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I moved to Williamsburg from Rochester, NY and its has been a very difficult transition (before you see NY and think NYC, Rochester is over 6 hours from NYC on the other side of the state, a much smaller city.) I sort of hate it here, but we're here to help a family member with terminal cancer, so I'm trying to make the best of it.
So far, the things I've found that are good:
- OYSTERS! Thank God for oysters because its about the only food I've found that's remotely palatable at most of these restaurants. Probably because literally all they have to do is crack a shell open.
- A couple of good local beers - St. George Brewery and Aleworks come to mind. I haven't been on either brewery tour, but I look forward to them.
That being said, I'm pregnant now, so sadly, oysters and beer are out at the moment.
- There was a fantastic restaurant in New Town (fairly expensive) called Art Cafe 26, but sadly that closed recently when their amazing chef moved on. I only ate there once before it closed
- Mad About Chocolate in Williamsburg has CRAZY GOOD chocolate bread pudding. Its not on their menu everyday, but when you see it, don't miss it.
- Duck donuts - the first thing I do when someone visits me is bring them here. I'm a doughnut connoisseur and those are good doughnuts.
- El Sobrason is a really good "Mexican" restaurant - I put Mexican in quotes because they seem to specialize more in Peruvian food.
- Kyung Sung is an okay Korean restaurant. Honestly, its hit and miss. But the unagi sushi is good, and their lunch specials are cheap.
- Busch Gardens, obviously. I call it my roller-coaster therapy.
- York River State Park - Truly a beautiful park, and I come from the land of beautiful parks, so I know a gorgeous park when I see one (Rochester has masterpieces designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, and is also right near the incredible Finger Lakes). You have to pay for parking, but its only (I think) $3, so its not unreasonable.
- Jamestown Beach - my dog loves it here! I had no idea she liked beaches because none of the beaches in Rochester allow dogs. We go frequently. Its especially nice on the slightly cooler days, when Virginians seem to think its "cold" outside, and I finally find the weather somewhat tolerable compared to most of the year when its an absolute hell swamp outside.
- Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown Settlement are alright once in a while, but honestly once you've seen them, you've seen them. I've spent the whole day in one or the other maybe a dozen times, seen and done all the activities... I even took a private tour of the archaeology labs in Williamsburg. I don't feel like there's much more to be offered.
- Movie Tavern - I love the concept of movie tavern. I come from a place where I can go see a movie in a theater for under $5, but if I'm gonna pay a lot more for a ticket, its cool that there's a place where you can get food and drinks and eat it at a table.
- Lastly, the James City County libraries are great. The late fees are like something out of the 1950's. They seem incredibly well funded, and I've done a few inter-library loans from out of state, and the folks that help me with that are really nice.
The Bad:
Ugh, so so much
- Lack of walkability. I wasn't expecting it to be walkable when I moved here, but coming from Rochester, its been hard to adjust to this.
- No night life. And also, where are all the gays?? You have to go to Richmond or Virginia beach to find a gay bar. Although I did see a great drag show at the Rainbow cactus... I just wish it wasn't such a long drive to go have fun.
- They've outlawed trick-or-treating past 8 PM, and past 7th grade, as if to say "we hate fun." I'm waaaayyy too old to trick-or-treat, but I just think it really says something about the culture here, that they'd put laws in place around what's supposed to be a fun, sort of free-for-all holiday.
- The prejudice and racism. I can't even count on two hands anymore how many times I've heard people referred to as "Orientals." Is it really so hard to say "Asian?" I mean, its fewer syllables! And I've heard some pretty crazy stuff about some main-stream religions - what is with Virginians hating Catholics? But they don't want to seem racist or prejudice, so a lot of this stuff is said under their breath, or through a "smile" with a wink. And I keep hearing people compare Barack Obama to a monkey. I don't care what your politics are, comparing a race of people to animals (in such a hateful way!) is unacceptable.
- When the people ask you how you like it here, if you hesitate to respond, they start filling it in for you "Aren't the people SOOO nice? And isn't the weather SOOO beautiful? Isn't it just WONDERFUL here??" And I'm thinking "I'm fair skinned - I like the clouds. And honestly the heat is disgusting, and I'm always covered in ticks and mosquito bites. And no the people don't seem that nice to me! They seem disingenuous - why does everyone say hello and smile to total strangers all the time, and expect the same from me? Its exhausting, and not welcoming in the way they seem to think it is." But I usually just respond "oh yeah, its nice..." because I don't want to hurt people's feelings.
- THE FOOD! Above all, the food. Where's the good Chinese food? Why isn't there an Ethiopian restaurant? Why is the Indian food not SPICY?? What is with this stuff they call "sushi?" WHY IS EVERYTHING COATED IN SO MUCH SALT??
