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Hampton Roads Off-Topic Talk

Cotuit

By Cotuit
in Hampton Roads

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Urbanlooker
Urbanlooker

So I'm currently living in Belgium and I just saw an ad on Facebook for VB. Thought I'd share it because it's cool that our area is being shown around the world.  It says in French:  "Virgin

Willy18
Willy18

Please Lord I hope they don't find out about this site.

Brent114
Brent114

I visited the area this weekend (from Richmond).  I grew up in Newport News and Gloucester, still have family all around those parts so I’m pretty familiar with the area.... I had a really great

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rusthebuss Metropolis

rusthebuss

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Posted

anyone else lose power from the storm? My power has been out since 5am this morning. Thank goodness for hotspots. :D

Yeah my power is out in Bayview but I'm at work. Driving across the tunnel was a crazy experience this morning. It felt like someone was tying to push my car into the wall and the waves were actually touching the bottom of the bridge. :shok:

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urbanvb City

urbanvb

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No, but i was damn sure workin in it (and still am). We have so much stuff down its not even funny. Guess I can write this friday night off. <_<

hey maybe you can answer a question I have been wondering. Does the pembroke area have a special grid for the mall and vicinity? I always notice the mall, Ruby Tuesdays and the stoplight there at Indy/Blvd and Constitution/Blvd never seem to go out.

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vdogg Megalopolis

vdogg

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hey maybe you can answer a question I have been wondering. Does the pembroke area have a special grid for the mall and vicinity? I always notice the mall, Ruby Tuesdays and the stoplight there at Indy/Blvd and Constitution/Blvd never seem to go out.

I wouldn't know about that because that has to do with city stuff but I do know that some of our equipment is on the same grid as TC and whenever power goes out there we lose the cameras in that vicinity (264 interchange) as well.

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burt Megalopolis

burt

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Posted (edited)

The nearest I had been to the heart of Hampton Roads in 20+ years were visits to Williamsburg and Smithfield. That all changed Sunday, October 22nd when I drove to Virginia Beach for an overnight visit with friends.

What a revelation!

Nearing Hampton, traffic thickened. Whizzing past the Coliseum brought back memories of a Tom Jones concert I attended eons ago. I saw in a blur the Bass Pro Shop and was impressed by the Hampton skyline. It was non-stop thru the tunnel, so I decided to drive down Granby for a quick glimpse of downtown Norfolk but stayed left when I should have veered right and found myself on Church Street. I did see Attucks Theatre but worried that my friends were waiting, so found 264 and headed toward the Beach. My friends live north of The Cavalier Hotel so after a brief fresh-up, we drove down Atlantic Avenue past all the gleaming high rise hotels. I had very old memories of frame hotels with names like Avamere, Avalon and The Breakers. The only tower I recalled from youthful days is the Mayflower Apartments, still there but a bit long in the tooth compared with the nearby sleek Hilton. I liked the building with the cluster of shops and the overhead pedestrian walk. And you certainly can't miss the giant Neptune rising from the sea on the boardwalk. And palm trees! Where did they come from? We didn't see those back in the 50's.

We drove all the way to Rudee's Inlet where there used to be a bar called Kitchen's years ago. If it is still there, I missed it this time. Besides, it was growing dark, so we drove back home for a delicious dinner and conversation.

Next morning early, I headed back along the Expressway past the new and very attractive convention center, a large resort-type highrise, the well manicured but poorly named Mount Trashmore to Independence Blvd and into gleaming VBTC.

There she stood - the tower that is to rob Richmond of "state's tallest" title - the beautiful Westin Hotel close to being topped off. I circled around the area and found a spot in front of the smart looking Cosmo, then walked all around peering into closed shops and restaurants. It was only about 10am on a Monday so activity was light. A well-dressed man came up to me asking if I could direct him to an address on the street facing the square where I had parked, but regrettably and understandably I was unable to help.

It is amazing to see this giant of a city rising along busy thoroughfares miles from other tall buildings. It has all the upscale stores and restaurants one does not expect to find so far from the sea shore. I believe the mall across Independence is Pembroke, but I headed on to see what your airport looks like. I got lost a couple of times, but finally made it to the well landscaped airport roadway and past the terminal building with looooong jetways stretching from the building either direct to planes, or to other modular buildings. You have a lot of beautiful trees at your busy airport. Wish I could have visited the Botanical Garden, but time was pressing so after getting lost again and ending up at the entry gate to Weslyan (spelling) College, I was directed back to the expressway leading to downtown Norfolk.

