Winter Walk-Off 2014

     It's time once again for my annual Winter Walk-Off, and this winter in particular needs to be walked off, or better yet, run out of town with an angry mob quick on its heels. Some of you may recall that this meme of mine is a way of to enjoy a little armchair traveling, as I really like seeing other parts of the globe. So show me what your corner of the world looks like. As always, the rules are simple, the rules are flexible.

On your own two feet, leave the house and share what can be seen within walking (or biking) distance of your home (if you want to drive to your walk that's OK too).  Your post does not have to be about gardening or a travelogue, unless you want it to be.  Maybe instead you will find some unusual patterns, interesting shadows, signs of spring, a favorite restaurant or shop, questionable landscaping or local eyesores.  Whatever, just keep your eyes and mind open, be creative and have fun, but don't show anything from your own garden.

Post your own Winter Walk-Off on your blog, and link it back to this post.  Also, please leave a comment here when your post is up.  If you have recently written a similar post, you are welcome to recycle.

I will keep the challenge open until midnight on March 19th, the last day of winter (or summer for those of you below the equator).

Everyone who participates will have a chance to win one of two prizes, and a totally disinterested teenager will randomly draw the names. This year I am giving away some treasure from Virginia's Eastern Shore. One person will win an assortment of hand-selected seashells I pulled from the Atlantic. The other prize is a local delicacy called Crab House Crunch, which my family refers to as Crab House Crack, because it is that addictive.  I will contact the two winners and mail the prizes after the Walk-Off is over. 

I hope these guidelines are simple enough and that you will join in.

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     Now, please join me on my own Walk-Off, which took place in downtown Norfolk this past Sunday morning. It was a quiet day, and there were only a few people out. Despite seeing the recently scarce sun and clear blue skies, I hope you brought a coat with you, as the temperatures barely made it above freezing. This year I tested the flexibility of my own rules and drove to my starting point at the Pagoda Garden.

     This blog has been here many times before, it is one of my favorite downtown spots. I really appreciate its Asian makeover, as I am old enough to remember when this was a giant molasses tank.

Although the city has made strides to diversify its economy, at its core Norfolk is still very much a navy town.

     The first time I lived here the downtown waterfront was a mere shadow of its former self. Much of it was a vacant field of rubble interspersed by a few tumbledown, rat infested warehouses and derelict piers. It was a sad place. Fast forward, and it is now an attractive destination and a place people want to call home. At its center is Town Point Park, which also recently had a makeover. Its first incarnation was that of a park forced to function as a festival site. Town Point Park 2.0 is a festival site with a park-like qualities. I'm not sure I like it, a lot of beautiful sycamores were sacrificed to make it happen.

     Soon after I graduated from college, I got a job at the Omni Hotel (now a Sheraton). It was one of the first new structures built on the waterfront in many decades. Never a dull moment, it was a fun place to work, but at the same time it was very stressful. My stint lasted not quite two years, I quit and moved away, swearing never to come back to the hotel or to Norfolk again. Those were words I ended up eating, because years later I did come back to Norfolk, and got a job at the same hotel. That stint didn't end well either, and it was the last hotel job I ever had. 20 years later I still have bad dreams about the place.

     A few blocks from the river is one of Norfolk's oldest buildings, St. Paul's Episcopal Church. It survived (more or less) the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War and urban renewal. One of Norfolk's most cherished relics is embedded in its wall, a gift from the British.

     Here is another relic, the Monument to Our Confederate Dead. Every southern town has at least one. In 1951 Norfolk hosted the last Confederate soldier's reunion, when only four very old men were all that remained.

     One last relic for you, the tomb of General Douglas MacArthur, housed in Norfolk's first City Hall. I'm not going to show you the current City Hall, as I have no love for the place.

     Are you still with me? Good, one more bit of history, a few pics and then you are on your own.

     Before World War II, Norfolk had one of the country's largest collections of antebellum structures, and if circumstances had been different the city might have been able to draw in tourists the way Charleston and Savannah do. But Norfolk was a casualty of the war. The city was inundated with shipyard workers, sailors and many,many others. It's old homes were carved into apartments and boarding houses, then divided again. Shift workers shared the same bed, one sleeping at night and another during the day. Downtown Norfolk brimmed with rough bars, tattoo parlors and burlesque theaters. The city was ridden hard and put away wet. In response, after the war, the city father's graciously accepted federal dollars for urban renewal and promptly bulldozed half of the city. So much was lost, and with few exceptions the land remained vacant for decades. Finally, downtown has come back to life, and is now one of the most desirable places in the area to live. A new condo or apartment development seems to arise every week, and the downtown music and restaurant scene is lively. It's a vibrant mix of the new and what remains of the old, and a place I am glad to call home. Now if we can only figure out how to hold the rising sea at bay.

          Thanks for keeping company with me on my Walk-Off. Hopefully you will have one of your own soon.