COVID-19 Journal: Banker Chick Doesn’t Travel…. Exploring Slower Lower Delaware

Make no mistake – I love traveling internationally.  I love the challenge and excitement of learning about a different culture.  I love trying (usually poorly) to communicate in a foreign language. I love navigating the unfamiliar. I love embarking on an airplane to travel somewhere, anywhere,  far away.  But sometimes it’s nice, and sometimes it’s necessary, to stay closer to home.

In addition to flexibility in pandemic times, here are some other advantages of a closer-to-home trip:

  • Bring anything, and anyone, that fits in the car, including the dog or cat!
  • If you can’t schedule a long trip, a short one still works – even a day trip.
  • No jet lag  or time zone adjustment
  • No costly airport parking, TSA lines, or mechanical delays
  • Given proximity and lower cost, frequent return trips are possible if you fall in love with the destination

Just like everyone else, my 2020 travel plans were derailed by COVID-19.   This year’s scratched itineraries included a wine tasting trip to Napa Valley in April,  a trip to London and the Cotswolds in June, and a trip to Lake Como and Tuscany (more wine!) in September. Instead, I have spent these months of COVID lockdowns and restrictions in a much more accessible location:  Lewes, Delaware.    We had planned to spend many summer weekends in Lewes this year, but when the virus began its assault on the New York area in March, like many second homeowners in the area, we grabbed our stuff and drove over the giant Delaware Memorial Bridge to our beach escape. Husband and I purchased a second home here two years ago with an eye toward eventually retiring in this tax-friendly state, that has the added advantage of being relatively close to jobs and kids in New Jersey.

Delaware is proud to be the first established state in the US,  but remains one of the smallest with fewer than 1 million inhabitants and only covering about 2500 square miles –  less than 2% of the size of California.  Delaware’s largest city, Wilmington, has only 70,000 residents,  and the entire state is still covered by one area code,  302. Our home is located in Sussex County,  the southernmost of Delaware’s three counties and the only one with an Atlantic coastline.

Locals happily refer to the area as “Slower Lower Delaware”, or SLD for short. (You will see destination stickers using the letters LSD – cute-   but SLD is the real deal).  The Delaware Beaches, as they are more officially known, are within a 2 hour drive of the fast-paced, pressure-filled areas surrounding Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Baltimore,  and less than 4 hours from NYC, but visitors here enjoy an entirely different tempo (at least in the offseason:  October – April). Just to the south is Ocean City, Maryland,  a bustling seaside city full of high rise resorts and an amusement-filled boardwalk.  To the north, across the Delaware Bay, via a car ferry,  is the southern tip of New Jersey and charming, Victorian Cape May.

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The Atlantic Ocean at Cape Henlopen
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Welcome to Slower Lower!
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Dogs are permitted at many local beaches,  check before you go

Squarely situated on the heavily populated Eastern Seaboard,  the Delaware Beaches seem magically distant, sparsely populated, and full of open space to enjoy.  The flat, open land lends itself to the kind of beautiful sunsets I remember from growing up in the Midwest, and I think they are a highlight of the area.  Here are just a few recent sunset snapshots:

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Pondfront Sunset
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Wintry sunset
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After the storm, a blazing sky

The area is very popular with hundreds of thousands of summer visitors who flock to the area mainly to enjoy its 25 mile Atlantic Coast,  along with beach towns, boardwalks, and the busy Rt. 1 strip with restaurants, outlet malls, mini golf, and a go-cart track.  However, just a bit further inland are bays and inlets for boaters and fishermen, golf courses galore, walking and biking trails, serene ponds, cornfields, farmsteads, and dairy farms boasting fresh ice cream.

