Mid-Atlantic Discoveries: Virginia Beach

VB Hotspot: The Sexy SkyBar

I have to admit I’m more of a Saint-Tropez kind of gal, so I felt somewhat wary about the idea of spending time at Virginia Beach, a destination that conjured up images of guys in muscle shirts and girls romping about in wet T-shirt contests on the beach.  But it made sense for me to park myself there for a few days until my boyfriend, Steve, came by to pick me up for our trip to the Outer Banks.  He had actually lived in VB for a while nearly two decades ago and his curiosity about the evolution of this major resort town encouraged me to check it out.

Both of us ended up being quite impressed by this super beach-y destination.

And who wouldn’t be?  The Atlantic is gorgeous here.  It stretches out as far as the eye can see and comes crashing in with big tumbling waves.  I love the vastness of the ocean but I find it even more interesting when there’s activity on the water and here, at practically the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, there’s plenty to see.  Cruise ships, barges, immense freighters and all kinds of pleasure boats pass by at varying distances from the horizon, providing endless hours of entertainment, especially for a landlubber like me.

Neptune's Statue on the Boardwalk

The beach and boardwalk tract the coast for some three miles here.  My biggest decisions revolved around whether I’d walk on the expansive sandy beach or meander along the impeccably maintained boardwalk.  Now that’s vacation mode.  Most of the time I ended up doing a combination of both.  The scene at both locales percolated with locals and visitors alike doing all the fun things you do at the beach.  And yes, I saw a number of muscle men, but more in the form of super fit guys jogging, walking and roller blading along the boardwalk.  Few posers here.  This is the real deal since Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana, our country’s largest naval facility is located in VB and I can assure you that all of these military dudes and dudettes appear more than fit to serve.  The locals overall look as taut and tight as most Coloradans.  This is a beach community after all.

The tourists seem more concerned with gorging themselves in one of the many restaurants, bars, ice cream shops and various other eateries along the beach.  And VB is their oyster when it comes to choosing their preferred form of temptation.  There’s something for every taste and pocketbook and most scintillate with a brightly-colored decor that offers outstanding views of the beach.

VB Ocean Beach Club Penthouse

Far from a tired old beach town, Virginia Beach pops and bubbles with beautiful places of lodging as well.  The Virginia Beach Ocean Beach Club is one such place and I felt so content here that it was hard to tear myself away from the sunny interior of my eighth floor abode that plunged over the ocean.  The crash of the waves on the beach lulled me to sleep and I snatched every possible moment to sit on my balcony high above the activity below.  Morning meant gazing down at early risers strolling on this vast playland of freshly raked beach.  I sipped tea (hot and iced) bemused by pods of dolphins that frolicked in the surf throughout the day.  In the evening I savored white wine staring down at this constantly animated tableau and one night I even worked on my laptop from my little perch.  The combined glow from the moon and my computer screen will never be forgotten.

VB Ocean Beach Club at Dusk

A little investigating led me to unearth lots of charm amidst all this newness.  Of course the quaintness of the beach never waned, but I delighted in discovering some small, soulful places that clearly rank as locals’ best-loved establishments.  I peeked into Pelon’s Baja Grill, a surfers’ favorite, the first day I arrived, yet sadly never made it back for some of their renowned fish tacos and guacamole.  I picked up some excellent take out instead from Taste nearby and brought it back to my surf-side enclave.  I also longed to experience the old beach house interiors of Doc Taylor’s and Tautogs, but opted out of eating there as well since the beach beckoned.  (I swear I’ll return to Doc Taylor’s some day, especially for their crab crêpe with veggies topped with Hollandaise sauce.)  Steve and I did, however, grab breakfast at The Belvedere Coffee Shop, a real classic that hasn’t changed since the days when he would come here with his buddies before a day in the surf.  The Belvedere is a totally unpretentious diner that offers fantastic views of the ocean and tasty eggs cooked to order.

