u/MonarchLawyer

First and foremost, I would like to thank the city, fans, staff, and players for making my first visit to Norfolk a great one.

Last year, I started a journey to visit every FBS football stadium for a game. As ridiculous as it sounds, my goal is to do this in 10–15 years. I am also cognizant that I am not guaranteed tomorrow, so it is very important that I enjoy every day and not blindly focus on the end goal, especially this early in the journey. Saturday’s travels took me to S.B. Ballard Stadium for stadium number 19.

I landed at ORF around 9:15 a.m., traveling in from Columbus, OH. I will say I started my day with some hotel issues, but I don’t want to focus an amazing trip on one bad experience. Once I solved that issue, I made my way over to the USS Wisconsin for a scheduled tour. It was conveniently a 10–15 minute walk from my hotel. The walk gave me my first introduction to downtown Norfolk. Such a beautiful city with a vibrant downtown. I quickly realized that mermaid sculptures and paintings would be a huge part of my trip.

Once I made my way to the USS Wisconsin BB-64, I was greeted by a massive ship with plenty of character. The guide was very informative and enthusiastic about doing the tour, making it very enjoyable. Besides the giant cannons, massive chains, tiny doorways, low ceilings, and sharp edges, the history is the true story. Knowing that ship was once loaded with Sailors and Marines defending our country made it a great way to start the day, especially in a city where history is around every corner.

After the tour, it was time for lunch. For the purposes of my travel, I had to check out a restaurant that sits in a church built in 1873: Freemason Abbey Restaurant. I am not familiar with what it means to be a Freemason, even though I guess I could easily do the research. I just appreciated the history of the building. Kyle, the bartender of 10 years, was great. I had a great lunch and beverage. I even spent some time walking around the restaurant before leaving, just to get a feel for the place.

After lunch, it was time to explore. For me, walking is key to my journey. While Ubering to Old Dominion would have been easy, walking from the restaurant, through the Freemason Historic District, and then up through Ghent gave me a wonderful introduction to your beautiful city. Unique churches mixed with beautiful murals, along with so many beautiful historic homes, gave the city a completely different feel than downtown. My travels forced me to backtrack through flooded intersections, giving me a very uncommon journey that finally brought me to Old Dominion’s campus.

You could feel the excitement of game day. Plenty of Monarch and Hudson Blue lined the streets, with a good mix of purple as many JMU fans made their way to the game. A wonderful blend of brick mixed with a growing campus. Plus, another mermaid statue holding a Monarch crown. I also loved stumbling across Albert’s Duck Inn in the pond in front of Albert Brooks Gornto, Jr. Hall. After that, I made a trip to the bookstore to keep the tradition alive of buying a hat at every game. The store was packed with fans covered in ODU gear.

With it still being a couple of hours before kickoff, I made my way through the heart of the campus to check out the pregame festivities. Plenty of fans were out for both teams. Food trucks, freebies, and a live band offered plenty for fans to enjoy. Then, with the sounds of horns in the air, I made my way over to the pregame band march. I even got a picture with Big Blue, the Monarchs’ mascot. Once I made my way over to the stadium, I was greeted with a much grander stadium than I expected. I loved the open-air design of the concourse, even though it truly allowed you to feel the 20-mph wind gusts.

Week 4 — James Madison @ Old Dominion

Rivalry games are a big part of my travels. New or old, I love experiencing games that bring a little more excitement. Unfortunately, excitement can’t play offensive line. Early in the first quarter, it was clear to see who was better in the trenches. Old Dominion put together one good drive in the first quarter. Huff connected with Haughton Jr. for a 23-yard touchdown pass. Even so, the Monarchs would trail 17–7 after one quarter. The second quarter would see a combined 23 points by both teams, but JMU would lead 30–17 at halftime.

The part of my journey that quickly became my favorite is the fans I encounter across my travels. It’s always a new face with a new story to tell. Seeing their reactions when I explain why I flew to Norfolk for a JMU vs. ODU game is something I really enjoy.
Mark and his son sat to my left. Mark was a JMU grad who played on the water polo team. He was a proud Duke supporter, but very pleasant to talk to. He loves taking his son to games, and you can tell they bond over it.

