Our luggage was right on the carosol, no problems and the walk through Norfolk's very clean and new airport was easy. We found the Avis rental without a problem, however the small compact that we had arranged for last Dec was not available, they wanted to upgrade us to an SUV, not what we wanted at all. When they finally convinced us that the SUV was the only vehicle available, we reluctantly took it with the agreement they would drive to our home exchangers' home the next day and replace it.

Still on California time, we woke up past noon on Wed, Avis telephoned us a few times to make arrangements, deliver the compact; and we were now ready to do some food shopping, find a place for a very late lunch or probably an early dinner and begin settling in to our New home.

Our home in Larchmont, is large and lovely, lots of small rooms and little cubby holes. It has a brick facade, looks about 100 years old, though in great shape and very pretty. It is a home with a great deal of character and filled with personal momentoes and years of living there. It's very pleasant. All the usual and important ammenities for home exchange are present like a washing machine, dryer and dishwasher and a large screen TV for N to watch sporting events. Also, a very nice personal library, so once again,I probably won't use my Kindle very much. My home exchanger appears to have similar reading tastes - a real plus, this does not often happen. We've been exchanging emails and they appear to be settling in to our home, too.

Yesterday, we hooked up our GPS and tried No Frills Restaurant for lunch, a popular eatery nearby, recommended highly by our Frommer's VA guide as well as, our home exchangers, S and A. I think we both had salads, can't remember now, but about $25 for the two of us. Server was very friendly, giving us lots of local tips and directions. But fatigue had set in a bit, so we probably missed essentials. However, I remembered HT as recommended by Birdie elsewhere on this board and we stopped there to do our first food shopping. It's a large pleasant market and on a whim, I punched in my home exchangers' tel no and we saved .73 on our purchases.

Today, was still cold for my California sensibilities, and I wore a heavy coat all day. We decided to visit Ghent, a gentrified historic district which has "lots of cafes and cute shops," per our exchangers. We walked up and down some very pretty streets, some with lovely blooming azelas, and lots of wood frame blgs which I am told some date back to the mid 1890s. A few remind me very much of mid western Minnesota architecture. Lots of frame and the lots are a bit closer together than Larchmont, though of course, I can only speak for what we saw today. Lots of pretty shrubbery, too. Also, many appear to be subdivided into apartment bldgs. We saw one apt building, probably early 20s that had a crenulated roof line.


We ended our day with a 4:30 lunch at the very popular so we were told, Pasha's Turkish restaurnt. We can't always be the best food guides on this forum, since we try our best to eat Vegan when possible. We had two sandwiches and soup - which set us back about $25. Mine was a black bean and kale; N had a red lentil patty. He liked his better than mine. Nothing wrong with them, just not great, but the place was attractive and people over the top friendly ,and locals give it high praise.

Welcome!! Yes, it was a little chilly today but that can be normal for a mid-April day. This weekend should be gorgeous. I hope there are still some azaleas blooming in your neighborhood.

"I punched in my home exchangers' tel no and we saved .73 on our purchases."

Smart, smart lady. I should have thought of that when I warned you about the VIC card. Your home exchangers are going to wonder why they start receiving coupons for vegan items.

Thank you, Birdie. People are very friendly. Everyone we meet appears to be from some place else -- just like California.

The weather today was gorgeous, still cool, but sunny and clear; it was a perfect day to visit the absolutely beautiful Norfolk Botanical Gardens, originally planned as a Department of Public Works project during the Depression. It was probably a horrid time for many, but great projects like the wonderful hiking trails in Zion National Park were built then.

Puting America back to work in the 1930s left many the country many wonderful legacies. Norfolk's Botanican Garden is one of those places.

Admission fee is $9.00 and includes a free tram ride. The parking lot was filled, but once inside the vast gardens, it appears deserted. We took the 30 minute, narrated ride, saw tons of assorted pink, rose colored, purple and white azaleas, budding trees, tulips, irises, cherry blossoms, and lots of pretty shrubs and trees that will remain nameless. We rode over a stone bridge that was part of Norfolk's early history, passed waterways, and a swampy lake that must be laden with mosquitos come summertime.There is a pretty Japanese garden, too. And a row of sulptures of large figures of famous artists like Rmbrandt and Da Vinci. This particular part of the gardens is reminiscent of some of the great European country homes. (I believe the sculptor was Moses Ecziel - I probably have the name spelled wrong.) If I have not made it clear, I loved the gardens and enjoyed it very much.

Fearful of traffic jams, we left the gardens around 4 pm, but made it back home without too much trouble where we lunched on avocado sandwiches. Trivial observation: The avocados are so different from the ones we buy in California. The pit here is about the size of an apricot pit, whereas our local avocado pits are the size of an avocado.

We later walked over to Taste, a local sandwich, wine, speciality, gelato shop passing by some intersting homes along the way. I have decided our red brick house is a Federalist design. We saw some Arts and Crafts houses that would look perfectly at home in LA, a Greek Revival and many homes that had various additions added to them over their 100 odd year history, making them a mismash of early 20th century architecture and mid century. At Taste we overcame our mostly vegan diet to sample and split some very good gelato.

correction: I meant to say, our California avocado seeds are the size of an apricot!

annetti:

Glad your Southwest flight went well. I remember you posting a question about the seating.

It is great fun reading about your house exchange. It sounds like this is a good match.

Looking forward to more.

Sandy

Thanks, SandyBrit. So far an excellent match. It feels very different from home. . . You reminded me I should conclude my post about the SWA flight.

Yesterday, we visited the wonderful Chrysler Museum of Art, housed in an Italian Renaissance Bldg overlooking the Elizabeth River. There is a lovely view of the water from the foyer. When you enter the museum's main lobby you see an Italian Palazzo-- straight ahead are two stairways and above small windows and balconies, just right for a scene out of Romeo and Juliet. It's all done in a lovely white stone.

The museum is huge, contains 60 galleries. The galleries' paintings and sculptures are beautifully displayed along with small placards listing some information either about the artist, his/her career and some explanation of the painting. All very nicely done.

We elected to visit the American gallery, but ended up spending a great deal of time in the Impressionist room as well. Some names we were familiar with --others were names unknown to us. Lots of NY subjects, seldom seen in the LA County Museum of Art. Saw an interesting tavern scene by Franz Klein whom I always associated with abstract expressionism. I did not know the man could paint anything besides black and white swatches of paint. Just kidding, but I had never seen his earlier work before.

One patron remarked to me that Norfolk was lucky to have a museum like this - I have to agree it's a wonderful museum. Apparently, Walter Chrysler, the son of the founder of the chrysler was an avid collector, his wife a former Norfolk native, influenced his decision to place the museum here.

The museum was relatively uncrowded on a Sat and except for a children's family art session in the main foyer;itwas a quiet and relaxing way to spend the day. BTW, Admission is free!!

Today, we visited the Moses Myer House, also administered by the Chrysler museum. The website is a bit vague regarding its location. It appears to be next door, but in reality it is about a half mile away on Free Mason Street next to the McArthur Mall. It is only open Fri, Sa, and Sun from noon to 4pm. Like the Chrysler Museum the admission is free.We left a couple dollars donation.

The brick house was build in the late 1790s, Federalist Style, and has over 70% of its original furnishings, per the docent. You can do a self-guided tour or the docent is pleased to how you around. Other than two students who came to view the constumes, we were the only tourists visiting the house that day and had full attention from the docent. He knew a great deal about the house, the Jewish businessman and family that owned the house and was able to relate it to the history of the time.

