52 Lists - Week 2 - Take 2 - Good Things about My Town

Oh dear, I really wasn't paying attention.  It's not 52 weeks of to-do lists, that was just for last week.  There's a new theme each week!  If I hadn't popped over to Mrs. M's Meanderings to read her list this week, I would have continued to travel down Rue Oblivion this week!

So, here goes, correction to this week - my list of good things about my town.  Hmm, this presents a problem as I live on a military base that's really a town all in itself.  Therefore, I will branch a little farther afield and use the surrounding urban area of Norfolk as my town.

1. Norfolk is located in southeastern Virginia, part of the area known as Hampton Roads and is a lovely mixture of downtown and seashore life.

2. Norfolk has a lot of coastline, both bay and river so there is a lot of nautical scenery - from container ships, cruise liners and naval vessels to sailboats, ferries and fishing boats.

3. We have a lovely shopping mall with Nordstrom and Dillard's as the anchor department stores, and oodles of little shops.

4. We also have a thriving boho area of town with bars, restaurants and boutiques.

5. There's quite a thriving cultural scene with an opera house, a theater (with Broadway in Norfolk as one of its annual features), a large venue for concerts, a beautiful art museum (reopening this spring after a huge renovation), as well as smaller independent theaters and stage companies.  The Virginia Symphony holds performances at both the opera house and the theater.

6. Our professional sports scene consists of a hockey team and a baseball team.  There are also two universities in Norfolk with collegiate sports

7. History is well-represented in Norfolk with a quaint downtown area with many historic homes open to the public.  We are also home to the Douglas MacArthur Memorial and Nauticus, a national maritime center.

8. There are a lot of parks and open spaces, of which Norfolk Botanical Garden is the most beautiful.

9. Norfolk is known for its Mermaids on Parade, a public art program launched in 2002 to place mermaid statues all over the city.  You can take a walking tour to view them.

10. We have a large airport although why it's called Norfolk International Airport is beyond me as you can't fly directly to any international destination!

And that, my friends, is Norfolk, Virginia!