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Say it with me… MOOOOOOOO!
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Fresh from the Cow ice cream, along aptly named Dairy Farm Road
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An entrance to the shady Breakwater Junction walking and biking trail

Area highlights include :

Rehoboth Beach is the vacation hub of the Delaware Beach area.  In Downtown Rehoboth, visitors will find cute shops, culinarily sophisticated restaurants, lively bars, and a classic activity-filled boardwalk with kiddie rides, games, and beachy snack delights such as french fries, saltwater taffy, and of course ice cream. Dogfish Head Brewery, headquartered in nearby Milton, recently completed construction of a large restaurant and entertainment venue right on Rehoboth Ave, the town’s primary street. And best of all, the lifeguarded beach off the boardwalk is free!

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Busy downtown Rehoboth Beach

Dewey Beach is located on a narrow strip of land between the ocean and Rehoboth Bay –  you’re never more than 1/4 mile from a waterfront in Dewey.  Dewey is known for attracting a younger crowd, and has a number of live music venues and clubs.

Heading south down Rt 1 from Dewey through a state park and over the scenic Indian River Inlet bridge brings the traveler to one of my favorite spots,  Bethany Beach.  Known as the  “the quiet beach”, Bethany’s  nickname says it all. The town boasts an adorable, small downtown with plenty of  shopping and dining options, and a small boardwalk meant for strolling rather than partying.  Sea Colony is a large resort complex just south of downtown featuring several pools, a tennis complex, and private beach access.

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Photo courtesy of VisitDelaware.com

Lewes is the transit point for the ferry from Delaware to Cape May,  New Jersey, but offers so much more.   The “first town in the First State” was founded in the 1600s and served as a launching point for all things naval.  It’s a bit less of a tourist destination than the other towns, all of which include an Atlantic coastline;  Lewes’ beaches are on the Delaware Bay.  The regional high school and hospital are located in Lewes, and in addition to being the northernmost point of “the Beaches”, the town offers a quaint, boating-oriented downtown evocative of Newport, RI or Kennebunkport, ME.  In my opinion, it’s the hidden gem of the Delaware beach scene. (it’ also my new hometown, so I’m a little biased!)

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St. Peter’s church in Lewes
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Take what you need, Give what you can free food pantry in Lewes
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Lightship Overfalls, a museum ship and one of only 17 remaining lightships
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Lewes waterfront
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Charming 2nd street in downtown Lewes

Marking the entrance to the Delaware Bay, Cape Henlopen State Park is the environmental gem of the area. With 6 miles of bay and ocean shoreline, CHSP  is accessible from both Lewes (on the bay side of the Cape) and Rehoboth (on the ocean side).  Automobiles can enter the park for $10/day, but are unable to traverse through the park from Lewes to Rehoboth, presumably to prevent traffic from using the park as a bypass for busy Rt. 1. However, bicycles and pedestrians can access the entire park;  a fantastic 16 mile loop takes the rider or walker from Lewes to Rehoboth and back across Gordon’s Pond and down the Junction Breakwater Trail.  Bird and wildlife enthusiasts and those seeking solitude can enjoy the pine-edged trails, lighthouses, campgrounds, WWII watchtowers, surfing, fishing, and inland waterway access along with natural, unobstructed beach views.

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View along Gordon’s Pond trail in CHSP
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WWII Watchtowers line the Delaware beach shorefront

Although the Delaware beaches offer plenty of activities, daytrips are possible to Philadelphia, Washington DC, Annapolis, Victorian Cape May (via ferry), or Maryland’s eastern shore (Chincoteague Island is a very popular day trip – or camp overnight for a better chance to see the fabled wild horses).

While there are some hotels and B & B’s in the area, the vast majority of lodging for travelers is found in private homes or condominiums rented out by their owners through local realtors or on VRBO, HomeAway, or AirBNB.  This type of lodging contributes to the family-friendly nature of the Delaware beaches and keeps costs down, allowing groups or families to rent a multi-bedroom space with laundry and a kitchen for self-prepared meals.