- The groceries. The only place I've found eggs with orange yolks, the way eggs are supposed to be, is farm stands in Toano. The rest of these grocery stores have those weak yellow-yolked eggs from huge mass-production farms. You have to order the rest of your groceries from out of town to find anything grass-fed or worth your money. I should have put Relay foods in the "good" category, because that's what I mean by order from out of town. They are a great company, and a life saver in Williamsburg, because these other grocery options suck balls! Oh, and I like Costco, but I wouldn't really call that a Virginia thing.
- When I got pregnant I realized Williamsburg only has one OBGYN, and they don't even put you with your own doctor. You get whoever is free that day. Talk about lack of options.
Anyways, I have to say I've found it sort of awful here so far. I've been here almost a year. I don't need a big city to be happy... just some genuinely nice people and a touch of night life. When I say nice people, I don't mean people who get pissed if you don't smile and wave as they drive by- that's what I call "Virginia nice." Genuinely nice would be people who mind their own business, and don't talk to you with a smile that says underneath "I'm definitely judging you as I ask these overly personal questions even though you're a complete stranger." I'm glad we had the flexibility to come help our terminally ill relative, truly I am, but oh how I wish they'd picked ANYWHERE else in the world to retire.
so, your a pregnant new yorker who moved to "historic" Williamsburg (pop. 14,000) and you are complaining for what again? why don't yall try to move ya relative up there to NY...sounds like that would be best.
I moved to Williamsburg from Rochester, NY and its has been a very difficult transition (before you see NY and think NYC, Rochester is over 6 hours from NYC on the other side of the state, a much smaller city.) I sort of hate it here, but we're here to help a family member with terminal cancer, so I'm trying to make the best of it.
So far, the things I've found that are good:
- OYSTERS! Thank God for oysters because its about the only food I've found that's remotely palatable at most of these restaurants. Probably because literally all they have to do is crack a shell open.
- A couple of good local beers - St. George Brewery and Aleworks come to mind. I haven't been on either brewery tour, but I look forward to them.
That being said, I'm pregnant now, so sadly, oysters and beer are out at the moment.
- There was a fantastic restaurant in New Town (fairly expensive) called Art Cafe 26, but sadly that closed recently when their amazing chef moved on. I only ate there once before it closed
- Mad About Chocolate in Williamsburg has CRAZY GOOD chocolate bread pudding. Its not on their menu everyday, but when you see it, don't miss it.
- Duck donuts - the first thing I do when someone visits me is bring them here. I'm a doughnut connoisseur and those are good doughnuts.
- El Sobrason is a really good "Mexican" restaurant - I put Mexican in quotes because they seem to specialize more in Peruvian food.
- Kyung Sung is an okay Korean restaurant. Honestly, its hit and miss. But the unagi sushi is good, and their lunch specials are cheap.
- Busch Gardens, obviously. I call it my roller-coaster therapy.
- York River State Park - Truly a beautiful park, and I come from the land of beautiful parks, so I know a gorgeous park when I see one (Rochester has masterpieces designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, and is also right near the incredible Finger Lakes). You have to pay for parking, but its only (I think) $3, so its not unreasonable.
- Jamestown Beach - my dog loves it here! I had no idea she liked beaches because none of the beaches in Rochester allow dogs. We go frequently. Its especially nice on the slightly cooler days, when Virginians seem to think its "cold" outside, and I finally find the weather somewhat tolerable compared to most of the year when its an absolute hell swamp outside.
- Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown Settlement are alright once in a while, but honestly once you've seen them, you've seen them. I've spent the whole day in one or the other maybe a dozen times, seen and done all the activities... I even took a private tour of the archaeology labs in Williamsburg. I don't feel like there's much more to be offered.
- Movie Tavern - I love the concept of movie tavern. I come from a place where I can go see a movie in a theater for under $5, but if I'm gonna pay a lot more for a ticket, its cool that there's a place where you can get food and drinks and eat it at a table.
- Lastly, the James City County libraries are great. The late fees are like something out of the 1950's. They seem incredibly well funded, and I've done a few inter-library loans from out of state, and the folks that help me with that are really nice.
The Bad:
Ugh, so so much
- Lack of walkability. I wasn't expecting it to be walkable when I moved here, but coming from Rochester, its been hard to adjust to this.
- No night life. And also, where are all the gays?? You have to go to Richmond or Virginia beach to find a gay bar. Although I did see a great drag show at the Rainbow cactus... I just wish it wasn't such a long drive to go have fun.
- They've outlawed trick-or-treating past 8 PM, and past 7th grade, as if to say "we hate fun." I'm waaaayyy too old to trick-or-treat, but I just think it really says something about the culture here, that they'd put laws in place around what's supposed to be a fun, sort of free-for-all holiday.
