I Ventured Through Virginia Beach. Why Is It So Empty??
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ม.ค. 2025
- For this video, I drove the length of the famous Virginia Beach strip. As I entered downtown, it was a spectacular day for filming, with hardly a cloud in the sky. The day was Wednesday, November 18, 2020 at 10 am.
Now, we got really lucky on this day, for two reasons. One of them is the day I filmed was in November, so it’s considered off season. It was very chilly the day I drove Virginia Beach, with highs in the mid 40s and a very brisk breeze. Which meant very few visitors. In addition, Covid was in full effect, which kept even more people away. As you’ll see, I was able to drive the entire 40 block stretch along Atlantic Avenue without stopping once. For most of the drive, there wasn’t a single car on either side of the road. It was almost as if I had closed down this famed strip just so I could capture it.
Virginia Beach has a population over of more than 450,000 people, making it the biggest city in the state of Virginia. During the peak of tourism, from May until September, this place is bonkers. 19 million people come here every year to spend more than $2 billion annually. If it's not college kids, it’s tons of families. This resort city has miles of beaches and hundreds of hotels, motels and restaurants along its ocean front, which is directly on the other side of the hotels on the right side. We’re traveling north. Here’s what the ocean looks like on the other side.
Virginia Beach is clean and crime has really diminished over time. Back in 2006, it peaked, but was still only about average for the state of Virginia. It’s actually pretty family friendly. And the city has spent a lot of money cleaning it up even more.
Anyways, we’re gonna drive all the way up the main drag, then show you some really cool homes just north of downtown, and another neighborhood that everyone says is great. Here’s the Virginia Beach main entertainment strip.
Okay so we’re past the main Atlantic Avenue strip, and we’re going to now take a quick peek at a neighborhood just north of downtown. Homes here are between $600 and $900,000.
And finally, here’s a different type of neighborhood in Virginia Beach. This is the Great Neck neighborhood located here, on a peninsula in the middle of the northern half of Virginia Beach. Homes here sell for around a half million each. It ranks as one of the best neighborhoods in Virginia Beach that’s not along the ocean.
That’s a quick tour of Virginia Beach. We saw the main strip and a couple of nice neighborhoods. There really aren’t any large rundown parts of town like in most major cities. For a city of nearly a half million people, it’s really safe and very family friendly overall.
#virginia #virginiabeach
You can buy my music here:
iTunes: / state-songs-an-album
Google Play: play.google.co...
Amazon Music: music.amazon.c...
This channel is about America!
The best video on this topic!
Here's my entire Virginia Playlist: th-cam.com/play/PLq-_cmf3H6yr0oIcQKAMMfMO1Z-n1t3By.html
Come back now and go drive down it. It’ll take you about two hours to get from one side to the other just on Atlantic.
And the only thing kept away during the Plandemic were the tourists
Thanks for bringing attention to the city though🫡💯🤙🏻
The oceanfront is the tourist section and there are no tourists right now. The oceanfront is a tiny fraction of the landmass that is Virginia Beach.
Mainly Covid.. Even in winter, there is a lot more activity. Hotel rates are low and there are still some events. I’ve run this route before several times in the half and full marathons. All cancelled this past year. Ft. Story, north of the resort strip, is the site of the First Landing in April 1607 of the English who went on later to establish Jamestown. Lots of history here you don’t see on the resort strip. First Landing State Park is beautiful .. nature trails, swamps, and the northern limit of Spanish Moss. Actually, there is no “ Downtown.” This is just calked the “resort strip “. The nearest thing to a Downtown is the Town Center at Pembroke. But there was no main business downtown since most of the land was Princess Anne County .
Most of the land area away from the resort area is suburban sprawl or open farmland . Of the bigger cities in VA, it’s the most desirable. As you say, there is low crime, almost no slum or distressed housing , and the growing season and average climate stats are comparable to regions far more to the south.
@@nealammerman6768 Not by the waterfront...when I first moved there it was in Feb. a few years back....it's a ghost town until at least Spring break...and then it's just dangerous, and many shops stay closed due to recent violence the last few years. Sadly enough.
