It's been a while since I've went around my old stomping grounds of downtown Norfolk (I've left for Orlando a few years back). Things have changed quite a bit and I was getting a treat to some of the renovations that the city is currently going through. I walked around and about extensively with my friend/Norfolk resident, Trentonn. There were a couple of highlights to point out such as the big makeover done to Town Point Park (located between Nauticus and Waterside, respectively), the Rotunda (a cylinder-shaped apartment condo building complex), and the crop of building projects that are ongoing within the city itself. Transportation has also been given a plus. In 2010, the rail transit project known as "The Tide" is set to make its debut that'll give commuters the chance to go from downtown Norfolk to the Norfolk/Virginia Beach border in a matter of minutes.
One thing I've found very disappointing and I noted this to Trentonn - was the aging, forgotten festival marketplace known as the Waterside.
It was a wonderful sight those many years ago. Me and my childhood friend Danny were even part of its opening festivities back in June 1st, 1983 as we were students walking along the streets being part of the parade donning our Waterside sailor hats. Waterside was a marvel. She was a beauty! She was noticed! Stores and restaurants there boomed in with business. The view was perfect as it settled nearby the Elizabeth River. It was even harboring in visitors during city festivals (Harborfest, OpSail2000, Afram Fest, etc.) as well as those touring the city itself on any given day.
And now it's the present. Waterside now paints a bleak and uncertain future. It's a relic of the past and is just a sad reminder that we've all moved on from it. (Read THIS March 2008 Va. Pilot article as well, for some in-depth info regarding the aging Waterside).
Most of the public are now rampant in the MacArthur Center, a 3-story shopping mall located just a few blocks from Waterside. MacArthur Center has everything what a consumer wants - shops and restaurants, galore! They also have the added convenience in having a parking garage annexed w/ the mall itself.
While this is going on, Waterside suffers big time!
Gone are many of its shoppers and restaurant/bar patrons, although there were some decent extended renovations done to the food court area. A few years back when I was a resident, it wasn't that bad. It had some kind of 'aura' to it in the evening because of the nightclubs that catered towards young adults. Fast forward to a few years later now: a couple of closed stores, restaurants and nightclubs/bars (notably Bar Norfolk & Have A Nice Day Cafe) - and even the sad songs that around the complex - now gives the Waterside that serene, somber atmosphere. Some restaurants still remain such as Joe's Crab Shack and Hooters and a few small stores are still open for business, but those places alone cannot harbor in more visitors to shop and dine like years ago.
In an addentum to the previous paragraph, Bar Norfolk was shut out of business by the city government a few months ago because of allegations in providing alcoholic drinks to minors. There was also mention of some violence going on, as well. Trentonn and I roamed around the hallway that housed both Bar Norfolk and Have A Nice Day Cafe. It was depressing. All you see that's left are several-upon-several pictures of scantily-clad bikini/thong/tight shirt wearing beauties and the patrons that had a good time with them. That was an era I've never went through when I was a then-Norfolk resident. I had always ignored Bar Norfolk and Have A Nice Day Cafe nightclub scene altogether. We continued walking and the depressing music that was playing in Waterside just got it really worse.
So what can the city do in the future for Waterside's market repositioning? I'm not sure, but here's my opinion along w/ Trentonn's: junk it. That is the ONLY way to be given rebirth. It needs to be tailor-made for this particular era. We have become more of a sophisticated, high-demanding, and technology-driven society. And we want something better, for sure! That is what Waterside needs to do. It needs to value those for it to be given new life. Change the structure itself from the ground up making it futuristic and fun for residents and visitors alike! Waterside should also be 3 stories, as well. If downtown Norfolk can recycle itself in a whole new way, I'm sure they will do the same for Waterside in the future.
Waterside hangs on by a thread and who's to say what future it'll have.
(BLOGGER'S NOTE: I plan to film some video footages inside Waterside for viewers to see the place as it is now. And don't expect anything great - yet.)
