December is such a busy time of the year, with all the shopping and baking and party-going. It’s easy to let some things slip, such as exercising on a regular basis. With that in mind, I decided to combine two things on my to-do list and headed to Town Center of Virginia Beach for a brisk walk and a shopping trip. Although Town Center is an urban area, it’s easy to find a place to park in one of the free garages or, if your intention is to take a lengthy walk as mine was, in one of the nearby shopping centers. I parked beside the movie theater at Columbus Station and began my walk in the park on the south side of Town Center. Along with neighborhood residents and their dogs, I walked beside the man-made pond where ducks were swimming, camellia bushes were blooming, and tall trees were still shedding their colorful leaves. In addition to enjoying this natural space, I wanted to check out four pieces of public art in the vicinity. On the north side of the park on Columbus Street, a “Peace Pole” commemorates Virginia Beach’s international Sister Cities with the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth.” Resembling a street sign, the monument is comprised of blades with the name and mileage to each Sister City including Miyazaki, Japan: 7,366 miles; Moss, Norway: 3,972 miles; and Olongapo, Philippines: 8,720 miles. Also on Columbus Street, I stopped to examine “The Kiss,” a bronze sculpture by Gary Alsum of a young couple smooching on a bench. Every time I drive through this area, I’m briefly fooled by the reality of the depiction. After walking around the park, I headed toward the main square, which was ablaze with holiday lights, a star-topped Christmas tree and whimsical reindeer topiaries. Here, I passed a bronze sculpture by David H. Turner of three herons entwined atop a fountain.
One block over, in the plaza in front of the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, I found “Wings,” a large-scale, aluminum kinetic sculpture by renowned New Orleans artist Lin Emery. By this time, the sun was going down, the moon was rising, and the smell of curry filled the air. It was a very pleasant place to walk. But the time had come to get something else accomplished, so I moseyed through stores selling everything from designer clothing to gourmet chocolates to sporting goods. Also available are gift cards for movie tickets or for restaurants offering diverse cuisines. Notably, a “pop up shop,” open only until the end of the holidays, offers one-of-a-kind handmade, reclaimed and vintage items for children and adults. For example, they had a bracelet made of the tabs from soda cans. It was actually pretty cool. I considered extending my walk to Pembroke Mall across the street, where I knew I could find pretty much anything on my list, but I decided to leave that for another day. When I returned to my car, I checked my watch: my walk had accomplished my exercise goal, shortened my shopping list, and lifted my spirits. It was a pleasant and productive excursion during the hectic holiday season.
