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When I first moved up here, from Charleston, SC, and my husband and I got married I was shocked beyond belief. Within a week, my husband's ship, the USS Iwo Jima, was underway for the whole month. Then, just when we thought we had a little bit of time to actually be married, he was sent to New Orleans for the relief effort. I was without friends, family, and a car for a while.
At first, I thought this was a horrible place. But now I'm finding out that the BASE isn't that bad. The town is another story. All of the military I have met are wonderful and just as helpful as can be. The NEX and Commissary are very nice, but tend to be very crowded. Every person I have talked to that works in the Commissary are nice, and helpful, always trying to make you smile, or start a short conversation about your day. The employees really make you feel like you are important to them. The NEX mall has almost everything you could ever need, so it is great if you live on base, or don't want to get out in the horrible traffic to drive to Wal-mart.
There are lots of things to do, especially if you are over 21. There are numerous malls, tattoo parlors, and anything and everything else you can think of. Norfolk itself is trashy. All the roads seem to be under constant contruction, and everything is packed together so tightly. The homes are run down, and a lot of the neighborhoods are crime infested. I honestly would rather live somewhere else, but where we rent off base is really cheap. Plus, my husband's drive to work is great! We live right outside Gate 4, and it takes him 10 minutes to drive to work, on a bad, traffic filled day. Downtown and Virginia Beach are really nice places, but you have to know where to go and what to do to have fun. Great bands play here all the time, and there are some good local bands that play a lot of clubs in Virginia Beach.
Overall, my first impression was, this place sucks. But as I meet more people my husband works with, and their wives, I find I like military life more. I honestly think that there is no other base with as many friendly people as this one. The locals aren't too friendly, but I was luckly enough to someone before I moved here. This isn't home, but it is beginning to feel kind of like home.
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