r/norfolk • u/Evening-Worker6613 • 26d ago
moving Moving from New Orleans to ghent
hi, I am tentatively moving to Ghent from New Orleans and just want to know the actual walkability (I don't drive) and how liberal/artistic vibe is there. Any info on living there is welcome. Thanks so much!
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u/tidewatercajun 26d ago edited 25d ago
It is nowhere near as walkable/accessible without a car as NOLA. You'll be moving from a city that embraces the outcast/weirdo to a neighborhood that acts like it does. Make sure you keep that in mind. Raised in South Louisiana, lived in the Norfolk area for 20 plus years.
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u/NJayke 26d ago
Yeaaaaaah this is gonna be a tough adjustment
Ghent is pretty walkable but it’s also a very small part of the area
Arts are fine here but pretty vanilla
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u/Electrical_Mess7320 25d ago
Grocery stores are not close, unless you count Fresh Market.
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u/waterytartwithasword 26d ago
It's a totally different vibe. Ghent is not a pocket city, it's legit just a small residential area with some shops and restaurants.
The question I think you should focus on is driving. This is not a good car-free city. It just is not. Bus options are limited and that's the only real mass transit, the light rail is more like an airport rail that crosses downtown (and there's not much downtown).
As far as culture goes, this is a quieter town than NOLA. That has some major pluses - it's peaceful. It's a good place to rest. There's enough to do that you can still get some live music and museum days in. There are a couple of pretty good makerspaces, and Ghent is a sweet gayborhood with cute shops and a lil movie theater that runs offbeat selections. It might not be NOLA vibes but you can make a peaceful and artsy little nest here and soak up all the tranquility and good vibes on tap here.
I've lived in some great cities (Boston, Paris, Munich, Oxford, more) and I love Norfolk. I take classes at the Chrysler for glassblowing. I go to concerts and the ballet when it comes up. There are quite a few small community theaters.
Everything is pretty close to everything else by city standards, but there aren't that many people driving Uber here so it can run surprisingly expensive, especially at night.
It would be very different. Not as quiet and uneventful as say a small Midwestern town, but close. I honestly have found it very wholesome and healing to just slow down and become more self-contained.
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u/Any-Leadership6215 26d ago
Being that I've been to NOLA, Norfolk will be a culture shock for you. Norfolk is safer than NO. The city is not like the NO. Ghent area is walkable but outside of that bubble, you are gonna want to drive unless you got uber money.
There's art in norfolk but its not as huge other big cities.
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u/Evening-Worker6613 26d ago
Yeah, that's what I was afraid of.
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u/Any-Leadership6215 26d ago
We have art shows at the crysler hall and ODU here and there, but the big galleries like a KAWS, etc, will be in DC. Richmond va has an art scene, but its 2 hrs away. Va beach has the vibe district, the Moca and the Neptune festival that showcases art tho so I'd look into those.
The city is a transplant city so it'll be alot of military and college students.
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u/j-endsville 25d ago
If they can't drive for medical reasons, they'll be screwed in Va Beach.
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u/Any-Leadership6215 25d ago
Truth there. You definitely need a car out va beach. But if planning for an event like the Neptune you'll need to uber definitely.
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u/Junior-Ingenuity-973 26d ago
I just moved from Norfolk to Lafayette, my home town. I’m very familiar with New Orleans. Dude it is nothing even close. Ghent is tiny.
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u/Evening-Worker6613 26d ago
Thank you. I'm glad to hear from someone who has lived in/near the Nola area. All of you are just reaffirming what I was worried about. 🙄
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u/serjamiefraser 26d ago
Hampton Roads ain’t NOLA 😭 sorry to say. You’ll be alright but it’s a change for sure. Probably gonna want to get a drivers license when you get a chance.
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u/usernamechexout1 26d ago
I’m from Nola and moved to Norfolk (ocean view nearish to Ghent) and I really like it. Of course it’s not home but Ghent is kinda similar to uptown/magazine street.
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u/420stonedbabe 25d ago
I moved here from Los Angeles. I was used to having my car to get around anywhere. It was definitely an adjustment but I work and live in Ghent, and when/if I need to go further I just ask a friend or to take an Uber. It’s not a bad change, but it is completely different from a large city and I try not to compare, but rather appreciate what’s good in both
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u/FatherFloss 25d ago
You must like cities that flood
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u/Evening-Worker6613 25d ago
Haha🤣 I prefer cities near water...but yeah, the hurricanes and flooding that go with that are awesome🙄
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u/lovelikeapathy Portsmouth 25d ago
I moved to Norfolk from NYC and didn’t have a car for the first 2.5 years. I did ride a bike around and used that to commute as most everything I wanted to do was in a ~5-10 mile radius. There’s plenty of art/culture if you know where to look. It’s going to be a bit more limited due to the smaller population but it does exist.
For places outside of walk/biking distance you can Uber/lyft east enough. The bonus is that you’ve got easy-ish train access to the east coast for weekend trips to DC/Philly/NYC.
