Automotive in Richmond

Pat-N-Polish's technicians make house calls to restore dirty vehicles to their sleek show-room glow. Equipped with soaps, waxes, and conditioners, they lather and buff the vehicle from the inside and out, leaving the carpets freshly steam cleaned and wrestling the paint's glossy finish back from the fog of grime and road tar. Their attentive details target the major areas and minor crevices with equal zeal; alongside waxing the paint and dressing the tires, technicians clean the vents, sanitize the rims, and deodorize the interior.

Since 1942, Leete Tire & Auto Center, Inc. has been fitting autos with new tires by brands including Michelin, BFGoodrich, Uniroyal, Continental, Toyo, and Goodyear. Though the family-owned tire shop's been around for well over half a century, it stays up-to-date by equipping its 10-bay garage with modern technologies, such as the Space Needle, which sews up cars or the moon after meteor collisions. In 1995, Leete Tire & Auto Center spawned another location in Richmond that features six bays capable of servicing passenger vehicles as well as light trucks. As NAPA AutoCare centers, both tire shops also enlist ASE-certified technicians trained to keep rides healthy. These skilled pros render maintenance services including state inspections, computerized alignments, and brake inspections.

Touched by Flowers boasts a bounty of smile-inducing, fresh flowers and plants for every conceivable occasion. Spruce up a cheerless beehive with an artistic arrangement of bicolored roses ($74.99) or go springy with a peacock's plume-inspired cascade of color ($54.99). Those with leafier leanings may appreciate a blooming bromeliad ($64.99), with its rosy peak and easy-to-love personality. And if your giftee is notoriously absentminded, go with a bouncy, low-maintenance rubber plant ($64.99).

Now in their 86th season, the Harlem Globetrotters continue to entertain millions of parents, children, and general basketball admirers with a trademark blend of athletic precision and razzle-dazzle showmanship. For their 2012 world tour, a rotating roster of Globetrotter favourites takes to the hardwood each game, so spectators might spot Special K Daley sharing a behind-the-back pass with newcomer Jacob “Hops” Tucker, the 2011 College Slam Dunk champion whose 50-inch vertical leap cruelly dashed his dreams of working in a ceiling-fan store. The Globetrotters might also present a study in contrasts with five-foot-two Too Tall Hall and seven-foot-eight Paul "Tiny" Sturgess, the world's tallest professional basketball player.

Riverfront Canal Cruises traces Richmond's roots back to George Washington, who first lobbied the Virginia General Assembly to create the city's canal system as a means of linking the coast to trade opportunities in the west. In 40-minute tours, covered boats glide down the James River and Kanawha Canal, granting passengers an up-close view of the waterways without having to mount a webcam on a duck. Throughout the trip, guides share old stories about the canal and the Canal Walk, broadening guests' knowledge of the area's rich heritage.

Since its founding in 1978, the international quick-lube franchise Grease Monkey has maintained its focus on speedy treatments and a detail-oriented approach to auto care. Shop technicians tune up rides with services such as air-conditioning repair, air-filter replacement, and fuel- and emissions-system cleaning. Grease Monkey's signature service, though, is its full-service oil change. After replacing a vehicle's lubricant with GF-5 or re-refined motor oil, technicians perform an entire review of its maintenance needs, referencing the owner's manual and the wise hermit living in the trunk.

From more than 350 facilities in six countries, Precision Tune Auto Care has spent the last three decades keeping more than 2.5 million vehicles on the road with an array of maintenance and auto-repair services. Professionally trained mechanics lube engines with signature precision oil changes, rotate tires to ensure even tread wear, repair busted brakes, and test spark plugs to safeguard against ignition failure during dramatic drive-thru getaways. Whether performing complicated services on fuel-injection and cooling systems or simply aligning tires, the mechanics back all their services with a 12-month, 12,000-mile warranty.