birthday on the town

And speaking of art and gift wrap, yesterday was my birthday -- and what a delightful day I had! I worked into the wee hours the night before so that I could take the day off and spend it with Bob. We had a lovely morning walk through Richmond's Fan District, a late breakfast at CanCan (a charming French brasserie-style restaurant), and then spent the afternoon at the newly renovated and expanded Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

We stopped mid-afternoon for a late lunch / early dinner at a new restaurant inside the museum. With its light-filled modernist interior and a tea / small plates menu that had me craving every item on the list, it was an utter treat for the senses. In addition to a celebratory bottle of prosecco (for the keys to selecting a great bottle, read this recent Wall Street Journal article), we also shared: a delicious salad of local greens with dried cherries, glazed pecans, and goat cheese; some "polenta fries" with a rich and smoky tomato dipping sauce; and a cheese plate that was itself a work of art.

The one disappointment of the day was that no where in the museum could I find a display discussing the recent renovations or providing insight into the architectural decisions that have resulted in a building of compelling contrasts: old and new, light and dark, spacious and cave-like. I had to head online to learn more about the project, which was designed by London-based firm, Rick Mather Architects.

Here are a couple photos I snapped while we were at the museum -- one of a section of the new Asian Art wing that I thought was particularly well done, and one of the beautifully integrated landscape architecture over and around the new parking deck. To read more and see a variety of great photos of the project, head over to the project page on the Rick Mather Architects website.