Greenbrier East - Chesapeake, VA

Greenbrier East developed in the late 80s and 90s as the shopping center became an American standard. Because of its central location in Hampton Roads, and the shipping industry that exists here, companies such as QVC and Dollar Tree have their operations centers located here.

There are no museums in this part of town, but if you head north for 15 minutes, you'll be at the Chrysler Museum of Art, which houses world-class art from Ancient Egypt to Greek statues to Picasso and everything in between with no entry fee.

The highlight of the year, the Chesapeake Jubilee festival, runs every May at Chesapeake City Park. This festival hosts concerts featuring national headliners as well as fireworks, amusement rides, a shrimp feast and a BBQ competition.

With seven branches, Chesapeake maintains a great library system, and the Greenbrier location lies right in the heart of the neighborhood.

Greenbrier East is the typical American shopping center, full of all the big box stores and chain restaurants. You might think finding a unique, locally owned restaurant would be impossible, but if you look around, one of the best restaurants sits right in front of you.

Passion The Restaurant is known for its martini bar and incredible menu. With food like Maytag Bleu Cheese Filet Mignon, Potatoes au Gratin, Sauteed Spinach, and a Rosemary Demi Glace, you know you've found the place for fine dining in Chesapeake. Passion also holds cooking classes, half-priced wine nights and a tapas menu.

You should definitely give Lemongrass Grille a try. Located right off the highway, this Asian-fusion restaurant serves all-natural food, buying from local farmers as much as possible. When you're here, you can create your own meal with a base, meat, veggies, sauces and oils.

If you're in the mood for dinner and a movie, check out the local theater, Cinema Cafe Greenbriar. Not only can you get comfortable individual movie seats, you can get pizza, chicken, salads and even a drink or two while you watch your discount movie. Tickets run about $2.50, and in the summer, it plays $1 shows. If you do order, don't forget to tip.

It might not be unique, but Buffalo Wild Wings opens until 2 a.m. every night, making it the place to go for late night drinks and sports. Another great bar, The Greene Turtle stays open until midnight and features a full bar.

The northern end of Greenbrier East features a congested shopping area served by bus route 15 of the HRT. The rest of the neighborhood is residential and rural and not served by public transit.

Public transportation in Greenbriar and Chesapeake in general is somewhat limited.The Hampton Roads Transit Authority offers bus service throughout the area. Just have $1.75 in exact change, or grab a one-day pass for $4 if you're making several stops. Buy a 30 or 365 day farecard if you plan to ride a lot. The buses run frequently and have clearly marked stops, but just remember that eating and drinking on board remain forbidden. While there are plans to eventually extend light rail into the area, only the neighboring city of Norfolk currently has a light rail system.

Several taxi companies serve the entire Hampton Roads area, and both Lyft and Uber started up recently in the area. Ample parking runs throughout the Greenbrier area, but you'll run into less traffic if you do your shopping during the week instead of on Saturdays.

Due to congestion, no bike lanes exist, but that doesn't stop the occasional brave soul from riding around with traffic. Some of the neighborhoods have partial sidewalks, but the community is based around driving, and the walkability score is, unfortunately, low.

Because the city has developed into such an urban center, keeping a vital park system going is important. The main park in the Greenbrier East section is the Chesapeake City Park.

With both a dog and skate park, Chesapeake City Park supplies a family-friendly place to play. The dog park at City Park houses two separate sections for large dogs and small dogs. The park opens daily sunrise to sunset. To let your doggy run free, just fill out the application and pay the annual $10 fee, and you can use any of the 3 dog parks in the city.

The city park also includes a 3-acre Fun Forest for the kids. Over 1,800 volunteers worked to build this paradise for a kid's imagination, and it includes a dragon, a shaky bridge and a dolphin tunnel slide as well as wheelchair accessibility.

Throughout the year, this 90-acre park plays host to various events and festivals, such as an Easter Egg Hunt, 4th of July Fireworks, and, in the fall, a free performance by the Virginia Symphony Orchestra.

The cost of living in Greenbrier East runs 4 percent higher than the whole city of Chesapeake, which remains 6 percent higher than the state average. A one-bedroom apartment to rent will cost you about $900, but there aren't that many available. Split the rent with a room mate in a more-common two-bedroom apartment.

Here in Greenbrier, you can get yourself a cup of coffee for about $4 — 8 percent lower than the national average. The average domestic beer costs $3. Gas runs about 7 percent lower than the rest of the country.

Greenbrier East of course has lots of nationwide chain stores to shop at, but some great locally owned unique specialty shops scatter the area. The family-owned Experience Olives and Grapes lets you taste test over 50 varieties of olive oils and balsamic vinegars.

Locally owned and operated for almost 30 years, Wholesale Flower Market is another hidden gem. With a relaxed environment and knowledgeable staff, you will walk away completely happy with your bouquets, arrangements or corsages.

When it does come to the chain stores, you will find everything here, including Best Buy, Target, Old Navy, Pier One, and with the absolute best Newsstand department in the entire Hampton Roads area, Barnes and Noble.

Right next to Barnes and Noble lies the high-end grocery store Harris-Teeter. With an olive bar, sushi bar, soup and salad bars, this store sells more than just groceries. Other grocery stores in the area include Food Lion, Farm Fresh, Sam's Club and the Coast Guard Exchange.

From June to November, the city also holds a farmers' market in Chesapeake City Park south of the shopping center.