Observing & Describing

Shafor & West Franklin St to North Harrison St & West Franklin St.

Ten thirty in the morning

18 October 2024

Cold breeze, especially in the shade, warm melting sun

I saw a pink truck, cars parked along the street, two speed bumps, a person sitting on the stoop, and the thick sun shining down through the trees and in between buildings. I noticed the gray sidewalk and the houses that seemed residential rather than VCU-owned. I noticed the blooming plants, despite Virginia's cold autumn nights. I noticed the Iron or brass accessories that decorate one's backyard and house. I noticed the excessive amount of posters on the lamp pole that they had morphed together into one, and the red and white checkered tile that decorated their small front porches that were hugged by a thick brick railing.

There were cars flowing in the normal pattern along the street. Going left as the road is one way. I didn't see any bikes or motorcycles. I saw a truck parked in the loading zone, two cars parked in front of Oh! Mochie, ProPublica to retrieve a donut or a sugary drink. There were plenty of cars lining West Franklin Street, except for the loading zone areas.

The buildings: The building goes from block to block, with barely enough room to breathe in between. There is a new brick building right next to my building, which seems fancier standing tall next to the older townhouses that fill the rest of the block. The buildings are mostly brick, or different variations at least of the same color, mudded red-brown.

Around the corner the shops start and the residential houses break. There is a famous pizza shop across the street that is now double yellow. Next to the pizza shop is a cafe. I have never been to this cafe despite the fact that I would slam my pussy on the concrete for a vanilla coffee. Across the pizza shop is a kitchen shop, they have healthy food, mostly hippies with tattoos and millennials with big fake glasses too big for their faces. The kitchen completes this block before warping to the right to continue with more shops. The street is filled with zooming cars, also temporarily parked cars, and folks probably just picking up food. The sidewalks are lined with zigzag bricks, some are loose and they sound hollow underneath your feet. This street (North Harrison Street) Is lined with a slap, graffiti stickers, posters, and unfortunately some trash as well.

Most of the license plates pinned to the front and back of the cars are Virginia, one Georgia, two Florida, and one North Carolina plate. I assume these folks are out-of-state students attending VCU. Perhaps they are here visiting Richmond, maybe for the folk festival. The cars are going one way on West Franklin Street. The people move in both directions on either end of the sidewalk. I pass 5 people going the opposite direction as me, on my side of the sidewalk and there are two people in front of me that I am following to the end of the block until we are divided by the four-way traffic stop.

There are tons of posters hanging on the corkboard outside the cafe and stickers all over the telephone poles. There are street signs saying one way and tons of parking signs “No parking Wednesday 6 am-7 pm” “No parking Loading zone” and “3 Hour Parking.” There are so many posters stapled to the telephone poles they are peeling as one thick layer from the wood.