It's been a long while since we've had a lesson in American history, not since jr high, I imagine. So often, we have been touring Europe and learning their history, which has been great of course, so this felt very different to us.

Although, we could not see the slave quarters, the twelve slaves lived in a small room above the kitchen which we did see. The fireplace was constantly burning fuel to feed the large family and all the guests and servants. The heat in the summer time must have been deplorable in that small room above the kitchen.

Welcome to Norfolk, annetti!! I'm happy and relieved to hear it's working out well. The weather's certainly improved since your arrival and you are here at such a great time to appreciate the gardens.
Next week is Historical Garden Week in Virginia and each city offers tours of exquisite homes and gardens. If you google historic garden week virginia you should be able to find the various schedules.
My e-mail's on my profile if I can answer any questions for you. I don't often check the US board.

Thanks, Judy. I'll have to check my dates - we're leaving for Charolottesville sometime next week. Some of our neighbors have flags up advertising the flower festival.

Yes, we are enjoying ourselves, almost a week and finding something different to do each day, and a few places like The Chrysler Museum worth visiting multiple times.

Today we visited the tiny city of Portsmouth,just across the Elizabeth River. You can take a ferry downtown Norfolk, or just set your GPS forPortsmouth North Landing Visitor's Center www.visitportsva.com and ask for a walking tour of Old Portsmouth as we did.

Our Frommers'tour book described the area as having a variety of different architectural styles, colonial, federal, victorian, greek revival,and Georgian. As usual we found it next to impossible to follow the map, so we just wandered around admiring some of the buildings. Some were in better repair than others, a few had medallions hanging outside the house telling you about their former lives, such as Gen Lafayette slept here or some other famous person from Colonial history. From what I could tell, most houses appear now to be private residences, occasionally serving as both home and business. There were quite a few "for rent" signs.

We later wandered down High Street where we were told that there were cafes and shops. It was Monday and perhaps that accounted for its bedraggled and under active street life. Some of the shops and storefronts were for rent. We finally settled on the most crowded restaurant, actually pleasant inside, real napkins and tablecloths, and surprisingly inexpensive, but very mediocre food, so I'll leave it nameless. Though, the waiter tried so hard, we overtipped him, not his fault the food was just okay.

We walked a bit more, saw our very first War Statue Commemorating the Confederate Soldiers lost in the Civil War. Ran into a TV newscaster who was trying to find some opinions on the proposed toll rd.

Stopped and had some tea at a coffee shop, talked with a man from Mississippi who gave us suggestions for visiting Virginia Beach.

Can't quite get my mind straight on how to visit this ocean resort if all one wants to do is stroll the concrete board walk. Anyone, able to set me straight?Not really interested in taking a dip in the sea, but it there are shells on the beach, it might be fun to walk on the beach itself as well as stroll the boardwalk.

annetti, If you take 264 to Virginia Beach and follow it until it becomes 21st St, turn left on Pacific Avenue. At 25th St & Pacific is a large pay parking lot. You can walk the 1 block to the oceanfront and you are on the Boardwalk. If you turn left the boardwalk continues to 31st St. If you turn right, the boardwalk continues to 5th St.
On the way back to Norfolk, you may want to stop at the Contemporary Art Center. You would turn right at Parks Ave where 22nd St turns into 264 heading west.
Hope this makes sense. There are lots of restaurants along the boardwalk. I had lunch at the Hilton at 31st St with a vegan friend. They were able to amend something on the menu for him, though I don't recall what it was.

Thanks, Judy. We took your suggestion and parked at 25th and Pacific, only a block from the beach.

Perhaps, it was not the best day to visit Virginia Beach. Although the day was clear,sunny and in the low 80s, the wind was pretty ferocious. We walked a few blocks on the relatively unpeopled boardwalk, sometimes never passing a soul. The beach next to the boardwalk was white and sandy, very pretty-- similar to the Jersey Shore Beaches where our family summered when I was a child. The Atlantic, also has the same dank green olive color I remember so well. There were a few people on the beach sunning, but if there were swimmers I missed them.

The wind made me a bit wary about sunburn, and there were few places to avoid the sun. We ducked into the Hilton restaurant that Judy suggested above and looked around. Very pretty, but neither of us were quite ready for a meal.

The boardwalk and side streets are lined with hotels and motels; it must be an entirely different feel here in summer with the rooms booked, tourists, sunbathers, bicylcers, everywhere. Lot of usual tourist shops with the usual seaside souvenirs, salt water taffy, t-shirts, buckets, etc. My childhood paradise revisited. It felt a little newer but just like the Jersey Shore.

As we walked back to our car, we were accosted by at least 4 or 5 people who came out of their shops or restaurants to try to sell us something or invite us in.I have not seem this many hucksters for a long time.

In our rush to leave, we had forgotten that we planned a trip to Trader joes while in VB, but not a terrific loss (though it is a great place to buy wine) since we have 3 TJ's in striking distance in So Cal..

When I had queried Fodorites earlier about restaurants in Norfolk, a few people mentioned Azar's. We decided to try the one on 2000 Colley today. Arrived there around 4 or so. A mild scattering of people. N ordered a falafel and I ordered a Baba ghanouj (roasted eggplant, tahini, garlic, lemon juice) pita sandwich. N also ordered an extra salad. They were inexpensive, nothing really wrong, but my local Lebanese Mediterrean back home (gets a 27 in Zagatt) has spoiled us since it is so good. But, fine for an inexpensive meal.

Rain forecasted for tomorrow - may be thinking museums again. .

If you go back to VA Beach, annetti, go to the Aquarium:

http://www.virginiaaquarium.com/Pages/default.aspx

There is a nice level walk through the woods at First Landing State Park in VA Beach:

http://www.first-landing-state-park.org/index.html

First Landing is near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel. Have you thought about taking a drive across the Bay?

Believe it or not, Virginia Beach is the largest city in Virginia.

If you get back to Virginia Beach, my husband was there last night and said he had a fabulous dinner at Zoe's.

http://www.zoesvb.com/

"Have you thought about taking a ride across the bay?" Yes, Birdie, we have since our home exchangers offered us their place in Chincoteague, so if I am correct we will be taking the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel before we leave.

And,No, I had not a clue that VB was the largest city in VA. Is that in tourist season, year-round, or by land mass?

Thank you, JanetKMR for the restaurant recommendation.

Today's weather forecasted rain, though I write this at 8 something pm, no rain has fallen yet. Being the intrepid travelers we are, we decided to visit the Douglas MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk's Old City Hall downtown on Bank Street opposite the MacArthur Mall. Admission is free (donations recommended) and you can get 3 hrs validation for parking at the mall.It's listed as a two star must-see inFrommer's)

The self-guided walk through the 9 or 10 galleries was a bit confusing at time. Douglas MacArthur's father, brother, son and possibly his grandfather were all named Arthur, so when I read his family history, I often became confused.Which Arthur were they referring to - the brother or the father?

However, there is no confusion that Douglas MacArthur was a unique individual -- courageous, brillant, and dedicated to what he envisioned as America's course. Of course, along with MacArthur's personal history, we follow enormously important world events, WW1, WW11 and Korea. He died in 1964.
It's interesting to read aboutthe great differences he had with FDR and Truman. His plan to democratize Japan was probably one of DMacA's true success stories. I doubt, I would have agreed with many of his conservative views - he had presidential aspirations at one time, but I have to give him just credit for his various successess.Also,lots of memobelia to see from war helmets to calling cards.

There's a new theater going up next door which will show a film, probably opening in Oct.

