We were excited to find on our first trip to the lovely Charlottesville that there is a beautifully restored 1930s theatre on Main Street. Popping in to the box office earlier in the week, we couldn’t resist tickets for a screening of Pulp Fiction and so spent our first Saturday evening going out on a date for dinner and a movie!

Charlottesville well deserves her 2014 title of ‘America’s Happiest City‘ Strolling down the leafy, pedestrianised Main Street, on a balmy September Saturday evening, we came across buskers, street stalls, independent book shops, and interesting little bars and restaurants. There is a nice feeling here, and people seem relaxed and cultured.

The obvious, slightly less cultured, choice for our pre-movie meal was a cheeseburger. Citizen Burger on Main Street was buzzing, with people watching the game at the bar, or enjoying their food in the line of booths down the right-hand wall, and its menu details the quality and provenance of their local ingredients. Our cheeseburgers didn’t disappoint, nor did the beer battered spicy dill pickles we shared for a starter – note to self, never order an appetiser just for me – they are HUGE!

The theatre itself was a wonder – classic American design, with the movie name up in lights over the door, gleaming chrome and glass popcorn counters, and beautifully restored wooden and velvet seating. Pulp Fiction, as ever, did not fail to make us laugh, and all in all Charlottesville certainly did her job in increasing our net happiness. Definitely somewhere we could live.