Nikolai Morse '24
Editor-in-Chief
Upon seeing the ominous headline, “Rain, Some Sleet and Snow Soon,”[1] I found myself wondering why I didn’t stay in the Midwest. At least in Chicago, you know that February is going to be a rough month, but in Charlottesville, you can hope for some truly beautiful weather as what passes for “winter” here winds down. But, as we all know, there can be no despair without hope.[2] And, while I am an eternal optimist, the news that Canada’s groundhog, Fred La Marmotte, was found dead only hours before his Groundhog Day prediction does not bode well.[3] So, in my eternal effort to be an optimist, I will do my best to hope for the speedy arrival of springtime weather. In service of that dream, I will present some of my favorite springtime activities in Charlottesville for your consideration.
Hiking
Alright, hiking is probably the most obvious activity that you can cite when someone asks you for a list of things to do in Charlottesville. But, just like that great quote from The Kite Runner about clichés,[4] it’s #1 for a reason. The hiking in and around Charlottesville is awesome. Whether it’s walking up the Saunders-Monticello Trail or taking a jog around the Ragged Mountain Reservoir, the Blue Ridge Mountain Tunnel, or the UVA classic, Old Rag Mountain, you will never regret a few hours spent getting outside. My biggest gripe about Charlottesville has to do with how UVA students do themselves a massive disservice by only going to bars and vineyards, which in general present the same experience repackaged into different locations.
Breweries
Breweries, on the other hand, are way, way different. For one thing, they serve beer, which is clearly the superior form of soft liquor. For another, rather than people at wineries wearing sundresses and Sperry Top-Siders, breweries have real salt-of-the-earth types. You know, people like me, who wear Sperry Top-Siders at school, but then change into a flannel and a Carhartt beanie. But by far the best reason to get into breweries in Charlottesville is that we have so many great ones, including Random Row, Rockfish, Blue Mountain Brewery,[5] Champion Brewing, and Decipher Brewing.[6] Especially when the weather is good, is there anything better than hanging out with your friends—one of whom preferably has a dog—and grabbing an IPA and a seat outdoors? Even better, why not combine hiking and brewing, and walk on the Rivanna Trail from the Law School to Woolen Mills for a beer at Selvedge Brewing?
Music
Some of you may know, in an abstract sense, that a ton of great music comes to Charlottesville. But again, in the hopes of helping you to actually go see some music other than the Law School band at Crozet,[7] here are a couple of my favorite spots. For the big names, you should go to Ting Pavilion. They get the same caliber of big names as JPJ, but you’re outdoors. So much better. For more medium-sized acts with some really interesting smaller groups, head to the Southern Café and Music Hall, and The Jefferson Theater. As a bonus, the Southern also has open-mic nights every Monday for all you aspiring standup comedians.[8] And for everyone looking to see the hottest act in town—aka your own classmates doing karaoke? Dürty Nelly’s on Wednesday nights. Lastly, you absolutely cannot miss Charlottesville’s best musical event/festival of the year, Porchella. Hosted in this writer’s own neighborhood of Belmont, Porchella is a day of performances by a variety of Charlottesville’s best musicians, held on the front porches of Belmont-ians,[9] and it is hands-down one of the best days of the year in Charlottesville.
Moral of the Story: Go Play Outside
In closing, I hope that this article can help some of you get out of the North Grounds bubble and experience a little bit more of the vast bounty of activities that Charlottesville has to offer. I promise that you will cherish your memories of getting out of the Law School area much more than you will another hour spent studying in the library, or, even worse, going to a pregame in Pav. You deserve better. You are worth more. Get out there, and have some fun this spring.
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cpg9jy@virginia.edu
[1] Reported by one of Charlottesville’s fledgling news organizations, NBC29. https://www.nbc29.com/2023/02/11/rain-some-sleet-snow-soon/. The Virginia Law Weekly, as always, is honored to help the reputation of its lesser-known imitators and is happy to lend the folks at NBC29 some pointers any time.
[2] Bane, The Dark Knight Rises (2012). And just like the prison in The Dark Knight Rises, we are all trapped in a prison with ever-present freedom, ever out of reach. But it is a prison of our own making. Do we need to join specialty journals in order to put something impressive on our resume, or to fill a void deep inside? Do we need to be on the board of student organizations because we’re genuinely excited about their missions? Or do we do it to delay the inevitable moment when we go home and sit in silence, alone with our thoughts and the terrible knowledge that compound interest is destroying our futures as we speak? Do we need to write an article on a topic that I am clearly still trying to decide upon as I write this very sentence—fun things to do in Charlottesville in the spring, boom—or are we simply paying penance to the current Editor-in-Chief, Dana Lake ’23? Definitely penance. Turn your articles in on time, Law Weeklywriters.
[3] First, is there a more Canadian or Groundhog-ian name than “Fred La Marmotte”? Holy maple leaf! Second, while usually we don’t—and shouldn’t—concern ourselves with what Canada thinks about anything, if there is one thing they know, it is winter. Jordan Mendoza, Fred La Marmotte, Canada’s Groundhog, Found Dead Hours Before Groundhog Day Prediction, USA Today, (Feb. 2, 2023),
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2023/02/02/fred-la-marmotte-dead-groundhog-day/11171427002/.
[4] “A creative writing teacher at San Jose State used to say about clichés: ‘Avoid them like the plague.’ Then he’d laugh at his own joke. The class laughed along with him, but I always thought clichés got a bum rap. Because, often, they’re dead-on. But the aptness of the clichéd saying is overshadowed by the nature of the saying as a cliché.” If I’m being honest, my favorite thing about this quote is how Khaled Hosseini’s creative writing teacher probably really regretted buying all of his friends copies of the book by “this famous author I knew when he was in my class at SJ State.”
[5] Fun fact, this is actually the first brewery I ever went to, during a road trip in college.
[6] 100% veteran-owned and operated!
[7] Also, what ever happened to the band? Are we just not going to talk about this?
[8] Who obviously are really just hoping to pivot into a lucrative podcasting career pretending they’re not political commentators.
[9] I can promise you that I am only sharing this secret because of a deep moral obligation to share a beautiful thing with the world. Enjoy the music, and stay off my lawn.