This past weekend I drove to Norfolk, Virginia for work. I visited Harbor Park, home of the Norfolk Tides, a minor-leage basbeball team that feeds to the Mets. The stadium was nice. I wouldn’t say the same about the rest of Norfolk. The town was pretty much run-down. It seemed to be fairly religious place—there were churches on just about every corner. On almost every corner that did not house a church, there was a fast food place called Church’s Chicken or something similar. (“Our customers love us because we offer them BIG PIECES of juicy chicken at LITTLE PRICES.”)
During the evening, Alissa and I went to Virginia Beach. They don’t have a boardwalk like Atlantic City or even Seaside Heights. All the beachfront property seems to be owened by hotels, so all of the boardwalk-type shops are actually on the street. There was some sort of city festival going on while we were there, and there were numerous musical performing groups. On one corner there was a polka band with clarinet and accordion players, in front of one store there was a trio consisting of two marimbas or xylophones and a drum set, and on one blocked-off street we saw the “Beachstreet USA All-Stars.” This was a group of 12 or so Virginia Beach musicians, most high school or early-college aged, on sousaphones, trombones, trumpets, a snare and two marching bass drums. They played and marched (well, wandered) an entertaining show with audience participation. [DELETED].
On the way home, we stopped to see Gwen, Heather, and other friends. We ended up having Sunday morning (well, afternoon) brunch with them and I met a few more nice people.
It’s Monday evening at this point, and I have not been “home” since Thursday morning. I wonder what new suprises await me.
hmm, and here i thought you were abducted by those, uh, aliens…but don’t worry, some professor from Penn State assured us that it was only a fire ball in the sky….
No surprises at home. Just watch out for the tiger traps we put in your room….
I don’t think it was a city festival. I got the impression they just have that stuff on the “boardwalk” all the time. I think that’s just part of what they do there… like when we were in San Francisco and saw the human statue guy, and street performers there. I think it’s just a very different atmosphere than you’re used to on the Jersey shore.