“BAD THINGS HAPPEN
THERE?”
We were fortunate to
have been gifted a number of time share points by one of Janet’s family
members. Perhaps they took pity on us because currently foreign travel is
severely limited and because it had been over a month since our fortuitous trip
to Jamaica, the wanderlust was gripping us like delirium tremens.
Sounds dramatic, but actually,
the points were going to expire and they could not use them, so with a hearty
thanks we decided on a quick and easy trip to a place we had never been to
before, Virginia Beach. The city is on the south coast of the Commonwealth and
just north of the border with North Carolina. Though traveling to VB was never
on our radar over the years we have both, independently and together, passed
through the area on our way to vacations on the Outer Banks.
 |
| OCEANSIDE VIRGINIA BEACH |
It’s a fairly direct
drive from where we live, down through the entire length of the Delmarva
peninsula, south on Route 13 through Delaware, Maryland and a 70 mile stretch
of the Eastern Shore of Virginia. It’s a long fingerling stretch with
Chincoteague (of wild horses on the shore fame) in the north and ending in the
south with the 17.5-mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel that connects the
peninsula with the mainland.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
The area is very
historical. Jamestown is nearby. It is the first permanent English settlement
in colonial America and a recreation of that time period goes on in Williamsburg.
Our benefactor’s “home” time share is in Williamsburg.
On the southern side
of the Bridge-Tunnel there is Norfolk and the largest Naval Station in the
world. Better not walk the streets there and shout “Go Army!”, although I have
it on good authority buying a sailor a beer brings good luck. There are museums
to explore like the Naval Seals Heritage Center and the Military Aviation
Museum, but we wanted to travel to Virginia Beach for the, er, beach.
There are miles of beach,
wide sandy, gently sloping with fine waves and, unlike the Jersey shore, it is
all free. We were early in the season, area kids were just graduating the week
we were there, but it didn’t seem to get that crowded. Supposedly “Graduation
Week” in times past has been a cause for concern with overcrowding and trouble,
but VB has taken steps to quell the noise and commotion. It seems to have
worked, at least for our relatively brief time there.
The tourist area is
called Oceanside. Starting at 40th Street there is a wide 3-mile-long
promenade with an adjacent bike path. Most of the high-rise hotels begin here, (quieter
beaches are north) but though the hotels loom the entire length of Oceanside,
they are set far back from the beach, so there’s a bright, breezy feel to it
all. There is beautiful landscaping the entire length of Oceanside, adding to the serenity of the charming walkway. The promenade is popular
with strollers and runners, especially in the morning when we witnessed some
boot-camp style regime going on with hale and hearty types doing sprints and
burpees and climbing ropes and cavorting on different apparatus set up on the
beach. This is where the Navy Seals began after all. (I broke a sweat watching
them…)
 |
| TEST YOUR MEDDLE |
Unlike New Jersey where
arcades and tacky t-shirt emporiums edge the boardwalk and assault passersby
with loud throbbing obnoxious music blasting out like banshees, Oceanside is
quiet and the promenade is a comparatively serene stroll, despite the
heat! Don’t worry, the seedy bars and
shops, integral to any shore destination, are a block inland along Atlantic
Avenue, but a world away from the ocean!
Truthfully, I had my
misgivings about going to Virginia Beach, especially during “Graduation Week”. A
childhood friend and Annapolis Graduate, who lived in Virginia Beach in the 80’s,
said, “Bad things happen there,” but we both were pleasantly surprised at the
level of serenity we enjoyed. As previously stated in this article, Virginia
Beach has taken an active approach to “calming” the experience, and it showed. Evidently
the graduates have moved elsewhere to more indulgent destinations.
 |
| OCEANAIRE |
As we had our pick of
time shares, we chose the Oceanaire, at 34th Street, which caters to
a more adult crowd. They had a pool, hot tub and fire pit reserved for 21 years
and older and we even watched them usher younger people from it when they invaded
our sanctum.
It was a good relaxing
week.
 |
| OUR POOL |
Thanks for reading.
Go Army….oops...sorry Tom
Love Janet and Greg
© 2021
By Greg Dunaj
No comments:
Post a Comment