First found on Life Lessons Around The Dinner Table.

Week #6: The City You Live In

I currently live in Portsmouth, Virginia. It’s a historic city, and, as new residents, we have a lot of exploring to do!

Since Al was born in Portsmouth and raised in Chesapeake, and I’ve been in the 757 since the age of 4, we mostly know our way around.

However, we’re always up for more adventures!

I took this photo from our bedroom window after the huge snowstorm in January.

The first floor of the Children’s Museum of Virginia, in downtown Portsmouth. Al and I went on an adventure here in August of 2015. We both have fond memories of coming here as kids, but they’ve done a nice job with updating it!

I don’t have a lot of my own photos that showcase our city – Not yet, anyway.

Image Credit: City of Portsmouth

Image Credit: www.portsmouthva.gov

The Norfolk Naval Shipyard is located in Portsmouth, where it repairs and overhauls ships for the U.S. Navy. It has the ability to dry dock an aircraft carrier! Wow! It was originally named “Gosport.” There’s an amazing restaurant in the downtown district called Gosport Tavern. We went there for New Year’s Eve – Awesome food!

It was first established as a town in 1752, but its roots for shipbuilding date back to 1620! Given that we’re basically a stone’s throw away from Colonial Williamsburg (about 45 minutes), it makes sense.

There are several historic sites in our city. There’s the Olde Towne Historic District – The homes there are just gorgeous! They are always beautifully decorated for most holidays – Especially the 4th of July, and Christmas. Naval Medical Center Portsmouth has been in operation since 1827! Cedar Grove Cemetery was established in 1832.

The Commodore Theatre is another favorite – It’s a restored movie theater that looks and feels like a time capsule. They only show one movie for a limited run, with one nightly show and a matinee three days a week. You can eat lunch or dinner there, and it’s a great place to see a movie!

Portsmouth City Park is a beautiful space, and features the Pokey Smokey II locomotive. Al has taken his quadcopter there a few times, and I want to go back at least once or twice this year.

The city of Portsmouth is part of the reason that my family moved back to Hampton Roads. My dad served in the U.S. Coast Guard for 23 1/2 years. Among other active duty assignments, he served on the USCGC Bear, whose homeport is Portsmouth.

After several years and a few moves, he went into the Coast Guard Reserve, while his main full-time job was across the river in Norfolk. The Fifth District is headquartered in downtown Portsmouth, and the Coast Guard base is about five miles from our house.

I’m grateful that we found our house in Portsmouth, in a beautiful neighborhood. I’m excited to enjoy married life with Al, and eventually start our family here. We have several friends who live close by, and my parents are roughly 10 miles from us. We have almost everything close to us – The gym, grocery stores, restaurants, and a decent school district for a few years from now – and I’m very happy.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