Virginia: Day One

Brian and I flew back to Norfolk, VA last Wednesday to spend a very short (long) weekend with my parents. Mom and Kenny moved to Norfolk (Virginia Beach/Portsmouth) last April.

New puppy puppy - Australian Shepherd named Boo

We had a great trip flying all the way across the country. It's a long journey, but at the other end was an opportunity to see their new home and experience their new surroundings. Very well worth it.

Front Porch - very popular for southern homes

Mom's decorating touch is felt all the way through their home in Portsmouth. The 3 bedroom (with an extra bonus room for computer/crafts and an atrium/greenroom) is adorable and sits right on a inlet of the Elizabeth River.

View of back of house (the white part is the atrium, which faces the Elizabeth River Inlet)

We went to sleep every night to the sounds of crickets (all of you in the east are very lucky to hear such a glorious sound night after night) and woke up to the sounds of geese and ducks swimming around the inlet.
We spent out first full day, not only getting acclimated to the east but to the Norfolk area.

Mom drove us into old town Portsmouth for a tour and I was most amazed with the history of this area.

Portsmouth, Virginia is a small seaport that has managed to hold onto its 18th-and 19th-century charm for over 250 years. At the heart of the waterfront revitalization is Historic Olde Towne with the largest collection of period homes between Alexandria, VA and Charleston, S.C.

Mom and Brian by statue of Portsmouth founder, William Crawford

Portsmouth was founded as a town 1752 by Col. William Crawford, a wealthy merchant and ship owner, who dedicated the four corners of High and Court Streets for a church, a market, a courthouse, and a jail. It was named for Portsmouth, England.

The area, located north of High Street, has been listed as the Olde Towne Historic District and is primarily residential.

There were churches built in the late 1700's still standing and operating today as well as buildings built in the mid to late 1800's that have been renovated into homes and business.We found this adorable bar/restaurant eclectic tapas called "Still" in an old building dated 1858. The barmaid told us that the bottom level (where the restaurant is located - see above) was the slaves quarters. This kind of history gives me goosebumps....big time. She also mentioned that the building is haunted by former residents. Cool!

We then caught a paddle boat ferry on the Elizabeth River into Norfolk. The Ferry travels between North Landing and High Street in Portsmouth and Downtown Norfolk at The Waterside Marketplace. It offered panorama harbor views and was only a 5 minute ride.

Not too bad for our first day!

Enjoy!
Stacy