1. Walmart is a pass time more often than it's an actual store.
If you're bored and broke, you walk around Walmart. I can't tell you how many times my friends and I have been hanging out, but have nothing to do so we go spend a hour or two in Walmart just window shopping or messing around in the toy aisles.
2. Glenn Miller Park has that one super sketchy duck that chases everyone.
At one point or another you've seen the infamous "turducken" at the park terrorizing another bird or, in my case, a three-year-old girl who just wanted to have fun at the park, but instead got chased by a stupid bird.
3. The high school kinda sucks unless its lit up by those Friday night lights.
Every second of the school day is filled with complaining about being there, but as soon as the Friday night lights either on Lyboult Field or in the Tiernan Center come on everyone is sitting in the stands cheering on the Red Devils.
4. Springwood is a pretty sketchy park, but it's probably one of the best ones.
Since I've been alive Springwood has been closed two or three times because of the water, but the playground is pretty cool. It's not a big park by any means, but the equipment is actually really well up kept.
5. 10th Street park isn't the park you thought it was.
Every kid thought 10th Street park had playground equipment. It doesn't. It's an actual park with trees and tables.
6. The Skate was your crew's spot every Friday night in middle school.
By 5:30 P.M. the line was out the door. If you weren't there, it was most likely because you didn't have the money that week. After skating for almost 6 hours you would go back to your friend's house and stay up as late as you could since that was pretty cool to all the 13-year-olds.
7. "If you drink the spring water, you'll never leave."
Everyone's grandma warned them not to drink the spring water if you wanted to leave the city when you grew up.
8. We're going to school even if every other city in the county is closed.
Richmond Community Schools was notorious for being one of the very few schools in the county open when there was a lot of snow on the ground. We would sit around the TV or radio until the last minute in hopes of getting cancelled, but would end up having to go to school anyways.
9. Bring back the pack.
When Todd Terrell became the new superintendent he said no more backpacks from 8:15 A.M.-3:30P.M. Kids protested outside of the school, made memes, and tried talking civilly to Mr. Terrell himself with no luck on bringing back the backpacks.
10. No matter how much you say you hate Richmond, you always miss something about it when you're gone.
This was something I learned when I left for college. Everyone says they hate Richmond, but leaving has made many of us realize that some little things about Richmond are very lovable. Whether it's the Depot District or the family you have, Richmond will always be the home you kinda hate, but love just the same.
