Get around

The Hampton Roads Transit Trolley Tour is a good way to see the city and get your bearings. The NET electric buses cover the downtown and are free.

See

• Chrysler Museum of Art
• Norfolk Botanical Garden
• Naval Station Tour - A 45-minute tour conducted by Naval personnel. See aircraft carriers and other huge ships.
• Nauticus - National Maritime Center
• Spirit of Norfolk cruise / tour
• Virginia Zoo

Do

Take a cruise from Norfolk to Bermuda or the Caribbean. Ships depart from the downtown waterfront.

Buy

Ghent has several nice shops. The D'Art Center near downtown offers a large selection of local art. Downtown, MacArthur Mall has some the of best shopping in the area and it a conveninnt walk from the Cruise Terminal, Nauticus and the downtown waterfront.

Eat

• Todd Jurich's Cafe is a good restaurant, has enough appetizers so you can avoid a big entree. The wine list is good, but expensive. It is a 2 block walk from the Marriott Harborside Hotel.
• Cracker's Little Bar Bistro, 821 W 21 St (Ghent Area), +1 757 640-0200, Daily 5PM-2AM. This tiny joint serves amazing tapas (appetizer-sized plates) and a wide variety of fun martinis. There's only about 7 tables in the entire place, plus bar seating. If you go, I suggest going right at 5pm, else you can't be sure you'll be seated right away. Two people can try a bunch of different tapas (I highly recommend the filet with mashed potatoes), have a few martinis, leave a great tip, and spend less than $50. $4-$9 per plate.

Drink

Three sections of Norfolk have concentrations of bars and nightclubs: Ghent, Granby Street, and the Waterside Festival Marketplace. Ghent is the most laid-back, Granby Street is a trendy place for dates, and the Waterside is the wild place for the kids. Just follow the noise.

Sleep

Norfolk's good hotels are clustered downtown and near the airport.

• Sheraton Norfolk Waterside, 777 Waterside Drive, downtown. The only downtown hotel on the waterfront. Connected to the Waterside Festival Marketplace. Moderate walk to the cruise terminal. Request a water view.
• Norfolk Airport Hilton, 1500 N Military Highway, Located just two miles from Norfolk International Airport in the Lake Wright Executive Park; 1 mile to Virginia Wesleyan College. 248 deluxe guest rooms. 15 meeting rooms. 3 restaurants.

Contact

• Norfolk Convention and Visitors Bureau

Stay safe

Crime isn't as much of a problem as it was in the wild old days. The city's slums are obvious and should be avoided at night.

Cope

If you can't cope with the city, go to Virginia Beach.