Norfolk calibrates between naval-base institutional transience and Tidewater neighborhood permanence. Ghent rooms fill with military families rotating through on orders, while Downtown hosts the civilians who've been here for generations. Ocean View draws the beach energy. East Beach and Larchmont add the residential layers. The comedy here reads the tension between institutional rotation and Chesapeake Bay stability. Open mics become the space where both timelines converge. Comics who grasp Norfolk's dual rhythm find audiences relieved someone recognized the city keeps its waterfront soul while the carriers come and go.