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Post by sealaw90 on Apr 21, 2016 11:30:08 GMT -5
Yeah, but what about Charleston WV?
Oh, and do any of the Targets in WV have a Starbucks located inside?
There are Starbucks all over the place here. Target in Morgantown has one of at least 4 in the town. Charleston & Huntington both have Target and Starbucks but I'm not sure if they're connected or not. I'm a coffee fan - don't worry, there's good java here! Starbucks in Charleston Town Center Mall about a 3-minute walk from ODAR, BTW. Is that a 3 minute walk in the summer - how long does it take in the winter ?
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Post by sealaw90 on Apr 21, 2016 11:32:32 GMT -5
Gaidin, yes, let's go backwards - we started with the WV locales, so now on to VA. Would anyone like to chime in?
There's an IKEA off of I-95 in northern Virginia. Starbucks are near the Norfolk locale a few blocks away from the Richmond and Charlottesville ODAR and all over the place in NOVA. Not sure about Roanoke though...
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Post by Gaidin on Apr 21, 2016 11:33:37 GMT -5
Gaidin, yes, let's go backwards - we started with the WV locales, so now on to VA. Would anyone like to chime in? There's an IKEA off of I-95 in northern Virginia. Starbucks are near the Norfolk locale a few blocks away from the Richmond and Charlottesville ODAR and all over the place in NOVA. Not sure about Roanoke though... I will admit to being curious about our VA options as well.
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Post by jagvet on Apr 21, 2016 13:29:24 GMT -5
Charlottesville, VA. Wow. What a delightful town! Army JAGs spend a lot of time there since the JAG School is adjacent to UVA Law School. Only a couple hours from DC (with an Amtrak line there as well), Charlottesvile has beautiful rolling hills, very nice neighborhoods, and a gentrified downtown. Mississippian John Grisham lives there, and it has figured into some of his novels. Of course, it is steeped in history, with Jefferson's Monticello, and the UVA grounds. There are bohemian coffee shops, patisseries, and other food of all ethnicities, including southern cooking if that's what you like. I had my first Szechuan Chinese and German food there 38 years ago. In the northern suburbs are all the big box stores you need, including the headquarters of Crutchfield Electronics, where their scratch 'n' dent shop yields great bargains. UVA has a great medical center, so health care is top notch. Winters can be snowy, but not all the time. The beautiful Blue Ridge is but a few miles away. I haven't been back since I retired from the Army Reserve, and I really miss it. You would enjoy living there.
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Post by Gaidin on Apr 21, 2016 13:30:54 GMT -5
Anybody have any info on Norfolk?
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Post by Judicially Imployed on Apr 21, 2016 13:34:04 GMT -5
Anybody have any info on Norfolk? It's no Tupelo! - funkyodar
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Post by jagvet on Apr 21, 2016 13:41:43 GMT -5
Norfolk: I had an uncle who lived there, so I visited a lot. Huge traffic mess, especially when the Navy Base workers come and go. You can't count on distance and speed limit to figure out commuting range. Factor in traffic, too. Big bus system, so maybe you could luck out if that works for you. Ghent neighborhood near downtown is gentrified and quaint, with restaurants and shopping. Virginia Beach is nice and suburban, but a long slog each day into Norfolk. In VA Beach, as you approach the ocean, it gets very touristy. Downtown Norfolk has a small waterfront shopping place, but is otherwise a ghost town at night, and fairly ugly. You are just over an hour from Kitty Hawk, NC and the Outer Banks, and an hour the other way from Colonial Williamsburg. It's okay, but I probably wouldn't put it on my GAL if I didn't know it well.
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Post by hapi2balj on Apr 21, 2016 14:32:32 GMT -5
Is that a 3 minute walk in the summer - how long does it take in the winter ? [/quote] Either! The Mall literally is across the street. Great downtown location.
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Post by hapi2balj on Apr 21, 2016 14:36:10 GMT -5
Agree with jagvet that Charlottesville is a lovely place. I'm also fond of Richmond & Roanoke. Norfolk, not so much, although advantage: Virginia Beach is right there, not to mention the direct route down to the wonderful Outer Banks of North Carolina.
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Post by christina on Apr 21, 2016 15:05:11 GMT -5
Gaidin, yes, let's go backwards - we started with the WV locales, so now on to VA. Would anyone like to chime in? There's an IKEA off of I-95 in northern Virginia. Starbucks are near the Norfolk locale a few blocks away from the Richmond and Charlottesville ODAR and all over the place in NOVA. Not sure about Roanoke though... I will admit to being curious about our VA options as well. um G, Paris (said with a dreadful French accent from me) is not on the GAL. that aside, nice avatar change. or is that Scottish and i have angered my d... proud of his Scottish heritage uncle?
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Post by christina on Apr 21, 2016 15:06:00 GMT -5
and yes, Charlottesville is nice..
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Post by Gaidin on Apr 21, 2016 15:06:46 GMT -5
I will admit to being curious about our VA options as well. um G, Paris (said with a dreadful French accecnt from me) is not on the GAL. that aside, nice avatar change. or is that Scottish and i have angered my d... proud of his Scottish heritage uncle? Not even Paris, TX? Its my tribute to Prince and it will disappear in a few days.