I was not quite sure of DMacA's Norfolk connection. I did read that his mother is a Norfolk native, however Douglas MacArthur lived in various posts around the world (born in NMex) and never really lived here. The docent at the door, explained that it was his mother's connection (she's buried in Norfolk), that explains the memorial here.

Again, a late 4pm or so lunch. We debated our choices. Oxgirl had given us a while back an alternative on-line newpaper with a few vegan restaurant reviews. One sounded okay to me, but N was not enthusiastic, so we made our back to No Frills Grill where they remembered us and had two very nice lunches. I had an Asian salad with portobello mushrooms. It set us back about $25 or so including tip.

Finally, another trip to HT for odds and ends -- we had tried Farm Fresh yesterday on a local recommendation, but N had not liked it at all.

Getting ready now for a very late dinner...

annetti, there is another No Frills Grill in Virginia Beach in the Hilltop Shopping area (Laskin & First Colonial Rd) This is where there's a Trader Joe's and a Fresh Market as well.

I agree with Birdie that the Aquarium is worth a visit.

annetti, if you're in Norfolk on Saturday and the weather's good, there is a Jazz & Art Festival in our neighborhood. If you go to www.eastbeachnorfolk.com and click on the news/events link, you can see the information. I think they also have a wine & beer tasting.

Oooops, wrong weekend. It is the 28th.....sorry.

Thanks, Judy. It rained pretty heavily last night. Good thing, too. I am having trouble locating the source of my home exchangers' hose and the lawn needed watering.Lots of shrubs and gates in my way. Oddly enough, my home exchangers back in So Cal wrote me that they could not figure out how to turn on our sprinkling system.

The weather today may dictate another museum.

Are there plantations that we can visit near Norfolk and if so what would you recommend? Thanks, everyone.

Weather's improving!

Birdie probably has much more plantation information than I do. The closest that I'm aware of are in Charles City County on the James River between Williamsburg and Richmond. It has been many years since we visited them. Sorry I can't be of more help there.

The night rain watered the lawn, and very conveniently stopped by the time we were ready the leave the house. Though the air was brisk, the sky was blue and shining. Really quite nice.

We elected to visit Hampton University Museum museum.hamptonu.edu to see its collection of African American Art, included in the collection are some Harlem Renaissance paintings. The museum housed in a former library (circa 1902) is a pretty building, though it was incredibly difficult to find. The website did not list an address, only the campus and with directions to follow signs.

The famous painting illustrated in many books, The Banjo Lesson by Henry O Tanner is there. Also, a very nice exhibit called The Freedom Fightersby William Johns illustrates Harriet Tubmans' struggle for freedom and her immense courage bringing slaves via the underground railroad to freedom in the North and Canada. The other half of the series concerns Frederick Douglass' struggle for freedom. Very powerfully done.

We wandered a bit around the pretty campus, some lovely buildings; the university began its life as an educational institution in 1868 to educate freed slave. Booker T Washington is one of its alummni.

We are still struggling with distances, and Hamptom happily was only about 20 or so minutes away. We left around 3pm as advised to avoid traffic, at lunch at home and then took a leisurely walk around the neighborhood viewing the pretty houses and the stretch of the Lafayette River. Not a soul on the street. A very pleasant day in Norfolk.

This should help:

http://www.jamesriverplantations.org/

It is a very pretty and rural drive out on Rt 5 from Williamsburg. It will take you an hour to get to Williamsburg and then a good half an hour more to get to the plantations.

I'm glad you enjoyed Hampton U. By the time you finish your stay, you'll have given me a list of places I'll have to visit.

annetti, you seem to be doing quite well finding things to do here! If you have any questions and would like further information, my husband & I are happy to meet you somewhere or have you come here to work on your plans for the rest of your trip. My e-mail's on my profile and we leave for Europe 5/1.

Birdie, The art exhibit we saw yesterday at the Art Museum at Hampton U, so someone told us today,was on exhibit at the Phila Museum of Art to record crowds. And of course, we walked in yesterday to an empty building plus a docent where we had no one peering over our shoulder.

Thank you for the James River Plantation suggestion. We were told not to miss the Shirley Plantation. It appears each day that one idea is leading to another place to go.

Judy, thank you very much for your kind suggestion. I'll run it by my husband. Your trip to Europe is rt around the corner.

Today, we visited Endview Plantation in Newport News, suggested by one of our neighbors. It took us about 45 minutes from Norfolk. Nearby is the much larger and grander Lee Mansion which we drove by, but did not visit.

Endview was described by our docent (we, again were the only visitors) as a small Georgian white frame house, the home of a middle class farmer in the mid 1800s.However, he probably had somewhere of about 15-17 slaves. The slave quarters have been destroyed, but there are plans to reconstruct them.
Tomorrow, there is a Civil War Reinactment, but today the place was quiet. The grounds are very pretty, especially at this time of the year with clover and yellow buttercups spinkling the landscape. The trees are not yet in full bud, so there are shades of green leaf.

The house is not very impressive, it was recently (perhaps, in the last 15 yrs or so) that it has become an historical monument. None of the furnishing are original to the home, but there is an effort to have objects or facsimiles to the period. It obviously needs money to get it going, I believe it was $10 for the two of us, the clerk pointed out there was a $1.00 off coupon!! which is not exactly helping raise funds for the house.

Since the tour was short, we thought we'd stop and visit the Casemate Museum in Hampton, but we were intimidated by the warning we had heard about Fri traffic and decided to return to Ghent, eat at Azar's and then browse the stores.

We wandered into the very famous Doumar featured on The Food Channel. Lots of 1950s retro atmosphere with prices to match. People looked very happy and it was fun to look around. They still have carhops and curb service.

Today, the weather was perfect and most importantly we awoke early, so we switched plans and drove to Williamsburg. The ride up and back was faultless, no traffic snarls each way, especially important when I am behind the wheel.

We arrived in Williamsburg around noon or so, visited the Visitor's Center (free parking) and spoke to one of the many guides helping you design your day. Since we only had a couple of hrs, she suggested we walk around, visit the church and jsut get a feel for the land, so to speak.

We walked into the historic center, perhaps 1/4 mile away and then just wandered. We visited the pretty church, heard a little choral music, spoke to one of the many, many knowlegeable doecents and just wandered. I wanted to eat at one of the taverns (particularly the one I visited with my parents muchos anos ago, but that part of the town was closed off for a special program and we did not have tickets!

Nonetheless, the docents in their 17th Century dress and seventeenth Century personnas were so comfortablr in their roles that we were very comoftable asking questions and speaking with them, having conversations, that they must have had 1000s of time before, however, everyone was so pleasant and in most cases it did not feel like a prepared script.


My major purchases were lunch at a small cafe when we found we could not get in a tavern and some book marks for my book group, and of course post cards that hardly anyone sends or receives nowadays

It was a very relaxed enjoyable day and I 'm glad we took advantage of a beautiful spring day to see Williamsburg

Traffic back to Norfolk was faultless; we ended up buying a few odds and ends at Ht.Still our best shopping choice at this moment

Norfolk is a military town, so we see a lot of men and women in military fatigues. So far, the best t-shirt I have seen went like this: Front side MARINES; back: PAIN IS JUST LOSING THE WEAKNESS

Another favorite seen around town: You don't have to be crazy to work here; we'll train you.

Several other minor observations: Drivers are very polite - amazingly so, we have not been honked at, and more surprises, people wave us ahead to go first!

Traffic lights are not on poles but hang on wires across intersections, a bit disconerting at first.

People smile at you in the market and say "sorry" if their cart bumps into yours.

People do not appear as rushed as they do at home - is that accurate or is it only bec I am on vacation.

