World-traveling Rubber Duck Visits Norfolk


It has been one week since the giant rubber duck floating in the Hague in Norfolk, Va., left our area. If you couldn't pay him a visit or just wish you could see him one more time, here's a snapshot of my visit.

Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman created the duck to unite people over a shared icon and then sent it around the world to complete that mission. Visiting scads of cities, including Tokyo, Pittsburgh, Hong Kong, and Sydney, the life-size bathtub toy has certainly been to more places than me. 

Propelled by the excitement surrounding the famous world traveler, my friend and I took The Tide, which is Norfolk's light rail system, to Downtown Norfolk. We bought our tickets and waited for the train to arrive.


We got off at the York Street/Freemason station and admired the funky, rainbow-colored artwork.


Exiting the station, a sign on the sidewalk greeted us, directing us to the duck, which was a few blocks away. My friend, parents with babies in strollers, and I waddled toward the Chrysler Museum.


About five minutes later, we arrived at our destination. I chuckled immediately. The duck was huge, very yellow, and surprisingly cute.


We saw a woman painting the duck.


I wanted to hug the duck, so I did.


Then, I decided to check out the duck from different angles. I had expected him to free-float throughout the Hague, but he was anchored and only turned ever-so-slightly to the left and right when the wind blew. Here he is through the cement fence surrounding parts of the Hague.


The duck with spectators: people took a lot of selfies. 


Look at that face!


Right side, strong side.


Right profile.


We also spotted some locals out for a swim.They didn't seem bothered by the duck. In fact, they really liked the crowd because people fed them.


Rear profile. The building in front of the duck is the Chrysler Museum.


I'm not sure where the duck is headed next (the artist hasn't said yet), but I wish the duck stayed for a bit longer. It was time to go, so my friend and I headed back to the The Tide, but not before we bid our new friend adieu.



This post is by Rachel Smith, a writer for the Regent Law Marketing and Communications Department.

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