BI > MAY 2003

Norfolk Beckons

Oct. 31-Nov. 2, 2003 in Norfolk, Va.

This fall NAIC's Better Investing National Convention will be held Oct. 31-Nov. 2 in Norfolk, Va. We're excited to be in Norfolk, named recently by Money magazine as the South's best big city to live in. A lot of the same characteristics that earned that rating make it an excellent place to visit as well.

The hotel and convention center couldn't be better placed. The Norfolk Waterside Marriott is side by side with the convention center, so it will be easy to zip up to your room for a break or to drop off materials during the day. Restaurant and bar facilities are on site, so consider coming down in the evening for what's often referred to as the "after-hours seminar" in the hotel bar. You could easily spend your whole time in the Marriott and the convention center, but don't.

There are many things to see in Norfolk and a lot of them are very close to the hotel and convention center. The Elizabeth River and Town Point Park are just two blocks south through the Waterside Market. Three blocks west is Nauticus, also known as The National Maritime Center, which combines an interactive maritime showcase and a naval museum. The biggest attraction here, and one of the newest, is the USS Wisconsin, America's largest battleship.

Want to go shopping or out to eat? The Waterside Market is the closest option, right across the street from the hotel. A mile to the north, the Ghent Market & Antique Centre takes up an entire city block. Then there's the MacArthur Center, a shopping mall less than half a mile north.

By the way, the MacArthur name is no accident. The four-building MacArthur Memorial complex, which includes a museum and the final resting place of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, is just two blocks north of the Waterside Marriott.

Norfolk at Dusk. Downtown Norfolk, seen here from the Elizabeth River, lights up as night approaches. The city will host the Better Investing National Convention from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2.

Interested in history? Civil War buffs will know that the Monitor and the Merrimac fought their famous battle at Hampton Roads, just a few miles from where the convention will be held. You can take one of two self-guided walking tours around Norfolk to learn about Civil War and other local history.

Norfolk doesn't figure only into Civil War history. This is a big Navy town and the city offers an inexpensive tour of the largest naval station in the world.

If you have the time and inclination, Norfolk is a true jewel of the arts; some claim that you need a month to get through all the galleries and performances available. The many venues include the Chrysler Museum of Art, one mile north of the hotel; the Virginia Symphony, less than half a mile east; and the Virginia Opera, a mile north.

Norfolk is a great walking city, but in addition the NET public transportation system offers a free electric bus that stops by every 6 to 18 minutes. The bus goes near most of the places mentioned and stops close to the convention hotel. There's also an inexpensive ferry running every half hour across the river into Portsmouth. It docks just two blocks south at the waterfront.

There's much more going on in Norfolk than what I've mentioned here. So go online and look for yourself at www.norfolk.gov/visitors and www.norfolkcvb.com/home.htm.

The Better Investing National Convention is well worth attending in its own right, and we'll be giving you reasons in the coming months. But make plans now to leave yourself some time to see Norfolk and the surrounding area while you're there.