HT seems a good match for us food-wise, a fair amount of organic foods and some good vegan choices.

annetti, just in case you're interested.

http://www.mattawomancreekfarms.com/Shopping.htm?utm_source=BenchmarkEmail&utm_campaign=Seasonal_Offer_April_24_26&utm_medium=email

Thank you, Judy. That sounds wonderful. But probably a bit too much food for us while on vacation. Not doing too much cooking nowadays.

Yesterday was gloriously warm and in the low 80s. Sun shining all day. Today, Norfolkians will know, it was probably in the low 60s and rained ferociously.

N, being a true Californian, wanted to stay home, relax and read, since the mantra in California is, " don't go out when it's raining unless you really need to." In other words, Californians treat heavy rain the same as Midwesterners treat heavy snow. Probably, Midwesterners are more casual about snow than Californians or I should say the Californians we know are about rain. .

I convinced N that the Crysler Museum was a perfect day to spend a wet Sunday. We arrived just as a docent tour was beginning on Mythology. I, always confuse the Greek Gods and the Roman Gods' names, so I have problems following the stories. It was a short tour, maybe 6 of us, but I'm always impressed at how immersed the docents are in their subjects. Later she graciously explained a painting that N had admired from our last visit.

We had lunch in the okay cafe; the waitress was a bit overwhelmed with all the guests and had trouble coping, cleaning tables, rather than taking orders and forgetting what she was about.

We love the Crysler Museum, and are glad we arrived before next year's proposed removations to add a wing and upgrade heating and ac. I suppose there are tons of paintings in storage that could be exhibited. The musem is lovely, so beautifully maintained. We plan to try to return once or twice more before we leave Norfolk. It is so huge that we have covered so little ground.

annetti, I highly recommend a visit to the Chrysler's new glass studio. We were at the museum for something else, walked across the street and were amazed at the presentation....nothing like the Murano glass blowing sales pitches!

annetti, I hope you have Jamestown on your itinerary. It is very well done.

http://www.historyisfun.org/jamestown-settlement.htm

We lived in Norfolk years ago - DH and I met there when he was in the Navy and I was working. I really enjoyed living in Norfolk - learned a lot.

Hi annetti, I finally got to Quenna's for lunch. It is a juice bar serving vegan and raw food. I had an avocado pita which was excellent and was served with lots of veggies on the side. It was so large, I had to bring half of it home.

The restaurant is in a strip shopping center at the end of Granby Street behind the library. It is about a block from the Chesapeake Bay. I thought I remembered you had a concern about the area and, while not a high-end neighborhood, I see no reason for concern.

Thanks, Judy for the update.

We were gone for 5 days, spending some time in Charlottesville and Richmond, both of which we enjoyed tremendously.

We started our short excursion with Charlottesville, an easy three hour drive from Norfolk, as described by a Fodorite on another thread. Green trees bordered our route, I found it lovely, but then I'm used to brown hills so it was not boring for us. It rained off and on as we drove. We arrived in Char. around 2pm, staying at The English Inn www.englishinncharlottesville.com. paying about $102/nightly excluding taxes) for a king room incl parking and breakfast. It was a bit on the shabby side, but everyone was very pleasant, even triple sheeting our bed for us. (I hate touching the icky blankets.) There was a wonderful bagel place across the road,that we ended up eating more than a few meals at.

We probably did not push ourselves much, since we probably could have seen a lot more in our two days there, but our goal was to see the University, old town pedestrian mall and of course, Monticello.

The University is beautiful, lots of green lawns, varied brick bldgs which to my uneducated eye look like a hodgepodge of architectural styles, but all very attractive. The famous rotouna is modeled after the Pantheon in Rome. I don't know anything about its academic standards,but on appearances alone, it looks like a wonderful place to spend 4 years.

The following day we went to Monticello, crowded, but not annoyingly so. We arranged an 11:00 tour, but by a lucky chance we were sheparded around by one tour guide, so it was very, very pleasant. The tour guide told us it was Palladian architecturally, and our guidebk echoed it, but it looked very different to my untrained eye not like some of the Palladian homes we saw in the UK. Once again, it was a novel experience hearing Amer revolutionary war stories that we had last studied (and of course cursorily) in middle school. I'm glad we made the effort to see Monticello. We. also walked the very European like pedestrian mall downtown.

Richmond:

We stayed at the Berkley Hotel in Richmond, recommened by Birdie. Thank you. At first, we thought it out of our price range, over $250/night on their website, but calling them directly we saved over $100 a night. Price did not include garaging the car ($21), breakfast or taxes. Surprisingly, we were upgraded on arrival (no idea why), but we had a lovely room complete with a seating area and my favorite - triple sheeting without request. Everyone was pleasant and location was great. We walked most places.

Our first meal just down the street was at the Urban Farmhouse, which I found fine, N did not like its affected ambience or food. It may not have helped that his soup was served to him cold, even when reheated, it came back tepid.

The downtown area is very attractive, low orangey/red bricked bldgs with lots of green budding trees. We wandered about, walked over to the The Museum and White House of the Confederacy and took the tour. The place put me off: I tried to listen carefully and be tolerant, but the two ladies serving tea and cookies in the main lobby seemed archaic, rather than charming to me. It did not help that our tour guide was flippant and disdainful. His attitude was barely middle of the road.

We wandered over to the John Marshall House, but our tour book's days opened were incorrect, and the place was closed. We walked into highly discussed, that is by Fodorites, The Tobacco Company, but were not enticed. Its atmosphere reminded me of a cross between the now defunct California Claim Jumper, Marie Callendars, and a wild west Saloon.

Richmond continued:

The next day, we took a tour (wonderful guide) of the Classical Revival Capitol Bldg. Lots of school groups and tourists. Signs posted tours were on the hour, but there were so many groups, that we picked up a 12:30 tour. The bldg is beautiful, the guide knowledgeable and well-worth the time. Free admission
.We saw Houdon Life size statue of Geo Washington, supposedly a close resemblence to the man. The guide explained that a mask was put over GW's face to get the likeness. Lots of busts and paintings, also. On the guide's suggestion we walked into the old city hall. What an amazing place - full of North African looking tiles. No one around to aske questions.

Also, visited the very pretty St John's Episcopal Church. Completely empty, saw no one entering until we left. Supposedly, Patrick Henry made his famous speech here: ". ..give me liberty or give me death."

Wandered down by the canal to see the walk, but never quite got a handle or where to wander. It was now raining somewhat, so it did not help our walk.

More on Richmond later: Most of our laundry done, so we're off . . .

The last night in Richmond, we made reservations to eat at The Old Original Bookbinder's located in one of the old Tobacco warehouses. It had been a Philadelphia institution, recently closed; the waiter told us Phila's BB had planned to expland not knowing the financial disasters that would upset so many businesses.

I'm told the original Phila restaurant dates back to the mid 1800s. It was a nostalgic visit for me, even though not the orginail Phila,restaurantthat I had visited with my father probably 50 years sans family (can't remember if there was an occasion or not) and saw some minor Hollywood celebrities there that evening.A big deal in Phila in those days. Probably in a theater production. The restaurant delivered and we had a full meal, wine, too , and spent a little over $100. The service was very cordial, too. Not too often we can say an expensive meal was worth the money.

We checked out of the Berkley late the next day around noon and took the Plantation Route along the James River, settling on visiting the the three starred Shirley Plantation. The weather was lovely and it brought people out. The tour guides were running so many tours, that we were often stranded waiting for one group to leave a room before we could enter. It is a pretty building, but you only have access via the tour guide to 5 or so rooms, though you can wander the grounds. The tour guide was not well informed, sounded like he was reciting a script that he was not listening to, but the rooms were interesting and the setting overlooking the James' River very serene.