This post would be remiss without mentioning the Delaware Beaches’  alternate moniker:  the “Culinary Coast”.   While Rt. 1 is full of standard restaurant chains, the towns are full of small, locally owned foodie-friendly restaurants.  Cuisines range from prevalent coastal (think crab cakes, lobster, fish tacos, and soft-shell crab), to farm-to-table, to Mexican, steakhouses, pizza, barbecue, French, and Asian.   There are also a number of locally established breweries, including well-known Dogfish Head, and even a couple of decent wineries.  We’ve done our best to keep them all busy by ordering takeout during COVID.  Here is an incomplete list of our favorites, with links and in no particular order:

  • Agave, Lewes – upscale Mexican – try the guacamole sampler!
  • La Fable,  Rehoboth –  French, cabaret-style
  • Salt Air, Rehoboth – Organic, farm-to-table
  • 1776 , Midway mall, Rehoboth, classic steakhouse
  • Bethany Blues,  Lewes and Bethany-  family-friendly barbecue where the bar specializes in bourbon
  • Striper Bites, Lewes – coastal specialty with a fun bar scene
  • The Purple Parrot Grill , downtown Rehoboth –  the food is good, but come here for the very lively bar/biergarten scene and particularly for karaoke on Friday and Saturdays
  • Irish Eyes, Lewes – Irish/American dining on the Lewes waterfront, live music many evenings
  • Rustic Acres Farm Market, Holland Glade Road, Rehoboth – barbecue, bakery, and fresh ice cream
  • Touch of Italy,  multiple locations including Lewes and Rehoboth,  reasonably authentic Italian – OMG THE CHICKEN PARM!!!
  • Chesapeake & Maine, downtown Rehoboth – seafood with live music almost every night, part of the Dogfish Head complex
  • Matt’s Fish Camp , Lewes and Bethany – coastal / seafood
  • Houston White,  downtown Rehoboth, steakhouse
  • Iron Hill Brewery,  just outside Rehoboth – great for a large party, this small chain out of Philadelphia has a large tented patio and their own proprietary brews
  • 2nd Street Tavern, Lewes – American (fried green tomatoes topped w/ crabmeat is my favorite), lively with live music or sports on TV and big open Victorian porch
  • Revelation Brewery & DaNizza pizza truck, Rehoboth –  like eating in your friend’s backyard (that cool friend who makes their own beer)
  • La Tonalteca, on Rt 1 outside of Rehoboth – inexpensive but great Mexican, with several local restaurants, colorful seating, and great margaritas

Please note –  just because a restaurant isn’t listed above,  doesn’t mean it isn’t great!  To survive the quiet offseason,  you need to be GOOD.  We just haven’t visited them all…..

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a toast at Revelation
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Rustic Acres farm market

If there’s a silver lining to all of the grief and stress caused by the COVID pandemic, it’s that my job has pivoted to primarily work-from-home.  As a result, our relocation to Delaware is now on the fast track, and I’ll be spending a lot more time here.  I guess I’ll just have to learn to love biking trails, parks, beaches, quaint towns, a slower pace, beautiful sunsets, and great food. And I’ll have to learn to tolerate all the Orioles and Phillies fans, instead of the NY ones I’ve gotten used to 🙂

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Lewes Sunset

We are not cool enough for South Beach (but we had fun anyway)

The day after gorging ourselves on a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with the kids, Husband and I departed LGA to MIA bound for our Norwegian Getaway cruise.  Thanks(giving) to his Million Miler status,  one of our tickets was upgraded to First Class.  This is why Husband is awesome:  he gave me the seat.  Does he know me or what?  Happy wife happy life! The flight was short, so I would not have used miles for a first class seat,  but I have to admit it was comfortable and I enjoyed the flight.     Thanks honey!