Lol I was down there Jan 2 and 3 ...... it wasn't like you see now, there was ppl out , restaurants open, bars too and a homeless person on every corner tooo
I have cousins who go here once a yr
They have a blast
Come back during the sumner with no pandemic. It would be a 3 hour video to do same drive here. Lol
@@robtans5042 Agreed. I generally watch prepping videos. But I do like Nick's videos and Virginia is home. And at least $4 a gallon. 2020 wasn't the hard year....it was just setting the table.
@@steelersnation520 Its a damn shame Im turning 62 this year was leo for 36 years retired 2017. World has went to 💩 been lied to most of my life. Oh we gona run out of oil in the 70s to being the #1 producer of it till the walking cadavier took over. This plandemic toilet paper shortage now cant even get birdshot shotgun ammo to crow hunt. Never been to va beach but been through va many times going places schools pennitenturies pickn up people in past. Idk we pretty well normal here except bars gota close at 10pm but in county they stay open till 3 cause sheriff will not enforce health dept mandate. Most wear masks but local law enforcement dont enforce it
Got that right, William! If came here in the summer of 2019 he'd have turned around in disgust cuz he couldn't get anywhere! LOL
Indeed come next time they have the Something in the Water Frestival
Yup! What he said👆🏼 he forgot to mention all the druggies , people with guns fights Ect ect ect! It is NOT family friendly. Unless you wanna fight or get shot
It's winter and there aren't many tourists around this time of year. This is 100% how it is most years during this time.
Lived here my entire life.
I agree and my family moved to Virginia Beach in 1979. And we're still live here. So I can call it home.
I agree. I was born in Princess Ann Virginia Beach and lived there until 15 so it’s always been this way.
Is it a nice place to live?
@@ShadowJ20 It's a tourist trap. Cookie cutter hotels, the beach is a strip of sand next to a concrete jungle, it's basically your commercialized Disney land of Beaches. If I want to have a beach experience I skip Va. beach completely and head to Nags Head or Ocracoke in North Carolina.
How do new businesses do around here?
It is always empty in the winter, that is a summer destination just like the coasts of NC and SC
That is the most beautiful time to be there. I've been going to Virginia Beach for 30 years and plan to retire there. See you soon my dear home❤️
@@daphneprice507 go retire somewhere else.
@@daphneprice507 it’s not worth retiring i live here lol
I heard that its beautiful
@@kisatiger86 wow that's rude
My heart goes out to the hospitality industry everywhere. I hope everyone is OK, gainfully employed, and finding joy in their lives. ♥️
Irony in hospitality and hospitals? I think not. Love Local, Spread Big. Thank you God for another day
I work at the marriott there on 42nd that opened during covid trust me all the big hotels out here are fine
The strip in vb always looks that way in winter. The beach doesn't have much of a draw when it isn't summer.
Thank you! Those of us who work in smaller family owned establishments have had it rough these past few years. It’s hard to make $ when everyone is frightened and staying home.
People from Toronto love taking the drive to Virginia Beach, in the summer you see Ontario license plates all over the place
It was always a joke to get Canadian coins back as change at the 7-11. This is way back when.
@@njaneardude Rochester and Buffalo always have a few Canadian coins in their change to this day
and quebec
Cool
Another reason to go to OBX.. No frenchies...
I lived there for three years. It's always like this in the winter. Add Covid to it and it's a ghost town. It's a nice place to live and pretty safe for a city its size. And btw, the oceanfront isn't downtown. VB doesn't have a downtown, unless you count the Town Center. Which I don't. It's more of an overgrown suburb.
I agree on VB so called "downtown" not being one. But do we both agree that norfolk has a real authentic downtown?
@@thefallenlettuce2797 I feel like that's pretty obvious. When you're driving through downtown norfolk good luck going a block without seeing a sign "historic downtown norfolk". And yeah VA Beach doesn't have a downtown. Town center is too small to be considered a down town and the oceanfront doesn't count.
@@catroberts4002 True.
Virginia Beach’s government is trying to make it downtown
@@KoolSpool Yea but it sucks and Norfolks downtown just cant be beat by any of the 7 cities. You have to admit that Norfolk has been the central city for years.
When I was a teenager I surfed here. That was the 60's. All these building were not there. The main road ended at the peppermint club. Nothing but dunes from there to North Carolina.
