UO Magazine > Nov/Dec 2006 > Norfolk, Virginia

“Water, water everywhere,” lamented the poetic Ancient Mariner. He was marooned in a salty ocean without “any drop to drink.” Otherwise he could have been describing the geography in Norfolk—and all of Virginia’s multi-city Hampton Roads, a.k.a. the Tidewater region, with almost countless rivers and creeks, not to mention the saline Atlantic Ocean itself.

All of the above make Hampton Roads the next best thing to nirvana for three newcomers—colorectal surgeon Gregory P. FitzHarris, MD, and pediatric surgeons Ann Kuhn, MD and Robert J. Obermeyer, MD.

“My wife and I just love water,” says FitzHarris, who grew up on the East Coast and has lived mostly in water-blessed areas since then, including Honolulu and Tacoma. The “significant humidity” is different from previous locations, but the water, nearness to brothers and sisters and the “rural quality” of Suffolk, where he lives, more than compensate for that. He enjoys “driving on beautiful country roads” to his clinic, Tidewater Surgical Specialists, in Chesapeake and to Sentara CarePlex Hospital in Norfolk, where he’s also affiliated. “I live close enough to the beach to enjoy it but far enough away to avoid the crowds and congestion,” he says.

Living in landlocked Oklahoma City, Kuhn’s husband became almost claustrophobic. “My husband likes the East Coast and has a preference to be near water,” she says. Their home is practically on the James River, the biggest of the Chesapeake’s three tributaries.

Not even the deluge from tropical storm Ernesto in August could intimidate them. “Even though we are on the water, we have five acres, so our house is out of the flood zone,” she says. Her advice to other newcomers: “Research a potential house to make sure you don’t live in a flood zone.” Kuhn keeps the problem in perspective: “One or two days out of the year for rotten weather isn’t bad. It beats huge snowstorms!” She does admit, though, that she “had trouble getting the anatomy of the landscape. Highways seem to run in circles, and it’s just weird the way things are laid out. I take maps with me wherever I go.”

Neither Obermeyer nor Joel Brenner, MD, considers traffic a problem, despite the potential logjams of traffic funneling through the area’s two bridges and three bridge-tunnels. Both physicians, like Kuhn, are affiliated with Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters (CHKD). “I hear about traffic jams in the tunnels and on the bridges,” says Obermeyer, “and I just drive happily along.” Brenner says, “It’s not bad as long as you pick the right place to live.” And, negotiating tunnels and bridges is “a matter of luck and timing.”

Home for Ohio-born Obermeyer, his wife and three sons is now on the Lafayette River. Having studied and practiced in Cincinnati, Youngstown (Ohio), Little Rock, and Houston, he says, “We wanted to finally be on the water. We didn’t want a vacation home on the water; we wanted to live on the water.” Convenience is important, too. “We’re 15 minutes from Virginia Beach, less than five minutes from the zoo, and four miles from the hospital.” The ocean is so near that he’s already taken his daughter, 6, and son, 3, on some charter deep sea fishing expeditions—”but not too far out.” And, he adds, “A boat will be our next big purchase.”

On any day of the year, there are sightseeing cruises available on various vessels in Norfolk, including the American Rover, a replica of a 19th-century cargo schooner, and nautical museums and sites abound. But for a short time next year, the boat population will multiply when 50 “tall ships” arrive for a pull-out-all-the-stops celebration of Captain John Smith’s arrival in 1607 with a group of settlers aboard the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery. After briefly setting foot at Cape Henry, now part of Virginia Beach, they went on to settle Jamestown 60 miles up the James River, America’s first English-speaking colony.

Never mind that Norfolk wasn’t chartered until 1682. Its citizens will incorporate “Sail Virginia,” a quadricentennial extravaganza, into its annual Harborfest from June 7 to 12. Other communities will follow suit. In fact, says Karen Scherberger, a festival promoter, “There are probably 112 celebrations—or more—throughout the state. The celebration belongs to all Virginians.”

Historic home tours, colonial replica villages, and parades also will be part of Norfolk’s gala celebration, as well as tours of the tall ships.

Ever since the first shipyard was established at Jamestown in 1620, Norfolk residents have made the most of their liquid asset. The biggest shipbuilding industry shifted to Newport News, probably because it’s closer to the ocean than Jamestown and because of its position at Hampton Roads, the best natural deepwater harbor on the East Coast. In nautical parlance, the term “road” signifies “a safe harbor where ships may ride at anchor.” This road is used extensively by both military and civilian ships.

The Virginia Port Authority is a “cornerstone industry for the Hampton Roads region,” says media relations manager Joe Harris. “I don’t know of a single industry in the state, other than the military, that provides the economic benefits of the port operation.”