Let me comment about a complaint I hear from some of you guys that Richmond gets all the highways. T'aint so! I've never seen anywhere near as many freeways and controlled access roads in Metro Richmond as you all have down there. That's not to say you don't need more because traffic is, in a word, HEAVY.

Entering Norfolk, I found myself on Brambleton and passed a handsome obelisk honoring Dr. King. Before I knew it, I was at Scope. The Raddison which had a different name when we used to stay over after watching the Richmond Robins beat your team on Scope ice :D is on the right. I turned left into St. Paul over a very rough surface and saw the famous church to the left and the neat circular building (or at least its steel skeleton) on the right. Somehow or another I made it to an eastern garage entrance at MacArthur Center.

That is one BIG shopping center. I entered thru Nordstrom inspecting first level shops and decided to move on to my walking tour and return later. So out I exited onto Montecello Avenue practically opposite NorVa and strolled along it admiring your architecture all the way to Scope. Its roof was under repair. I saw Chrysler Hall, then crossed Brambleton and got all the way to Harrison Opera House which I remembered as The Center Theater. It has undergone much improvement.

Warning: I am a theatre freak.

Granby, near the site of the tower of the same name, is blocked off, so I detoured around it trying to catch signs of construction activity on the condo tower. Not much so far. Then, I wandered past vdogg's favorite dance club, the handsomely restored Granby (Premier) and chatted with a workman at a restaurant-to-be next door. I noted what at one time had been Smith and Welton Department Store and saw lots of eating places. All of a sudden I was in front of the Roper. The doors were open admitting droves of student to what appeared to be classrooms, so I pretended to be one and walked straight into the old Loew's theatre which is part of TCC. A charming lady caught me pacing out the stage and spent a quarter of an hour telling me about the place. A local production of "Peter Pan" had just closed.

Out on Granby again, the street was bustling with noontime activity and restaurants were full. My destination for lunch was the food court at Waterside. I recall seeing the old Commodore Maury Hotel under restoration, then recalled an old theatre called The Colonial so old it was closed even when I was a youth. It was on a side street between Granby and Boush. But it's long gone replaced by a large apartment going up on Boush at Tazewell. But at Tazewell and Monticello is the beautiful Wells. I spent a little time there schmoozing with the box office lady.

All along my stroll, the clean, white imposing Trader Building loomed. Its a stunning tower.

Now we're down in the old part of Norfolk that has a lot of character. City Hall Avenue and Granby used to be the site of the Monticello Hotel. Main Street was a raunchy sailor's hangout with beer bars and a burlesque theater called The Gaiety. Now, the street is completely transformed, reminiscent of Boston with its twists and turns. There are two wonderful arcades amid modern office towers and The Marriott Hotel. The MacArthur Memorial (old City Hall, wasn't it?) is prominent with its dome.

Waterside holds it own quite well, though I miss old Phillips seafood with its rinky dink piano music which was one of the first restaurants when the mall opened.

Well, I wandered back to MacArthur Center entering via Dilliards. Took the escalator to the more upscale 2nd level and recognized the names of famous shops. The mall was bustling with shoppers on this Monday. The third level I learned is all cinemas - with no exit at the Nordstrom end. Even the elevator is reserved for employees on the 3rd level. So I trudged back, down the esclator, back thru the 1st level and Nordstroms to the garage. I was amazed to learn that parking is free.

Time was getting short, but I drove up Boush Street which looks these days like an elegant residential boulevard. I wandered through the intriguing Freemason section with it many old homes and new ones designed to fit perfectly into the area. Missing the turn off from Brambleton to Colley, I also missed Ghent. That will have to wait for another time. Hanpton Blvd took me by "The Ted", Old Dominion University and along the edge of the immense Naval Station which seemed to go on for miles. From there, it was the tunnel and I-64 back to Richmond.

Hampton Roads is a vibrant, on-the-move metropolis and I was so glad to have even a short look at all the rmarkable changes evolving down there.

Ciao!

Edited by burt
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burt Megalopolis

burt

Posted
Posted (edited)

Burt, since your a theater freak... you should have gone to see The Elephant Man playing at Well's Theater. It was very good.

No show on Mondays. cpeakes, and I was unable to extend my stay.

Actually, I fibbed last night when I reported taking 64 back to Richmond. It was getting late and I wanted to watch election returns, so I ended my report.

I got off of 64 almost immediately after the tunnel and followed US60 to Williamsburg and Rte. 5 back into Richmond. Off to my dentist now, but I'll come back later and speak on Newport News.

Edited by burt
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