I lived there in the early ‘60s. Went to Princess Anne High School and lived in Aragona Village. Very different now.
@Larry Johnson Damn, that sounds serious. I still have family that lives in that area, I will have to ask them about that.
@Carlton Firoved I lived in Florida from ‘88 - ‘02. Lived a little south of Kissimmee and loved it. Did a lot of surf fishing at Melbourne Beach and other beaches. Now I live on the coast of South Carolina....love living near the ocean.
@Larry Johnson That sounds so familiar lol my husband is from Va Beach , that's were we met . I lived there for 20 years .
@Carlton Firoved what kinds of things do you find metal detecting? Is there anything in particular that’s considered a ‘score’?
Man, I grew up there and moved to Florida in 2008. It's absolutely amazing how much it has changed. I barely recognized anything. Back in the 80s and 90s it was a really fun place to be.
It's better than Myrtle though
@@NickJohnson I went to Myrtle once. ONCE.
It sucks. Especially during tourist season. Not family friendly at all. Too much crime now also.
@@TheOneAtomicPunk Agreed! We don't go to the Ocean Front much. Spend our beach time either north end, far away from the boardwalk or on the bay.
Just got home today from VA Beach home away from home. Amazing food, Amazing entertainment, amazing night life, amazing people. I hope one day to move there
Good - do it Joe!!
I’ve only been to Virginia Beach a handful of times and it’s rather nice. My oldest sister lives there and she loves it, great video Mr.Johnson. As a native and former resident of Virginia it’s always a pleasure to see a video on my home state:)
I did three in a row!
@@NickJohnson I know right VA is getting the love 🤣
@Emmanuel Brown no I’m African American, and then I’m also Trinidadian on my moms side.🇹🇹
My family once went to Virginia Beach when I was in high school. My Mom was being considered for a position at the ARE Institute there. We ended up being there on Christmas Day. All I can say is, the restaurant "The Jewish Mother" was a true Godsend to us that day! For years after, I had an appreciation for a sandwich I got there called a "Pita Pan." It was peanut butter, raisins, bananas, and honey in a pita pocket. Delish!
Morning coffee and a Nick Johnson video. Perfect
Ahhhh ☕️
Virginia Beach is an amazing place to go to for vacation! And there are a lot of restaurants. (Our favorite restaurants near the beach are Captain George and Peter Chang).
What is the name of the seafood restaurant like a mile from the beach heading west ? Really good place to eat
@@Iron-sy4yp Captain George it' s right on Laskin Road not far from the beach.
@@Iron-sy4yp Watermen's?
We live like right next to captain georges and we’ve only been a couple times cuz it’s always packed and it’s expensive but omg it’s so good 😩
Bruh neither of those restaurants are near the beach haha you can't really even walk to them from the beach
I love these videos. What a eye opener for me. Thanks for the work you put in to them.😃👍🏴🇺🇸
Glad you like them Carl!
My Home! for almost 20 years. He needs to show Sandbridge beach too. The houses out there are spectacular. Don't forget the pride of VA Beach NAS Oceana! Jet noise the sound of freedom!
Yes my husband's father was a top dog pilot in the navy there .I remember how when jets would fly over everybody stopped talking until they passed by.
Yup they are, we live here in sandbridge, tyou =)
Noooo the jet noises gets old when you worked outside for years near oceana landing strip its nice for tourists but you dont wanna hear that everyday when they get super low need ear plugs and tylenol
I've lived in VB for 20 years now, and the sound of jet noise is generally annoying to me. I've never considered anything about an obnoxiously loud noise that makes you halt conversations and sometimes cover your ears to be related in any way to freedom.
Virginia Beach is the largest city in Virginia and even though it is so empty it is a very safe city which is why its the largest city in Virginia
It’s safe because no one is there, did you ever think of that?
Bruh VB is nothing but and dead small city.
@@monetschannel5773 there's half a million residents...
@@SunShineElaine then it’s not empty.
The year round residents don't live on the strip, there's lots of areas with neighborhoods. Va. Beach is HUGE! They annexed all of Princes Anne county!
