Newport News, Hampton Roads, The Peninsula

Hey there loyal reader. This here's my nostalgic thread--alike in spirit to my initial post to this blog.

I received a forward that touched on the Hampton Roads experience. While I can't relate directly to everything (ahem, I never dated a sailor, ahem), it certainly touched on many facets of my hometown. It wasn't perfect, but I still have a place in my heart to call it home. Here's the contents of the forward in its entirety:


You know you're a Hampton Roads resident when.....

You have to adopt a surrogate professional sports team because you live in the largest metropolitan area without one.

You can name at least three of Mike Joynes' law partners.

You can finish the "Beach Ford" song.

You know Mount Trashmore is a real place, not a joke.

You can see another 7-11 from the 7-11 you're currently at.

You know that 64 West in Chesapeake is actually going east.

Any westbound trip you've ever made involves at least onetunnel.

You can name at least three underwater tunnels within a twenty mile radius of your home.

You've been friends with, dated or married a sailor.

You can say "Norfolk" while sounding neither obscene nor incorrect.

You don't stop and look skyward when aircraft fly over.

You know what a Food Lion is.

Newport News is not a catalog, it is a city.

It's not a peninsula, it's the Peninsula. With a capital P.

You can name all the I-64 spurs.

It's not Portsmouth, it's P-town.

The Strip isn't a nudie bar, it's a tourist trap.

To you, Scope isn't just mouthwash.

The Boathouse doesn't actually dock any boats.

You know Dam Neck and Birdneck aren't necks of any kind.

You don't mind the jet noise.

You don't slow down in the tunnel, because it's not a big deal.

It's normal for seven cities to be linked in almost every conceivable way.

You can leave town for years at a time and come back to find the same segments of roads still under construction.

It's Seven Five Seven, not Seven Fifty-Seven.

An inch of snow closes everything down. 3 inches is a blizzard.

MacArthur was not only a brilliant general, but a fine shopping establishment.

You don't laugh when you hear "Rip Rap Road."

You know that Norfolk International Airport isn't really an international airport.

No, you're not hallucinating. Those are mermaids.

You know the real reason we haven't been hit by a hurricane in the past several years is because of Pat Robertson.

You've ever not gone to an establishment to avoid a PETA demonstration.

You had a nickel for every OBX sticker you saw on the road (you'd be rich by now.)

And last but not least, the greatest wine (whine) you hear on the Peninsula, "ARE THEY EVER GOING TO FINISH WORK ON I-64?


Do you want to visit, yet?