Ghent is Norfolk's liveliest and most appealing neighbourhood — a late-19th-century residential area of brick rowhouses, tree-lined streets, and a commercial strip along Colley Avenue that has resisted the chain-restaurant gravity affecting most American mid-size cities. The Chrysler Museum anchors the neighbourhood's southern end, and from there you can walk north through independent restaurants, coffee shops, and small retailers.
The neighbourhood is also the jumping-off point for the Elizabeth River waterfront and the Norfolk Botanical Garden further north. If you are staying or eating in Norfolk, Ghent is where you want to be.