Great video! I live in Virginia Beach (20+ years!) and I'd like to comment on why Va Beach appeared so desolate. Nick mentioned that the video was taken Nov 18th. There are always fewer people at the oceanfront in the winter (it's cold, but great hotel rates though!) But this past Nov (2020) with Covid19 spreading and just before Thanksgiving... the positive cases were rising in the area and the Governor began increasing the restrictions. All over the city we were trying to do our part by staying in, but we also wanted to support our fabulous restaurant industry! "Take out" in Va Beach with our signature orange crushes (or other libations) are delish! Come back thru Nick (and all!) after the pandemic ends... there is so much more to see! 💚
Yes!
Where is a decent low cost place to live there?
Nov 18 my bday
Hey Nick! My TH-cam channel is all about Virginia Beach and the cities around Virginia Beach - so thanks for your videos highlighting my area! I want to add some additional depth to some things you mentioned about the areas you drove through. The area you videoed at the end of the video is actually an area called Little Neck. Great Neck is the "Neck" to the east of Little Neck on the map you put on the screen at 9:58. The reason I even mention this is because I'm not sure what type of audience watches your videos, if anyone is looking to move here they might not recognize that there is a distinct difference between the two areas (jet noise volume being a large feature) as well as Little Neck being like a big cul-de-sac, you can't drive through it to the north side of the city. Great Neck you can, though. The types of construction are a bit different, as well. I love the area you drove through in Little Neck, which is a neighborhood called Middle Plantation. And you're right, it is one of the best neighborhoods in the city (one of my favorites, too)! That neighborhood's houses sell in the $700K+ range, though other spots in Little Neck can be less. The reason it's quiet at the boardwalk is mainly for what you mentioned - a) it's off-season for tourists, during the fall/winter it turns more into neighborhoods where people live year-round. In addition, the quarantine has affected it a little bit, but in our area our traffic on a day-to-day basis hasn't been impacted as much recently. This is mostly typical traffic during the late fall/early winter. That being said, you had some nice things to say about the area not having any spots that are run down. The reality is that there are, but most of them aren't too close to where you drove. Anyway, thanks for the spotlight on our area!
Ok Sam!! Thanks for the added clarification too!
Nick and Sam. I would love to see a video of my area in Great Neck. Specifically the Alanton neighborhood. Great place to live and raise a family. I'll show you around sometime!
Thanks for taking it easy on my hood. You weren’t that far away from Pharrell Williams apartment complex. I breathed a sigh of relief when you passed the exit to my neighborhood 😁 The old locals will say VB has no downtown, the new generation says the Town Center is downtown. We call Atlantic Ave. that you drove down “the strip”. Even without COVID it’s like that during the off season. You’re welcome back and you can drive my hood and get a glance at blue collar VB neighborhood.
@Emmanuel Brown Virginia Beach isn't known for "ghetto hoods".. If you want that, you'll have to go to areas in the rest of the surrounding cities like Norfolk, Newport News, Portsmouth or Hampton
Was stationed in NAVSTA Nofolk and Dam Neck, so naturally I lived biking distance from VA beach during the busy and non busy time. So many good memories with good friends. Time flies. ⏲️
Virginia Beach is my happy place!! I love it!
Good Susan
VA beach is my favorite. We would visit every summer as family. Awesome boardwalk and lot of cool stuff. We now live in the South..
First off there is no downtown va beach, secondly, off season equals no tourists, this is the norm, thirdly, after living here over 25 years the oceanfront has been over developed and is touristy , overpriced , and a traffic nightmare when in season. The city kept no balance on the development whatsoever. And as far as being safe, we had nothing but shooting after shooting this past year. The old strip was much cleaner, safer and better geared for families.
I wonder if it’s people moving in from Norfolk causing all the shootings
Totally correct on all points.
Agreed. I'm sitting here thinking... It's off season. During covid the oceanfront was still packed. I ride my harley thru there all the time. He just went down atlantic. Go down independence or Lynn Haven at 4p on a Tuesday.
I was born in Norfolk and grew up in va beach from 97 until November 15, 2019. Its shitty in va no matter what, even more shitty if you were born disabled. Took me a long time to get my ssi back and i was born with double scoliosis.