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Post by christina on Apr 21, 2016 15:09:02 GMT -5
i just realized it is a raspberry beret. nice tribute!
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Post by rusty on Apr 21, 2016 15:43:37 GMT -5
i just realized it is a raspberry beret. nice tribute! It is ok, that one does not look like the kind you find in a second hand store.
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Post by christina on Apr 21, 2016 15:56:06 GMT -5
um G, Paris (said with a dreadful French accecnt from me) is not on the GAL. that aside, nice avatar change. or is that Scottish and i have angered my d... proud of his Scottish heritage uncle? Not even Paris, TX? Its my tribute to Prince and it will disappear in a few days. closest to paris, texas you can get at the moment is Shreveport and maybe the N. Houston office is sort of close. From what i understand, no need to be devastated Paris, Texas does not have an ODAR. Although the ladies may be interested in learning that Matthew McConaughey grew up sort or near Paris and therefore, i guess Shreveport too. i want to say he is from the Longview area. i bet the interest in the Shreveport ODAR has just increased with that trivia tidbit
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Post by sealaw90 on Apr 21, 2016 17:07:50 GMT -5
Ok, so Norfolk...not really a great place except for the aforementioned Ghent area. Downtown is much nicer than the downtown of yore. Most folks would want to check out Chesapeake and Va beach to live in. Top schools, every suburban amenity you'd want. East beach is an up and coming area in Norfolk but you probably need to go the private school route if you have little ones. Traffic sucks and it's getting worse. ODAR is not downtown and not near the navy base. Country folks who need land, lots o land should consider Suffolk. Decent airport but not a hub for any airline.
I hear there's zombies in Richmond...I was at the Army JAG school last month. Still awesome jagvet! Gotta like C'ville!
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Post by christina on Apr 21, 2016 17:21:33 GMT -5
VA-regarding the cities on this cert, i am sure most would agree Cville is the nicest. of course, UVA is there. picturesque town, plenty to do. if i remember right, you can see mountains in distance. i do remember it being lovely.
Re rest of places, working east to west, agreed on Norfolk comments. i will say that area has real estate that can cover whatever your budget desires. i think it is decent there(based on my observations) but for some reason, i have no interest in living there. As has been pointed out, outer banks is close. Take the toll road to get there....... please, i made the mistake of taking US-17 once. it goes right through the Dismal Swamp and it was DISMAL(and downright scary). Felt like i was in Mirkwood but with swamps right next to the two, yes two lane road we traveled on. NEVER to be repeated. i did not crash land into the swamps at least nor were we devoured by alligators. and no, i was not trying to be cheap and avoid a toll. We were trying to get well west of the OB in N. Carolina and did not realize we picked the worst choice possible to do so.
So, moving on to Richmond. Also nice. Also has a wide range of real estate. 95 can get jammed up but there are other ways to travel about there. just east of the Richmond loop(i think it;s called a loop and it may be 295?) and south of Richmond are lovely parts of the country. i am sure west of Richmond is even nicer as you travel to Charlottesville. you would be heading towards the mountains and i would guess the views are stunning. i have never done this drive so i am admittedly guessing at this but that is the case in other parts of the state so i assume it is also true for I-64.
I've only seen Roanoke from 81 but it looked lovely. It's in the mountains. i did make some stops close but not in Roanoke and met some very friendly people. Roanoke may not be metro enough for those who prefer bigger metro areas. Richmond or perhaps the Norfolk area would be the better areas for those who like cities. Richmond is down 95 from DC but it is a crappy drive at times as 95 gets VERY jammed more often than anyone wants. someone who knows more can share if there are public transportation options between Richmond and DC.
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Post by jagvet on Apr 21, 2016 18:03:29 GMT -5
If you know the back roads from Richmond to DC, you can avoid the traffic, but it takes a long time. You can drive as far as Fredericksburg and take the VRE train from there to DC if your destination is near a VRE station (Reagan National, Crystal City, L'Enfant Plaza). Also, Amtrak, but the trains are long-distance, so the schedule is almost useless--they're often hours late. Richmond has decent places to live, and I haven't seen traffic there as bad as Norfolk if you stay off of I-95.
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Post by christina on Apr 21, 2016 18:33:13 GMT -5
Richmond has decent places to live, and I haven't seen traffic there as bad as Norfolk if you stay off of I-95. agreed and thanks for the train info
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Post by pumpkin on Apr 21, 2016 20:30:17 GMT -5
Well, so what is it and where are you in the video? At about the 0:45 second mark, I am leaning on the sign with both elbows. I was one of the two delegates from my state lucky enough to spend the summer at the National Youth Science Camp in the Monangahela National Forest, Pocahontas County, West Virginia. Truly, I was a science and math nerd in high school. Spending the summer with fellow science and math nerds from all over the United States was an incredible life experience. Not unlike spending a month in Falls Church with some other pretty incredible people :-)
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