James swears that we rode the Elizabeth River ferry together years ago as part of a romantic night out, but I have no memory of this ever having happened, which bothers me a little, because it means that 1) I am getting old and don't remember or 2) James is getting old and remembering wrong.
Anyway! After the span of rainy days last week, we were all of us feeling a little stir crazy this weekend. We wanted to get out and go for a walk by the water, so we headed downtown to Waterside, and while there, saw the ferry approaching. On the spur of the moment, we got in line, paid for our tickets, and before we knew it, were heading across the river to Portsmouth (or Porchmouth, if you have a Tidewater accent, which James says I do. I don't hear it. This could be another sign of his creeping senility. He did just have a birthday, you know).
It was cold out, so we sat inside next to the heaters, where it was toasty warm and where, through the big picture windows, we could see the shipyard, the yachts going by, the gulls swooping low over the water. See Anouk's face in the photos at the top of this entry, her mouth open like "Whoa..."? She made that face the whole way across.
The ferry is great way of getting from Norfolk to Portsmouth, and vice versa. It's totally worth it to not have to worry about driving through the tunnel and finding parking. But more than that, it's great cheap entertainment, enough of a novel experience to be considered a destination in itself. I can't think of another way to get this kind of up-close view of the waterfront without paying way more than the ferry fare ($1.50 each way for adults, free for kids under 38 inches tall). Next time, we're going to wait for warm weather and sit up top on the open deck so we can have the whole 360 view.
The journey across the river took about 10 minutes, and then we were in Olde Towne Portsmouth, where we spent a couple of hours roaming around. But this entry is already getting picture-heavy, so I think I'll save our exploits there for another day and leave you with some additional information about the ferry: click here for a schedule and map.
I've been getting a lot of the same questions from commenters and emailers lately, so I decided to be efficient and post an FAQ. WTWGrow@gmail.com if there's anything you'd like me to add!
We rode the ferry last summer when my parents visited. A few of us went out on the deck and a few of us stayed inside (ahem). I think this is one of those things people in the area may see often but not realize they can do, kwim?
ReplyDeleteSO cool. I love her boots and matching coat.
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