There were also lots of artisans with tents set up, with a few different crafts not usually displayed. I found a pretty little cat for my next door neighbor who recently lost her beloved "Walter." I know she'll love it and the artist kindly engraved Walter's name on it.

Today, we hung around quite late, catching up on household chores, and then drove out to Virginia Beach to Trader Joe's. TJ's here is about 50% larger than any of the three TJ's near us, more like a supermarket than a speciality store. Even the aisles are wider.

Quite a few items that we don't see at home. Two dollar chuck as it is known in Calif (AKA Charles Shaw) sells for $3.29 here. The clerk told me it costs more to transport CS to VA Beach. Maybe, but my vorite French Sancerre costs the same here in VB as it does in CA. They have to transport that, too. More likely it has something to do with protecting the VA wine industry.

Whatever, we found some quick and easy lunches and are prepared for a few days. The rain became quite heavy on the way back, but most of the drivers appeared unconcerned, driving as quickly as ever. I was happy when we arrived safely home. Now, it is clear and the streets are almost dry.

Tomorrow if it rains, we shall consider a few more museums - also our Wash DC trip is right around the corner, too. And there's Jamestown that Orcas pointed out. And a ton more things. I fear we may run out of days rather than ideas.

Sounds like you've been really busy, annetti!! If you haven't already been, the Hermitage Museum, which is fairly close to you, is lovely.

I was out on Jamestown Island last night for a function. It was gorgeous with the sun setting over the river. When you visit Jamestown you HAVE to drive the length of the Colonial Parkway between Jamestown and Yorktown. I consider it a "must-do" when visiting that area. It will give you a little synopsis of our local ecosystem. Rivers, creeks, marshlands, woods all in a 30 minute drive.

Our first meal just down the street was at the Urban Farmhouse, which I found fine, N did not like its affected ambience or food. It may not have helped that his soup was served to him cold, even when reheated, it came back tepid.
__
I have not been to this place....so many great eats in that area...sorry you were disappointed.

Signed,

Janet....who also cringes whenever Tobacco Company is recommended

Judy, looked up The Hermitage Museum, hopefully we will get a warm sunny day so we can enjoy the gardens. Sounds lovely.

Birdie, Thanks for the driving suggestion, though I have a feeling N is all "spent" when it comes to driving especially since we have Wash DC traffic to look forward to. We'll try somehow to find time for it, too!

JanetKMR- not really disappointed in Richmond's restaurants, though I wish we had had more time to explore the city, both neighborhoods and restaurants. Two days is hardly adequate anywhere, but if nothing else I can say tongue in cheek we've been to Richmond. We had a wonderful, nostalgic meal at Bookbinders, probably not a very untouristy local place, but we enjoyed it. Afterwards, very sated, I remembered that we had not seen the beautiful Beaux Art Jefferson Hotel.Although we were not ready for a drink, I'm glad we included a short visit there. It's definitely on the tourist route.

Rain loomed heavily in the forecast today. We had planned a trip to see theMariner's Museum, in Hampton, but N was a bit tired,and did not relish driving in the pouring rain, nor did I, so we stuck closer to home and visited the Glassworks at the Chrysler Museum suggested somewhere on this thread by Judy. Thank you. We joined a packed house watching the glass blowers create glass orchids. Very exacting work and a bit dangerous, too. Those in the front row were given protective goggles. Later we walked into the main musuem to see some of Debra Moore's Orchids on Loan. Quite lovely.

We, also wandered into a photographic exhibition by Baldwin Lee. The pictures were fantastic, photos of African Americans in Mississippi (mostly) in the 1980s. Some of the poverty was quite affecting.

Also, spent some time in my favorite place, 17th century Dutch paintings. And finally came close to buying a pretty necklace in the gift shop, may go back and do that before I leave.

So fortunate to have such a wonderful museum to wander in and out of within a 10 or minute drive. Taking full advantage while we are here in Norfolk!!

Wanted to make some minor observations:

On our visit to the Botanical Gardens, I had my first glimpse of a bright red bird, identified for me as a cardinal. Today in our home exchangers' garden, I watched for several moments this brightly colored bird, but my the time my husband arrived to see what I had been exclaiming about a gray and white bellied squirrel had frightened it away.

Drivers here are amazingly polite - no glaring or horn honking or passing on the right when you are going too slowly.

Surprisingly very little grafitti, none sighted here in Larchmont and hardly enough to be noticed downtown or at least by LA standards.

Lemaire at The Jefferson Hotel is one of the great places to have a drink in Richmond. It's also a great place for dinner as is Comfort which is a short walk from The Jefferson.

Sensi (which is one block from Bookbinders) is our "fancy, group dinner" place in that area. For the two of us, if we're in that area for dinner you are likely to find us at Millie's or Arcadia.

Also the Boathouse at Rocketts Landing is a great place for a cocktail.

Not sure how much longer you are going to be in the area, but if you are back in RIC, I'd be more than happy to help with restaurant recommendations.

Thank you, Janet for your recommendations. Perhaps, if someone else is reading this post, they can take you up on the suggestions. I don't think we'll make it back to Richmond on this trip. Too many other places calling us. Still have not been to Jamestown and Washington, DC. And there are a few more museums calling our names, too.Ourtrip is winding down. We liked Richmond -- it would be an ideal home exchange. Hope we eventually get back to get a sense of what the city can offer.

Orca and Judy, Thank you for the reminder. We visited the Jamestown Settlementtoday - how could I have faced my friends when we returned home and they said, "You mean you did not visit the Jamestown Settlement?"

We arrived around 11:30 on a beautiful clear day -- about 55 minutes from Norfolk. I loved the final part of the drive
through the lovely tunnel of trees. N does not quite understand, but each time we do it, I find the trees greener, lusher and just prettier.It give me immense pleasure to see such beauty.

Our Jamestown ticket seller suggested we see the 22 minute movie, then take the docent led tours.We decided to go with her suggestion.

Everything is beautifully done, from the beautiful park, the clean facilities to the pleasant people, all run by the US Park Service.

We saw the brief historical film, had a quick lunch and were in time to join the first docent guided tour of the museums. Our guide was clear, concise, pleasant and just all around even handed.

When her share of the tour was over, we were handed to a second docent (we = a grp of 20 aomething people) who explained the Indian's first encounter and latters' conflict with the British in 1609 Jamestown; We were then handed over very smoothly to a third docent,who explained colonial village life, taking us into mock homes; and finally a fourth docent for stories about slavery and the boats.

All in all an excellent history lesson, comfortable and easy to follow. Well done and well-worth the money. It was close to 5 hrs before we left which did not include much wandering around on our own, but did include a requisite visit to the gift shop. BTW, docent tours are not mandatory, but a pleasant easy way to see the settlement without stooping to read each sign. Highly recommended!!

Leaving Jamestown around 5pm or so, made us a bit apprensive about traffic gridlock, but we rode on relatively empty expressways. Too tired to cook and too bored to eat what we had at home we took our neighbor's and guide book suggestion to eat at The Top Ten in Ghent on 748 Shirley, www.thetopten.com The place is quite funky, certainly individual in their decor, but the people who run it are exceptionally nice, and the prices are decent, too. I had the very delicious vegetable curry wrap with included a side for 6.95 and N had a bocca burger with a side salad (same price). Good food and no attitude, too.

