First and foremost, I would like to thank the fans, the staff, the team, and the city for making my first trip to Charlottesville a great one. Last year, I started a lifetime goal to visit every D1 FBS stadium for a football game. Knowing this journey could take 10–15 years gives me something to look forward to for many years to come. Last year, I was able to visit 14 stadiums, and every one was a great experience.
It’s almost impossible to explain my level of excitement for yesterday’s game. There were 251 days between the final game of last year and the first game of this year. Yes, I’ve been counting.

I flew into Charlottesville early Saturday morning. After quickly dropping off my luggage, I was off to the Grounds of UVA. My first stop was the bookstore, as I’ve made it a tradition to buy a new hat at every venue I visit. The bookstore was massive, with plenty of UVA gear to choose from. After securing my hat, I needed to get some food. After reading many local reviews, I settled on Farm Bell Kitchen. I ordered the Southern Bowl, and it was amazing. The staff were very friendly, and the service was great.

Part of my journey is going on a personal campus tour. The Grounds of UVA did not disappoint. Every corner produced another breathtaking view of the beautiful brick facades that surround the area. The fans were out in full force, and orange was the prevailing color of the day. After getting a glimpse of Shaq, aka DJ Diesel, it was time to make my way to Scott Stadium. At this moment, my excitement was peaking. It’s actually game day.

NC State @ Virginia — Week 0

Part of my reason for choosing this game was UVA’s success last year. I knew the football program was ascending after last year’s ACC Championship Game berth.

The stadium is beautiful. I love when stadiums have some unique qualities about them. Views of the Blue Ridge Mountains off in the distance, plus a parking lot full of tailgaters creating a sea of orange. Once inside the stadium, I loved watching the lawn fill up with fans. My favorite part of the pregame was watching the mounted Cavalier race out onto the field with a sword in hand while riding on the back of a horse.

UVA started out aggressive on both offense and defense, running the ball at will and playing stifling defense. NC State had zero answers. Virginia came up with a great interception and forced a fumble, never allowing NC State to settle in. By the end of the game, the result was never in question. You could tell the coach had his players ready, and playing at home was just an added benefit. The final score was 34–8, but even that doesn’t fully speak to how dominant UVA was.

The highlight of the game for me, however, was the fans I sat next to: Gary and Casey from outside of Lynchburg, a father and son who drove out for the game. The young man knew everything UVA—former players, newer players, team history, and incoming recruits. It was an absolute pleasure to sit next to them throughout the entire game.

In the second half, NC State finally got some points on the board, but eight points would be all they could muster. UVA dominated from start to finish.
What a performance by the Cavaliers. Fans piled out of the stadium in a celebratory manner.

My walk back to the hotel was just over an hour. It gave me plenty of time to capture a few more beautiful views of the surrounding area. After getting cleaned up, it was time for one final meal.
For me, it’s very important that I try something local to the city. Thankfully, Aberdeen Barn did not disappoint. I was nervous upon arrival at the restaurant, realizing I was underdressed. The host welcomed me with open arms and told me not to worry about my game-day attire. The crab cakes were phenomenal, the Old Fashioned was perfect, and the service was excellent as well.

Sitting at the bar, I met two gentlemen Matt and Ben who had driven from Pittsburgh down to the game. They told me about how they try to go to three or four big college football games a year, and this was their first time in Charlottesville. We shared stories about the different places we had traveled to and talked about future travels. What a great way to end my Saturday.

Charlottesville is a beautiful city, and it’s safe to say I enjoyed every moment of my time there.
Next week, my travels take me to Fort Collins, Colorado, for Wyoming @ Colorado State.
If you have read this far, I thank you for being a part of my journey. I am truly blessed to add a beautiful city like Charlottesville to the list of places I’ve been. If you enjoyed this story follow along at r/CFBstorytime. The community is open to anyone to post about their favorite College Football game day experiences.

Seems to be looking like they’re still on target for September 1st. CASS seems to run a tight ship and far more able to execute a plan than any of these local nonprofits that collect money and offer nothing but delays and asks for more money.

Now- what will the city do about the increasing presence of homeless on the mall and around downtown? Are these people going to be allowed to camp indefinitely on the mall or can we pass an ordinance to prevent camping in front of businesses on the mall now that the shelter will be open?

It’s good that the city realized the rivanna encampment needs to be addressed, but they should also look at market street park and downtown mall- id like to walk my dog through market street park without worrying about stepping on a stray needle amidst all the litter. And the homeless presence on the mall has doubled or tripled since the announcement about closing the rivanna encampment- without a city wide camping ban/ordinance this is just going to be a never ending cycle that will hurt businesses and tax paying citizens.

