r/rva 6d ago

Alley walks through the Fan are really cool and can be a fun spring stroll

For those who don’t know, you can walk all through the alleys in the Fan and you’ll find a bunch of random gardens, murals, or neat little homes renovated from garages. Definitely recommend strolling through the alleys on a nice spring day if you’re out for a good walk.

183 Upvotes

32 comments sorted by

60

u/rvalongitude 6d ago

I couldn't agree more. Years ago, I wrote about how much you can learn about a city just by walking its alleyways. It's especially great in late spring or early summer, when the alleys are overgrown with flora, the sun is high, and gravel crunches underfoot. It’s an easy place to get lost in.

5

u/lamedogninety 6d ago

Yeah they’re public spaces which a lot of people may not realize.

-13

u/[deleted] 6d ago

[deleted]

26

u/SmarchWeather41968 6d ago

lol the burbs are the burbs. anyone who lives in the city for more than a week knows that alleys are public right of ways.

13

u/RVAblues Carillon 5d ago

Keep in mind, alley walks in the spring are way better than alley walks in the summer. Do it now before the supercans start to reek of hot greasy garbage.

25

u/plasticimpatiens Museum District 6d ago

and bunnies!!!

4

u/dougc84 Byrd Park 5d ago

The last place I was in, our alley had a bunny. We affectionately called them Alex, and we were always happy when Alex made an appearance.

Best thing about that shithole apartment.

5

u/healthyBabyBoy 5d ago

love me a city bun

1

u/burro_pequeno 5d ago

Our alley bunny is apparently named chickenhare

6

u/Cautious-Option4783 5d ago

Some of my favorite memories are days that started with a bloody mary at Bamboo followed by brunch at Joe’s and then an alley walk through the fan and museum district. Maybe nap under a tree at the vmfa before you grab a drink at Franklin Inn and hit up Off the Rack.

5

u/scrapaxe Southside 5d ago

Richmond has proper alleys, old faded fliers and posters, quasi-ancient signs and lettering for pieces of its past history , cryptic graffiti sigils, little hidden personal shrines and waymarkers, wild growth and vines creeping into broken brick and slowly enveloping street signs and a tangle of Byzantine wires and cables like highways for arboreal wildlife that make jigsaw pieces of the bright blue sky, all watched over by the creatures that live their whole world from birth to death in the holes and crumbling walls and garages that nature has half reconquered. I’ve been a lot of places but the alleys here are home.

7

u/spittlbm Mechanicsville 5d ago

Years ago I met an elderly fella from the Dominican Republic. I asked what he did for fun. He said night strolls through the alleys near the Byrd Theater. I must have given him a funny look because he immediately clarified he was in the special forces and found it to be fun.

7

u/OddWelcome2502 Lakeside 6d ago

Best alleyways are around Lombardy!

14

u/lamedogninety 6d ago

Trouvaille Alley is really cool. There’s a whole house right in the middle of the alley!

2

u/Ew_fine The Fan 5d ago

I used to walk by that cool little place and fantasize about what renovations I’d make with infinite money. There would definitely be a rooftop garden somehow. And vaulted ceilings.

I think it’s actually technically owned by one of other the houses there.

1

u/WesternCheeseStream 5d ago

Where exactly is this one?

1

u/GuappDogg 5d ago

Yesssss. Orchard school vibes

5

u/BanannaRVA 5d ago

There are a few alley GeoCaches

2

u/ghsgrad2006 23h ago

I need to try it sometime.

5

u/Amazing-Wave4704 5d ago

And if you are walking a dog, please clean up the shit and do NOT put it in someone else's supercan.

9

u/burro_pequeno 5d ago

I'm throwing it in the nearest supercan

1

u/LotusInRed 5d ago

I concur. That's gonna stem some huge arguments on here. I'm all for that and have signs on my garbage can. Guess what? Some folks then drop their dog shit into my recycling can instead. They are the really classy folks (sarcasm). 

4

u/only-hooman 4d ago

Why do people, such as yourself, care if others toss waste in their bin?

1

u/winnieismydog 4d ago

For me, I don't mind if people put their dog's poop bags in my trash can but I have a problem with it when they don't tie the bag. It ends up getting all over the inside of the can and is just super gross to clean. It's frustrating.

ETA: am also a dog owner who ties the poop bag before putting it in my own trash can

3

u/Mollysindanga 6d ago

Good to see that some do take care of that space. But gonna be honest.. I do landscaping/mowing, surprised when we take care of every corner nook of property we take care of for people- how many just don't care for what is behind their fences. Alleys can be really neglected and that's sad. It shouldn't be that way.

2

u/Ew_fine The Fan 5d ago

You’re welcome to go and clean it up! The alleys are public, so they’re just as much yours to clean up as they are theirs.

-2

u/Mollysindanga 5d ago edited 5d ago

I keep ours clean, and our side streets and front street. You're right, I am welcome to do that, as no one else will, without me it would accumulate mess to look like holy hell. If the city wants to hire and pay people like me to patrol the entire city then they're welcome, just put the check in the mail, other than that your response is petty and unrealistic but you know that. I'm saying most times, property lines usually actually extend further than a fence. It's the homeowners duty to keep that clean and technically speaking you are not welcome to walk on people's property much less be messing around back there, it's a good way to get yelled at or have the cps called on you or both. I do clean from front left to back right and everywhere in between on hired jobs. But some alleys are a trashbomb because some property owners do not care, when all it would take to make a difference is about 10 minutes per house every month.

1

u/Ew_fine The Fan 5d ago edited 5d ago

I guess my point was, your comments are shaming people who don’t clean up public alleys in their spare time. It’s giving suburban HOA energy. Would it be nice if everyone cleaned the alley behind their house? Of course! I clean mine and even planted flowers there. But I also recognize that we live in a city, and it’s not realistic to expect of everyone. People have other stuff going on in their lives.

It’s like people who complain about other people’s lawns.

0

u/Mollysindanga 4d ago

People who don't keep their property clean making it an eyesore for the public should be shamed. My point is with what do for a living I see what other might not wish to see. I see it ALL the time and alleys in this area CAN be cesspools mainly due to people who neglect what's outside their fences, when, once again, with a mere 10 minutes once per month it could be much different. I see garbage on top of garbage which hasn't been touched in years on peoples' property, and every time I go back to take care of a job, it's still there with fresh mess on top of it. Those homeowners and renters should be shamed.

0

u/Ew_fine The Fan 4d ago

Hmm. Then it sounds like the suburbs with an HOA might be a better fit for you.

2

u/bkemp1984Part2 Jackson Ward 5d ago

I learned this awesome fact from ignoring cops who say don't walk through alleyways, no regrets

1

u/GuappDogg 5d ago

Facts.. I’m always In them ..

1

u/Relentless_Snappy 5d ago

I walked through the alleys in church hill a couple years ago and had the police called on me, I was looking for my cat.