Today, we decided to take it easy, just have a nice lunch somewhere, maybe see The Nauticus or wander The Waterside. We found we did not need reservations for Todd Jurich's Bistro listed as a 3 star restaurant in our Frommer's. So around 12:30pm we wandered into a fairly crowded dining room, had a nice table with the usual while linen surrounded by mostly men in suits. It felt like a corporate board room, especially when they finished their meals before us and were going around the room saying hello to everyone they knew and shaking hands constantly Our waiter told us later that all the conviviality was stirred up because a former very famous football player was dining there, Nonetheless, the meal was very good,we had good service, and it was not terribly expensive for lunch.

The genial waiter suggested we visit The Nauticus across the street and though we had a minor intention of doing exactly that, he encouraged us. The second floor (free) has a history of pre US (meaning pre revolutionary war history until the present. I asked if there was a docent, yes there was I was told; he was a volunteer and he loved to talk, he told us, and showed us around the exhibit, telling us lots of facts, some personal anecdotes and lots of info I have already forgotten. He was a former Navy man, loves Naval history and was energized by our interest and .questions. We had a great time and I think he enjoyed it, too.

We stopped at HT on the way home, arrived to a chirping smoke detector. Located it, went out and bought new batteries, changed them, and the SD contined to chirp. Called the battery company, maybe they were defective, went out and got a second set, the SD is still chirping away.

I guess we will remove the batteries before we go to sleep and buy a new smoke detector tomorrow. The electrical system in this old home goes in and out and N wants the assurance that a smoke detector is working.

Yrs, ago when I first started thinking about home exchange, someone I telephoned in our neighborhood said there's always a chance of something breaking, you are after all in a house. She related that they had done an exchange in the UK, broke the Italian washing machine (before the days of internet) and drove all over town trying to locate the part. I think it will be a bit easier to find a SD tomorrow than an Italian washing machine part! Meanwhile, the chirping is getting me down.Ahhhhh. N removed the batteries.

Today was not very exciting travel-wise; I may as well have been home in Southern California. We spent the first part of the morning trying to get in touch with the makers of the Smoke Dector/Carbon Monoxide alert. Their web site was horrendous - I seriously believe they don't want you to telephone them.

After we finally located a tel no, and found out which store carried the same brand and other related information, we went to Home Depot. Not normally my favorite spot to shop, but the clerk was helpful, found us the correct smoke detector and we were in business!! And of course, bec we were so close to Costco, N wanted to visit - probably the happiest moment of his trip, comparing the store with our local one in So Cal. . . . well not quite the happiest moment, but he did enjoy it. Not a complete loss I found some VA wines there.

It was now nearly 3pm, stopped for a quick burrito at home and then went to Harris Twitter to complete our shopping. Day, a total loss tourist-wise, but the new SD does work and there's no chirping. . . yet!

Today on a warm, summery Thursday, we decided to complete "The Historic Triangle" of Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown. Yorktown is about 45 minutes or so from Norfolk, and probably the least interesting of the three, though the scenery, wide open fields, trees and green meadows do lot to fill in the dull moments as we were led about by the US Park Ranger.

You park ourside the Visitors' Center for the Yorktown Battlefields, pay $10 (US Park Services - good for a yr), hear an interpretive film about the US decisive victory over General Cornwallis at Yorktown, discover that Washington was only 21 and Lafayette, only 20 and that without French help, there would probably not have been a victory.

A park ranger then gives you a 45 minute or so talk (mostly numbers and facts - saw a lot of eyes glazed over) while you look at trenches and canyons. You can now get in your car and take a tour of the battlefield or walk about ten minutes or so to the very charming and pretty village known as York Village. We did the former, got lost and gave up our car to walk into the village. We had our lunch on a bench opposite the York River.A very pretty view, with few people a on this lovely day. No school groups to be had, just a few couples and small groups wandering casually down the quiet streets. Several of the houses date back to the 1700s and occasionally the town reminded me more of a quinessential New England town than a Virginian village. A pleasant day, but nothing monentous.*


*Of course, I would be remiss in not noting what I viewed as placid scenery had over three hundred years ago had been the scene of outrageous and horrid bloodshed.

Cornwallis surender at Yorktown. October 19, 1781. America's real Independance Day!

bushwacker: So true!

Today, we visited the wonderful Mariner's Museum in Newport News, about 45 minutes from Norfolk. It is in lovely park-like setting with trees, a lake and currently some lovely verigated purple and white irises. Admission, I may have made a mistake was $24 for the two of us.

We were waylaid early by a "volunteer" who offered to show us her favorite parts of the museum - I wanted to say thank you and go on alone since I doubted the veracity of her statements. Every display seemed to be related to her family and her jokes were not funny. She was not giving us time to read the commentary and I was not enjoying her remarks. we finally cut the "tour" short when we sat down to watch a short documentary. The museum deserves its three star rating, though I must admit maratine subjects do not thrill me as much as they do N. However, whenever the subjects began to bore me, i would find one (such as the Titanic) to redeem my interest. We stayed until closing, bought some wonderful t-shirts on sale, a postcard or two and then hit traffic. It was truly abominable - easily rivaling the worst that the LA 405 frwy can offer. It took us two hrs to get home. Warning to all, don't drive at 5pm on a Friday near Langley AFB. Locals of course, do not need a warning.

No rain today as predicted, though there was a show of thunder and lightning during the early hours. The day was in the low 80s, warm, sunny and clear. A perfect day to visit Judy's suggestion above: thehermitagemuseum.org,in Lochhaven about less than 10 minutes away.

Lochaven is a beautiful neighborhood of outrageously large homes on manicured acres. The Hermitage circa 1920s has over 40 rooms and was built by the Sloans who made their money in textiles, but much of the money was made by selling underwear to the military during the two world wars.And apparently they made tons of $ if the house and its furnishings are anything to go by.

The website lists the house as Arts and Crafts - if you are looking for an A&C house you will be seriously misled. There is no A&C influence to be seen. I think they use the term loosely to describe that much of the house was designed fittingly enough by a carpenter named Woodson. (If you want to see the exterior of a real Arts and Crafts home, there is a lovely one or the corner of Hampton and Magnolia.)

The house is a hodgepodge of architectural styles, predominately English Tutor. Mrs. Sloan was a very wealthy woman who indulged herself by buying art, building ornate ceilings, doors, rooms, and elaborate gardens. She appears to have been an anglophile as well, sending both sons to Oxford. The artwork is eclectic, some contemporay art, that is, art painted from the 1920s to the 1950s, copied the works of great European masters. Some of these works are merely stylistic rather than direct copies and some are quite intersting. There are also some sculpures and china which are real antiques. According to the docent who conducted the tour, Mrs. Sloan had buyers on the look-out for her.

The musuem is a bargain, $5.00 which includes a guided tour if you wish. The gardens are lovely, too and overlook a pretty lake or at least I think it's a lake. We enjoyed our time there very much. Thank you, Judy.

We came home around 3pm or so, had lunch and then drove to Trader Joe's, my husband insisting it was not that far away. It takes about 30 minutes or so, but there really is no subsitute for it locally. I bought some wine, N found everything he wanted, though the store was very crowded and packed with people, everyone seems to enjoy themselves. Maybe it was the free wine sampling. They offered wine sampling in Portland, OR's Tj"s, too, but I have never seen that done in Calif.

We, also stopped in to visit the pretty Larchmont Public Library (1968), not sure of its architectural style, somewhat early brick colonial. The building inside is reminiscent of the early 70s, no librarian in sight, a fair number of patrons, a lot using the computers, and a few clerks. Very functional, still pleased to see it being utilized. Hoepfully the library has a full-time librarian and he/she were on lunch break.

