It was to be a solo trip, where I’d meet a few other women traveling solo as well. Easy-breezy with a tour or two and a short walk from the Sheraton Waterfront hotel to the 10th Annual Spring Wine Festival in Norfolk, VA. Family is so rewarding, but can also be challenging after a long winter, even my two Golden retrievers couldn’t offer up smiles anymore. They wanted out(side) even more than I.
Arrival at the hotel already assured that the trip was going to be a re-set for my frayed buttons. After check-in and changing into running gear, I set out the back doors straight onto the running path, or promenade as intended, to enjoy the warm air and the breeze off the Chesapeake Bay.
Refreshed and just hungry enough, I met my four other ‘fast friends’ ranging in ages from 32-60 for dinner in the fashionable Ghent district at Luna Maya, a family owned local favorite on the verge of their 20th anniversary. The setting and staff is hip and current, but the food managed to surpass all trendiness. As we took the obligatory food pics and instagrammed them out into cyperspace, the Bolivian chef/owner visited our table to expound upon her heritage and the influence it has on the seasonings. Technology fast surrendered to centuries old cuisine, as the irony wasn’t lost on us. Laughs abounded, appetites ruled, dreams revealed and dessert was ordered in true chic dinner form.
Following dinner, we hopped into an orange peel, (Yes the food was transformative, but not of hallucinatory proportions) the regional transportation system that works well for groups who can’t fit into a single car. Off to the Botanical Gardens Lantern Asian, an eco-friendly installation of 36 illuminated works of art representing 6 countries, some of which shared 2,000 year-old traditions. Our shadows shrank as we strolled through roughly a mile’s worth of dreamily lit cultural icons, mythology and traditions represented in Alice in Wonderland scale. Outstanding lotus flowers, pandas, merlion and dragons, but the most incredible was the 4 story pagoda made of over 1 million Chinese porcelain plates, cups, bowls and spoons, hand-strung together in the garden and set to ever-changing light hues. We were silent on the way home, grateful for the experience and each others’ company.
The next morning, we ambitiously set out to explore the city and locate Norfolk’s folklore and mascot; mermaids. They pop up high on buildings or street level, always delighting. This undertaking would be peppered within the day’s itinerary of a walking tour of the Neon district’s murals, taking in the revered Chrysler museum and its 10,000+ piece collection of glass, and witnessing a live glass blowing demonstration, before hitting the bottle(s) of local wine at the festival.
But that takes fortitude, and Handsome Biscuit was voted to be the source. No ordinary biscuits these, with a menu that allowed fried chicken and gravy, or eggs, steamed greens and caviar to be offered alongside a PB&J version, there was something for every palate. I could not leave without bringing home a bottle of their house-made hot sauce “Lupo”. Fortunately they served said sauce at our favorite lunch place, Field Guide, a sister restaurant that offers healthy rice bowls and salads to follow the mandatory order of homemade Sweet Potato chips.
The glass works proved to be a highlight, in particular an intelligent, informative and highly inspirational installation by glass-blower, Norwood Viviano. Time to reflect on all the cultural stimulation, or as we dubbed, “glass to glass.” Next stop - the wine festival at Town Point Park, where 200 of Virginia’s varietals awaited us in addition to gourmet, made-in-VA food items. The festival was incredibly well attended, and we made more friends as we danced to live music played in the background.
Dinner boasted a creative and locally sourced cuisine by chef Todd Jurich who uses the best the Chesapeake bay has to offer, alongside produce from heirloom & small producer vegetable gardens.
As we were having so much fun on our “solo” “me time” getaway, we all decided to toast to the weekend with a nightcap at Mermaid Winery, Norfolk’s first winery, where the grapes are grown and harvested off-site, then barreled and matured on-site in their urban home. Out of the twelve different wine flights offered, I chose the Sparkling selection that was outstanding and just the perfect libation to send me off dreaming of mermaids.
