During college (71-76) I worked at the Ocean View Fishing Pier and after graduation I worked for the Hembree family that owned that very Best Western along with 4 other motels along the strip. Small world, huh? I spent a lot of time down at Little Creek when I dated a guy who docked his headboat there.
Yeah, the City of Norfolk finally figured out what a gold mine that beach was, and everything changed once they did. I was glad that I had moved away by then so I didn’t have to see it.
When I came back from my 77 cruise the old amusement park in Ocean View was gone. Me and a few buddies used to walk from Pier 12 to Ocean View to the Pizza place that was next to the amusement park. Back then there was nothing outside either the main gate on Hampton BLVD or Ocean View. If you wanted fast food it was a bus ride to Military Highway. I walked to there a few times also. LOL
When I went back in 2002 anything a person could want was outside the main gate. I did manage too locate enough land marks I remembered to where I went from the Main Gate on Hampton Bld with the cut across roads back over to Ocean View. There also wasn't an interstate by-pass in the 70's either LOL.