- The prejudice and racism. I can't even count on two hands anymore how many times I've heard people referred to as "Orientals." Is it really so hard to say "Asian?" I mean, its fewer syllables! And I've heard some pretty crazy stuff about some main-stream religions - what is with Virginians hating Catholics? But they don't want to seem racist or prejudice, so a lot of this stuff is said under their breath, or through a "smile" with a wink. And I keep hearing people compare Barack Obama to a monkey. I don't care what your politics are, comparing a race of people to animals (in such a hateful way!) is unacceptable.
- When the people ask you how you like it here, if you hesitate to respond, they start filling it in for you "Aren't the people SOOO nice? And isn't the weather SOOO beautiful? Isn't it just WONDERFUL here??" And I'm thinking "I'm fair skinned - I like the clouds. And honestly the heat is disgusting, and I'm always covered in ticks and mosquito bites. And no the people don't seem that nice to me! They seem disingenuous - why does everyone say hello and smile to total strangers all the time, and expect the same from me? Its exhausting, and not welcoming in the way they seem to think it is." But I usually just respond "oh yeah, its nice..." because I don't want to hurt people's feelings.
- THE FOOD! Above all, the food. Where's the good Chinese food? Why isn't there an Ethiopian restaurant? Why is the Indian food not SPICY?? What is with this stuff they call "sushi?" WHY IS EVERYTHING COATED IN SO MUCH SALT??
- The groceries. The only place I've found eggs with orange yolks, the way eggs are supposed to be, is farm stands in Toano. The rest of these grocery stores have those weak yellow-yolked eggs from huge mass-production farms. You have to order the rest of your groceries from out of town to find anything grass-fed or worth your money. I should have put Relay foods in the "good" category, because that's what I mean by order from out of town. They are a great company, and a life saver in Williamsburg, because these other grocery options suck balls! Oh, and I like Costco, but I wouldn't really call that a Virginia thing.
- When I got pregnant I realized Williamsburg only has one OBGYN, and they don't even put you with your own doctor. You get whoever is free that day. Talk about lack of options.
Anyways, I have to say I've found it sort of awful here so far. I've been here almost a year. I don't need a big city to be happy... just some genuinely nice people and a touch of night life. When I say nice people, I don't mean people who get pissed if you don't smile and wave as they drive by- that's what I call "Virginia nice." Genuinely nice would be people who mind their own business, and don't talk to you with a smile that says underneath "I'm definitely judging you as I ask these overly personal questions even though you're a complete stranger." I'm glad we had the flexibility to come help our terminally ill relative, truly I am, but oh how I wish they'd picked ANYWHERE else in the world to retire.
I know the food here is mostly seafood and chain restaurants! Not many options for non seafood eaters!
so, your a pregnant new yorker who moved to "historic" Williamsburg (pop. 14,000) and you are complaining for what again? why don't yall try to move ya relative up there to NY...sounds like that would be best.
I believe you're inferring OP is from NYC with your "new yorker" statement. OP clearly stated they were from Rochester, not NYC.
Responding to OP, HR is what it is. The restaurants, nightlife, entertainment cater to the type of people that live there. The vast majority of people in HR do not care of the urban lifestyle (walkability is out), "hip" restaurants or nightclubs where you spend $15 a cocktail. It's just not a viable business option in that area. They don't want NYC, Chicago, or even DC. They prefer the slower lifestyle. I know I'm way over generalizing here but it's the vibe that I got after living there for nearly 4 years.
Complaining about it isn't going to change anything other than contribute to your bitterness and aversion to HR. My suggestion is to find some hobbies that HR can cater to, maybe water/beach related, or history? My solution was to work my ass off and go on frequent vacations around the country. Ultimately I took another job and ended up moving.
I believe you're inferring OP is from NYC with your "new yorker" statement. OP clearly stated they were from Rochester, not NYC
I know the person is not from NYC ...a New Yorker is someone that is from New York, not just NYC.
And a lot of New Yorkers like to whine and complain even when they are not in NY so I don't take half of what they say serious anyway. Theres more to do than standing on corners walkin 15 blocks for entertainment...there are places for that but theres more to life than being stacked up on top of each other like roaches.
And a lot of New Yorkers like to whine and complain even when they are not in NY so I don't take half of what they say serious anyway. Theres more to do than standing on corners walkin 15 blocks for entertainment...there are places for that but theres more to life than being stacked up on top of each other like roaches.
This is the type of behavior I observed quite frequently while living in HR. Any mention of some larger city brought negative opinions and honestly ignorant views. What exactly do you mean by "there's more to life than being stacked up on top of each other like roaches?" You're complaining about NYC and yet you hate on people complaining about HR.
??? Im talkin about how she was talkin about Williamsburg and then said "Virginians do this...Virginians do that" as if the whole state of Virginia was like people in Williamsburg. So for people from Hogansburg NY and Norfolk, NY ...peoples whose names you don't know...what do you call them as statesmen? VA= Virginian... MD= Marylander...PA= Pennsylvanian etc, what you call folks from NY?
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