only pictures that came out, a walkway near the Rotunda

The campus is amazing (but my camera doesn't work very well at night) and Thomas Jefferson is everywhere!! The center of campus is actually full of houses and single dormitories. The students who live here are specially selected and professors are specially selected to live in the houses. Each of the houses is designed in a different architectural style, while remaining consistent with the overall look of the school. Tori also told us about some of the secret societies on campus (even though they aren't so secret because they leave their mark everywhere!). 

Z secret society, member reveal who they are when they die

 After our night tour of the deserted campus we headed to a bar to watch part of the Orange Bowl. At Boylan Heights we ordered the Jomo Larger, a beer from the local Starr Hill Brewery. 

Jo and I ordered two lagers from the local Starr Hill Brewery

The Orange bowl was between Stanford and Virginia Tech. Support for Virginia Tech splits the campus as several people dislike the school and at the same time several people either went to or live in the area near Virginia Tech. The bar was split into two levels, the first wanted Stanford to win and the second, Virginia Tech. We left before the game was over, but the score was in favor of Stanford. 

After the bar it was back to the apartment, Tori has class again tomorrow and Jo and I were pretty tired from all the walking/running we did today.