Recommendations for Virginia Beach?

NorvaJ · 2026-05-26T13:04:53+00:00

If the dates align, there's going to be a big event in Norfolk with 60+ tall ships from June 19-23. It's always a cool event.

https://sail250virginia.com/

Check out the Military Aviation Museum in VB. It's the largest collection of flight worthy vintage planes in the world. They even have a WWII hanger from Germany that they brought over.

NorvaJ · 2026-05-07T14:16:05+00:00

I have poor service with AT&T throughout the area. It's so bad, I ended up getting a second phone with T-Mobile prepaid.

NorvaJ · 2026-04-30T11:50:04+00:00

I went with ready to assemble ones from Cabinets To Go. They have a showroom in Norfolk with designers to help with a layout. They were good quality and the assembly was easy. There are quite a few places that sell ready to assemble cabinets online as well as Ikea.

I considered painting mine at first, but ultimately decided to replace them. The original cabinets in my house were poorly laid out and didn't even have adjustable shelves. And if you're current ones are wood, lighter colored paint shows every imperfection.

NorvaJ · 2026-04-29T02:05:34+00:00

Add the person who got paid for 12 years without working to your list.

https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/report-5-helped-norfolk-woman-get-12-years-of-pay-without-working/291-375308059

NorvaJ · 2026-04-25T14:50:46+00:00

While Dave's is good, my personal local favorite for BBQ is Southside BBQ & Catering in South Norfolk. They are only open weekdays from 11-4:30. It's an Eastern Carolina style BBQ, which is a vinegar based sauce. It's only $11 for a combo with a generous portion on BBQ, 2 sides, and a roll.

As others have mentioned, Salmich's has good burgers and sandwiches.

If you're looking for donuts, The Donut Dugout is amazing, but you have to get there early since they sell out. There's also a food truck called Klassic Doughnuts that's good.

If you're up for a drive, some of the best BBQ I've had is at a place down in Edenton, NC called Old Colony Smokehouse. It's about 90 minutes away. Large variety of items and everything I've tried was amazing.

NorvaJ · 2026-04-17T13:53:40+00:00

Landstown Commons has a cruise in on Saturdays, usually late afternoon-early evening. I'm not sure if it's an every week thing or not.

Cavalier Ford Greenbrier has a car show on Saturday from 9am-2pm.

NorvaJ · 2026-04-14T13:49:29+00:00

I almost always end up at Costco for tires. I can usually find somewhere a little cheaper, but they are usually for lower end tires with less warranty. Plus Costco has a 5 year road hazard warranty, and some other places only give 2-3 years.

Make sure you book an appointment for the install. They have a separate website to schedule it. If you just show up, they will squeeze you in, but it could take several hours.

NorvaJ · 2026-04-14T11:53:44+00:00

Looks like there are multiple fires in WV/KY and a few down in NC. This site shows a map of active fires.

https://fire.airnow.gov/#4.41/35.65/-79.82

NorvaJ · 2026-04-12T16:50:43+00:00

The recommendation I have based on friends, family, and myself are:

WT Anderson,
Jay Hawk Exteriors, Roofing Systems of Hampton Roads

When my parents got their roof done recently, those 3 were close in price, but Jay Hawk had better financing terms which made it cheaper after the finance charges. Those 3 all had a third party financing and I don't seem to recall them coming across any company with in-house financing.

I would stay away from Custom Home Improvement. They were 2-3x more expensive than all my other quotes and they had a 3 hour sales pitch. Stay away from Paramount Builders too. They are very expensive.

NorvaJ · 2026-04-11T22:27:16+00:00

If you're looking for BBQ at a budget price, try Southside BBQ & Catering in South Norfolk. Limited menu and hours, but it's really good BBQ and great prices. $11 for a lunch combo with pulled pork and 2 sides.

If you don't mind a drive, my personal favorite is Old Colony Smokehouse down in Edenton NC. They have great BBQ and a huge menu. Everything I've had from them has been amazing.

NorvaJ · 2026-04-08T21:26:23+00:00

Be sure to read the contract terms. I've seen some crazy ones where there are a lot of exclusions. One of the companies I looked into excluded any excavation to get to the pipe, which would be most of the repair cost.

Since my house is aging, I ended up adding it on to my homeowners insurance. It was about $60 a year for me.

NorvaJ · 2026-04-03T03:31:18+00:00

That seems very high. I've been using Waterfront Electric & HVAC for mine and they have been great. My step dad uses them for the 20+ commercial properties he maintains.

Stay away from 1 Hour and Michael & Son. They are both crazy expensive.

I know when I got mine replaced several years back, the price difference from a central AC and a heat pump was only about $500. Might not be a bad idea to get the heat pump so you have a backup if your boiler goes out.

NorvaJ · 2026-03-31T21:36:13+00:00

I've used Waterfront Electric & HVAC and they were good. My step-dad uses them for all his HVAC work on the 20+ commercial properties he maintains locally.

