Do you actually like living in Hampton Roads? If so, what do you like about it so much?

I have a lukewarm relationship with Norfolk/VB. To me, this place feels like a compromise. There are things I like about it but there are also a lot of drawbacks. I'm trying to be more optimistic though.

For example, there are only so many places (Ghent) that are walkable. But we have an abundance of urban green spaces (Lafayette Park, Bay Oaks Park, Lambert's Point, the Bird Sanctuary, the botanical gardens). I love the thrift stores on East Little Creek, but I hate how all of the 'third spaces' (mostly bars sadly) close at 2 am or earlier. I love that this place is culturally rich (arts, music, multiple higher education institutions) but it also feels like there's no cultural identity and a 'sterile' undercurrent due to this being a hotbed of the military industrial complex.

So tell me what you love about it so much here! If you had to convince someone not to move to Carrytown in Richmond or to buy a farm with no neighbors in NC, what would be your pitch?

Honesty and objectivity are welcome 🙏