We Ubered from MIA to our hotel, the Cadillac Miami Beach, located oceanfront in the mid-beach section of Miami Beach (about 1.5 miles north of the famed South Beach strip).  The hotel was newly purchased and renovated by Marriott as part of the Autograph Collection,  having opened about 8 weeks prior. The staff had a wonderful energy about them.  Thanks to Marriott promoting the new hotel,  we got a fantastic deal on a 2 night stay in an oceanfront room with a balcony.  We immediately enjoyed that ah-I’m-finally-on-vacation drink at the pool bar:

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Cadillac pool deck bar/restaurant
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Husband wears Sunglasses at Night

We’ve both had our share of stress over the past year, and this was our first lengthy getaway in quite awhile. Our cozy room led to a great night’s sleep after a hectic day.  I’m an early riser, and was greeted the next morning with this view:

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We greeted the day with a brisk walk along the oceanfront boardwalk on top of the dunes.  Other than that little burst of activity, we lounged by the pool and beach the rest of the day and were generally very lazy.  The pool was small,  but we had no problem finding a lounger.  We liked the artifical grass – it was less hot & slippery than pool tiles can be.

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We had a 7pm reservation at Gianni’s, the restaurant at the former Versace Mansion in South Beach.  The mansion, now called The Villa Casa Casuarina, has been converted into a hotel,  but anyone can dine at the restaurant in its courtyard.  To give you an idea,  a room at the hotel in January runs upwards of $700/night. This is a high-end experience,  so dress up and enjoy the service – it’s a great place for a special celebration, and we saw no less than 3 proposals take place!  Husband and I?  We’re just celebrating life and getting away from the daily grind!   We made reservations on OpenTable exactly 30 days prior to our preferred dining date – this is recommended during Miami’s winter high season.

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Gianni’s Courtyard with lit fountains in the background.
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Guests mingling in the central atrium of the mansion.

Now we come to the best activity there is in South Beach:  PEOPLE WATCHING. With its latin, party vibe,  South Beach is chock full of beautiful people doing beautiful things.  There may have been some fake boobs,  lips, and tummy tucks involved.

The Versace Mansion was just the start;  we made our way up fabled Ocean Drive to the Breakwater Hotel,  in front of which was a open-air  Cuban cafe with sidewalk tables called Havana 1957. The pictures below don’t really capture the vibe –  music coming from every direction;  open-top Ferraris coasting by;  couples (of all orientations) holding hands; scantily dressed dancers, bright colors and an endless energy.

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street life South Beach, view from our table at Havana 1957

We enjoyed a couple of “Ultimate Mojitos” –  these were very, very large and delicious drinks.  And we had a couple.  So the beautiful night was, shall we say, a little fuzzy  the next day.  We did get a kick out of a street performing magician,  who in addition to some great card tricks managed to remove both of our Apple watches without us even realizing it!  Glad he gave them back 🙂

Tomorrow:  We board the Norwegian Getaway!

How I became a travel addict

When it comes to travel,  I’m something of a late bloomer. As a child growing up outside of Chicago, I always looked forward to taking trips with my parents, and was lucky enough to visit Disney World and Hawaii before the age of 18.  Torch Lake, MI was a regular destination, as was Door County, WI.   Even a train ride to the big city was an adventure I loved!

After college, I relocated to New Jersey to get married and start a family at the age of 25.  Due to a lack of both funds and time,  my own first trips were short and sweet.  A road trip to Myrtle Beach.  Visiting family in Florida and Virginia. With a full time job and a growing family,  for many years there was little time for anything but a weekend at the Jersey Shore.

I enjoyed planning a few family trips –  a surprise trip to Disney World for my children,  a cruise, and a rented condo in Bethany Beach, DE.  I researched, budgeted, and booked everything.  Somehow, my husband was never quite happy with my choices.

After a 2007 divorce I should have seen coming (but didn’t),  I decided that the best way to regroup would be to take my two sons, then 12 and 7,  on a trip to Sweet Home Chicago.    With no husband to second guess me,  I felt that peculiar mix of discomfort and excitement that sparked my travel addiction.

So off we went, the “three musketeers” as we began calling ourselves.   We stayed in hotels, navigated mass transit, visited friends, and toured museums, skyscrapers, and ballparks.  I introduced the boys to all my hometown favorites:  deep dish pizza,  the “El”, Michigan Avenue, and the Cubs!

When I got home,  it quickly became apparent that there was only one thing to do:  begin planning my next adventure.  And the next, and the next…