Local's Lowdown on Virginia Beach!

Okay, I read The Lowdown on Virginia Beach, and, while I have to admit that some of the lowdown was on the money, I beg to differ with several of the more negative characterizations that were made about my fair city. 

What's true?

Virginia Beach is not a nightlife mecca by any stretch of the imagination. Our very strange city council is determined to turn this once fairly hopping city into a "family destination" by forcing out the few bars and nightclubs that remain with silly laws, bright spotlights, and mounted police. Very silly for a tourist destination, but what can I say? Norfolk is the place to go for nightlife - no doubt about it. 

There isn't much public transportation. True, very true. But that's not a phenomenon of Virginia Beach, but of the entire country minus a few big cities like New York and Boston. Suburban sprawl is rampant in our area as it is in most of the country. There are lots of taxis, but they need to be called. They don't go cruising around for riders like in the big city!

The shopping on the "strip" is not good - in fact, it's pretty tacky for the most part. The whole shopping experience is geared toward the typical tourists that seem to frequent Virginia Beach. Enough said. There are some nice shops in Virginia Beach in the Hilltop area or in Norfolk on Colley Avenue or Granby Street. 

Most of the people you meet on the beach are not actually from the area. True, because you will be hardpressed to find a "local" on the Boardwalk or anywhere near the main beach in summer. September is the month when the locals head back to their beach for some late-summer sun with a place to park and a quiet spot to lie down on. Most locals head to other prettier beaches in summer such as Fort Story, Sandbridge, and First Landing. Even in the resort area, you'll find more locals at Croatan or the Northend beaches. 

Now here's what isn't true or what our visitor never had the time to discover:

The Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean provide many great water adventures!

Credit: Thad Zajdowicz

Copyright: SXC