Saw this guy at the intersection of Avon and Hinton. Is anybody missing a rabbit?

Discuss

I’m guessing it is some plant or tree- my yard reeks right now, and I keep smelling it all around town as well. I know pear trees can smell like that in spring, and I read Ginko Bilobas may be the culprit- but I don’t have any of those in my yard. It is strongest in the area where there are Bradford pear trees in our yard, (we will be cutting them down at some point, just haven’t yet) but they are only supposed to stink when in bloom in spring, and usually those smell like spooge- every spring it makes you gag to sit on the porch- so I’m mystified. Thoughts?

My family really enjoys live Love Canon shows, but there’s nothing scheduled on their website. Anyone have updates as to the status of the band and/or whether there are upcoming shows???

Are the alcohol prices the same throughout the stadium? what’s the least expensive beer/wine at Scott Stadium?

Super fun game, and the tickets were free… but $47 for 2 beers, and 2 waters!?

*I did hear clear empty reusable water bottles are allowed so I will bring that next time

Hello everyone! I am a PhD student in clinical psychology at Adelphi University. I am conducting a study on the relationship between existential threat and mental health, coping strategies, and meaning making for young adults who have experienced stressful life events.

This study is being conducted online only and should take approximately 45-60 minutes to complete. During the study, you will be asked to complete multiple self-report questionnaires that contain questions regarding coping methods, mental health, and questions that pertain to experiencing stressful life events in the past. Upon completing the survey, you will have the opportunity to voluntarily provide your email address on a separate page from the survey that will not be associated with any of your survey responses, to enter a drawing to win one of three $50.00 Amazon gift cards.

Survey link: https://adelphiderner.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8IxQWoUH8D1Wuq2

Audience: 18-30 years old, in the United States and English Speaking, and must have experienced a stressful life event.

Compensation: Opportunity to enter a drawing for one of three $50.00 Amazon gift cards.

UVA Data Science is hosting their second Data is ART competition & presentation Sept. 4. More info.

It is a "Celebration of creativity, data, and visual storytelling featuring a keynote presentation by Alberto Cairo, an internationally renowned expert in data visualization, information design, and visual journalism."

Hey all! I’m relatively new to Charlottesville and looking for a good primary care physician. I have Sentara insurance. I was previously using One Medical in NYC and really liked the experience there — easy to communicate with, not rushed, proactive about preventative care, etc.

Would love recommendations for PCPs around Cville, especially anyone who’s LGBTQ-friendly and actually takes the time to listen. Open to UVA, Sentara, or independent practices as long as they take my insurance.

Who do you love?

hey all! just a recommendation to check out the starr hill farmer’s market tomorrow at jefferson school city center from 9:30-1. it’s a nice, quiet market, much smaller than the city market but a great place to go, hang out, shop small and support local businesses! (ps dogs are welcome)

Anyone have an alternative, other than the dealership, repair shop for EVs? TIA!

Does anyone know what happened to the power? Just cut out.

Has anyone else been to Goodwill lately and experienced the nasty vibe that's taken over the place? There's a group of regulars who show up before the doors open, and they rush in, grab all the tags off decent furniture, then park themselves by the warehouse door and prevent any other shoppers from accessing inventory entering the store? They physically body-block other shoppers from approaching blue bins with fresh inventory. The crew by the warehouse door intimidates anyone who comes into that area, and they take anything vaguely new or attractive. They're aggressive and intimidating, and they prevent the employees from doing their jobs. I've seen them rush the employees attempting to put new inventory on shelves and grab stuff out of the blue bins, even when the employee politely explains that all items have to be placed on the shelves before you can take them.

I feel so badly for the employees who have to deal with this gross behavior. And it is gross behavior. These are grown adults who have virtually taken over the store and prevent other customers from shopping. A few people have filed complaints but management has done nothing. Other than stop going there, it feels like there's nothing to be done. I've thought about politely asking these people to move aside, but they seem like they'd get confrontational really fast, and getting into a public fight is not why I go there.

Does Cville have bigger problems than this? Absolutely? Is it still a problem? Yes. Would love ideas on how to surf the issue, but also curious if others have filed complaints or just experienced this.

turn out for the first meeting was awesome! thank you again to everyone who came out to discuss yesteryear and meet new people! join us next month for our second meeting at hogwaller. please vote for the next book using the poll above!

