After going to Palm Sunday Mass at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, we went to brunch at d'egg Diner, a breakfast place in downtown Norfolk. We enjoyed pancakes and omelettes and grits.
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| Fun logo |
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| We also enjoyed hot chocolate |
The area has a lot of naval history, one of the most famous bits being the battle of the Ironclad ships during the American Civil War.
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| Informational sign |
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| The battle waters |
Nearby is a small park with an Armed Forces Memorial. Several letters to loved ones have been rendered in metal and attached to the concrete floor, making a striking but subtle impression. The letters range from the War for Independence to very recent conflicts.
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| Armed Forces Memorial |
Right next door is Nauticus, a maritime museum that feature the USS Wisconsin, a battleship that served in World War II.
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| Posing by the battleship? |
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| A longer view of the battleship |
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| The museum |
Norfolk has one of the branches of the World Trade Center, housed in a very modern-looking building. Next door is something more classical.
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| World Trade Center |
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| US Customs and Border Protection |
We wanted to go to a baseball game. Norfolk has a AAA team for the Baltimore Orioles called the Norfolk Tides. The walk was not far (less than a mile) and we found some interesting things along the way.
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| Walking along the embankment of an overpass |
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| At first, I thought this was a gun pointing up |
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| Running from the photographer |
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| Norfolk baseball stadium |
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| Walking in |
We stood in line for a few minutes then had the brilliant idea of ordering tickets online. I didn't really beat us making it to the front of the line but the online (on-phone) purchase was already made, so we used that to get in. It was doggy day in the park, but we only saw dogs at the entrance, not really in the stands.
Our seats were in the sunshine, which turned out to be a bit hotter than we were prepared for. Like most AAA stadium, there are no bad seats as far as the view goes.
My wife started advocating for moving to seats that were unoccupied and in the shade. Eventually we agreed and moved behind home plate, with a better view of the pitching.
The inter-inning entertainment included a race to build a hamburger. The tomato below happened to roll away, dooming the chances of that competitor.
We left after the seventh-inning stretch since the home team was not doing well (the game eventually ended with an 8-12 loss). On the way out we saw the mascots hanging out together. I am fascinated by their main mascot, a seahorse that looks very fierce (a seeming contradiction).
Outside the stadium is one of the many mermaid statues that are all over Norfolk.
On the way back to the car, I made a second attempt on a geocache where the owner had emailed me a hint after a DNF (did not find).
The waterfront has one of those classic local tourism signs.
Our last bit of tourism was to visit Mount Trashmore. The local dump was buried under dirt and turned into a park. The "mountain" isn't too tall but does provide a good spot for kites to catch wind and nice views. There are no recreations of U.S. Presidents' heads.
A large and extensive playground is right nearby but our children were not interested because too many other children were there.
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| View of the game |
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| Awesome fans |
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| Reverse view |
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| New view |
The inter-inning entertainment included a race to build a hamburger. The tomato below happened to roll away, dooming the chances of that competitor.
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| Making a burger |
We left after the seventh-inning stretch since the home team was not doing well (the game eventually ended with an 8-12 loss). On the way out we saw the mascots hanging out together. I am fascinated by their main mascot, a seahorse that looks very fierce (a seeming contradiction).
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| Mascots! |
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| Don't mess with this pony |
Outside the stadium is one of the many mermaid statues that are all over Norfolk.
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| Me and my mermaid |
On the way back to the car, I made a second attempt on a geocache where the owner had emailed me a hint after a DNF (did not find).
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| View from the cache |
The waterfront has one of those classic local tourism signs.
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| Have I seen this somewhere else? |
Our last bit of tourism was to visit Mount Trashmore. The local dump was buried under dirt and turned into a park. The "mountain" isn't too tall but does provide a good spot for kites to catch wind and nice views. There are no recreations of U.S. Presidents' heads.
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| Mount Trashmore |
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| Daughter running up |
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| My son, less ambitious |
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| View to one side of the mount |
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| View of Lake Trashmore |
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| Grandpa find a gentle slope |
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| Kite flyers |
A large and extensive playground is right nearby but our children were not interested because too many other children were there.
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| Playground |
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| More playground |
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| Another view of Lake Trashmore |
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