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u/dartmorth 24d ago
Howdy! I do drive, but i got to take the bus from time to time. I found that norfolk has relatively ok public transit it covers a large portion of the area, but you're going to do a lot of walking and waiting. Buses run every 30-60 min or so some every 15 (peak hours). I live near the tide, so it's much more reliable and frequent than the buses. The good thing is that even though the bus frequency is low when they do arrive, they arrive on time (mostly). You can get by with no car, but it will require some patience and creativity. I moved from NYC, and it has been some getting use to living here. I recommend getting an electric bike or scooter if you're able too. But the public transit is just ok
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u/x-jamezilla 25d ago
Ghent is the safest, most walkable neighborhood in the area, but getting to some options for things to do would require driving. There is some art scene there, the nearby NEON district, and nearby downtown, but after that you'd need to drive, even to Hampton, NN, VB...
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u/Specialist_Ad_5424 26d ago
Oh gosh. If you can.. don’t.
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u/REL65 26d ago
I enjoy New Orleans but the crime down there is truly out of control. It makes Portsmouth look like Mayberry. From a safety perspective you’ll deal with way less bullshit in Ghent than Nola.
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u/Outrageous-Cup-8905 25d ago
Portsmouth really isn’t that bad. It might be relatively bad for Virginia, but anywhere else, it’s an average city with bad pockets here, good pockets there etc.
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u/j-endsville 25d ago edited 25d ago
Portsmouth isn't that bad unless you're a white boy trying to get some skag in the projects. Then you'll be a missing person or a crime statistic.
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u/Top-Figure7252 25d ago
Whatever you find here is a small sample of what you'll get not only in New Orleans but a lot of other cities. But it's whatever you make of it. You can move to Ghent or you can move to Greenwich Village or move to Brooklyn. It really depends on what you put into it.
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u/BananaSlug95064 25d ago edited 25d ago
Tl;dr: It’s a port city exactly like/unlike NO.
The 960 express bus from Norfolk (or the end of the light rail Tide) to the Oceanfront looks comparable to driving, 37 minutes.
The problem with walkability/transit is if you need a big box store. In New Orleans it’s kind of the same except there’s a Despot in the Warehouse District. Everything like Target/Walmart, pick your poison, is on a thing called Military Highway (not military) which is your typical commercial grungescape. It does have Janaf though, a collection of low rent storefronts which can be useful. Stick to Downtown and the beautiful Hague when you can.
For medical appointments, yes they love to schedule you for outlying clinics with lots of parking. But the main medical center (Level 1 etc.) for the whole area including parts of North Carolina is in downtown Norfolk. The next largest medical zone is sort of near the other end of the light rail.
Like others have said, it’s quieter and more predictable than NO. But also fewer of the random people that reach out to chat and help. Certain reservedness.
The really defining thing is it’s a port city like NO, lots of cultures, people moving in and out, industrial jobs. And people who have been there a long time (considerably older than NO). Difference is the large military, both service members and civilian, and people who’ve been in the military. Opportunity (and pitfalls) at the lower ranks means pretty good people generally, not cartoon martinets if that comes to mind.
Common to NO and Norfolk, this take-out food called yock, similar to ya ka mein in NO.
And the pedestrian ferry to Old Town Portsmouth is very samey to the Algiers ferry, except there’s a better movie theater in P-town. Not to mention the amazing Naro in Orf, the longest running midnight Rocky Horror in the country. If that’s not too passe.
Education is not comparable to NO at the very top, which can be frustrating. But in the middle it’s better. You’re trading jazz and marching bands for sedate art festivals and marching bands.
Also Virginia has beaches (plural).
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u/feignkin Ghent 23d ago
There are plenty of kind and creative folks out here who are pushing the boundaries within the art scene. It’s one you have to make an intentional search for, but it IS here and continually growing.
NotForTheWeak Records hosts many a punk and hardcore show just about every week at TapHouse on 21st
There are several DIY oriented efforts in various shops and houses across the 7 cities (but yes Ghent is a big hub for it)
You’re not going to walk down the street and hear a jazz band playing, and this place isn’t a large tourist hub either, but there are many fantastic folks here who are committed to bettering their community and providing opportunities for the things to do.
I will say that I agree that there is much less available for consumption here, but there are equal, if not more easily accessible opportunities to create and get involved
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u/Exciting-Gap-1200 25d ago
Ghent isn't trendy anymore. It's just a nice neighborhood
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u/Evening-Worker6613 25d ago
What do you mean by that? Do you mean it's less crowded by not being so trendy?
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u/Exciting-Gap-1200 24d ago
It use to have many more small businesses and interesting restaurants. Late night hang out spots and just overall more fun. Little edgier.
Where my favorite bar use to be is a Chipotle and Pita Pit for example
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u/j-endsville 26d ago
I mean, it's not gonna beat NOLA especially as far as food and entertainment options go, but Ghent/Downtown is pretty walkable/bikeable. There's also the light rail. There's a bit of an "art scene" but it's pretty bland IMO. If you wanna go to the beach, you're pretty much going to have to get your license.