Rockfish, a must-see for anyone that has a love for the Beatles, presents more great vistas of the beach.  After having studied the plethora of Beatles’ memorabilia here (one of the largest in the world), I was happy to sit outside and gaze at the VB Fishing Pier over their lighter version of scrumptious She-crab soup (a sort of bisque) and Pina Colada.  She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Steve arrived for my last night and I was excited to show him all that I had discovered at Virginia Beach Oceanfront.  We strolled along the boardwalk, his eyes widening as though he was seeing it all for the first time.  We stopped in front of the many different points of interests—-extraordinary statues and the like—that were erected at each intersection of a street along the Boardwalk.  He was amazed at how far this once shabby beach town had come, how handsomely the oceanfront had been developed over the past ten years or so.  We lingered at the Neptune Plaza for a while where free concerts are performed nightly to a highly animated crowd.  We poked in at The Jewish Mother, an institution of sorts known for hosting performers such as Dave Matthews and Dr. John (before they became big).  Steve informed me that it hadn’t changed an ounce since his college days but we learned that it is slated to take over new digs in 2010.  (This is likely a good thing since to me it looked like too much of a dive.)  Their eight-inch tall carrot cake, however, tempted me greatly but we were in search of a more romantic venue.

We found our bliss at the SkyBar, the wraparound pool bar that opens at 10 p.m. on top of the Hilton.  Apparently it’s only open to hotel guests, but that alone would give me reason to stay there.  Part Miami, part Marrakesh, part (yes) Saint-Tropez, the look of the SkyBar is sexy and alluring.  As soon as the doors opened, we busted onto the scene, took one look around and threw down my jacket on one of their many double-wide loungers that punctuate their pool deck.  After doing the 360-degree tour, we opted for a lounger within the indoor pool area.  It was nearing late September by now and the ocean breeze cast a chill in the air.  Inside felt like a tropical paradise.  We sipped strawberry daiquiris and lounged in each others’ arms amidst piles of white terry towels, many of which were rolled up into perfect bolsters.  Steve moved to take off his shirt until I suggested we not become quite so comfy.  As much as we were enjoying each other, we didn’t miss a minute of the action that played out before us.  House music blared and fashionable folks slithered by as though they were mingling at a mixer on the beach.

I wondered how many people had ended up in the pool after a couple of hours of partying.  Undoubtedly a few.  If so, VB’s wet T-shirt exhibitions have certainly come a long way.  Steve and I vowed to come back to take in even more next time.

SkyBar and Its Infinity Pool by Day

Virginia Beach Ocean Beach Club, 3401 Atlantic Avenue, 757-213-0601 or 800-245-1003, www.vboceanbeachclub.com

Hilton, 3001 Atlantic Avenue, 757-213-3000, www.Hilton.com/VirginiaBeach; SkyBar is open Friday and Saturday nights from 10 p.m.-1:30 a.m. throughout the season (which goes at least until October 31st when they’ll have a Fire & Ice Halloween Party—ooo la la!). SkyBar memberships are also available inside Catch 31, the showcase restaurant of the Hilton, for $100.

Pelon’s Baja Grill, 3619 Pacific Avenue, 757-417-3970, www.pelonsbajagrill.com

Taste, 36th & Pacific Avenue, 757-422-3399, www.tasteunlimited.com

Doc Taylor’s Restaurant, 207 23rd Street, 757-425-1960

Tautogs, 205 23rd Street, 757-422-0081, www.tautogs.com

Belvedere Coffee Shop, 3601 Atlantic Avenue, 757-425-0613

Rockfish Boardwalk Bar and Sea Grill, 1601 Atlantic Avenue, 757-213-7625, www.phrinc.com/restaurants/rockfish

The Jewish Mother, 3108 Pacific Avenue, 757-422-5430, www.jewishmother.com

More Fun

Pocahontas Pancake & Waffle Shop, Atlantic Aveune & 35th Street, 757-428-6352, www.pocahontaspancakes.com; loved the kitschy decor and will definitely return some day for their griddlecakes.

Whalebone, 1616 Laskin Road #748B, 757-437-8141, www.whalebonesurfshop.com; the place to shop for surfboards and surf attire, particularly ultra-cool T-shirts.

Coastal Edge, 2122 Atlantic Avenue, 757-491-9017, www.coastaledge.com; a super-popular surf and skate shop with numerous locations in Virginia Beach.

Forbes Candies, 2318 Atlantic Avenue, 757-425-5173, www.forbescandies.com; an Old School candy company that continues to make yummy saltwater taffy and other treats in big copper pots.