@@SlimeballJoe1 not sure if you ment to say Lynnhaven and not Lynn Haven
I'm currently living at the oceanfront in hotel apartment like alot of ppl affected by covid or can't get home due to it...it's really dead during the week most clubs and bars are only open on saturday sometimes Sunday with restrictions
As someone who was hoping to make it back down to Virginia Beach in 2020 before everything hit due to COVID, thank you for filming the strip. First I'm seeing of the convenience store/gas station that was at Laskin Road/Atlantic Ave now gone and a few other changes, most notably up on the northern resort with the Cavalier Resort project.
I lived 3 blocks from the beach and loved the boardwalk.I got to see Travis Tritt twice in concert on the beach which was really cool.I worked at the small Sandbridge Walmart Supercenter and really enjoyed I there.Lived down the road from the Oceana Jet Base which was a Navy Jet Base and got to see the Blue Angels there when they had an air show.I really miss that place.And you’re right it really is a great family place.My son graduated from First Colonial High School there and was on the honor roll all during his high school.He went right into the Navy after high school and will be retiring in 4 years with his 20.They really have a great school system there.People are so nice.I would recommend this city for anyone who’s looking to move.Thanks for bringing so many happy memories back to me Nick.❤️😊
TRAVIS TRITT!!!! That must have been like 1995
We lived in Virginia Beach from 1981 to 1983, and I graduated from Green Run High School in 1982. Hampton Roads is one of my favorite places we lived. I went to the beach a few times in 1981 and 1982. We were working class and lived in the Chimney Hill area, but I remember and loved the Middle Plantation subdivision.
I lived in Carper Apartments 85-88, went to Green Run for a year before moving to Florida.
@@rob46711 Maybe some of the same teachers I had 1981-2 were still there when you went there.
@Nick Johnson the prices of the houses might be just a "little" higher than you were told. Lots of houses in that price range. But not in those sections you were driving in especially if you're counting the ones with deep water access, or right on the ocean. Great videos though. Thank you. Just dont want people to think they could live in a primo neighborhood with deep water access or on the beach for less than a million plus.
Agreed bob it was just a conversation starter 😉
I mean just to rent one of the mansions at sandbrige for a day is basically the price of a car
In… “Virginia”? Over 500k?!?
A Beautiful Place with green grass and trees plus a beach and Ocean👏👍
I lived in Va Beach from 1985 til 2005 I'm originally from Wise Virginia , so Iv enjoyed All the mts and the beach of my home state . ❤💋I miss the Edge , Chi Chos , Surfing, Surf shops and the ocean.
The oceanfront is not downtown. Virginia Beach does not officially have a downtown. It has multiple pockets of high density/high rise buildings, like the Town Center area, Shore Drive/Chix Beach area. The government center is actually on the outskirts of civilization.
Virginia Beach is safe❤️❤️❤️I have driven there on my own and walked during spring summer. During the winter is always like this but not like this because of the pendemic. Most Virginia’s rather stay home, they like the quiet. The beach is gorgeous, and Neptune will forever be in Virginia safe guarding its beauty💋
You got lucky! Crime is rising as high as the tide nowadays. Not as “family friendly” as it was several years ago. Much like every other town, it’s going downhill.
Best beach town for a good quality of life
You should do ocean city Maryland. It’s a great memory of mine and such memories 😭
Ocean city ,MD was the ticket in the 70s and 80s. VA Beach could not compare!!!. And iam from Va.
Man, in November 2010, I moved from New York Bronx to VAB and man it was the JOINT back in the days, when I was 8 years old with my mom and grandma, we live there like paradise, people were much nicer, a very calm and clean place to stay, fun places to go, cheap but very good hotels to live, great and useful programs, and a awesome school like W.T Cooke Elementary School and the Pizza Hut Wednesday. *Sigh* good old days. I hear about some riots going on over there I hope there are communitys who is not afraid to fix VAB during COVID-19. I know I would.
Good morning Nick&Mappy I hope you both are having a wonderful weekend you two. 😇
Same to you Josh!
Thanks what's your plans Nick. 😇
Huh looks like a surprisingly tranquil place. Then again that might just be the music
it actually is even when there are people there
Va sucks...I know because I live here. Just the truth 🤷♀️
Yes, it is a nice place even with people. Off season and covid has kept it quiet.