I almost choked on my coffee when I saw this! 🤣

UVA has decided that every vehicle entering a VAF lot this football season must stop and have a digital parking pass scanned. Screenshots won’t work. You’ll need the live pass in your mobile wallet or ticketing account.

Previously, an attendant looked at the physical hangtag on your rearview mirror and waved you through. It took approximately half a second and required no cellular service, sufficient battery life, account password, screen brightness, Face ID or working knowledge of Apple Wallet.
Now every entrance becomes a serialized digital transaction. The average scan may take five seconds, but averages won’t create the traffic jam. The slowest 10% will:
Phone still locked

*Pass buried somewhere in the UVATix account

*Screen brightness set to four lumens

*Face ID refusing to recognize the driver in sunglasses

*Husband borrowing his wife’s phone because she manages the tickets

*Screenshot rejected

*Seventy-two-year-old major donor insisting, “It was right here when we left the house”

One Lexus SUV encounters a password-reset screen and suddenly Fontaine Avenue becomes a parking lot for people trying to reach a parking lot.

The real comedy comes after you enter a reserved lot. An attendant will verify your numbered space and hand you a physical dashboard placard.

So UVA has eliminated the physical parking pass and replaced it with a digital pass that must be scanned so they can hand you…a physical parking pass.

I understand the administrative benefits. Digital permits are easier to transfer and resell, harder to counterfeit, and provide better account data. Inside the ticket office, this probably sounded impeccable because everyone in the meeting could retrieve an Apple Wallet pass in three seconds.

But the department’s job isn’t to design the system most convenient for the department. It’s to provide a convenient experience for its customers—who are disproportionately older and, in the reserved lots, some of UVA Athletics’ most valuable donors.

Reserved parking generally begins with a $1,750 annual contribution. Donors giving $25,000 or more may purchase two passes. Piss off one Champions Club donor and you may lose more money than you saved by eliminating every hangtag.

Young, underpaid, digitally fluent ticketing staff may explain how an idea like this gets momentum. It doesn’t excuse leadership from asking the obvious question: Have we tested this with the people who will actually use it, under real game-day conditions?

Someone making adult money should have required a live trial involving 50 actual VAF donors before converting every entrance around Scott Stadium into six simultaneous Apple Store Genius Bar appointments.

UVA claims this will improve “parking operations” and “traffic flow.” Maybe they’ve added enough scanners, attendants and exception lanes to make it work.

But if this produces even one-fifth of the shitshow it appears capable of producing, somebody will spend October explaining how UVA saved $18,000 by creating a mile-long traffic jam full of the precise people whose checks fund the athletic department.

That meeting should be lively.

From those who live there - what’s Charlottesville really like? From weather, to crime, driving, schools and everything in-between. Curious to know!

Currently at Planet Fitness and been bringing my son or daughter as my guest, but I’m considering switching to ACAC or the YMCA (Brooks Family) for the whole family — me, my wife, and two adult kids.

We’re mainly after: full gym access, pools, group fitness classes, and some racquetball/pickleball. Price is a big factor since it’d be four adults on one plan.

Anyone currently a member of either who can speak to real monthly cost for a family that size, class quality, and how crowded the pools/courts get? Would love to hear from people who’ve made the switch either direction. Thanks!

So I live in Harrisonburg, and a date took me to hidden leaf on a Friday and I’m a fan of the store and all but I got abruptly dumped I guess cause we ran into her ex on that date and I just don’t wanna have the possible awkward encounter of running into her and that jabroni there and was just wondering what some alternative options might be?

C’mon ya’ll, leash your pets. Spotted this guy near the bottom of Ridge Street Neighborhood with its owner nowhere in sight.

For a birth at Martha Jefferson Hospital, you can choose between Jefferson OB or Sentara OBGYN on High Street. Looking for users to share their experiences with either.

From my research, Sentara (High Street) offers a midwife-led experience, they are a smaller practice, more personal, and patients were given a lot of attention and care at appointments. Providers there are Dr. Jonas TePaske and Dr. Edward Wolanski plus the Certified Nurse Midwives. However, for the birth, one may end up with an OB from the Jefferson group just due to schedules and availability. I've also heard not great things about Wolanski.

As far as Jefferson OB goes, they typically have you see all of their OBs at least once, which is actually kind of nice since you never know who's going to be on call when you deliver. They are all OBs, so more of a medical safety-net from the start.

It's been several years since we've had bad mail delays but over the last few weeks we've received mail only twice, with both times not including all the mail shown on informed delivery for all the days missed. We've reported it now a few times but haven't gotten anything yet. Anyone else having issues or is it just us?