On the Road: Richmond, VA

Even though I live in one of the most amazing places in the world and have serious FOMO any time I leave, every now and then I do get the urge to get off the island and explore the realm outside NYC. Recently, I did just that and took a short train trip south to the charming city of Richmond, VA.

Not only is Richmond a delightful place in its own right, with tree-lined roads and wrap-around porches, but it's also a hotbed of amazingly beautiful street art, which is why it was on my radar in the first place. For the past 5 years, the city has been covering its public walls with art, in large part due to the efforts of the Richmond Mural Project, and the results have been nothing short of awe-inspiring.

Featuring works created by internationally-renowned artists in a phenomenal outdoor gallery of amazingness is reason enough to make Richmond, Virginia a world-class city and just might be the perfect weekend getaway for us East Coasters.

PIXEL PANCHO, hailing from Italy, has a few walls in town, like this animatronic canine and outer space selfie-love wall.

ROA, from Belgium, brings a tower of tortoises and an arrow-impaled bird, both in larger-than-life proportions.

JERKFACE, with his playful illustration style, keeps the humor on the streets of Richmond.

INKTEN & CLOGTWO have blended their styles as graphic designer and graffiti writer to create works that are both beautiful and thought-provoking.

JASON WOODSIDE makes use of pattern and color in his urban-friendly designs.

ARYZ, a contemporary muralist from Spain, creates detailed and colorful illustrative works for Richmond.

EKUNDAYO has created surreal imagery on the walls of this urban landscape.

NILS, who calls Richmond home, has painted incredible beauty using a limited color palette which provides strength and intrigue to his works.

MEGGS uses color and motion to create dramatic walls for the city.

LELO , from Brazil, portrays imagery of animals with geometric styling.

DAVID FLORES has left whimsical Woodstocks floating throughout this Southern city.

If you are planning a trip to the River City (RVA), a great resource is the Richmond Mural Project Website, which lists all addresses for the walls from the past 5 years. If you are looking for that awesome D*FACE wall or a friendly smile from SONNI, I would start there first. From there, get lost and explore all that is Richmond. The locals are happy to share their city and a smile as I quickly learned. You are certain to find some hidden treasure around every corner. Trust me. You won't be disappointed.