@@justmepraying So move then🤷♀️
@@MJ-gj6mj only have 2 more years to retire on my job than we are out of here
I’ve lived in Virginia Beach my whole life. The ocean front is summer fun or night life.
I love VB! I turned 30 on the beach back in 2013 and I plan on doing the same thing for 40 in a couple years if I live that long. I'm really sick and in the hospital right now but this video made me smile!
I’m 15 😊
Thanks Nick. Good to know it got much better there!
You want to have some real fun, and see what BS we have to endure on the road? Start in Norfolk on Oceanview Avenue ... stay on the same road and it becomes East Oceanview Ave, then Shore Drive, then Atlantic, then Pacific, then General Booth, then Princess Anne, then North Lading, then finally Mount Pleasant as you pass into Chesapeake! Talk about confusing!
Dang Mike
Can't forget about Princess Anne Road. There are two of them. One in Norfolk, and one in VB. They are entirely separate roads.
Loved watching this (albeit sad that it's so quiet). Virginia Beach was my first home after leaving the UK. I hated it haha, but I appreciate it retrospectively.
It can't be too great most of Virginia people drive to Myrtle Beach every year to vacation
And the OBX
Most of us drive down there either because we have family down there or we don’t want to deal with the insane amount of tourists from late March through September
Virginia Beach can't be busier than Myrtle Beach in the Summer
Even when I lived in VB I vacationed in OBX. VB is too crowded in the summer.
Wow! It looks so much different when I used to live there in the 80's.
If you come during the summer in a normal year, Atlantic Avenue gets super busy. When it gets dark, there's a concert, or street performance on every block. Also every hotel bar along the boardwalk has a live band playing cover songs from bands like Sublime, 311, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
311????? I'm sad that didn't happen when I was there
I miss the 757😪, lived there for 36 years. You actually drove by an old friend if mines party house. Was nice to see the strip again. Lol I haven't been there in a decade. Thanks for trip down memory lane. 👍
You're off on the home prices. The ones on Ocean Front are all $1MM+.
Thank you for the beautiful drive through of our oceanfront! Pretty sure I saw my car for a second right before you turned at the Cavalier!
No way!!!
I love va beach I went there for vacation in 2019 and had a blast with my friends can’t wait to go back
I work on the navy base just south of the strip and I lived on the oceanfront for over a year and if you like night life and beach towns this is a decent place. Lots of bars and restaurants and like you said in fall and winter it's dead as dirt which makes it seem so peaceful.
Hey, I’m a tower crane operator and worked on one of the buildings on Atlantic Ave. I live in Virginia Beach! This is a great place to live. People are super friendly. Very clean City!!
Fun! 🏗
This is where I plan to retire. Thanks for this very informative video.
@Nick Johnson, while you correctly identified the area of the map at 9:55, the area is called Little Neck. The Great Neck area is to the east, on the other side of the Lynnhaven River Eastern Branch.
I stayed there in December of 03. Rode horses on the beach. My room overlooked the boardwalk with all the Christmas lights. You could drive on the boardwalk through the lights.
I’m from this town and I’ve never seen the strip that empty, even in off-season.I used to live in the area at 7:15. Jet noise was something to get used to. You didn’t go to Atlantis apartments, Friendship, Enterprise, Bayside Arms, Plaza, Twin Canal or over there by Ocean View. The hoods of Virginia Beach. I haven’t been home in awhile, so it may have changed. You got me missing home Nick. I might go take a trip.
Thanks for the up load. This was my stumping grounds over 20 years ago. My ex went to Regent Law School there so I was there every weekend from Durham. I'm on the West Coast now but I really would like to re-visit. I miss riding my bike there and on that trail down to that boat dock. I can't remember the street (also the boardwalk).
I saw the trail on the map... it's 1st landing. I wished you had driven there.🙂
Sorry!
@@NickJohnson 🙂no problem. You just brought back sooo... many good memories, thanks.
I subbed.
Side note: I use to travel a lot on my job and the most scenic ride I've been on was from Ephrata, Washington up to Grand Coulee Dam. If you're ever in that area......