Today was a bit, cold, damp, and overcast, appropriate weather for visiting the Casemate Museum located in Fort Monroe, in Hampton, about 20 minutes away.The fort's history begins in the early 1800s, but its main interest is for Civil War enthusiasts.
The fort is surrounded by a moat. Mostly built of brick, it was was dank and chilly on this cold spring day. Winter there must have been very unpleasant. The Union forces held this fort throughout the Civil War and after the war, Jefferson Davis was imprisoned there for two years. There is a room set up to resemble his and his wife's lving quarters.

There were several small groups wandering through the museum, but we saw no museum employees until we reached the rather boring gift shop.
There were several video displays,but the museum relies heavily on display cabinets and lots of written description, some of it quite lengthy.

During the war, General Butler issued a decree that black slaves were "contraband," when three slaves seeking freedom came to the fort. The message was mixed, these men were being used for Conderate work, so humanitarianism might not have been the only issue involved. Nevertheless, it became a refuge for African slaves seeking freedom during the Civil War.

The fort has a long history, not just a Civil War artifact; there was inofrmation about the surrounding community Apparently there had been a number of great luxurious hotels in the late 19th and early 20th century built near by, one still remains - The Claratin. We passed by it on the way out of Fort Monroe and stopped to see it. It is mostly a resident hotel now and had a dismal feeling about it. We did not stay long.

BTW, admission is free to the Casemate museum.

Today, we visited the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, about an hr away. Our home exchangers have a cottage there which they generously offered, however feeling a bit indolent, we decided not to pack up, but just go out there for the day. We chose a wonderful warm day to visit.

The ride over the Chesapeake bay, both bridge and through 2 tunnels is almost an attraction in its own right. The bay is so large and ripples with small whitecaps, you can almost envision an ocean rather than a bay.

It was a pretty ride across the bay and then through farmland until we reached their small cottage. Several of their neighbors came out to welcome us, as typical of this trip, a neighbor's brother lived near us in So Cal.

There was a beautiful, desertedwhite sandy beach to wander. Our home exchangers' neighbors told us the water was clean, so swimming was possible and told us a little about the great variety of fish in the bay. So nice to escape a city, be in a rural area in an hr or so, almost impossible to do anymore in So Calif.

BTW: The toll over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge is $12, but if you return in less than 24 hours, the return trip costs $5. And they do take CCs.

The CBBT will also take EasyPass.

We returned to Virginia Beach, today to give the boardwalk another try, see the Rudee Inlet and eat at one of the recommended restaurants in our guide book.

We chose Waterman's Surfside Grill, since our Frommer's bk gave it high marks. N was a bit sceptical, thought it had the markings of a tourist spot. But, I was taken in, by the phrase, "last stand alone family owned restaurant, right on the beach." We did have a nice table, were able to view the boardwalk, the sandy beach and the Atlantic. But the food was pretty dismal.

I walked the few blocks on the boards to see Rudee's inlet,noticed a nice playground next door, built with disabled children in mind.

The day was chilly, but the wind was relatively mild compared to our previous walk. More people out and about, both on the boards, and the beach, but neither anywhere crowded.

Another visit to Trader Joe's, probably our last visit while in Norfolk, our trip is winding down. About a wk to go.

Rainy and dreary today. Sometimes it poured quite heavily. We made reservations to have lunch again at Todd Jurich's Bistro www,toddjurichsbistro.com. Had another wonderful meal surrounded by suits. We were told the bldg is mostly lawyers. Very reasonable lunch for two - about thirty some dollars excluding tip. I love those white tablecloths and napkins. And the service was very pleasant.

We were about 5 minutes or so from the Chrysler Museum. Had to wait in our car a bit for a lull in the rain. We wondered around a bit, then one of the blue shirted guides told us that if we had questions, just ask anyone in a blue uniform. We did; they were amazingly knowlegeable and our afternoon passed very nicely.

Then a short trip to HT, and like our Norfolk neighbors we put out the trash bins.

Gorgeous spring day. Pondered going to the strongly recommended (by two Fodorites and Frommer's) to The Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center, but N was sure that there would be numerous school groups; he telphoned and verified that there were a number of schools scheduled to visit today.
There's a wonderful Aquarium of the Pacific near us in So Cal that we have visited and enjoyed, but the school children running and excited can be daunting, making it difficult to appreciate an exhibits.

Instead, we visited The Hunter House Victorian Museum in the historic Freemason neighborhood not far from the Moses Moyer House in downtown Norfolk. The brownstone house was built in 1894 by a banker and merchant. The last of the heirs (all unmarried) died in 1965, and it was bequeated to the city. Admission fee was $5 each. Not a customer in sight, but the docent was charming, spent a great deal of time discussing the house and its furnishings with us. Not too much is known about the family's personal history,

At one time, there had been a number of brownstones in the neighborhood, but they had fallen into disrepair and the city had removed them. There are only a few brwonstones left on the street. The street appeared to be cobblestoned, but I was told they were not actual cobblestones, though I was easily fooled.

The house has lots of elaborate woodwork, wainscotting (similar in some respects to the house I stayed in during an exchange in Toronto), elaborate wallpaper, but by Victorian standards, the house is understated, there are, no antimascars, velvet fringed mantlepieces, doilies, or overloading of objets d'art. But then again, maybe some of them have been removed to make it easier to view the various rooms.

What I found unusual is that the family lived in the house over 6o years, yet retained all the furnishings of the late 18th century and except for one small bathroom and a a 1965 style kitchen, much of the house resembles (with upkeep and paint) the appearance of a much older house. They certainly were not influenced with furniture fashion. No modern furniture or wall to wall carpeting so prevelant in the 1950s and 1960s.(I forgot to ask where they kept the TV. Is it possible they did not own one?)

Everyon was very kind to us, even made us a pot of tea and some cookies and tried to answer some of myoff-the wall questions.

It was around 4pm, when we left, had no lunch, and with the suggestion of our docents, we walked to the Abbey Restaurant, a converted church serving pub-like food. It did not appeal, but since the place was empty, the receptionist suggested we walk around, view the stained glass windows,and then showed us a photo album with some of the celebrities who had dined there. There were serveral I recognized, but the only name I recall is the much younger Rob Reiner.

We ended up eating a early dinner/ late lunch at home finiahing up some TJ's salads.

correction on paragraph 5 above: that should read, contained all the furnishings of the late 19th century. . .

Another beautiful clear day. There were so many joggers and people out walking today, I admit I was confused for a moment and thought I was in Portland, OR.

It was not an eventful day. We had some plans, but they were waylaid by sloth. We woke up late - decided to try Judy's vegan restaurant recommendation. Quenna's has no web site, but the guy on the phone offered to e-mail us the menu.

Like Judy, I had the avocado sandwich (Fridays feature an avocado menu) with one or two exceptions. I enjoyed my food,but there was too much to finish. Presentation was nice and the service pleasant. N was more critical than I was, said he could and has made similar at home. Nevertheless, neither of us cooked, shopped or cleaned up! The neighborhood like Judy said was non-threatening. We walked across the street to the library, currently replacing the Norfolk's main branch which is being renovated.

It was now past three, we elected to do some walking in the neighborhood. Having a car on this exchange has been great in some respects, but we have not done extensive walking which we do when we use public transit - and therefore not getting much needed exercise.

The weather is so nice, as I pointed out above, tons of people were out walking, saying hello as we passed by, and enjoying the pleasant weather.

