Virginia Beach Rejuvenated

In Virginia Beach’s Oceanfront, the streets are alive with people at all times of day, which is how it should be during peak tourist season. I was pleasantly surprised by this summer’s rebirth, and I surmise that a reckoning moment had come in the city’s Tourism Bureau after a lackluster performance in the first post-pandemic summer of 2022. Much credit has been given to the return of the Summer Work Visa, in which young adults, mainly from Eastern Europe, share an apartment and work for the summer. I have heard them working- with Slavic language- in places ranging from a Japanese buffet to hotel lifeguarding work. I have realized that transportation is a barrier for getting locals to take these jobs. The neighborhoods closest to the Oceanfront are upscale, with the fact that those youth have other summer opportunities. The Virginia Beach Oceanfront is served by one through-bus line, which ends 90 minutes away in the inner city of Norfolk. (A daytime express service is geared to tourists). While there are many moderate-income families living near the downtown terminus, I would predict that the teenagers are already likely to have year-round after-school employment. Overall, it appears to be easier to commute across the ocean from Europe than from adjacent Norfolk. Credit should also be given to the tourists themselves, who have given Virginia Beach a new look. The city may have been overlooked during last year’s “revenge travel” trend, but being within a day’s drive of a quarter of the US population makes for a friendly destination in economically inflationary times.

Fitting the Mold

I came across the upcoming contract for Military Sealift Command's internal ship inspection contract. For once, I felt that an opportunity presented itself up my channel. When I was working in thr office (2019-2022), these ship inspections were a big topic. The civil service engineers felt that travelling to remote locations, to verify the ship's fitness to sail, was not part of their job description. A minority, including myself, felt otherwise. So did my predecessor in my own cubicle; I have good confidnece that he will be best suited to win the $20 million, 5-year contract. This feels like the adjacent possible, and not the first time I made an effort to fit into expectations. About two years ago, I reviewed what it would take to become a maritime program manager. A professional engineer's license, a master's degree, management experience with an USCG-issued Chief Engineer's License. So I took the effort to put myself in line for the Chief's license by goinng back to sea. I hope to obtain it this summer. I feel like I have made it through the wilderness of my '20s.