The statistics are mind-boggling: Number two port and largest intermodal facility on the East Coast; works with more than 75 international shipping lines; annual “throughput” of two million 20-foot equivalent units, or TEUs, a measurement unit adopted for containers; cargo transfers to two major rail lines and 135 trucking companies. Some 240 warehouses and distribution centers help spread the benefits statewide, Harris points out. That translates to 165,000 jobs across the state and $700 million in annual tax revenue.

U.S. cruisers, destroyers, submarines, and supercarriers fill berths at Naval Station Norfolk, the world’s largest naval base, established in 1917. Today, the base has five “brother” installations in Hampton Roads, including an amphibious base, a Naval air station, and the Naval shipyard at Newport News. Other branches of the military are present, too. In fact, the military-related work force—150,000—far exceeds every other labor category in the city. And the military retiree population is second only to San Diego. While most military personnel get their care from two large military/veterans’ hospitals in Portsmouth and Hampton, Joseph S. Auteri, MD, says, “We see Navy people and retirees frequently at social events. Everyone here seems to have a military background.”

Appealing to civilian pursuits, Norfolk has become a homeport for three major cruise lines and gateway city to Bermuda (only 680 miles away), Caribbean, Canadian, and New England ports. Norfolk old-timers like to say it’s a belated legacy from Thomas Jefferson’s 1789 arrival there after a two-month voyage from Europe. The modern-day cruise partnership will be crowned in March when the mammoth new Half Moone Center opens.

Built on the site of a 1673 fort “in the form of a half moone,” the terminal, unlike the warehouse atmosphere of most other coastal facilities, will exude welcome, predicts cruise operations manager Stephen Kirkland. It’s actually on the edge of an enticing downtown, and Norfolk itself is a gateway to dozens of regional historic sites.

The center is practically next door to Nauticus, The National Maritime Center, housing the Hampton Roads Naval Museum, a science center and aquarium, with the battleship/museum USS Wisconsin anchored beside it. Obermeyer considers it such a valuable learning experience that he has a family membership, as well as a year’s pass to Busch Gardens, a mere half-hour away.

Nauticus and the Half Moone Center are among the numerous upgrades in downtown Norfolk. If the “Tidewater town’s” continual growth and vitality are successful, much of the credit goes to consistent government leadership. For almost 30 years, regardless of mayoral and council changes, Norfolk has steadfastly stuck to a master strategy devised in 1980—the 2010 Plan, with a list of accomplishments almost as long as a Tolstoy novel. As the city’s senior business development manager, Alan Boring, puts it, “My boss has always said that we quietly go about the business of doing business—and we stick to our plans.”

Landmark downtown buildings now rub shoulders with new-age condos and apartments. New office and civic buildings have sprung up around the new City Hall. Streets have been extended to improve traffic patterns and a “grand esplanade” opens the way from the refurbished Harrison Opera House to the Chrysler Museum of Art, whose 8,000-piece art glass and 19th-century marble sculptures are world-renowned.

A venerable shopping arcade is home to new enterprises, notably the d’Art Center where 50 resident artists demonstrate and sell their works, and headquarters for the region-wide Virginia Arts Festival, a month-long music extravaganza with region-wide concerts. The arcade doubles as a passageway to the waterfront and Town Point Park, where some 90 percent of Norfolk’s many festivals are held, including the huge International Azalea Festival, Harborfest, Cajun food, wine, and children’s festivals.

Returning to the area after several years away, Brenner, who was an intern, resident, and chief resident at Norfolk’s Eastern Virginia Medical School, was surprised at the changes. He now specializes in adolescent medicine and primary care sports medicine at CHKD. “The area has grown, and it just offers a lot,” he says. “Parts of the city look completely different.” And, with so many new restaurants, “there’s all the different ethnic food you could ask for. Every week we try a new place.” A favorite is Baker’s Crust, where “you can sit at a crepes bar and watch them made in front of you. We went there three times the first month we were in Norfolk.”

Many of Norfolk’s neighborhoods (120 or more) are systematically being revitalized or redeveloped. The city has added a Neighborhood Design and Resource Center where planners and architects offer help to homeowners to assure additions compatible with original styles.

Also part of the mix are restored theaters, including the opera house and the Attucks Theater, once known as the Apollo of the South, whose stage welcomed America’s most famous black entertainers. Old commercial buildings now house unique shops and restaurants, and the huge MacArthur Center, with 140 upscale stores, makes downtown the region’s primary retail center.

The revitalized downtown Granby Street, with its many chef-owned bistros, has become a dining heaven. “You can’t walk a foot without finding a good restaurant,” says Kuhn. Hardly taking a breath, she and Obermeyer can run down a list of their favorites—Velvet 25, 456 Fish, Sirena Cucina Italiana, Blue Hippo, Domo Sushi, Luna Maya, and Todd Jurich’s Bistro, which offers “contemporary cuisine infused with French, Asian, and American.”