Visiting Patrick in Portsmouth, VA


I decided to visit Patrick July 31-Aug 6 because I can job search just as well from his couch as I can from my big red chair.

I originally intended it to be a surprise, but I had to tell him so he could arrange some work things. However, I told him I was coming Aug 2, and not July 31 (his birthday). I arrived and took a Lyft to his apartment, let myself in the building (he thought I didn't know the code), and text him to check his mail for a surprise package. When he opened the door - SURPISE - I was standing there!

That was a Tuesday so Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday while he was at work during the day, I job searched, napped (we had to wake up at 4:40AM to run together), read, did the dishes and watched Netflix. In the evening we went out to dinner or hung out eating ice cream on the couch.

Saturday we went "over the water" to Norfolk. Patrick lives a few blocks from a ferry that will take you from Portsmouth to Norfolk where there is a park, restaurants, a museum and downtown area. I enjoyed my much anticipated ferry ride, though I oddly felt slightly seasick (ride is ten minutes, tops). Upon docking we walked over to Nauticus, an all-things-ocean museum. There were exhibits about how important Norfolk is in receiving ship cargo (doesn't every place feel they are the most important location for something?), some Norfolk specific ships or sailing incidents, walked on and through the USS Wisconsin (a huge surface ship that saw action in WWII), and a 3-D movie about oceans. There were some seahorses, small sharks, and fish as well. In a separate building, we saw an exhibit about pirates and expeditions being conducted to find treasure and shipwrecks.



I told Patrick that I had never been on so many boats and submarines before meeting him. A quick recap: the first nuclear powered submarine in Groton, Connecticut; a Civil War era submarine in Charleston, SC; his submarine, the USS Rhode Island, in Portsmouth; the USS Constitution in Boston, MA; and now the USS Wisconsin in Norfolk.


 I know, it shouldn't come as a surprise since he's in the Navy.




After the museum we walked to a building with many different restaurants and ate at Guy Fieri's steakhouse (yeah Triple D!). We then walked around downtown and headed back home on the ferry.

Sunday we went to Virginia Beach (about a 25 minute drive) to run and go in the ocean. Unfortunately, about half way through our ten mile run, Patrick tripped on an uneven section of sidewalk and fell, scrapping his hands, knees, and elbow. After making a pitstop at the car, where we rinsed and bandaged what we could of his wounds, we kept running. He assured me he was just fine, me? I would have called it quits. We still went into the ocean afterwards and Patrick's scrapes didn't sting too bad at first, but once they did it was time to go. In the afternoon we walked to get oysters and crab cake at a restaurant on a wharf. I don't like all seafood, but I do enjoy a few things! And being in Chicago, I wouldn't really want to order these items. Nothing beats the seafood you get living on or visiting the ocean. For the rest of the day we cleaned up, packed, and watched Netflix.

He and I left Monday morning. Me, back to Chicago. Him, to San Diego for a week long conference.

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