Southside vs. Peninsula (home, live in, job)

[goofy328]

Originally Posted by spencer114

While I find downtown Norfolk and Portsmouth to be very pretty, the Southside in general feels very insular.
Lots of people visit for vacation but it seems like the locals never make it out.

The Peninsula is a bit bland but it's connectivity (physical, social and economic) to the rest of the state and points north make it more appealing to me. There are fewer affluent people in NN and Hampton but, to me anyway, they are more introspective and intersting. York and Williamsburg are brainy and I like the land better north of the James (deep ravines, hardwood forests, well drained land...no standing water in ditches).

I really enjoy visiting Ghent, Portsmouth and Falsecape over any place on the Peninsula (though old town Hampton and Fort Monroe are great) but I think I'd feel trapped if I lived on the other side of the tunnel. Hopefully the new interstate connecting Norfolk to 95 will happen sooner rather than later. I think that it would go far to alleviate The sense of isolation I experience on South Side.

Interesting perspective. If they were several bridges/tunnels/etc between the Southside and the Peninsula would you still be claustrophobic about living there?

I feel the same way about Portsmouth and Suffolk, and I live on the Southside. I don't want to deal with the tolls or the traffic. The traffic was enough of a burden. Now that I have to pay a toll to go over there, I drive all the way over to the Gilmerton. Although that is it's own hassle and it may just be easier to deal with the tunnel, or the South Norfolk bridge.

[spencer114]

I think connecting Norfolk to I95 will go a long way to aliviate that feeling. It still will feel disconnected from the rest of VA but more connectivity in general would be awesome.

I was really impressed with downtown Suffolk, but talk about out-of-the-way places!

And I agree. The tolls have been a terrible addition. I used to visit Norfolk ( I live in Richmond) via the Monitor and Merrimack. Norfolk looks so pretty crossing into it from Portsmouth. Now I just put up with the HRBT which takes a lot of joy ( and awe) out of the visits.

[Spazkat9696]

Originally Posted by spencer114

I think connecting Norfolk to I95 will go a long way to aliviate that feeling. It still will feel disconnected from the rest of VA but more connectivity in general would be awesome.

I was really impressed with downtown Suffolk, but talk about out-of-the-way places!

And I agree. The tolls have been a terrible addition. I used to visit Norfolk ( I live in Richmond) via the Monitor and Merrimack. Norfolk looks so pretty crossing into it from Portsmouth. Now I just put up with the HRBT which takes a lot of joy ( and awe) out of the visits.

I don't think Norfolk will be connected to 95 since you can take 58 to get to it. My understanding is the Chesapeake expressway will connect to a new interstate in NC that runs to the triangle.

[jobber123rd]

Originally Posted by Spazkat9696

I don't think Norfolk will be connected to 95 since you can take 58 to get to it. My understanding is the Chesapeake expressway will connect to a new interstate in NC that runs to the triangle.

Interstate 87 in NC will be from improvements to US-64 (going east from Raleigh) and US-17 (up to the VA line). The statements I've read about the project assume that US-17 in Chesapeake would also be upgraded to complete the connection to the I-64 MM291 interchange, but I suppose a connector to the south end of the Expressway could be made instead. I haven't seen anything from VDOT about it yet.

[sevenfiveseven]

Originally Posted by spencer114

And I agree. The tolls have been a terrible addition. I used to visit Norfolk ( I live in Richmond) via the Monitor and Merrimack. Norfolk looks so pretty crossing into it from Portsmouth. Now I just put up with the HRBT which takes a lot of joy ( and awe) out of the visits.

I just wanted to quote this for people new to the area or photographers. Coming from P-town, Norfolk looks very pretty especially with the remodeled Waterside area. You go from driving through woods and then all of a sudden it's bright and pretty. It's almost like it appears out of nowhere. Too bad the traffic is heavy most of the time so it's hard to take pictures.

[Poquoson7]

The Peninsula is Southside Lite with the addition of higher per capita income and several national research centers including:

NASA Langley
Jefferson Lab
National Institute of Aerospace

The thousands of folks who work in these facilities have crafted a very livable environment with excellent schools and beautiful neighborhoods and have combined their technological mindsets with the likes of Jamestown, Yorktown and Williamsburg to produce an unmatched quality of life.
To those who consider the area bland I would suggest next time you head north to Richmond it would behoove you to exit 64 and have a look around.

This metro of ours, the Peninsula AND Southside, is one of the most unique in the country. The history, water, diversity, climate, culture and beauty are renowned, millions of tourists visit our backyard annually.

Peninsula VS Southside = excuses for balkanization.
Just integrate the whole package and slow down on the 'we have better, bigger and shinier than they do' refrain that always seems to infect these types of posts.

[sevenfiveseven]

^^Great post @ Poquoson7. The region is unique and we should be more unified and not pitting cities against each other.

[goofy328]

Originally Posted by Poquoson7

The Peninsula is Southside Lite with the addition of higher per capita income and several national research centers including:

NASA Langley
Jefferson Lab
National Institute of Aerospace

The thousands of folks who work in these facilities have crafted a very livable environment with excellent schools and beautiful neighborhoods and have combined their technological mindsets with the likes of Jamestown, Yorktown and Williamsburg to produce an unmatched quality of life.
To those who consider the area bland I would suggest next time you head north to Richmond it would behoove you to exit 64 and have a look around.

This metro of ours, the Peninsula AND Southside, is one of the most unique in the country. The history, water, diversity, climate, culture and beauty are renowned, millions of tourists visit our backyard annually.

Peninsula VS Southside = excuses for balkanization.
Just integrate the whole package and slow down on the 'we have better, bigger and shinier than they do' refrain that always seems to infect these types of posts.

Good point. If we had better options for traveling back and forth between the two it would not matter.

[Starry Night]

Originally Posted by goofy328

Good point. If we had better options for traveling back and forth between the two it would not matter.

This is the problem. We went to the zoo in Norfolk yesterday and (as usual) got stuck in traffic on the way back. The ride in took us 35 minutes. The ride back took an hour and a half. I'm just so sick of tunnel traffic. We like to go to the ocean (it's why we moved here), but it's always a matter of weighing how much time we actually want to devote to the trip, how early we want to get up (to avoid a back-up), etc. I think the peninsula is fine (like I said, not great, but fine), but I'm done with the tunnels. We would be on the other side in a minute if it didn't mean a job change.

[goofy328]

Originally Posted by Starry Night

This is the problem. We went to the zoo in Norfolk yesterday and (as usual) got stuck in traffic on the way back. The ride in took us 35 minutes. The ride back took an hour and a half. I'm just so sick of tunnel traffic. We like to go to the ocean (it's why we moved here), but it's always a matter of weighing how much time we actually want to devote to the trip, how early we want to get up (to avoid a back-up), etc. I think the peninsula is fine (like I said, not great, but fine), but I'm done with the tunnels. We would be on the other side in a minute if it didn't mean a job change.

I'd like to see rail connecting the Southside with the Peninsula. And a third crossing.