Quenna's Restaurant
9619 Granby
757 228 5199

It's a small place, only a few tables. Lots of people do take-out. But if you want vegan and want to feel free to order anything on the menu, then this is one of the few places in Norfolk to go.

Another gorgeous day - it felt like summer. The trees are now dark green and luxurious. The weather warm and balmy. Perfect day for strolling. I will miss all the beautiful trees, flowers and the variety of architectural styles when we return home.

We drove over to Portsmouth. What a lively place it was today compared with the deserted scene we saw a month ago. Lots of people out enjoying the weather and maybe even buying a necklace or a painting.

We wandered into the Trinity Church and heard an organ recital; N who is more musical than I said the bass on the organ was terrific.There was also a dramatic recital by a colonially dressed men, but the accoustics echoed and I missed some it.I did learn that Portsmouth still has the original city planning laid out in Colonial times. Some very pretty churches and even a synagogue in town, though the latter I am told is now a museum.

Later this evening we drove over to Ghent, again a different Ghent than we have seen previously. Lively, full of people sitting in cafes and enjoying themselves. Norfolk's restaurant scene changes with the weather and of course a Sat evening helps immensely, too.

I had forgotten to mention above, that there was a very nice street fair going on in Portsmouth yesterday which accounted for all the pleasant activity.

Today was our last touristy day in Norfolk. Tomorrow, we pack, clean, and leave at 3:30am to catch our flight back to LAX.

N wanted to watch the Clippers' basketball game today. I elected to spend the day, my last day at the Chrysler Museum.

We suddenly remembered that it was still early and perhaps, we could catch Yorgo's in Ghent for lunch. Judy had suggested it to us ages ago, but we always thought of it after closing hrs - they close at three. www.yorgosbageldashery.com on 2122 Colonial.

Judy was right, they have quite a few vegan options, even pastries. And their bagels (New York style, hard on the outside and chewy inside) are great. N and I split a vegan Philly steak sandwich, and though I would have preferred an Italian style hoagie roll, it was pretty good as a wrap. The place was packed and we bought a bunch of bagels to go. So, thanks, Judy, we should have made an earlier effort. Looks like lots of options for vegans there.

After N and I shared the sandwich and ate a bagel or two, we separated for the day. I drove over to the Chrysler Museum. Wandered a bit around the grounds, had not noticed that there's a pretty memorial garden adjacent to the main entrance.

The musuem was not crowded and I enjoyed wandering the rooms, seeing a few of my favorites and seeing a couple new paintings.

On the second floor there's a large male nude with full frontal (maybe 8 feet tall bronze sculpture) that was commissioned for the Phila Fairmount Park - maybe at the turn of the 20th century, but never placed in the park. It is hard to believe that Philadelphia, a very conservative city would have every commissioned a male nude to be placed in a public spot, not in a museum during that period. I found it amusing to see it at the Chrysler. I believe the female counterpart is in NY. Also, closely scoured the gift shop, hoping for something lovely to buy, but nothing caught my eye. It was a wonderful afternoon.

Afterwards, I slowly drove up and down the streets of Larchmont, discovering some areas I had not been in previously. It is a very pretty neighborhood, especially now that the trees are full, the brown lawns are green and the sun is shining. I definitely will miss all the greenery, as much as I convince myself that I love the brown and gold Californian hills, I continue to have a strong love for various hues of green.

Our last day in Norfolk was spent cleaning our home exchangers' home, packing and walking the leafy streets of Larchmont, taking a few last photos.

We set the alarm for 3:30 AM (yes, that's right!) to catch our 6:45 AM flight home. Dropping off the car at Avis at 5 AM was surprisingly easy and the Southwest flight home comfortable and tedious (which of course is what you want while flying, no excitement.) The flight was so smooth, I watched in amazement as the two women in front of us played scrabble (no magnetic board) and cards. Our seats only reclined an inch or two, so there were no problems with reclined seats in our faces. Our A40/41 seats made it easy to sit together. We packed peanut butter sandwiches, feasted on them and the cookies and arrived at John Wayne Airport a half hr early.

So, now we're home, all is well. The house was left clean with lots of foods that our home exchangers tried while here in So Calif., a bottle of wine and a nice thank you note.

Some of you may remember that I posted a thread on whether or not we should consider this exchange. Fodorites helped us make the decision. Our doubts were removed; I'm glad we were able to spend some time in Virginia - it's a beautiful state. I shall miss the trees and neighborhood walks, the rivers and scenery. People were wonderfully polite and kind to us. All things considered we had a terrific trip and I'm glad we had the opportunity to make Virginia our 27th home exchange.

Hi annetti - I followed your home exchange when you were in Toronto last year (and unfortunately couldn't make lunch) - we're considering a longer home exchange (6 months) for later this year with a couple from London. Have you any tips regarding possible cancellation mid stream? They would be occupying our house but we would be occupying their second property.....if they had to return home due to emergency it wouldn't make much difference, but if we did had to return to Toronto we would have an awkward situation (they would have to stay on in Toronto due to their reasons for being here).

I've been looking for insurance to cover this possibility with no luck. I wonder with your longer term exchanges if such a possibility is contemplated, and how it is resolved? Thanks for any information and glad you enjoyed Virginia!

Best

Liz

Hello Elizabeth, Cancellation is always worrisome, especially if you are considering a long exchange.

Have you discussed this remote possibility (hopefully remote) with your home exchange organization to see if they know about insurance possibilities?

Homelink.org offers a small insurance policy for their exchangers.I am not sure what it covers. You need to be sure that you do the home exchange agreement so if the need arises you will be eligible. It is also limited so if there are too many applicants there may not be coverage the year you need it.

Also, Homelink has a question and answer forum where you could pose this question. Obviously, you have discussed this with your own insurance company who probably did not even know what home exchange is all about!

Is your home large enough that you could join your exchangers if you needed to return home? You could add this clause to your home exchange agreement.

Sorry, I can't offer much advice, hopefully the need won't arise to return home early and all will go smoothly. Good luck.

Thanks for your comments...yes we are exploring the possibility with our exchangers....just wondered if you had found some insurance for it.

I was surprised today when I called our house insurance company to learn they wouldn't cover a house exchange....the maximum they will cover someone staying in your home is 30 days. Did you have specific assurance that you were covered for your entire stay in the home in Toronto? Did you purchase separate insurance?

TIA!

We sent our insurance co a copy of our home exchange agreement when we went to VA. There was no comment about it being 5 weeks, but years ago when we traded cars we were told 30 days was maximum that they would insure.

A couple of things you might consider: Call or email some of the Torontonians in your home exchange organization and see if they have done long exchanges and find out who insures them. Also, try speaking to a supervisor or someone else at your insurance co, sometimes you will get false information. Find out if you can buy a supplement. Contact your home exchange organization, too for suggestions.

At Homelink, I frequently read about people doing these long back to back exchanges where they are gone for three or four months at a time. In fact when we did our TO exchange, we followed another exchange, that is, we were the tail end of a double exchange for them, so they were gone for at least 7 weeks.

Try telephoning some locals in your organization, they may provide some answers for you. Good luck. I'm sure it will eventually sort itself out. Have a great trip. And don't hesitate to follow up with questions.

Thanks annetti - I have gone to the President's office of the insurance company and waiting to hear back. The exchange is via Sabbatical Homes (or at least that is where it was listed) - I had emailed them several weeks ago but no response.

Now I'm exploring if we should classify it as a "rental" - that will likely increase the insurance costs but at least we can get some.

Could I trouble you to ask the TO homeowner's who their insurance is with? My email is

elizabeths1@live.com

Thanks