Next time keep on going and take a trip down Shore Drive or go the other down to Rude’s Inlet
That's a good idea, then end up in Ocean View, which ia in Norfolk. Another beach town which is not so much of a tourist area but also has some nices homes that would be cheaper than VA Beach. Ocean View had become run down but a lot of that has been improved and the whole area is continuing to improve.
@@christinesorensen8050 East Beach in OV is a whole lot different Now
If you go the other way down rudee inlet past the bridge you get on general booth blvd and the only real attraction there is the aquarium. Other than that it's just a whole bunch of shopping centers and residential areas.
Atlantic Ave isnt downtown, its just the Oceanfront. Downtown is Town Center, you'd wanna drive down Independence and/or Virginia Beach Boulevard.
Yeah i was thinking that.......crazy thing Town Center is 21 years old.....I remember it was still in construction and VA Beach had just became VA's largest city
I usually take that ride on Saturdays when there are more people walking around. There are also dozens of people walking and riding their bikes on the boardwalk to get exercise.
It is so crazy to see this part of town so empty. In the summer it’s so congested we usually never go! Really the off season is the only time you’ll find locals at the oceanfront 😂
Va beach is a very nice and well kept community. I consider it to be the tip of the spear for the nice weather on the east coast. Palm trees can grow here.
I’m a native of Virginia and former resident, now I live in Florida, but I do like seeing the sabal palmettos in VA beach. Now that I’m in Florida they are everywhere and it’s the state tree for South Carolina and Florida.:)
It’s never busy during the off-season. Once you go during the middle of the summer, it’ll take you 2 hours to get there from Hampton. Place is usually slammed packed.
I love visiting during the off season. I find it very peaceful and relaxing.
Don't know how you got so lucky! Lived here for 15 years and never driven the strip without stopping!!
Come by the Log Cabin after March. It’s between 16th 17th and Atlantic. Have the French Toast!! Awsome beach family restaurant!!
Hi Nick! Virginia Beach is definitely a great place to live. Thank you so much for the cool video. Take care!
It's cool there!
@@NickJohnson So true!!!
Thanks for doing a video on my city 👍🏼
No problem 👍
Seems to me VB has a lot more going for it than Myrtle Beach
totally. and SO much nicer too.
Va. Beach is great! Try First Landing Park!
I love Virginia - Beach, it's a beautiful City and friendly people, I used to live there for 9 years in 1974 - 1983 and visited back in 1996 when attended PDP Cornell University, Ithaca NY.
"GOD Bless America"
With all that mellow music, Mappy must be taking a nappy. Nice video. I went to spring break once at Virginia Beach. Great memories.
Mappy doesn't travel well
During Colvid I Discovered the wonders of 90's Tv again & why it's better than Today's Modem Tv shows Nick& Mappy. 💖😉
yes - now you need to watch 80s shows. they were even better Josh.
I grew up with the 90's that some started back in the late 80's like Family Matters that started back in 1989 Nick. 😇😉
I lived in VA Beach for about 9 years in 1970's to early 1980's. Loved it. Rent was expensive back then. In the summer the traffic and beach were packed all the time. Nice place to live if you can afford it.
I lived in Virginia Beach my entire life and this made me want to come back home even more!!
I'm from Va. Bch too!
I remember when Atlantic ave was almost empty.
Thanks Nick! I have some great pictures and memories of swimming with my family and walking the boardwalk in VA Beach.
The boys were pre teen, so they still thought hanging out with Mom and Dad was exciting. It looks a bit nicer now, as even 2 blocks from the boardwalk things got a bit run down. All in all, we had a great experience there.
It is clean John!
Love it when it's empty. Much nicer
WOW!!! Really looks like a ghost town. I've only been there once in 2004 and it was insanely crowded. Man the world was definitely different back then. 😳 Awesome video Nick. 🙂👍
Darrin this is the time to go haha.
Lol off season is always pretty empty here. Most locals don’t go to the oceanfront very often and it’s mainly just for tourists.
VB is a huge city, but this was in winter and in oceanfront and on top of that COVID; so no surprise that this part is a ghost town. This summer it will definitely be insanely crowded again
The oceanfront is about 30 minutes from my house, but I only go a couple times a year, usually when family visits. If I want to go to the beach, I usually go to ocean view, or Sandbridge instead. There are also a lot of locals who are in the military that prefer the beaches on the military bases where the tourists can't go.
