Good morning, RVA! It's 66 °F and rainy. The rain has a decent chance of sticking around through lunch, and then, after that, we’ll see cloudy skies with highs around 80 °F. Temperatures continue to climb through the weekend, though nothing like the triple-digit sweatfest from a week ago—just regular-type summer highs in the 90s. Saturday and Sunday mornings both look particularly lovely, so I hope you can find the time to enjoy them (maybe quietly with a warm beverage of your choice).
Water cooler
VPM’s Ian M. Stewart reports that a Portuguese company has signed a $55,000 deal to relaunch Richmond’s shuttered bike share system. Well, to make sure I’m getting it right, Stewart says “A company called We Go Share will help relaunch RVA Bike Share's software for $55,000.” Relaunching software might not be the same thing as relaunching the entire system, and $55,000 definitely won’t go very far when it comes to actually running and maintaining a bike share system. I’m excited to hear more. As of this morning, we still don’t have a reopening date for RVA Bike Share, but this definitely does seem like at least a first step in the right direction. Also interesting, the Portuguese company We Go Share, looks to have made a dedicated business out of relaunching abanadoned Bewegen bike share systems.
Today at 10:00 AM in their hard-to-reach office at the end of Laburnum Avenue, Richmond’s Electoral Board will host a special meeting to address that time they—maybe illegally—got rid of the City’s satellite early-voting locations. You can find their agenda here, but it’s a couple opportunities for public comment, “discussion regarding satellite voting locations in the City of Richmond,” and “discussion on Sunday voting.” Honestly, I feel weirdly optimistic about the Board reversing course and reinstating the two satellite voting locations, one at City Hall and one at the Hickory Hill Community Center. I certainly could be wrong, but the City has already allocated the money for running these locations and the City Attorney is on record questioning the Board’s decision-making. I’m sure we’ll hear more this afternoon, so keep an ear out!
I love the extremely regular and relatable restaurant reviews (although I hesitate to even call them that) from Axios Richmond’s Ned Oliver. This week he stopped by Slurp Ramen and The Emerald Lounge, two very different, but adjacent, places in Church Hill from the folks that brought you the Jasper. This little corner of the neighborhood is so different from even five years ago! Walking around a couple weeks back and I had one of the “whoa this feels like a real city” moments.
People deeply love live music, which is something folks tell me passionately over and over again so I’m inclined to believe them. If you are one of those people, tonight from 4:00–9:00 PM, go check out the inaugural 804 Day down at the 17th Street Market (on August 4th, naturally). You can expect: “A day of 15+ music performances across multiple stages and a hometown celebration of all things Richmond. Music from some of Richmond's most diverse indie talents, with the food, drink, arts, culture, and community energy that makes the 804 thrive.” Calling Richmond “the 804” reminded me that our region has just about run out of 804 phone numbers, and starting February 1st of next year, we’ll start to see new phone numbers with a hideous “686” area code, certainly a shameful badge for all who are forced to wear it. Anyway, live music, tonight, down at the market, and then if you want to continue to Pump Up the Jams, check out the rest of Richmond Music Week.
NBCNews reports that both of the Tennessee Justins have won their special elections for that state’s House of Representatives. The Justins (Jones and Pearson) will now officially return to an elected body that voted to expel them for protesting a lack of legislative action on gun violence. The reasoning for those expulsions will still fill you with rage months later: “A bullhorn was used, in violation of rules for the House chamber, and the legislators were gathered in an area on the House floor without being recognized to speak. House leaders at the time called their actions ‘an insurrection.‘“ Tennessee’s governor has called a special session for August 21st to address gun violence, or as he’s required frame it so his Republican partymates don’t instantly combust, “a special legislative session...to strengthen public safety and preserve constitutional rights.”
This morning's longread
The Last Place on Earth Any Tourist Should Go
This piece in the Atlantic about harmful overtourism in Antarctica reminds me of the Jeff Speck line, “If you love nature, stay the heck away from it.”
But it's also a record--and a 40 percent jump over 2019--20, the season before the coronavirus pandemic brought Antarctic travel to a near standstill. And although scientists who visit the continent to study its life and demise have a clear place here, many sightseers bring a whiff of "last-chance tourism"—a desire to see a place before it's gone, even if that means helping hasten its disappearance. Perversely, the climate change that imperils Antarctica is making the continent easier to visit; melting sea ice has extended the cruising season. Travel companies are scrambling to add capacity. Cruise lines have launched several new ships over the past couple of years. Silversea's ultra-luxurious Silver Endeavour is being used for "fast-track" trips--time-crunched travelers can save a few days by flying directly to Antarctica in business class. Overtourism isn't a new story. But Antarctica, designated as a global commons, is different from any other place on Earth.
If you’d like to suggest a longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol’ Patreon.
Picture of the Day
I love these old, iron...coal doors? Is that what they are?
