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Hotel Class: 
2 Stars - 42 Opinions
9040 Pams Avenue, (formerly Best Western), Richmond, Virginia, 23237, United States
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of people enjoy staying here
42 Opinions
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Hi!
I'm a former Richmonder who left the city for school (undergrad in DC), then for work (Taiwan), and now again for a graduate degree (Boston).
I visiting the old hometown this summer, but need a rental car. I'm taking the train from and back to DC.
Does anyone know of a company offhand with a location within walking distance of either train station? Every rental company I've looked at so far (going on 7 now), only offer cars from RIC Airport. That is not very convenient since I plan to stay in the city the whole time.
I would prefeer something at the downtown station. I'm excited that the Main station is open! It was just a proposal when I left!
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
David
Switchboard.com says there's an Enterprise 0.3 miles from the Main St station at 1015 E Cary. If you want to go with another company, you could take a cab to their office. If you go to individual company websites rather than something like Expedia or Orbitz, you'll have better luck with finding a location other than the airport. You can usually get a little bit better deal on a car at the company's site rather than the travel site since they don't have to pay commissions on your reservation when you book it directly through them.
Enterprise usually does have more off-airport locations. Plus they're pretty accomodating in that if you ask they will bring your car to you. But that downtown Enterprise office is only a block south and 5 blocks west of Main Street Station so unless you have a lot of luggage it may be just as easy to walk.
There is only 2 companies you can rent from. One is Avis. They have their own phone booth at the station. You can call them from the station and they will pick you up. The other one is Budget, but you have to pre-arrange with them for a pick up. If you didn't, then since the Budget one is located about 2-3 miles away at West Broad street and it cost about $10 to take a taxi to the rental place, I would suggest you stick with Avis.
Go to Belle Isle. There is a footbridge, hanged under a trafficbridge (curious isn't it ?), from the bank to the island (to go there take Belvidere Street).
From this bridge, you can enjoy a beautiful view on the James River and its numerous small islands. Nearby, there is the canal with a 1.25 mile walk.
From the Hollywood Cemetery on Oregon Hill at the northern edge of the James River, you can get a spectacular view of the Richmond Skyline and the James River below. The tall buildings are of the Federal Reserve building, several banks that have major offices here and Dominion Virginia Power. The gleaming skyline contrasts nicely with the natural beauty of the James River and the shores. The nearest bridge is the Robert E. Lee Bridge. On enlarging it, you will see a pedestrian bridge underneath. The next three are the Chester, Mayo's, and I-95 Bridges.
I didn't know there was a big Lebanese community in the Richmond area before I found out about the Lebanese Festival. It happens the third weekend every May at the Maronite Catholic Church in the West End. There is food, dancing, and even Lebanese beer. This was the first time I tried Lebanese food. After I tried and didn't like stuffed grape leaves at a Greek restaurant, I wasn't sure about Lebanese. Nat told me to trust him. I liked the shish kebab, the rice pilaf, and the tabouli (the green salad in the picture).
If you go to Richmond, or anywhere else in the world, by plane be prepared for loss of your luggage by the airlines. It happened to us thanks to KLM.
So, Urszula and I were separated from our luggage for the first two days in the South. We had a camera, video camera, newspapers, travel books, some cosmetics but no clothes to change! It was not nice for either of us, not to mention those with a sensitive nose :-). We were forced to buy socks, underwear and basic toiletries. We did it in Mechanicsville Wal-Mart and saved our ticket. When we reclaimed our lost bags at Dulles Airport, KLM compensated for our purchases (up to $50 per person per day :-).
Anyway, my strong recommendation is to pack 2-3 days' worth of clothing not to mention all your toiletries, in your carry-on bag in case the airlines lose your luggage. I should have paid more careful attention to b1bob's travelogue on quick and easy packing :-).
If you have a good deal of time on your visit to Richmond, touring the University of Richmond campus is a must do. The campus itself plays host to some of the finest architecture on college campuses and has a real rich history dating back to 1830. You can go to the Robbins Center for a good basketball game, or just walk the campus and tour the individual buildings. I really love the church there located on campus because it is one of the prettiest churches I have ever seen both on the outside, and the inside. As a matter of fact I plan to have my wedding one day at that actual church there.
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Q: Amtrak doesn't allow dogs, so how do we get to DC? "OK, Washington, DC appears to be pet friendly on the Mall and there are hotels in the area that cater to pet owners. We want to..."
A: "Rent a smaller car for the day"
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Address: 9040 Pams Avenue, (formerly Best Western), Richmond, Virginia, 23237, United States
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