Its so interesting to see a TH-cam video so close to me. Its really nice near the beach, but its soo expensive. That's why my son chose to buy in Chesapeake, where it's a little more reasonable. It is family friendly, for sure. Thank you for the video 😊
Candice your son is smart!
@@NickJohnson thank you Nick. I think so,but I'm biased ,I'm his mom,lol. 😊
Isn't it strange how internet, cell phones, social media, video games and crime has isolated everyone. In most places across the U.S. neighbors don't know there neighbor's, groups of children don't play outside, there are almost no stray dogs, and people don't hang out on their front porch anymore. Compared to my childhood, this is similar to an eerie episode of the twilight zone. Nothing like it used to be.🤔😦. But hey, we always got mappy to cheer us up, I guess. 🙂
Erik were all in our own little bubbles now
@@NickJohnson Sad but true.
Love Virginia Beach any time of year!
Looks like usual off season at the coast. Along North Carolina it’s usually empty in the off season but can get a little busier around the holidays or if it gets warmer on the weekends locals or those with 2nd homes will flock to the beach. Was never a really big fan of Va Beach but popular with those from Penn-Ohio etc since a little closer than Myrtle or Florida etc.
True
Nice smooth drive with meditation music; perfect idea! Many thanks
This was cool. I used to be stationed there. Haven’t been there since 2008.
I haven't been able to get to the ceanfront in many years so it was good to see Atlantic Avenue and all the changes that have been made.
This place is so peaceful and serene.
I did noticed that gas station on 31st street isn't there anymore when i remember seeing in about 2019. Weird seeing this since i live in Oregon now. Finally got to see the Pacific Ocean on Halloween.
Great video. I loved growing up there 72nd land side. We would always play in the swamp as kids and it was right there in the neighborhood.
I didn't realize that Virginia Beach had such a large population. I have not been there in about 15 years maybe. I didn't realize that the homes were so expensive either I thought Virginia Beach was cheaper than living out here in Oregon. Thank you for the tour I really enjoyed it
Ok Janette
Expensive and the closer you are to the water the less likely to have central AC
@@dernishashine7460 you must live there? I thought everybody had air condition in Virginia
@@janettehatcher6138 Yep I do. Nope the beach area homes and apartments do not always have central air. It has alot to do with the age of beach homes and apartments. It's not cost effective for some owners to install ducting and central air units.
This takes me back to being a teen in the 80s and cruising up and down that strip on a Friday or Saturday night. Stopping in at Flipper McCoy's to play video games.
Oceanfront is a resort time For thousands of people in the summer. Since it's winter, people don't really go out there too often. It's so much more busier than you think.
thanks for the video haven't been down there in a little while so was nice to see
Nice video. Have relatives in V Beach, but have never been there. I now have an idea what the city is like, of course a mixture of old, very old and new.
Very true!
Reminds me a lot of how much of the Florida Coast looks - funny how Beach Towns seem to cultivate that look. It's crazy how abandoned the place seems overall. I like the speed that you're driving at - fast enough not to be dull, but slow enough so that its still very watch-able without eye strain. Great Video!
Thanks I try to keep the perfect speed just for you!
Atlantic Ave did remind me of Daytona a little
@@NickJohnson You are such a considerate Video maker! Always thinkin' about your viewers. ; D : D
Nicer houses than Fla.
Wow i lived in Virginia for 10 years and never been seems much better than ocean city md😂😂
I’m from Virginia Beach but what’s crazy is the oceanfront in the winter/fall time compared to the spring/summer time is like night & day. It’s funny how you could drive that whole strip without stopping but most of the time during the summer you can’t even move because it’s countless ppl crossing the street & cars everywhere. I always said the strip in the winter time is like a skeleton.
At the 6:10 mark there's a huge building. So I googled it.
It's the Cavalier Hotel and Beach Club. Building started in 1926 took half a million bricks and 13 months.
Largest amount of bricks used in a single building in the State of Virginia.
Frequented by F. Scott Fitzgerald among others.
That moving truck got the hell outta there fast at 6:30
If you thought that was fast you should see the other drivers around here. However fast you're going your never going fast enough.