
                         THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
                 Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, June 5, 1994                    TAG: 9406030281 
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS                     PAGE: 06    EDITION: FINAL  
SOURCE: Short 
DATELINE: 940605                                 LENGTH:

DON'T MISS THE BOAT\

{LEAD} The opening of Nauticus and the finalization of plans for a new downtown mall in Norfolk are a signal to Portsmouth to get its waterfront and downtown together.

With Macy's and Nordstrom stores, the MacArthur Center will bring thousands of people from around Hampton Roads and North Carolina to the downtown area when it opens in 1997. So will Nauticus, which opened Wednesday.

{REST} Once people are in downtown Norfolk, they're great potential for Portsmouth. But they are potential only if we figure out how to get them here.

Presumably, there will be trolley transportation between the mall and Norfolk's waterfront attractions. One of those attractions is the pedestrian ferry to Portsmouth.

The competition for the visitors' time and money will be keen. In order to grab our share, we need to make Portsmouth so attractive that visitors are compelled to board the ferry and come over to see us.

We need to start now to polish our image as it appears across the water and to create more magnets to get people here. We don't have much time. If we don't get our act together before the shopping mall opens, we'll miss our last chance in the 20th century to move Portsmouth forward to take its rightful place in Hampton Roads.

by CNB