Rokk

I am born and bred in Norfolk and I do believe that statement to be true. And according to the 2006 Census estimate 48.4% of Norfolk is white and 44.1% is black. Almost even. I would suspect those two numbers get even closer after the 2010 Census.

Demolition has begun on the old strip mall next to Harris Teeter in Ghent. It is nice to have that ugly little suburban style strip mall taken out. I am even more excited to have a brand new Harris Teeter in Ghent instead of the old cramped facility that the current Harris Teeter is using.

Depends on the sport and the area. If you are comparing college soccer to Major League Baseball, then you are right. However, college football and college basketball are more popular than the pro teams in certain areas of the country. I am positive that the University of Tennessee football team routinely outdraws the Titans. The same could be said for the Florida Gators football team versus the Jacksonville Jaguars. USC football has always been more popular than whatever NFL team has been located in LA. I generally find having pro sports teams to be rather overrated. I have lived in DC and in Miami. For the most part, the pro sports teams in both areas added little to what I found appealing to both metro areas. If anything, the sports teams in DC and Miami served as constant drains on the communities with their never ending demands for new arenas and stadiums. Now, having said that, I wouldnt' mind ODU expanding their stadium and making the jump to Division I FBS division in ten years.

I got to check out the newly renovated Foreman Field and eyeball the new football team yesterday. I have to say that I was impressed. When I was in college I saw tons of games at the historic Orange Bowl. ODU should be proud of their excellent facility. The atmosphere was great. There were plenty of tailgaters and parties all through out Larchmont. There were people packed into all the bars and restaurants. You could feel the electricity and excitement in the air. This is something that has been lacking at ODU. It was fantastic to see all the students and alumni wearing their silver and blue and going nuts at the game. I am sure the local businesses also love the increased foot traffic in the area that game days generate. What a huge plus for Norfolk. And it makes Norfolk the only city in Hampton Roads with two Division I FCS football teams.

Hey, hey, hey. A fellow Canes fan. Very cool. There aren't many of us in this area. It just felt nice to take down Fla. State last night, didn't it? However, I do part with you when it comes to Va. Tech. I never root for Va. Tech unless they are playing Florida or Florida State. I did not go to ODU, but as a Norfolk native I was thrilled to see all the news coverage and excitement over ODU's football team. This is great for the area. It was nice seeing all the parties and tailgaters around ODU and Larchmont. There was electricity in the air as you walked around University Village and the other parts of the area. I am also excited to see ODU play some of the other local schools once ODU gets a few years on their program and have a more competitive team.

Awesome! Your pictures rocked, Brikkman!

Thanks for the info! I hate surface parking lots. But, I guess it was needed in this area for the surrounding restaurants and the Naro.

I was over by No Frill Grille last night and I noticed that they have a large area cleared and ready for construction. I cannot remember what used to be there next to the parking lot beside No Frill. Does anyone know what is being put at this location?

I don't mean to seem like I am writing off Norfolk. I was born and bred in Norfolk and I love my hometown. For better or for worse. But, that does not change my feeling that Va. Beach has a better vision for the future with their "downtown" than Norfolk appears to have with their downtown. Maybe I will be proved wrong. I would love that.

You hit the nail on the head. The biggest weakness to this area is that Norfolk and Va. Beach are locked in a death match for the mantle as the #1 primary city. And neither one wants to defer to the other one. Personally, I wish Norfolk and Va. Beach would just merge into once city. It would be better for the area. Of course, that will never happen.

According to ODU's website there are "6,000 students live within walking distance of the campus." Add to that another roughly 1,200 full and part time faculty members. I would be interested to know how many ODU students live in the area that are not within walking distance of the campus and would also use light rail to get to and from school. I would think that a light rail stop at ODU would be a smart idea.

I agree. That is a heavy pedestrian road. And it is right next to a historic district. I think that the Ghent Neighborhood League would fight tooth and nail to get light rail away from Colley and support having light rail run up Norfolk Southern's rail yard outside of West Ghent. Of course, I could be totally wrong.

I remain unimpressed. Norfolk's vision for this area is lacking as far as expanding downtown is concerned. I am much more impressed with Va. Beach's vision for their "downtown" area. In twenty-thirty years, Va. Beach may actually become the urban center of Hampton Roads.

A country/western club in downtown. Not exactly what I was hoping for. And there is no way City Council will allow him to open a gentleman's club downtown. They will move heaven and earth to stop that idea. I think that is one of the few things that unites all of Norfolk's city council. Personally, I would like to see a bit more diversity in terms of what type of businesses are on Granby. Clubs and restaurants are fine and all, but it would be great to see more retail coming to Granby.

The ceiling panels are indeed tin. They look great in person. I have not seen another comic shop in Virginia that looks like Local Heroes.

I saw this place the first day it opened. I absolutely love it. It has a nice treny urban look inside. The owner, Greg, is a great guy and his store helps make Ghent that much cooler.

LOL! Yeah, well I had the displeasure of having to actually work inside of that building!

I am not surprised by this news. Hopefully, MacArthur will be able to get some quality replacements for these closings. However, I am not too positive about that. I have found the selections of stores at MacArthur to decline each and every year since 1999. Currently, the only story that brings me to MacArthur Mall is the Apple store.

I would certainly like to see more retail come to Granby in order to add some diversity to what is just a row of bars and restaurants. Some of the comments to the article are just brutal. I did not know there was so much hate for my hometown.

Great point. I moved out of Hampton Roads the minute I could when I turned 18. I lived in Washington, DC and Miami. When I finally moved back to Norfolk, I finally appreciated some of the nice qualities of this area. And the Virginia Arts Festival and Virginia Symphony are great examples of that. Welcome to the forum, Bert!

Thanks for the pics! I cannot wait to go to the first ODU football game.

I agree with Vdogg on this one. I would much prefer that Norfolk make it a grid area that fits as seamlessly as possible with the rest of downtown. I agree that it is critical that this area be seen as just an extension of downtown rather than a suburban faux downtown project seperate from the rest of downtown.

Good point. I remember how the people in Georgetown balked when the city wanted to put a metro stop in G-Town. They didn't want the "bad" element coming to their part of town. So, they didn't get a stop. And guess what? They wish they had one now, because the other areas that got metro stops have become popular hotspots in the city. It is practically impossible to get into G-Town and find parking. I used to just go to Foggy Bottom, Downtown, Adams Morgan or Dupont Circle instead. The metro stops in DC almost always spurred some type of growth in the surrounding area. I mean, honestly, the idea of someone using Light Rail or the Metro to pull off a crime is silly. I can just imagine a guy sitting on the light rail tran with a flat screen TV in his arms as he tries to act like nothing strange is going on.

It is a shame that there are so many people who are so incredibly anti-mass transit. I would think that in light of ever increasing gas prices and mounting traffic issues that people would be excited about the current efforts with the light rail system. Personally, the less I have to drive my car the better. I'm excited that a light rail stop is going to be located next to where I work. Now if only it would be extended to Town Center so my wife could also use it to get to work. I know that people pick on the fact that the light rail system Norfolk is currently working on only goes to Newtown Road. It seems people miss the fact that this is just a starter rail. When I lived in DC I watched the Metro grow and grow ever year. Hopefully, our light rail system does the same.