Following my visiting The Commodore Theatre, I wanted to go watch a movie at another historic movie theater. Few theaters in Virginia could match the Byrd Theatre in terms of grandeur-a real movie palace. I ended up going twice within the span of several weeks to watch two different movies. The Byrd Theatre is situated in Carytown, a vibrant shopping district in Richmond, and this blog post illustrates why Carytown and The Byrd Theatre are must see destinations. Keep reading to learn of my restaurant and shopping recommendations.
Carytown
The Byrd Theatre is located in Carytown, a dining and shopping district in Richmond Virginia. Carytown gave hipsterish vibes, as the parking garage behind the Theatre was covered in Street Art. I highly recommend walking down Cary Street to see a colorful, trendy area of Richmond.
Cary Street Park and Shop Center
One particularly notable thing to see in Carytown is the Cary Street Park and Shop Center (AKA Cary Court), an Art Deco shopping center. Cary Court is one of the oldest shopping centers in America, built in 1938, as proven by the image above. Definitely a unique place to go window shopping.
The Byrd Theatre
The Byrd Theatre imposes over the rest of Carytown through its size (it’s the largest building on Cary Street) but also through its magnificence. This opulence continues inside with its luxurious interiors, transporting one to a different era of 1928, when the Theatre first opened. Unquestionably a unique movie watching experience.
First the Lobby…
Now the Auditorium…
Before every movie, a Wurlitzer organ rises to the stage and plays a medley of 1920s tunes; it’s incredible how one man could play such a giant instrument. The Wurlitzer fit perfectly with the first film I watched (Metropolis) but it was a little jarring to go from 1920s tunes to a late 1990s anime (Perfect Blue). Still, the organist gives each film watching experience a unique touch and added to the historic ambience of the Byrd Theatre.
As for my opinion of the two films, Metropolis was not as good as I remembered it (I first saw it around 15 years ago), but I still thought it was entertaining. I thought Perfect Blue was entertaining, good story but I didn’t really care for the ending. Overall, I enjoyed my two times at The Byrd Theatre and highly recommend going here to catch a film.
More Information About The Byrd Theatre
The Byrd Theatre is a repertory theater that plays a variety of different movies. Besides silent films and anime, the Byrd Theatre also plays more commercial fare such as popular action flicks and children’s animated movies; they even have sensory friendly screenings. They also have several film festivals; Perfect Blue was shown as part of the Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair festival. More information about The Byrd Theatre here.
As for parking, there is a small parking garage right behind the Theatre and maybe another one elsewhere. Otherwise, you will have to deal with street parking, and from what I remember from the second trip, curb parking can fill up pretty fast.
Restaurants in Carytown
There are many restaurants in Carytown, serving all manner of different cuisines. I went to the following two places because (among other reasons) they were close to The Byrd Theatre.
Carytown Indian Cuisine: On the first trip, my Dad and I went to this restaurant, where I tried Kali Mirch. The restaurant is literally right across the street from The Byrd Theatre. It serves very good Indian food.
Nomu Ramen: On the second trip, I went to this restaurant, where I tried curry ramen. It didn’t occur to me that eating at a Japanese restaurant would fit with watching a Japanese film until I was driving home. It’s across the street from The Byrd Theatre and less than 200 feet away.
For the Love of Chocolate: Located within the Cary Court Shopping Center is this candy store, which sells a variety of chocolate products. I highly recommend stopping; I would have bought so much but it was a hot day and I still had a movie to go watch.