WELCOME TO
THE FAN! A student guidebook to living in one of Richmond’s greatest neighborhoods! | By Rob Green
4 | WELCOME TO THE FAN!
Welcome to The Fan! By Rob Green
is a guidebook geared toward students moving into one of Richmond’s most diverse and spectacular neighborhoods. It’s chock-full of information to make settling into The Fan easier than ever. Explore, discover, and enjoy! Brought to you by VCU and The Fan District Association.
Table of Contents
Where am I? Where should I ride my bike? Where do I take my mail? Where can I wash my clothes? Where can I get some grub?
6 | WELCOME TO THE FAN!
STREETS
BIKING
MAILBOXES
LAUNDROMATS
CHEAP EATS
8
10
12
14
16
TABLE OF CONTENTS | 7
Locating Position
STREETS OF THE FAN
The Surrounding Streets This refers to the four outling streets of The Fan in which lie the most traffic and and all the hub-bub: W Broad St. is a 15 mile strech of road that is the commercal
Pinpointing Your Location Learning the lay of the land will not only help you navigate this guidebook, but make living in The Fan that much easier.
center of the Greater Richmond area. It connects the suburban West End to Richmond’s inner city. In The Fan, W Broad is home to the places like the Science Museum of VA, and VCU’s Siegel Center. W Main St is the most active area in The Fan connecting the
Just by walking around your area you begin to get a sense of just exactly where different things are including parks, restaurants, stores, laundromats, etc. There are many great things, all within walking distance, and this is the guide to get you there.
VCU campus to a number of great resturaunts and shops. N Boulevard on the edge of The Fan is largely residential with the execption of the VA Museum of Fine Arts and a few others. Boulevard also pours out into some of Richmond’s most beautiful parks, right beyond the Fan.
Find out where you reside in The Fan using the map to the left to help you discover these and other great destinations. 8 | WELCOME TO THE FAN!
N Belvidere is the division between The Fan and the inner city and connects the North and South sides of Richmond.
FLOYD AVE
N BOULEVARD
IS ORR N M
SON
PINE
ERE
ST
EL S T
LAUR
ST
ER S T
SHAF
ST
ND S T
RYLA N HA RRI
N BE LVID
ST RY HER N C ST EN IND N L
BOYD
W FR ANKL IN S WEST T AVE AVE
H AV E
HANOVER AVE BIRC
AVE
ST
N HARVIE AVE
STUART AVE
AVE
N PLUM ST
MENT
N LOMBARDY ST
MONU
N VINE ST
PARK
N ALLEN AVE
N GRANBY ST
N MEADOW ST
ST
N DA VIS
SON
ST
ST
SON ST
N RO BIN
ERRY
N MU LB
N AL LI
KENSINGTON AVE
N ROWLAND ST
N SHIELDS AVE
STRAWBERRY ST
N STAFFORD AVE
GROVE AVE
W BR OA D ST
W GR AC E ST
W MAIN ST
STREETS OF THE FAN | 9
Riding Smart
BIKING IN THE FAN
Rules of the Road In the city, as opposed to rural areas, bikes are ridden on the road with traffic and obey the same rules a car would. This includes stopping at red lights and stop signs, signaling, and using lights.
Safety First These pieces of equipment are musthaves for those riding bikes in The Fan:
RIGHT
Helmet The single most important safety item you can
LEFT
own as cyclist. Wear properly to prevent cranial injury.
STOP
Bike Lock Whenever your bike is left outside, locking it up is a must. Lights By law, you are required to have a headlight as well as a red rear taillight and or red reflector to ride at nighttime.
10 | WELCOME TO THE FAN!
Hand Signals The hand signals below are for your safety and to let others know your intentions on the road.
W BR OAD
ST
W GR ACE
ST
MONU
MENT
PARK
HIGH
AVE
ROAD TRAFFIC
FINE
MEDIUM LOW
ROAD QUALITY
BUMPY ROUGH
AVE
KENSINGTON AVE STUART AVE HANOVER AVE GROVE AVE FLOYD AVE W MAIN ST
BIKING IN THE FAN | 11
Outgoing Mail
MAILBOXES OF THE FAN
The Importance of Paper Mail Even though the world is slowly becoming more tech-savy, the majority of business, at it’s heart, is still on paper. Even when purchasing goods online, it is still sent via mail to our respective businesses and residences. Because we still receive a good portion of our information on paper, keeping up with your daily mail is just as important as checking your e-mail inbox.
Security Mail theft is one of the leading causes of identity theft and credit card fraud in this country. Placing mail in a community bin or in your personal mail receptacle, greatly increases the risk. It is important to find a secure mailbox to protect your personal information from becoming exposed.
12 | WELCOME TO THE FAN!
US Mailboxes There are two types of US Mailboxes on the street, so do not be fooled! They serve two different purposes: Blue These are the collection boxes you plaice your daily mail into. These are usually emptied by 1:00 PM everyday. Green These boxes are for the on-foot mail carriers. The truck drops off the mail for that area, and a mail carrier comes by to distribute it.
BLUE COLLECTION BOXES
MAILBOXES OF THE FAN | 13
Washing Clothes
LAUNDROMATS OF THE FAN
The Coin Laundry
Average Costs
Many local renters do not have the luxury of an inhome washer/dryer. If you are lucky enough to have access to one, you’re rarely able to fit the whole heap into one load.
Quarters are the name of the game when it comes to the coin laundry. Not to worry, most laundromats will contain change conversion machines. Some may even have detergent dispensing machines.
By bringing your laundry the local laundromat you have industrial-strength washing and drying at your fingertips, not to mention the ability to take care of multiple loads at once.
Wash: $1.50 / load Dry: 25¢ / 6 minutes Total: $2.50 – $3 / load
14 | WELCOME TO THE FAN!
CAUTION: The Lost Sock When operating these machines in a public facility it is important to remember to keep an eye on your belongings. This means protecting against theft and making sure you leave with what you came with Bring a book or some form of entertainment so you won’t have to step away.
LAUNDROMATS
LAUNDROMATS OF THE FAN | 15
Chowing Down
CHEAP EATS OF THE FAN
Pizza Pies It’s cheap, quick, and feeds many people (or at least one really hungry person). Forget the crummy pizza chains and try some of these neighborhood hot spots:
Whether your into Egg rolls, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Lo Mein. Fried Rice, or Won-Ton Soup, The Fan has plenty of great AmericanizedChinese cuisine. Try these places for some wonderfully dirt-cheap delights: Fu Jian
2 The Robin Inn
1 2 3
(804) 353-7888
1
Chanello’s Pizza
(804) 358-3800 (804) 353-0298
3 Assante’s Pizza
16 | WELCOME TO THE FAN!
Chinese Food
(804) 353-7300
(804) 353-5888 Panda Veg (804) 359-6688 Good Taste
4 China Dragon (804) 354-9007
1
PIZZA
CHINESE
3 2
2
1
3
4
CHEAP EATS OF THE FAN | 17