Charming Charlottesville

The best part about visiting a place you used to live is that it gives you the opportunity to remember yourself as you were then.

No visit to the University of Virginia is complete without stopping by the Rotunda, a building Jefferson modeled after Rome’s Pantheon. Felix Lipov/Shutterstock

A good croissant is a labor of love, requiring hours of rolling, folding, and chilling. The result, if done correctly, is a flaky, airy pastry with 164 layers of dough and butter in every bite. 

I sit at a high top, granite table at the Petite Marie-Bette Cafe and Bakery in Charlottesville, Virginia, enjoying their handiwork: the perfectly executed croissant: crusty on the outside, soft and buttery in the middle. Paired with a creamy latte and the paper, I could stay all day.