Why not replace stressful and exhausting distant vacation plans for a nearby weekend getaway? The latter plan could be just as refreshing for those who need a break in the routine as the traditional one- or two-week vacation to far away locations.
Traveling long distances to make connections with train, plane or ship can be a stressful way to start a vacation. Taking short breaks to nearby destinations that can be easily reached by driving one’s own car, parking at a hotel and using Uber removes most of the unpleasantness of travel.
Last month we decided to spend a few nights in Norfolk over Easter weekend. We planned to leave on Thursday and return Saturday morning in the hopes that we would cut down on holiday traffic. We were especially concerned about driving through the Hampton Roads tunnel during Easter weekend.
One of the worst local travel experiences on the road is being caught on Rt. 64 in a backup at the tunnel, and even worse, at a dead stop for hours which can happen if there has been an accident or someone has run out of gas.
We were after a stress-free travel experience so after hearing the weather report that promised a sunny weekend, we booked a reservation at the Sheraton Waterside Hotel. We left Urbanna after lunch on Thursday thinking that way we would miss the morning and afternoon rush hours.
We were mistaken. When it comes to tunnel traffic during a holiday weekend, every hour is rush hour traffic. The rule to heed is the earlier one leaves to travel through the tunnel, the better.
By the time we reached the tunnel there was a four-mile back up on the Hampton side. It took over an hour of inching along before we made it through the tunnel.
Traffic into Norfolk was also heavy. We were stressed and tired by the time we finally pulled into the hotel. I wondered if there were any way one could travel anywhere these days when one wouldn’t be ready to return home as soon as one arrived?
We had a room on the ninth floor overlooking the Elizabeth River and a Navy LPH 5 (helicopter landing ship) in a General Dynamics drydock. We were too tired to do much that evening except eat dinner at the Waterside Restaurant within the hotel with delicious crab and lobster bisque, but a mediocre fried cod dinner. We visited the hotel fitness center walking and biking equipment after dinner to get some exercise before retiring for the night.
The hotel had rare insulation. There was no noise from other occupants in other rooms or conversations from guests walking down the halls.
There was a lounge on the 10th floor for those who had a special key to enter that offered a hot breakfast each morning, snacks and drinks all day long and hors d’oeuvres in the late afternoon. It offered an informal place to watch TV and eat a meal in a family setting. The cook was especially friendly; besides providing a delicious breakfast each morning, he made everyone feel right at home.
The next morning we headed by Uber to the General MacArthur Memorial and Museum. Since our last trip we have learned how to call for an Uber ride, which was easy to do once you have set up an account. We used Uber to get around the city, which offered convenient, quick and inexpensive transportation services throughout our visit.
The museum was dedicated to World War II soldiers that served under MacArthur in the Pacific and much of it was displays of letters, diaries and paintings depicting the suffering of American and British soldiers after the Battle of Bataan and the cruelty during the infamous death march where if anyone fell from exhaustion, he was bayonetted by Japanese soldiers.
I cried. I find as I age, so much in life strikes me as horribly sad. Especially war. I tried to hide my tears when a Japanese family came into the room as I did not want to embarrass them in any way for what their ancestors might have done. History is often embarrassing. For example, any mention of Hiroshima and Nagasaki today might be for Americans.
There is so much cruelty in our past, there are no angels on any side, and we must be forgiving of cruelties and injustices of what others have done to us in the past just as we hope others will return the favor. Without forgiveness, humanity is doomed.
MacArthur was a great leader, with the usual huge ego of great men, (just look at President Trump) but great leaders are so few and far between and needed so desperately that one must forgive their shortcomings. I liked his allegiance to “Duty, Honor, Country” and his quote “In war there is no substitute for Victory” and I remember hearing his last address to Congress on 50s black and white TV… “Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.”
Later that day we went for a walk on the brick walkway down the Elizabeth River to hop on a ferry that took us to Portsmouth and back. The weather was beautiful and the river was grand. We noticed a police boat on patrol possibly to challenge incoming boats bringing in drugs.
We walked through the Waterside Center which housed bars, seafood restaurants and even an arcade. In the distance Nautica and the Navy Museum beckoned but we were too tired to continue our walk. That evening we “Uber-ed” to the Varia Italian Restaurant in the Hilton Hotel, which not only offered gourmet food but a concert pianist and songstress.
The highlight of the dinner was a flambe tiramisu dessert, which included a flaming chocolate brandy sauce which was the best dessert I have ever eaten, but also kept me up all night.
The next morning, we had a fast breakfast in the lounge and checked out by 10 a.m. We had only one thing in mind. Arrive at the tunnel before the crowds. We slipped right through and home to Urbanna with no problem.
As always, it was wonderful to return home to Urbanna — our small-town paradise.