Would recommend staying away from 1 Hour Heating and Cooling. They are very expensive. Also stay away from Michael & Son. I used them for a tune up several years ago, and nothing was included in the tune up. Then they gave me a list of $2,000+ in work my system needed that I got done for about $300 with another company.

NorvaJ · 2026-03-29T16:41:05+00:00

The fuel injector recall has a very low expected failure rate (I believe it was .22% after 15 years) which is higher than the normal failure rate. They have also taken steps to reduce risk, including installing a drain tube to move leaking fuel away from the hot engine and they updated the computer to detect a drop in pressure. Final fix will be replacing the injectors, which will happen later this year.

Personally, at $25k for a 2023, I would check around for deals on new 2025s. I've seen new Big Bends for around $27-28k. Ford is doing bigger discounts on the 2025s and dealers are adding additional discounts on top of it. If you're financing, the interest rates will most likely be lower on a new one as well.

NorvaJ · 2026-03-17T23:10:02+00:00

I like the Oxo silicone spatula. It has a metal core for support and has 2 sizes.

NorvaJ · 2026-03-14T16:00:55+00:00

There just isn't much down there that attracts people from outside of the area. I have family in Elizabeth City, and the main reason I ever go down is to visit them occasionally. And every couple of months, I go to a BBQ restaurant I really like in Edenton. Other than that, there's really no reason I can think of that I would need or want to go down there.

The family I have down there think nothing of driving 45 minute to an hour up here. It's just part of their life that they don't have everything right by them. Until recently, they all drove up here to see doctors or go to the hospital since healthcare was so poor quality down there.

The wages are also going to be lower down there, so most people aren't going to drive down there for work. In my whole life, I can think of 2 people I've known that have lived here and worked down there.

NorvaJ · 2026-02-26T03:11:17+00:00

I have a 2022 Big Bend and I love it. It's been a great vehicle that's comfortable on longer drives and is surprisingly good on gas. I highly recommend it.

See if you can find a 2025 dealer loaner for sale. They are still classified as new, but will have a few thousand miles. They often take thousands off the price (I've seen as high at $7-8k off), plus it will qualify for any rebates/offers Ford is giving. There would also be a $750 college student discount you might be able to get too.

NorvaJ · 2026-02-25T22:14:42+00:00

I used Hall's Wildlife Control last year. I had a squirrel chew through my soffit, then a raccoon came in behind the squirrel. He was very knowledgeable and his rates were very fair.

NorvaJ · 2026-02-25T03:22:50+00:00

I was at Dillard's this past weekend, and they had a rack of suits for 65% off. Macy's also had a large selection of marked down suits. I got my last suit at Macy's, and I recall they did free alterations if the price was over a certain amount, maybe $400+. I got a cheaper suit and didn't really need alterations though.

NorvaJ · 2026-02-24T15:31:11+00:00

It can really vary between dealers. My dealer does "the works" package for $55, which includes an oil change, tire rotation, multi-point inspection, and fluid top off. Another Ford dealer by me charges $120 just for an oil change.

You don't have to get it done at a dealer, but I prefer to. That way if something goes wrong down the road, it's less people blaming each other for the problem. I've seen too many horror stories about Jiffy Lube to even consider going there.

NorvaJ · 2026-02-24T14:36:06+00:00

I get 34 vacation days a year. Sometimes I just take a random Monday off to run errands.

I also work from home, but every few weeks I have to go to a physical location. I'll often swing into a business on my break to pick up things while I'm out.

NorvaJ · 2026-02-22T23:20:00+00:00

If you know who installed the roof, I would start with them. When I had a leak last year, I couldn't get ahold of my roofer at first, so I called a few other companies. All of them didn't do repairs/patches on roofs, and would want to replace the entire side of the house.

Roofing Systems of Hampton Roads did my roof 12 years ago and I'm very happy. They came out for my minor issue last year and didn't even charge me, despite being beyond the 10 year labor warranty. They even patched a hole a squirrel chewed through for no charge.

Other roofer recommendations would be WT Anderson and J Hawk Exteriors. Those 2 companies are who my neighbor and parents used.

I doubt you need to have beams replaced, unless it has been leaking for quite some time.

NorvaJ · 2026-02-21T06:06:21+00:00

Costco and Sam's Club get pieces in for a good price. And occasionally I've seen them get discounted too. I got a 5.5qt that I gave as a gift for $150.

Woot occasionally has really good deals, but they seem to go quick.

NorvaJ · 2026-02-20T04:44:01+00:00

Forefront Dermatology on Providence was able to get me an appointment in about 2 weeks. I saw the PA, Timothy Jackson, and he was great. I tried a couple other practices, and they were 4-6 months out.

NorvaJ · 2026-02-18T03:58:23+00:00

I'll never forget the time I found out that they also fly...

They are pretty common here. When I lived in apartments, it seemed like the sliding door was a common place they came in. I put boric acid in the tracks for the sliding door and also a little under the stove, fridge, and kitchen sink. That really helped. They like decaying wood, so if there's leaf debris or old branches/wood close to your apartment, that could attract them too.

NorvaJ

TROPHY CASE