I also met Steven and Randy to my right. Two brothers who look almost identical. Yet one wore Monarch blue, while the other wore JMU purple. Randy a ODU grad, and Steven was a JMU grad living in Norfolk. Steven talked about how he has gone back to school because ODU offers free classes for people of a certain age. He also has a YouTube channel, which he was very proud of. They were both a pleasure to talk to throughout the game. Steven would be the brother who would go home victorious on this day.

Okay, back to the game. I truly believe Old Dominion has plenty of talent at the skill positions. But when your quarterback has negative 45 rushing yards because he has been sacked way too many times, it’s going to be hard to win a game. Overall, JMU ran for 162 yards, and the stats show ODU had negative 14 rushing yards. JMU would tack on three field goals and a late touchdown to secure a 46–20 victory.
While the game didn’t go as hoped for, I still had a great time. I walked around campus a little after the game before eventually Ubering back to my hotel.

After cleaning up and regaining some energy, I made my way through downtown Norfolk. The misting rain wouldn’t ruin the night. I made a stop at Grain, a hotel bar/mini-club on the fifth floor of the Hilton. The place was packed with people, but after a long day, it wasn’t the vibe I was looking for. So, after a quick beer and a walk around the venue, I was back outside looking for a new spot.

I stumbled across Luce, a small Italian restaurant with a more relaxed vibe. The Old Fashioned was a 10/10, and I have made plenty myself. The bartender was phenomenal while making sure she took care of every guest. The fried calamari with pepperoncini salsa was excellent as well. While I remember conversing with people around me, I don’t remember much about what was discussed. At this point in the night, it was time to shut down. I made the walk back to the hotel to put an end to a wonderful day.

This is the part of my story where it is normally complete. So, I apologize to any readers, as this story may seem extremely long. I woke up with a 4:50 p.m. flight in mind and no scheduled plans. I started my walk downtown, getting a better look at the areas I missed the previous day. Just observing the unique architecture of the city. More historic Freemason buildings, mixed with plenty of skyscrapers for what some would consider a small city.

I stopped for a light breakfast at a small shop inside Selden Market. Such a beautiful building with an even better restaurant named The Stockpot. I only ordered a side of potatoes and a smoothie, but even those two items were both amazing. Using Granby and a few surrounding streets, I made the walk from the restaurant all the way up to Lafayette Park. I even saw a couple of rhinos through a fence by the zoo. Unfortunately, I would also stumble across a few homes that were surrounded by an extreme amount of floodwater. It truly reminds you of the force of nature.

Wanting to get closer to the airport so I didn’t have to worry about any unforeseen circumstances, I pulled up my Maps to see if there was anywhere worth exploring around the airport. To my luck, I stumbled across the Norfolk Botanical Garden. A neighbor so close to the airport that it offers an airport overlook for incoming and outgoing flights.

I made the quick Uber ride to the gardens, where I was greeted with a breathtaking venue. Walking paths took me to the edge of Lake Whitehurst. The “garden” is enormous, with 170-plus acres of space to explore. Amazing bridges throughout the area mixed with a wonderful statue walk. It being Sunday allowed all the dogs to enjoy the gardens as well. I could spend all day describing the different flowers, plants, trees, structures, views, and more. The feel of fall was visible as trees around the property transitioned with the season.

The indoor conservatory was just as stunning as the rest of the property. So many interesting plants from all over the world were displayed in one giant, multi-climate-controlled building. I am truly blessed that the garden’s proximity to the airport made a picture-perfect finish to a wonderful trip to Norfolk.
If you have read this far, you are now a part of my journey.

Next up, Louisville @ NC State for stadium #20. A place I am somewhat familiar with, having lived there for four years. If you want to follow along, I post after each trip on r/CFBStorytime. It’s a community open to anyone and is meant for sharing game-day experiences.

Thank you again, Norfolk, for a truly wonderful visit. Somehow, I was able to visit so many wonderful places while knowing there are so many I may never see. This is surely a place I would love to return to later on in life.

Box Score provided by ESPN

Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T ----|-|-|-|-|-|- Old Dominion|3|3|7|8|21 Virginia Tech|17|17|3|7|44