Vedging on the Beach

During any visit to the beach, the large majority of my time is usually spent, of course, vedging out on the beach. I initially did this on the main beaches which attract tourists, but as I became a more seasoned and regular beach go-er, I came to realize that the North End Beaches are more desirable in many ways; they are less touristy, have free parking if you know where to look, and are less crowded and messy. These beaches extent from about 32nd Street to 88th street, but my focus here rests more specifically on 60th Street and its opening into the beach. I have come here for a variety of reasons over the years.

For instance, my high school friends and I took to coming to this section of the oceanfront whenever we wanted to have a beach day; we would bring food, drinks, and speakers with the knowledge that we wouldn't be bothering anyone or be bothered by anyone. Also, at one point during the summer of 2017, my (now) ex and former best friend brought me here to watch the sunrise and later have breakfast at a local restaurant called Citrus. This was just days before our final year of high school and about a month before we officially started dating. We sat on our blankets, wrapped up in our windbreakers, and watched the sun come up while chatting about random things; it is a very fond memory for me, as it distinctly felt like the beginning of something. After we broke up several months later - and I was going through the motions of my first heartbreak - I decided to return to this site partly with the same intention: to watch the sunrise. But, of course, I was different in that moment, forever changed. I came alone and felt the urge to journal in silence; I craved a stillness that would only be intruded upon by the sound of the waves crashing upon the shore and the sun peeking out over the horizon. I think I chose this site, one where we had been together those months before, because I knew that it could provide a certain solitary closure and sense of completeness for me; sitting there watching the sunrise once again, I meditated on the cyclical nature of life - trying to accept difficult endings while also embracing and remaining optimistic for new beginnings. By this point, I was on my way to college and had just gotten my driver's license. Thus, while I was navigating the difficulties pertaining to the ending of my relationship with my ex, I was also pointedly aware of - and revelling in - my newfound freedoms and abilities; I was able to journey to and from wherever I wanted without having to depend on anyone and was soon to be out of my parents house. All of this came to me in that moment watching the sunrise.

This area is not ony marked by personal beginnings, but also broader historical and political developments. As stated in the introduction, Cape Henry, a cape on the Atlantic shore of Virginia located in the northeast corner of Virginia Beach, is the site where English colonists led by Captain Christopher Newport in three infamous ships (The Susan Constant, The Godspeed, and The Discovery) landed for the first time in April of 1607. Thus, the coastline of Virginia Beach is a significant site insofar as it marks a beginning in the process of English colonization; it is the "first landing." This is commemmorated in the city in various ways; for instance, there is a "First Landing State Park" and "First Colonial High School," both of which pay homage to this moment in city history. While the Chesapeakes are celebrated through the naming of the "Cheseapeake Bay" and the city of "Chesapeake" as such, their actual realities and histories are invisible.

Further, I think it is worth mentioning that the North End, also a neighborhood, is overtly white and affluent, consisting of several multimillion dollars properties which, in part, derive their value from being in close proximity to the beach and even having private beach access. In this sense, the beach itself is a privatized, commercialized product associated with market value. This functions to limit who can access certain parts of it along lines of wealth which are, of course, racialized as well.

Sound(s): Ocean Waves

Image(s): Photo I took of sunrise during August 2017 visit described above; two photos from subsequent North End beach trips; photo of Cape Henry